How does your childhood shape you as an adult and impact your career choices? That’s the theme of a new GoLoud podcast hosted by comedians Karl Spain and Tony Kelly, and its also what we chat about on this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast.

You might remember Tony from previous episodes of this podcast – he’s the Waterford man that dreamt of making a movie and after a lot of hard work, grit and determination, release a feature film called The Hurler, which has been in cinemas nationwide and also features on Amazon Prime!

Karl Spain of course is one of Ireland’s best-known comedians, but maybe what you’re not so familiar with is his very successful career as a writer for other comedians – he has crafted gags for performers like Kevin Bridges and Al Porter and many others.

I was one of the first guests on their new podcast and just after we recorded that, I turned the tables on them, and learnt about the childhood experiences that shaped them and led them to become comedians.

COMEDY – It has been a tough week for Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy, who now may face a vote of confidence in the Dail. And it turns out there are a few well-known people waiting in the long grass in case she doesn’t – and they’ve been leaving messages on the Mario Rosenstock Podcast hotline outlining their suitability for the role.

Produced by Patrick Haughey of AudioBrand

He'll openly admit that he's not the best dancer in the world, but chef Kevin Dundon certainly captured the public's imagination on the most recent series of RTE's Dancing with the Stars and the people of Ireland voted to keep him in week after week.

But the fact that he stayed in for so long while some very good dancers were getting voted off also wound a few people up and the so-called controversy even featured on Joe Duffy’s liveline! Kevin wasn’t too happy about this and that just one of the things we talk about on this episode. We also chat about his recent struggles with weight gain and what he did about it, how coming from a broken family has shaped him as a father, selling Dunbrody house, and lots more

COMEDY - Kevin's success on the show is causing quite the stir on Joe Duffy's Liveline

Produced by Patrick Haughey of AudioBrand

Just over two years ago, Melanie Finn was doing the school run when suddenly she found herself lying on her side in the middle of the road with her kids staring down at her. She couldn’t remember what happened, and like many busy working parents, she put it to the back of her mind and went about her day. A short time later, she was undergoing emergency brain surgery.

In this episode of the Mario Rosenstock Podcast, Melanie shares the full story of a surviving a life-threatening health scare and how it has changed her life.

COMEDY - Michael Martin's phone was hopping after his much-anticipated meeting with Donald Trump for St Patrick's Day. We get exclusive access to his voicemails.

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand.

After running one of Ireland’s top restaurants for over 30 years, Derry Clarke has a lot of great stories to share.  L’Ecrivain was high-end,  Michelin starred, and attracted international celebrities and wealthy business people from all over the world, as well as diners who were  just splashing out for a special occasion. Derry ran the restaurant throughout the heady days of the Celtic Tiger and he has weathered the storms of economic recessions, and he has seen it all.

In this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast, Derry Clarke gives me a fascinating insight into what it’s like to run a Michelin-starred restaurant, as well as sharing loads of juicy stories about flagrant spending, celebrity diners, bar fights, Taoisigh with a penchant for fine food, and lots more!

And Derry is now creating that Michelin-star experience for diners in the comfort of their own home. To find out more you can email him directly – [email protected]

COMEDY – Bertie, Trump and John Delaney leave messages for Derry on the hotline.

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

What’s it like to get back on the dating scene in your 40s, after years of marriage and zero experience of the online dating world? Actor and comedian Norma Sheahan knows all about it and she reveals ALL on this episode.  

You’ll recognise Norma from shows like Bridget and Eamon, The Clinic, Moone Boy, and more recently, Kneecap. She was also a regular guest on my Today FM radio show, Mario’s Sunday Roast. On this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast, Norma shares a few great stories about her time on Tinder and we also chat about divorcing amicably, the perils of modern parenting, her memories of the late great Jon Kenny, why she isn’t getting botox, and tonnes more.

Norma's new tour 'It's Wine O'Clock' is on now - check out the dates HERE

COMEDY - Roy Keane, Matt and Ivan, Brendan O'Connor, and Arthur Gourounlian phone in to share stories and opinions about online dating

Produced by Patrick Haughey of AudioBrand

I meet a lot of very hard working people on this podcast and Donal Skehan must be up there with one of the hardest working of them all. He’s a true grafter and someone I really admire. After spending years in the music industry, and with a couple of Irish number 1s under his belt, Donal followed his lifelong passion for food and created a remarkable career for himself in that world. He has over 11 cookbooks, countless TV shows, a meal planning web platform (donalskitchen.com), a collab with Dunnes Stores and many others strings to his bow.

And on top of all that, Donal has recently become embroiled in a wonderfully frivolous and entertaining Eurosong feud, involving contenstent Samantha Mumba, and his fellow judges Laura Fox, Arthur Gourounlian and Bambi Thug. It has been described by comedian Joanne McNally as the “showbiz feud Ireland needs and deserves”, and personally I’d have to agree with her. Press play to get the inside story!

Produced by Patrick Haughey of AudioBrand

It’s hard to get away from Trump and his tough talk on tariffs these days. But what exactly are tariffs, how do they work, and why should we care about them?

One person I have often turned to when I wanted to understand complex economic stories is Constantin Gurdgiev. Constantin used to live in Ireland and during the economic recession he was all over the media, breaking down what it all meant in layman’s terms.

Constantin lives in the US now so I thought he was the perfect guest for this week to talk about all Trumps tough talk on tariffs, life and the general mood in the US, and, as a Russian man living abroad, how he feels about what’s happening in his home country

COMEDY – David McWilliams also has a lot to say about Trump and tariffs on his podcast, but maybe not the kind of commentary you’d expect…

Produced by Patrick Haughey of AudioBrand

He’s one of Ireland’s most intelligent, interesting and, at times, incendiary characters, and he’s also one of the people I most love to interview. Eamon Dunphy, having put his podcast The Stand on pause after over 2000 episodes, is now embarking on his next adventure. And on this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast, he tells me all about it.

But as you might expect from Dunphy, there are a few issues – and people – that are grinding his gears right now: Trump, Michael D Higgins, Elon Musk, and Fintan O’Toole to name but a few! He also tells some great stories from the heyday of the Dublin social scene, and we get a bit deep too, as Eamon shares his thoughts on ageing, life, and death.

The Mario Rosenstock Podcast is sponsored by Delux Bathrooms

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Alan O’Reilly of Carlow Weather has become a bit of a phenomenon in the last few years. He loves weather, he loves IT, and he loves turning complex information in to plain English, and when he combines all three, he turns into a highly accurate predictor of the notoriously unpredictable Irish weather.

Alan has now become so well-known, that I had to make him the star of a gift grub sketch. But I also wanted to meet the man himself and find out how it all got started, how he manages to call it right so often, his thoughts on our changing climate, conspiracy theorists and what they say to him,  and of course what he thought about my gift grub sketch about him!

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Neil Delamere is a man of many talents – he’s best known as one of Ireland’s leading comedians, but did you know that he’s also a very talented quizzer? He’s been a contestant on The Chase with Bradley Walsh, Beat the Chasers, Celebrity mastermind, a panellist on  QI and the dictionary corner guy on Countdown! 

He’s a very intelligent and funny guy, and he’s also great storyteller – and  on this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast we chat all about his current tour, Achilles Neil, the other comedians that he finds funny and why, what its like behind the scenes of some of the big UK TV shows that he’s a regular on, and tonnes more.

Comedy – Micheal Martin has been sworn in as Taoiseach, and it seems he’s taking the Donal Trump approach to his first few days in office.

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand