As presenter of TV shows such as Home of the Year, The Great House Revival and My Bungalow Bliss, architect Hugh Wallace has become a regular fixture on our TV screens. He has also been very outspoken about the housing crisis and the need for more creativity on the part of the government when it comes to address it. And yes we do touch on this topic in our chat, but I actually wanted to spend most of my time with Hugh getting to know him better – how he got in to architecture, what it was like growing up as a gay man in a very conservative Ireland, his struggles with alcohol, his dyslexia and even the time he got to dance with Freddy Mercury in Studio 54!

COMEDY:

Michael O’Leary is set to hold the reins of Ryanair for a further six years – the media and other world leaders are all about the story!

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

Michael O’Toole has been one of Ireland’s leading crime journalists for over two decades. As crime correspondent at the Irish Daily Star, he has covered all of the big stories about major criminals, knocked on so many doors that many of us wouldn’t dream of approaching, and he has now entered the world of crime fiction with his new novel, Black Light.

We covered so much in our chat, from female fascination of True Crime, the question of Evil, the skill involved in tabloid journalism, to how his career has shaped him as a person.

COMEDY:

David McWilliams sets out to deliver an economic review of the year, but descends into painful memories of Christmases past.

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

Bill Whelan was NOT expecting to get a call from Michael Flatley during our conversation for this week’s episode. But despite the fact that they haven’t always seen eye to eye, it all seemed to go pretty well.

The two men of course worked together on Riverdance – Bill composed the iconic score, and Flatley was his lead dancer, along with Jean Butler. Arguably, it was a piece of music and dance that helped changed the face and perception of Ireland forever.

Bill has just published his memoirs – The Road to Riverdance – and he gives me so many fascinating behind-the-scenes stories from its creation and success, including revealing the inspiration for the music's unique time signatures which still compel me to this day.

But its not all about Riverdance. Bill has written and produced music for all the greats, including U2, Kate Bush and Van Morrison. In this conversation, which I loved every minute of, he shares so many stories from a career working at the highest levels of the music industry.

COMEDY:

Ronan O'Gara is on the shortlist for the job of England team Head Coach - this has caused quite a stir - we get exclusive access to his voicemails..

The Mario Rosenstock Podcast is produced by Patrick Haughey of www.audiobrand.ie

If you listen to Today FM, Newstalk or that great Inside the Crime podcast, you will be familiar with Frank Greaney. He is fast becoming one of Ireland’s most respected and listened-to courts correspondents. I love his on-air appearances with Matt Cooper and they have been inspiring quite a few Gift Grub sketches recently.

When you hear Frank talk about what he does, why he does it and the cases that have made the most impact on him, you’ll understand why he is so compelling to listen to.

Frank reveals what inspired him to get into the field of crime, it's impact on him and his thoughts on judicial sentencing in Ireland. We also explore how far Ireland has come in the last 40 years as Frank speaks about his hit podcast Inside The Crime, Season 2.

Listen here: https://link.goloudplayer.com/s/sGka1zw21OAF

And if he doesn't have enough stings to his bow, Frank also has a Burger Restaurant in Galway. An idea that originated over a few pints in the pub is now a thriving success.

As you can imagine, many callers phoned in to speak to Frank but it was, Michael D. of all people, that Frank had a bone to pick with!

Like a lot of people in Ireland I have recently become fascinated by UK politics. It has just gone mad in Westminster, and some of the characters at the centre of the drama are stranger than fiction. My guest on this episode captures this craziness better than anyone I know – Marina Hyde of The Guardian newspaper.

I have been reading Marina's columns religiously for years now and when she accepted our invitation to be a guest on this humble oul podcast I was blown away. Marina speaks just as well as she writes, and we get stuck right into all the madness that going on across the pond in this chat.

Details of Marina’s new book are here https://guardianbookshop.com/what-just-happened-9781783352593?gclid=Cj0KCQiAgribBhDkARIsAASA5bv4fRSQy23vcyc2r5dn1k_zm0PF4VWtabQnSxtHaiP9h_qLn-gJ7EgaArZuEALw_wcB

COMEDY

We’re going to stay on the topic of international politics, this time to the west of us. Because the midterm elections are in full swing in the states, and a few of my podcasting colleagues have been keeping a close on them. Including, David McWilliams and My Therapist Ghosted Me.

Enjoy!

I love music. There are few things I love more than a deep and detailed conversation about music. Im just fascinated about how songs are written, what drives the people who write them, what makes one song a worldwide hit and another a flop. There’s just so much to learn and discover.

So for this episode I invited my old friend Tom Dunne back into the studio to continue the chat we started a few months ago here on the pod. In this one, we talk the greats, both past and present. From The Beatles, Dylan and Bowie to Al Green, Don McLean, Harry Styles and Lizzo. He also shares his experience of seeing Paul McCartney at Glastonbury and his opinions on whether Harry Styles fits the typical bill for headlining Slane. Even if you are not obsessive about music like I am, you’re still going to love Tom’s brilliant stories, told in his own inimitable way.

In this week's comedy sketch, some famous musicians leave messages about the best gigs they have ever been to.

Produced by Patrick Haughey - www.audiobrand.ie

It's hard to describe Roddy Collins. Footballer, football manager, boxer, brother of a boxing world champion, practical joker, social commentator, author..the list goes on.

Not only does Roddy have great stories to tell, he also tells them so well. We talk about life in football’s lower divisions, settling local disputes in the ring, practical jokes that went too far, and walking the streets of Dublin chatting to homeless people and hearing their stories.

Roddy’s new book is called The Rodfather: Inside the Beautiful (Ugly, Ridiculous, Hilarious) Game

COMEDY:

What’s going on the UK? Replacing Prime Ministers every five weeks, it’s like they’re coming off a conveyor belt!

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

If you’re a fan of The Restaurant on Virgin Media Television, you’ll be familiar with Gary O’Hanlon. He’s one of the chefs in the kitchen helping the celebrities to cook their menus - you can’t miss him: huge mohawk, big smile, and an even bigger personality. He has had a very successful career in the fascinating world of restaurants and he’s also very involved in radio, podcasts and TV.

On this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast, Gary and I talk about the cult of the celebrity chef, working with Marco Pierre White, why some people turn in to complete divas when they’re out in a restaurant and treat the waiting staff like crap, his love of Man Utd, and some very personal topics that might resonate with you or someone you know.

COMEDY

We don’t often do this on the podcast but there is a breaking news story that we need to cover. Just when you thought the controversy about the Irish women’s football team and ‘that song’ had all blown over, the team is right back in the middle of an even bigger scandal. Press play for the latest.

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The Mario Rosenstock Podcast is produced by Patrick Haughey of www.audiobrand.ie

If you’re a fan of RTE’s Hell Week series, you’ll be very familiar with Ray Goggins – a former Irish army Ranger (basically our version of the SAS or Navy Seals), now chief instructor on this incredibly popular TV series.

Ray joined me for a fascinating chat a couple of episodes ago, but we chopped out a part of that conversation and held it back for this special bonus episode. Because that shocking video of the repeated ramming of a Garda car in Cherry Orchard had just emerged and I was very interested in what Ray thought about it, given his background. He had some pretty strong views, which you’re about to hear.

I also asked Ray him about war movies and if any of them really capture the reality of what happens on the ground in a conflict.

I hope you enjoy this one.

I work with Dave Moore every day. We sit mere yards from each other in Today FM, have done for years. We’ve shared studios and the odd night out. So naturally I thought I knew Dave well, but it turns out that there is SO much to this man that I had no idea about.

Like his successful career as a songwriter and music producer before he ever started to work in radio. Like the totally random and unexpected way he ended up working with Dermot Whelan over 20 years ago now. Or like the recent hit Netflix series that featured Dave’s reworking of a Radiohead classic. And so much more besides.

So in this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast, you’re going to learn a lot more about Dave Moore, and I think you’ll get a good laugh too.

COMEDY:

What a week it has been for Irish sport, as the women’s football team beat Scotland to qualify for the World Cup in Australia. The phone of manager Vera Pauw has been hopping, everyone’s leaving her voicemails. We got exclusive access to those messages, and I think you’re going to want to hear them…

Enjoy!

Mario

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The Mario Rosenstock Podcast is produced by Patrick Haughey of AudioBrand