The Mario Rosenstock Podcast

It’s fair to say that Ivan Yates has had more careers, comebacks and reinventions than most. Farmer, politician, government minister, bookmaker, broadcaster, podcaster and political commentator – he's done the lot.

At the height of his bookmaking career, Ivan was making €4 million a year. A few years later, he was bankrupt and living alone in Swansea. But he bounced back, reinventing himself as one of Ireland's best-known broadcasters.

Now he's written a new book, The Game of Life and How to Win It, sharing the lessons he's learned about success, failure, money, relationships and happiness.

Ivan and I chat about the highs and lows of his extraordinary career, his departure from the Path to Power podcast with Matt Cooper, his views on politics, gambling and personal responsibility, and why he believes there's a formula for success.

We also talk about the morality of bankruptcy and whether getting a second chance should mean leaving others out of pocket.

Get ready for plenty of laughs, a few disagreements and some fascinating stories from a man who's rarely short of an opinion!

COMEDY – Its budget day and Minister Simon Harris is under serious pressure

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

You’ve probably seen that iconic black and white photo of Marco Pierre White – long hair, cigarette in mouth, in his chefs whites, and serious attitude in his expression. He was one of the first so-called 'rock star' chefs. But it was all backed up with serious talent -  his restaurants were legendary and he even became the youngest chef ever to win three Michelin stars.

Marco and I caught up in the studio while he was in Dublin for his Supper Club at the Courtyard Bar and Grill in Donnybrook, and we had the most fascinating and wildly unpredictable conversation!

We chat about food, his love of long lingering lunches (we share that in common), dealing rude customers in restaurants, the working-class world he grew up in, losing his mother when he was just six, and why he thinks that experience still affects the way he relates to people today.

He also shares brilliant stories about his extraordinary collection of friends and acquaintances. Margaret Thatcher, Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage, Keith Floyd and the wonderful Oliver Reed - one of life’s great characters.

COMEDY – Neven Maguire, Michael O’Leary and Roy Keane leave messages for Marco on The Mario Rosenstock Podcast Hotline

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Sophie Morris has become one of Ireland’s most influential voices on food, with more than 650,000 followers watching as she picks apart supermarket claims, exposes questionable marketing and recommends the products she believes are actually worth buying.

But Sophie knows the food business from the inside too – she trained in Ballymaloe Cookery School and then built her own food company, turning down an investment on Dragons’ Den, and the supposedly dream supermarket deal that became one of the most stressful experiences of her life.

We chat about the booming business of “high protein” foods, the psychology behind supermarket marketing, the surprising power Sophie now has to send sales of a product soaring and why she won’t take money from food brands, and her serious concerns about the food being served to Irish children through the school meals programme.

Sophie also talks about her new RTÉ One series, How to Shop Well Now, airing October 5th and 12th.

COMEDY – after a terrible few days, Ed Sheeran is still facing difficult questions, but he’s playing the answers characteristically safe!

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Donald Trump’s visit to Ireland last weekend certainly gave us plenty to talk about. In the space of 48 hours, he backed a united Ireland, promised to remove tariffs on Irish whiskey, met President Catherine Connolly, and reignited all the familiar arguments about Trump and his presidency.

So I invited two people with very different perspectives into the GoLoud studio to thrash out a few of the big talking points - Journalist Marion McKeone, who lived and worked in the US for many years, and American-born entrepreneur and commentator Karl Deeter.  

What follows is a lively debate about Trump’s Irish visit, Catherine Connolly, Gaza and Iran, MAGA, tariffs, Canada, American power, 9/11, and whether Donald Trump actually understands economics. I enjoyed chairing it and I hope you enjoy listening!

COMEDY – Michael D Higgins, Paschal Donohoe, and Michael O’Leary have a few things to get off their chests about Trump’s visit.

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

It has only taken Rory O’Hanlon 20 years to become an overnight success. Having spent two decades grafting in comedy clubs, open-mic nights, and corporate gigs, it was a quick piece to camera in the persona of a stereotypical D4 character that suddenly shot him into the big leagues.

D4 guy is very confident, mad into rugby and golf, has no clue about GAA, and is obsessed with what school you went to. And he’s very, very popular online - Rory now has over 150,000 followers on Instagram and 1.3m likes on TikTok and his viral videos led to his first Irish and UK tour last year.

So I was delighted to welcome Rory into the GoLoud studios to chat about the many years he spent years learning his craft, dealing with rejection and keeping on grafting until things really hit the big time for him. And of course, he took me deep inside D4 guy’s world and what he’s all about.  

Check out Rory’s tour dates HERE

COMEDY – A very popular Gift Grub from this week… With Donald Trump's visit to Ireland fast approaching, Micheál Martin is getting a bit nervous about a potential run-in between the American President and our own Catherine Connolly. He decided to try to give her a few pointers, but they weren't received very well.

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Ryan Tubridy and I go back quite a long way. I appeared as his guest many times on The Late Late Show; I had enormous fun doing it and, as he admits on this episode, so did he. And as it happens, this very podcast was launched on the Late Late, just over five years ago!

I haven't seen Ryan for ages but, like you, I've been keeping an eye on what he's been up to and had loads of questions for him, including some elephants in some rooms. So I was delighted that I finally managed to get him onto this podcast to have a proper catch up and get stuck into areas like the RTE controversy, reforming the Late Late, his new life in London, therapy, the changing world of broadcasting, and where he wants to go next.

There’s also old Late Late memories, Gay Byrne, Russell Crowe, Tommy Tiernan, Sinead O’Connor, Michael Flatley, Brendan O'Connor, and lots of other areas that we strayed into. It was great to have a proper catch up with Ryan and I hope you enjoy the conversation.

COMEDY – for the episode that’s in it, we replay a classic Gift Grub from earlier this year about how RTE executives are planning to modernise The Late Late Show.

Ryan has a couple of ‘Book Shelf Live’ shows coming up in the Pavilion Theatre this December. Check out paviliontheatre.ie for all the details

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Elaine Crowley was generous enough to join me in the studio to record this episode on her birthday! And we had so much fun. Elaine has finally bought her own home after years of renting, so we get into the madness of the Irish housing market, the realities of buying on your own and the relief of finally having a place to call your own.

We also talk about life on Virgin Media’s Ireland AM, why Elaine believes live television is in better health than people might think, the future of TV and if Martin King really is as sounds as he comes across on the show.

Elaine and I also discover that white wine turns both of us into demons, I teach her some highly questionable Irish courtesy of Dáithí Ó Sé, and we chat about the unforgettable occasion Elaine was described as “the robust one” by a journalist.

Elaine is honest, hilarious and completely herself. Enjoy the chat.

COMEDY - The Healy-Rae brothers are starring in a brand new blockbuster movie, and its one you do NOT want to miss

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

In all his years covering crime, Paul Williams says he has rarely, if ever, seen a public reaction to a story like this one.

The horrific crash on the M9, involving a car carrying a group of teenage joyriders travelling the wrong way down the motorway, has provoked an extraordinary level of anger. It seems to have tapped into something deeper too - a growing frustration about repeat offenders, the safety of ordinary people going about their lives, and a feeling that something in the system simply isn’t working.

So I asked Paul Williams, Special Correspondent with the Irish Independent, to come in and talk me through what happened and why this particular story has struck such a nerve.

We discuss who these young offenders are, why they appear to feel untouchable, the role social media plays in encouraging increasingly reckless behaviour, and what can realistically be done about it. We also get into Garda resources and pursuit training, deterrence versus rehabilitation, and Paul’s argument that Ireland urgently needs a juvenile justice system that is actually fit for purpose.

COMEDY - Students all over Ireland are getting their Leaving Cert results, and David McWilliams, as always, has a unique economic take on it on the David McWilliams podcast

Some people lead extraordinary lives, and Frank Diamond is certainly one of them.

Growing up on a farm in South Derry with Gaelic football in his blood, Frank won an All-Ireland club medal with Lavey before taking his life in a very different direction and becoming a missionary priest.

He spent nine years working in Africa, living in remote communities without electricity or running water, contracting malaria eight times and having experiences that would profoundly shape his outlook on life. And remarkably, throughout his years as a priest, he also managed to keep playing competitive Gaelic football.

Frank eventually made the huge decision to leave the priesthood and start again. On this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast, we chat about religion,  marriage and fatherhood, his daughter Laoise's extraordinary story, and finding a new purpose through his work in mental health and suicide prevention.

COMEDY – Donald Trump plans to ‘Make Ireland Great Again’ during his State visit in September. He’ll invest billions, but only if Micheal Martin agrees to a few important requests…

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Frances Black  is one of Ireland’s best-known singers, born into one of Ireland’s best-known musical dynasties. Nanci Griffith famously called her  ‘the sweetest voice of Ireland. Frances also successfully reinvented herself as an Independent Senator, building a reputation as one of the Seanad's strongest advocates on addiction, mental health and social justice.

We recorded this episode just one day after the tragic and untimely passing of  Glen Hansard, and in our chat we pay tribute to Glen and Frances shares some lovely stories about him. She also talks about her upbringing in the tenements of inner city Dublin, using her position as a senator to fight for social justice, and why she thinks that a woman’s heart may have been the inspiration for the Spice Girls!

COMEDY – it’s ‘'The Kids Are Driving Us Absolutely Mental In The House Handicap Hurdle'!

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand