The mad story of the Kerryman who brought Muhammad Ali to Ireland

Picture the scene – its 1972, Ireland is a very different place to what it is today, the country is very monocultural and  feels isolated out on the periphery of Europe. Its all a bit grey.  Enter from stage left, one of the most interesting,  charismatic and successful sports stars in the world – the great Muhammad Ali – and he’s here to fight in Croke park stadium. The story of how all of this came about has fascinated me for years. It involves the world’s greatest sportsman, a pretty questionable Kerry-born circus strongman, and an Ireland that is almost unrecognisable to the Ireland of today. Journalist and history lecturer Dave Hannigan is the man who decided to bring this story to life – and to a new generation – and it all comes together in his new book called The Big Fight: When Ali conquered Ireland. This story has everything, its told by a brilliant story teller. Enjoy. COMEDY  - Joe Duffy has announced his retirement after almost forty years in RTE. And he gets an unexpected call that sets him rushing out of the studio. Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

As a big fan of all things Cork, I was delighted a couple of years back to come across a fantastic ‘pure-cork’ comedy character called Reggie from the Blackrock Road. Reggie is a very old-money, conservative and highly snobby character who has a lot to say about a lot of people, very little of it complimentary. I find him hilarious. Reggie is the brainchild of journalist, writer, and comedian Pat FitzPatrick. You may have enjoyed Pat’s excellent writing in the Sunday Independent, he also wrote jokes for Brendan O’Connor on his Saturday night tv show and he had a very popular fake agony aunt column in the Examiner called Ask Audrey. In this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast, Pat tells me all about Reggie Blackrock Road, the inspiration behind him, and his current tour https://www.reggieblackrockroad.com/ . We also talk lots about Cork (of course), class and comedy. Comedy – With Kneecap getting so much attention for their controversial political statements, some well-known Irish musicians are trying to get in on the action. There’s no such thing as bad publicity, is there? Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand.

(…and what we can do about it). Dermot Whelan and I worked together in Today FM for many years, until he made the decision to leave the Dermot and Dave show to focus on his wellness business and pursue his passion for making mindfulness accessible and relatable to everyone. And since he has been doing this work, the two words that people have said to him most are ‘busy and wrecked’. So he set out to find out why we are all so busy so much of the time, why burnout is becoming so prominent, and what are the small, achievable actions we can take every day to buy some of that precious time back for ourselves. And he joins me on this episode of the Mario Rosenstock Podcast to tell me what he found out.COMEDY  - Some well-known characters share their tips for staying mindful and avoiding burnout Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

As far as careers go, crime journalism is up there with one of the most, let’s say, ‘unique’. Its not for the faint hearted – you’re dealing with dangerous people who do terrible things, and your job is to make as big an audience as possible aware of the crimes they commit.So who’d want to do a job like that? Well, Nicola Tallant for one. Nicola is one of Ireland’s best-known crime journalists. After years writing about crime, she then started talking about it on a podcast she created called Crime World – which is now one of the most-listened to podcasts in the country. She also does live stage shows, writes a book every year and regularly appears in the media.In this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast, Nicola and I talk about why she is so fascinated by crime journalism and what and drives her to work so hard at it. We also talk open and honestly about those characters we all seem to find so compelling,  like Christy and Daniel kinihan, Gerry the monk hutch, and Conor McGregor. And there are also quite a few very funny moments. If you'd like to catch Nicola at her next live event, follow this link https://www.kilkennylawfestival.com/speakers/nicola-tallantCOMEDY  - Rory MclIroy’s phone is hopping after his big win at The Masters.Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

He was the star hurler who gave it all up to travel across Asia, spending months meditating in a Buddhist temple in Thailand, then returning home to live in the wilds of Kerry and become a champion of Irish culture, language and spiritualism. Diarmuid Lyng’s life has been far from conventional.  Diarmuid has spent a lot of time thinking about his life and his purpose in life – and he has had the courage to make some very difficult decisions in order to stay true to himself and what he believes he has been put on this earth to do. This episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast gets quite deep at times, but we also have some great laughs and get stuck in to things like the madness of hurling,, the beauty of the irish language , and Diarmuid’s creative crowd-funding idea for finding a permanent home for his wild Irish family (CLICK HERE to learn more about that)COMEDY: Racing time, and the ‘What the hell is going on in world markets’ handicap hurdle is about to get started…Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

I have always loved my chats with Larissa Nolan, Features Editor and Columnist at the Irish Mirror. She always has a fresh, interesting and quite frankly brave take on the things that capture the public imagination from time to time. So when the chatter about the rise of toxic masculinity reached a new level recently, I knew who to call.Its being fuelled by stories like like the Trump / JD Vance  / Dana White  ‘bro-ligarchy ‘in the US, Conor McGregor’s appearance in the Oval Office, the ongoing issue of Andrew Tate, and the new Netflix show Adolescence,.I wanted to sit down with Larissa and try to figure out whats going on, if it’s something we should all be worried about or if its just another swing of the pendulum, and what even is toxic masculinity anyway?COMEDY - Tuesday was Liberation Day folks, and when it came to doling out economically punishing tariffs, the Donald was taking no prisoners. But, true to form, he was happy to apply tariff exemptions in the cases where it suited him personally...Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

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 moreCOMEDY - 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] – Bertie, Trump and John Delaney leave messages for Derry on the hotline.Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand