These days it can be a dangerous thing to hold an opinion. It’s a bit like holding a firework, it has the potential to blow up in your face. The whole subject of opinions, freedom of speech, and discussion is one that fascinates me so I was delighted that one of Ireland‘s foremost opinion writers agreed to join me on the podcast this week to chat all about it.

Brenda Power has been writing opinions columns regularly for decades, she’s a pro at it, and she has attracted her fair share of controversy over some of the things she has written. So as you can imagine, we had plenty to talk about.

COMEDY - Its all about the Good Friday Agreement lately and my podcaster colleagues have been all over it – tune to hear the unique takes of David McWilliams and My Therapist Ghosted Me on this hot button issue

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Ronan Collins is one of Ireland’s most loved and respected broadcasters. He has spent over 43 years in front of the mic and has the distinction of presenting Ireland’s longest-running and most listened-to music radio show – a role that he has only recently retired from.

Ronan and I chat about music radio and how it has changed (and why he’s not a fan), the great radio presenters and producers, Ryan Tubridy’s future, that spat with Louis Walsh, his trips to Africa, and loads more.

COMEDY - Ronan is a popular guy so it was a busy week on the Mario Rosenstock Podcast hotline…jump in and take a listen to the messages.

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand. www.audiobrand.ie

It’s not every day that we have a guest on the podcast that has played drinking games with Joe Strummer of The Clash, shared double brandies with Shaun Ryder of the Happy Mondays, hung out with Amy Winehouse, and was part of the foundation of Irish radio as we know it today.

You’ll often hear Stuart Clarke of Hotpress on the radio – but he's generally talking about the lives and music other people. But in this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast it’s all about Stuart, and he has some really cracking stories to tell.

COMEDY - the phone lines started hopping once word went out that Stuart was going to be on the pod. Check out the messages from a few famous voices, including...Donald J Trump??

Produced by Patrick Haughey of AudioBrand (www.audiobrand.ie)

Enda McNulty played football for Armagh, winning an All-Ireland medal and an All-Star award while he was at it. He has taken everything he learned on the pitch, combined it with deep study in to the human brain, and has now become one of Ireland’s top performance, leadership, and mental toughness coaches. He has worked with so many of the greats in sport and business.

Enda has just published his second book, ‘Commit 2 Lead’ in which he shows us how we can ALL become great leaders. Roy Keane and Michael O’Leary aren’t so sure – and they make that very clear when they phone into talk to Enda – but after over an hour in the studio with Enda, I was convinced!

COMEDY

One of the big stories of the week was the news that Ryan Tubridy will soon be vacating the Late Late Show presenter’s chair, and the speculation about who is going to take over. Which horse will win the race for the chair?

The Mario Rosenstock Podcast is produced by Patrick Haughey of AudioBrand

Shane Byrne spent many years playing rugby at the highest level, with 41 caps for Ireland and over 100 for Leinster. He also spent a couple of years at Saracens. But all of that was probably a doddle after the gruelling few weeks he has just spent being hurled around the Dancing with the Stars dance floor!

Shane was voted out just a couple of weeks ago and he has kindly taken the time to join me in the studio to chat about his DWTS experience, his rugby career and adjusting to life after it, Andy Farrell and Ireland’s grand slam hopes, the fascinating story of his grandfather … and loads more

Check out the Ireland vs England Legends game that Shane is organising this St Patrick's weekend https://www.planetrugby.com/news/ireland-and-england-legends-to-face-off-in-st-patricks-day-game-in-dublin

COMEDY

It’s one of the biggest weeks of the year for people that love a punt – yes, its Cheltenham time again. However, it also means it’s one of the biggest weeks of the year for gambling companies and those awful adverts that we’re subjected to ad nauseum…

Produced by Patrick Haughey of AudioBrand

When you think back to your formative years, what albums spring to mind? What music marked the major milestones? What songs made you – and still make you – laugh, cry or get lost in nostalgia?

In this episode, my Today FM colleague Ed Smith joins me to talk about the three albums that helped shape him into the person he is today. And this is also the theme of Ed’s new podcast – it’s called Recorded History and in each episode Ed chats to musicians, writers, artists and creatives about the three records that have defined important or personal moments in their life. I love nothing more than a great, deep chat about music, so I’m in my element in this one.

We have a throwback comedy sketch for you on this episode – it has just been announced that Ronan O’Gara is on the shortlist for the role of Head Coach of the England rugby team. Some people are delighted, others are devasted – we got exclusive access to his voicemails.

The Mario Rosenstock Podcast is produced by Patrick Haughey of AudioBrand.

My guest on this episode was crowned Rose of Tralee in 2014 and she has pretty much been in the public eye ever since. She came out publicly for the first time just days after winning the contest, making her the first ever openly gay Rose of Tralee. Then in 2019 Maria was elected as an MEP for Midlands–North-West constituency at the European Parliament elections, and in doing so she became the youngest Irish MEP in the European Parliament.

We chat about Maria's experience growing up between the US and Ireland, the whirlwind that was the rose of Tralee, the opposition she experienced when running for election, right wing politics, and lots more.

COMEDY – Maria’s phone was buzzing in advance of this episode going live, check out the voicemails from well-known personalities…

Singer and songwriter Brian Kennedy is one of the most open, honest, heart-on-the-sleeve people you will ever meet, and he has such a powerful story to share. Brian has had a lot of health issues over the last few years and we do briefly touch on this part of his story, but we spend most of our time together chatting about the things you may not know about him - how he grew up in a pretty dysfunctional home during a very dysfunctional time in Belfast, how a teacher in his school discovered his voice and set him on the path he follows to this day, reconciling with a brother he didn’t talk to for years, and so many other very personal and poignant stories.

But we also have such great craic and of course he gets a few celebs phoning in that want to chat to him live on the podcast, including David Norris, Van Morrison, and Professor Luke O’Neill.

Brian's new album is called Folkie - https://www.briankennedy.co.uk/

COMEDY

We cross over live to Leopardstown Racecourse for commentary on the RTE Top Salaries Steeplechase.

The Mario Rosenstock Podcast is produced by Patrick Haughey of AudioBrand

After seeing Billy Connolly perform on stage in Limerick , Karl Spain knew that he wanted to be a comedian. But it wasn’t going to be easy. He spent many nights in tiny comedy clubs, sometimes getting heckled, sometimes performing to just a handful of people. But he kept showing up and his tenacity has certainly paid off - Karl has carved out a successful career as a stand up, a writer for other comedians and for TV shows like RTE’s The Republic of Telly, and he's is just back from a massive UK tour supporting none other than the great Kevin Bridges! In this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast, Karl tells his story and we have a good old natter about all things comedy too

Karl’s tour dates:

Thu 23rd Feb - Kavanagh’s, Portlaoise

Fri 24th Feb - Dolans Warehouse, Limerick

Sat 25th Feb - The Prop Room @ The TLT, Drogheda

Fri 3rd Mar - Liberty Hall, Dublin

Fri 10th Mar - Riverside Coleraine

Sat 11th Mar - Nerve Centre, Derry

Sun 12th Mar - Limelight 1, Belfast

COMEDY – Bertie Ahern is back! His phone has been hopping and we managed to get exclusive access to his voicemails

The Mario Rosenstock Podcast is produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand.

As you’d expect, Louis Walsh does not hold back in our conversation for this week’s episode – he dishes out the detail on everything and everyone, from his relationship with Brian McFadden and Keith Duffy, to negotiating his X-Factor salary with Simon Cowell, and also what he thought of Britney Spears after spending a couple of days with her on America's Got Talent.

But we also find out about the young Louis Walsh, what his parents did for a living, what he was like in school and even how, if he hadn’t become a pop music mogul, he might have become a priest!

COMEDY

As the Six Nations gets under way, David McWilliams reflects on his hooligan behaviour at international rugby matches in his youth

The Mario Rosenstock Podcast is produced by Patrick Haughey of Audiobrand.

www.audiobrand.ie