What’s the Story? Podcast

Hilary McGann is back to help us make sense of the US midterms, where the Democrats had a big night but nobody's getting carried away just yet. Was the blu-nami a vote for the Democrats or simply a chance for Americans to give Trump two fingers? Hilary talks us through the results, James Talarico's win in Texas, Elon Musk's extraordinary spending and what it might all mean for 2028.  Follow News by Hil for all the explainers and great updates and check out Hilary's Booked In podcast for lots of fantastic additions to your reading list!  The lads also give their thoughts on the new U2 album and chat about some gigs they were at over the last few weeks. 

Elaine Burke is back! Tech journo, For Tech’s Sake host, broadcaster and Bohs fan... these are just some of the reasons we love having Elaine on WTSpod.  This time she’s here to talk AI hype, Elon Musk’s promises, the tech industry doing tech industry things, and the flood of AI-generated shite taking over our feeds. We get into how much of this stuff is actually making our lives better, how reliant we’ve become on technology (especially as cash becomes less common), and what happens when the systems we depend on stop working.

The dust has settled on the Ireland v Israel footballing fiasco, but there’s plenty to unpack. Football journalist David Sneyd takes us inside the media pen, where reporting on the facts, the football and the fans was anything but straightforward. From back pages becoming front-page news to yet another round of questions over the FAI, we look at how the story played out, the reaction from Israeli media and supporters, and what it was like trying to make sense of the madness when the football was only part of the story.

Aaron joined us to talk about the fight for disability rights — and why, in Ireland, getting the basics right still seems to be such a struggle. From changing facilities that are built but never opened, to major stadiums without the toilets people need, inaccessible public spaces and a government that struggles to follow through on its own legislation, Aaron explains what these barriers actually mean for disabled people and their families. Drawing on his own experience as a father and disability rights advocate, Aaron makes the case for more than box-ticking and good intentions. He wants proper facilities, real accountability and an Ireland where disabled people can get out, take part and enjoy the same things as everyone else. To learn more please visit changingplaces.ie 

Petesy Carroll is back on WTSpod and there’s plenty to catch up on. Petesy talks us through Katie Taylor’s incredible night at Croke Park, why she might be the greatest unifying force Irish sport has ever produced, and what it was actually like being there as she walked out in front of a packed stadium. He also gets into the changing world of MMA in Ireland, combat sports tribalism, and why covering Irish sport for an international audience can be a dangerous business. Plus England and the World Cup, 1916 Rising, Danny hates religion, parenting and a few other rabbit holes along the way.

Actress Ruth Codd joins Danny & Mero to chat about wheelchair basketball, horse riding, cooking three-day Christmas dinners, and the joys of trying to navigate a world that still isn’t built with disabled people in mind. Ruth gets properly candid about her two amputations, accessibility on film sets, travelling in a wheelchair, influencers and festival frustrations, and why she’s finally stopped being afraid to speak up when something isn’t right. We talk a bit about The Traitors, Ruth's TV experience and there's a lot of talk about doughnuts. 

The lads chat summer gigs, the rise of Irish pop phenomenon CMAT, concert etiquette, and why some people seem determined to spend half a show queuing for pints instead of watching the band. Then the conversation drifts towards the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup — and whether either of them can muster much enthusiasm for it. From memories of USA '94 and Roberto Baggio, to modern football politics, FIFA, ticket prices, and the influence of figures like Gianni Infantino and Donald Trump, it's a wide-ranging discussion on how sport feels very different in 2026. Along the way there are detours into Bruce Springsteen, Christy Moore, Roy Keane, World Cup nostalgia retro football jerseys, and the kind of random tangents you've come to expect from a guest-free episode.  

The Enhanced Games, a bizarre cocktail of performance-enhancing drugs, elite sport, billionaire backed bullshit, and techno-utopian nonsense, landed in Las Vegas recently and delivered... well, not a whole lot. To talk about the spectacle we’re joined by Bruce Wardrop, Lecturer in Sports and Exercise Science at South East Technological University and specialist in performance physiology. Bruce helps us unpack what the Games actually were, the science behind doping in elite sport, and the very real health risks tied to chasing marginal gains at any cost. We also get into the billionaire backing behind the event, the promise of “safe enhancement”, why the performances largely failed to live up to the hype, and what all of this says about modern sport, biohacking culture, and the increasingly worrying social grifting.   

This episode blurb was written by Chat GPT because Danny had no sleep and wasn't able to. Thanks.  No guest this week just Danny & Graham going full old-man-yells-at-cloud mode. 😅 From Trump grifts and culture wars to Bertie doorstep disasters, World Cup ticket madness, wrestling docs, The Boys, Eurovision burnout and why Pico Lopes making the World Cup is actually class… this one is pure rambles, rants and random tangents.

This week we chat to rockstar Richie Malone.  Like a lot of kids growing up, Richie idolised his favourite band, but unlike most Richie actually joined them! For the last 10 years, he’s been carrying the torch for Status Quo’s legendary rock and iconic sound, stepping into the role left by his hero Rick Parfitt and bringing his own energy to stages around the world. We talk about the surreal moment he got the call to join the band, what it’s really like on the road as a musician, how people reacted to his news and his new music venture, The Richie Malone Band. *An earlier version of this episode was published with some "bonus behind the scenes" content due to Danny having sausage fingers in the edit. Thanks to the listeners who got in touch to alert us / take the piss.