If you follow what happening in the news in the UK then you’ll be very familiar with my guest on this episode, Enda Brady. Originally from Wexford, Enda studied journalism in the UK and ended up carving out a highly successful career there,  spending over 16 years as senior correspondent at Sky News.

In this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast, Enda and I have a great chat about the craziness of UK politics, the prospect of Nigel Farage as Prime Minister, and he shares some great behind-the-scene stories of his interviews with people like Tiger Woods, Zlatan, Ibrahimovic, and David Beckham.

COMEDY – We got a great reaction to this Gift Grub sketch about the WWE coming to Dublin this week, enjoy!

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Karl Deeter has been a guest on my podcast, and my radio show before that, many times. We always have a great chat about US politics, his take on Trump (which is always interesting), and the big ticket political and societal issues in Ireland.

But Karl is also an entrepreneur and has been one of the country’s leading mortgage brokers for many years. A few years ago he developed a tech platform that brought a very welcome and much-needed digital layer to the mortgage application process, and that innovation, combined with many years of hard work and creative thinking, has just delivered a major payday for Karl, and, just as importantly, a true validation of his idea.

So we invited Karl back on to The Mario Rosenstock Podcast straight away to tell us the full story – from how he spent years trying to figure out what he was good at, to being ‘crushed’ by the 2008 recession, right up to selling his company in a multi-million euro deal just days ago.

COMEDY - Taylor swift has just appeared on her very first podcast, and its not even a music podcast! So now some well-known Irish podcasters are trying their luck and inviting her on to their shows. We got exclusive access to Taylor’s voicemails

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

It has been just over a year since I last chatted with comedian and writer Tadhg Hickey here on the podcast. But since then, things have really moved up a gear for Tadhg, some of it good and some not so good.

Tadhg has been a very vocal critic of Israel’s war on Gaza and a staunch supporter of Palestine, and his online videos and comedy sketches about the issue have always been popular. But over the past year his profile has grown significantly and, as well as winning new supporters, he has been attracting new critics. Why? Because, as he describes, he has ‘become dangerous’.

So I asked Tadhg to join me again here on The Mario Rosenstock Podcast to chat about the crazy year that he has had – from his continued activism and the negative attention it has been attracting, to his trip to Iran and thoughts on how the Irish and the Iranian people share a lot in common, the new satirical tv show that he is making, and lots more. 

COMEDY – Its not long before one of Ireland’s most anticipated concerts of the year is here, Oasis! Liam Gallagher has been getting all sorts of messages from the likes of Ronan Keating, Louis Walsh, and Daniel O’Donnell. We got exclusive access to his mailbox…

What would you do if you created a company, built it up, and then sold it in a multimillion euro deal? Would you book the first flight to Bali and lie on a beach for the rest of your days? Well, this wasn’t the route that my guest on this episode took.

Having sold his company Pigsback.com for over €25m just a few years ago, Michael Dwyer had a very different plan in mind– to work hard at becoming a top poker player and rise through the world’s poker rankings, playing across the Irish, European and World Series of Poker tours. And things have been going very, very well for him indeed.

So in this episode Michael and I chat about quitting a safe pensionable job to start a company, all of the highs and lows of building a business – and then selling it for millions; why he loves tournament poker and the success he has been enjoying, taking the right approach to risk, why the cryptocurrency sceptics need to open their minds, and plenty more.

COMEDY – Donald Trump takes to the podium and he’s got a very important message.

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

He’s a former New Zealand rugby player turned pundit and fashion entrepreneur, who is now also one of Ireland’s leading mental health advocates - Brent Pope is a busy man. But he found the time to join me as special guest on this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast for a fascinating chat about his own lifelong battles with mental health, creating the ‘Elephant in the Room’ movement to promote workplace wellbeing, and why the golden age of TV sports punditry is over.

Comedy - big news, Michael Flatley has just thrown his hat into the race for the Aras, and his voicemail inbox is hopping!

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

There’s nothing quite like a conversation with Roddy Collins. He’s hilarious, unpredictable, emotional, a total open book, and a natural story teller. Roddy joined me here on The Mario Rosenstock Podcast a couple of years ago when he had just published his memoir about the many decades he has spent as a football player, manager and pundit. So it was high time to meet again.

Roddy has been keeping as busy as ever since we last met and we chat about loads of things like life after the book, why he’s spending a few months a year in Spain every year, how his son has turned pro in boxing, his great friendship with Vinny Jones, and much more.

COMEDY – Bertie Ahern, Roy Keane, and former FAI boss John Delaney, leave voicemails for Roddy on The Mario Rosenstock Hotline.

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand  

I often quote a great Jim Carrey line that I think is a great approach for life. Jim’s father always wanted to be a comedian, and would have been a great one, but he opted for the ‘safer bet’ and became an accountant instead. But he was ultimately made unemployed, and Jim learned a valuable lesson from that, saying  “You can fail at what you don't want. So you might as well take a chance on doing what you love”

My guest on this episode, John Travers,  initially opted for the safer bet of a well-paid job as an engineer with a global energy company, but before he started the role, he went to India and did some volunteer work – and that changed everything. He returned home to that job and worked in the corporate and start-up world for a number of years, but he fulfilled the promise he made to himself in India – he would dedicate his life to helping society’s most frail and vulnerable people.

Today, John is a qualified GP and is not only making a difference in the world, but he is happy and fulfilled by the work he is doing. He has just published a book about his time working as a doctor, the people he has met and treated, and the impact they have had on him. Its call A Shot of Hope and he’ll be telling me all about his fascinating story on this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast.

COMEDY – How are supposed to cope with this heatwave hitting Ireland? A few well-known people share their advice, including Michael O’Leary, Michael D Higgins, and Ivan Yates.

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Niall Harbison was a very successful entrepreneur in Ireland, setting up and selling a social media marketing agency and the very popular and sometimes controversial ‘Lovin Dublin’ media brand. But a combination of burnout and partying too hard, too often, led him to cut ties with Ireland and start a calmer and healthier life in Thailand. But unfortunately things got far worse, and his addiction to drink and prescription drugs soon led him to wake up in a hospital bed, at the point of near death. 

Niall promised himself that things would dramatically change from that day on. It wasn’t easy, but slowly he turned his life around and today, Niall is the founder and mastermind behind Happy Doggo, rescuing and feeding as many of Thailand's millions of stray dogs as he possibly can. His work saving dogs has also saved his life. This is a conversation that I enjoyed so much, and I know you will too.

Check out Niall’s latest bestselling book - Tina: The dog who changed the world.

COMEDY - What would it sound like if RTE put some of its most popular sports commentators on Wimbledon duty?!

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Its a question that women have to ask each other all too regularly at the end of a night out, and for standup comedians Claire Roche  and Justine Halpin, it was time to start talking about why. Claire and Justine wanted to start a wider conversation about the issue, bit not in a preachy way, so they put together a standup comedy show called 'Are Ya Alright Getting Home?'

Come and laugh through the fear at 'Are Ya Alright Getting Home?', a standup comedy show with an all-female lineup diving into the ridiculous rituals we must perform just to return safely to our homes after a night out. From fake phone calls to keys as weapons and hurried steps as we reach our front door. This goes further into our daily lives as we navigate through harmful gender norms that affect all in society. Under the umbrella of comedy, we wish for everyone to hear our stories and help us recognise how we can build a safer place for all to live, turning daily survival mode into stand-up gold.  

Claire and Justine put on their first show in Bewleys Theatre a few weeks ago in front of a sold-out crowd and such was the reception, that they’re already planning the next one. Check it out here https://thelark.ie/are-ya-alright-getting-home/

COMEDY - Joe Duffy's has just presented his last ever Liveline, and auditions have been taking place for his successor. Michael O'Leary, Ray Darcy, and even Paschal Donohoe have thrown their hats into the ring

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand.

Ian O’Doherty has been a very regular fixture on Irish TV and radio, and in print, for many years now. His columns in the Irish Independent have always attracted a lot of attention – because they often challenge accepted truths and give voice to so-called ‘unpopular opinions’. In fact he sees doing this as an essential part of the role of a journalist.

Ian has just launched his own podcast called The State of Us and he joins me on this episode of The Mario Rosenstock podcast to talk all about this new venture - and its well worth a listen. We also talk about Ian’s background, what got him into journalism and why he’s so passionate about it, his support of Israel, his affinity with Conor McGregor, and he also gives me an exclusive bit of news about Fr Ted the Musical!!

Comedy - when word got out that Ian was going to be my special guest on this episode, the Mario Rosenstock hotline started hopping…

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand