The Mario Rosenstock Podcast

Are Ireland’s drug laws actually working? 13.07.2026 57min

For decades, Hot Press has been at the centre of some of Ireland's most challenging conversations around drugs, consistently questioning whether criminalisation is the best way to tackle addiction, organised crime and public health. Now, that conversation continues through its new podcast series, Dealing With Drugs: A Hot Press PodcastThe show is presented by deputy editor of Hot Press Stuart Clarke, who joins me as my special guest on this episode of the Mario Rosenstock Podcast. We chat about everything from why Portugal's model of decriminalisation is working and why Ireland's model of criminalisation isn’t, to organised crime, music culture and why honesty may be the most important starting point for any meaningful debate about this issue.COMEDY: It’s the most popular gift Grub Sketch that I have written years – I channel my inner Bob Dylan and sing about the number of England players with Irish roots in the World Cup!Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Mike Hanrahan: Stories from four decades at the heart of Irish music 05.07.2026 1t 5min

 Mike Hanrahan has spent over forty years writing, performing and championing Irish music. He spent fifteen years with Stockton's Wing, writing hits such as Beautiful affair and Over the Moors,  which was the theme tune for Joe Duffys radio show for over 40 years until recently (and Mike has a very strong opinion on the decision to drop it)He went on to spend ten years writing and performing with the legendary  Ronnie Drew with whom he became a close friend; He has also supported Michael Jackson in Páirc Uí Chaoimh,  appeared in Jim Sheridan’s The Field, alongside Richard Harris, Sean Bean and John Hurt; performed for Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Junior; he even spent years as a professional chef in kitchens across Ireland. And we have a great chat about all of these stories and more in this episode of the Mario Rosenstock podcast

Laughing with Lucy 27.06.2026 1t 5min

Lucy Kennedy’s hit TV show ‘Living with Lucy’ has been a huge success and so much of that is down to Lucy’s disarmingly relaxed and authentic style of interviewing – in fact it doesn’t even really feel like an interview, more of a very causal chat, which is why the celebs she moves in with are so open and honest with her.As well as being a tv presenter , Lucy is also the co host of the breakfast show on Ireland’s Classic Hits Radio, alongside Colm Hayes; she has written several children’s books, and now she can add adult fiction writer to her CV. Her debut novel is called The Mini Breakers and we chat about that – and a whole lot else in this episode of the mario Rosenstock podcast.Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Greg Allen on Rory McIlroy's rise, awkward interviews, and favourite sporting moments 19.06.2026 39min

My conversation with Greg Allen continues, with more great stories and sports insights in this episode.  Greg has spent over 40 years covering golf and athletics on RTE, and in this part of our chat he shares early memories of watching Rory Mcllroy play, what he thought at the time, and where he thinks his career is headed now. We hear stories about his interviews with famous golfers including Jack Nicklaus, and I hit him with a quick fire round of questions about his favourite sportsperson, most memorable sporting moment, and lots more.COMEDY - its World Cup fever at the moment and David WcWilliams is doing what David McWilliams does best, on the David McWilliams podcast!Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Greg Allen - A life in sport 13.06.2026 59min

Greg Allen joined RTE’s sports department over 40 years ago and he intentionally decided to focus on two sports that weren’t particularly widely covered, so that he could develop a niche for himself and make his mark. He chose well, as Ireland has since become a global force in golf and athletics , and Greg has had a front-row seat to that remarkable transformation.He has covered 10 Olympic games, every World Athletics Championship since 1993 and each European Athletics championship since 1990, 90 major golf championships, 16  Ryder Cups , over 100  international events and domestic ones too – and in this episode he tells me some great insider stories about the big events,  the sports stars involved, and the rise and rise of Irish sport on the world stage.COMEDY -  As one of Ireland’s most recognisable sports commentators, there’s was naturally a lot of interest in this episode from other recognisable sports commentators, and they were eager to get in touch with Greg on the Mario Rosenstock podcast hotline.Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Jack L on why AI will make us want to hear more mistakes and see more live gigs 05.06.2026 1t 9min

Ever since he was a kid, all Jack Lukeman (aka Jack L) wanted to do was to write and perform music - and he has managed to make a very long and successful career out of it, with multi-platinum selling albums and thousands of gigs under his belt. And it certainly helped that he has one of the most recognisable voices in the industry.But as well as writing and performing music, Jack also thinks a lot about it – he’s fascinated by its history, the science behind it, and the impact that AI is having on music, and what that means for musicians and performers in general. So we have a deep and wide-ranging chat about all that, as well as Jack’s upcoming projects, including MC'ing on the main stage and performing at the upcoming Forest Fest in Co.Laois in July, a 'Northern Lights' church tour, and two consecutive nights at the 3Olympia in March 2027COMEDY – Ray Darcy, Michael Healy Rae, and Ivan Yates remember what they got up to after they sat their Leaving Certs.Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Craig Doyle on playing with Maradona, presenting with Holly Willoughby, and THAT viral Geoff Parling video! 29.05.2026 42min

This is the second part of my chat with Craig Doyle, and we’ve kept some of his best stories for this episode. Craig talks about how ITV’s This Morning survived the Phillip Schofield saga, the time when he played football with Diego Maradona and many other top players, and the recent Geoff Parling viral video in which Craig played an unfortunate starring role. COMEDY – Roy Keane, Patrick Kielty, and Brendan O’Connor leave messages for Craig on The Mario Rosenstock Podcast HotlineProduced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Craig Doyle – the highs and lows of a TV career 24.05.2026 50min

If you ask Chat GPT about Craig Doyle, one of the things it will say is: Craig gives off “good bloke who accidentally wandered into television and stayed there” energy.And when I put this to Craig he didn’t disagree! Because even though he has presented some of the UK’s most-watched shows, a career on camera was never really part of Craig’s grand plan. And the story of how it all happened is a great one.Craig shares so many great stories from his career and his childhood, he tells me about encounters with characters like Jeremy Clarkson, Jimmy McGee, Phil Lynott, Robbie Williams, and playing soccer Diego Maradona! And I also learn all about the production company he runs with former rugby international Brian O’Driscoll and some of the fascinating sports documentaries they have made together. But it hasn't all been plain sailing, and Craig also tells me about when and why he almost gave it all up to pursue a totally different career, and what happened next. COMEDY – Ryle Nugent, Donal Lenihan, and Brian O’Driscoll phone in and leave messages for Craig on The Mario Rosenstock HotlineProduced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Nazis, war, and trauma – I learn a lot more about my family history 19.05.2026 28min

A couple of episodes back Gerry Mullins told me the fascinating story of Jonathon swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels, which is still by far the most successful book ever published by an Irish author. It was full of dangerous political commentary, so Swift was never able to put his name to it during his lifetime.  Today we have cancel culture, but back then people were ‘pilloried’ – tied up in wooden stocks, publicly shamed, and sometimes had parts of their body cut off, a fate that Swift ran the risk of meeting. It’s a fascinating story and if you haven’t heard that episode be sure to check it out.But Gerry also shared some other eye-opening pieces of history with me – about my own family. Stories about my German grandfather, my Irish grandmother, what they went through during WW2, and how their experiences may have had an impact on my own upbringing. This was all new information to me and in this episode you’ll hear me learning some very poignant facts about my family, for the very first time.

Where does The Late Late Show go from here? 16.05.2026 1t 7min

Did you know that RTE’s Late Late Show is longest running chat show in TV history? For over 60 years it has been an institution in Ireland - entertaining huge audiences, reflecting societal changes, challenging the status quo, and setting the news agenda.But the show now seems to have reached something of a turning point – there are a lot more TV shows competing for our attention, numbers are falling, and some say that its not as as relevant as it once was. On top of all that there’s a big question mark over who will be the host of the next series, as Patrick Kielty has not signed a contract to do it, and we’re not sure if he will.I’ve been on the Late Late many times and I’m really interested in its past, present and future, and so we invited two guests on to this episode who are equally as interested and who know a lot about the show and TV entertainment formats in general.Former journalist Larissa Nolan has been a guest on the show and has written a lot about it, and Paddy Cullivan was a weekly fixture on the Late Late for 10 years during Ryan Tubridy’s tenure, fronting up the house band the Camembert Quartet.Larissa, Paddy and I reflect on the highs and lows of the late late over the years, we try to figure out what’s gone wrong, whats gone right, and what its going to take to save the Late Late and get it back to its glory days…COMEDY - when I put it out there on my social channels that we were going to be chatting about the Late Late its future, a few well-known people got in touch, and it seems they have their eye on the big job on the show..

Linda Martin – douze points! 08.05.2026 1t 4min

She’s one of Ireland's hardest working and best-known performers, and her honesty and sense of humour is an absolute tonic, making Linda Martin a great podcast guest. Linda started singing professionally when she was just 16 yrs old and still in school, and she has pretty much been performing regularly ever since. During that 50-year career, Linda has been a nine-time National Song Contest contestant, a Eurovision winner, a chart-topping singer, a mentor, a TV host, a stage actor – the list goes on!Linda tells me some great stories about her life in music, the hey day of the Irish showbiz scene and what she has learned from some of the greats that she has worked with. We chat about her love of animals and her beloved Dublin Dog Hub sanctuary.  And she also lets off some steam about modern day celebrity and work ethic, why politics and music should never mix, and why there’s no such thing as mega artists any more.COMEDY – Tommy Tiernan, Marty Whelan, and Ronan Keating have some interesting ideas about how to revive Ireland’s Eurovison glory days…Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Jonathon Swift – Ireland’s original satirist 04.05.2026 46min

You’ve heard of the book Gulliver’s Travels, but did you know that it’s by far the most successful book ever published by an Irish author? And that it contained such dangerous political commentary that Jonathon Swift was never able to put his name to it during his lifetime? Today we have cancel culture, but back then  people were ‘pilloried’ – tied up in wooden stocks, publicly shamed, and sometimes had parts of their body cut off.These are just some of the fascinating things I learned during my conversation with writer, performer, and former political strategist, Gerry Mullins. Gerry has become something of an expert on Swift (he literally wrote the musical!). He describes Swift as ‘the original Irish satirist’ and even though he was around 300 years ago, so much of what he talks about feels familiar today. In this episode, Gerry and I talk about the remarkable life he led, his complicated love life, freedom of speech (or the lack of it) back then and today, Trump, cancel culture, and Swifts incredible contribution to mental health in Ireland.COMEDY – It’s the most hotly anticipated movie in years – its Michael… (Healy Rae!)Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand.

Dermot Bannon peaks inside the homes of Joanne McNally, Vogue Williams, Andrew Porter… 24.04.2026 1t 2min

What does your home reveal about you? Celebrity architect Dermot Bannon’s new show, Celebrity Super Spaces, brings us inside the front doors of well-known people where we learn something different about them. Because I guess our homes reflect our personalities, whats important to us, and maybe what we want people to think about us.Dermot tells me about visiting the homes of people like Joanne McNally, Vogue Williams, Andrew porter and a few others, and what he learned about them during his time there. He also talks about growing up in Cairo in Egypt and how that experience shaped who he is today; he rants about our obsession with modular homes as the solution to the housing crisis when there are far bigger things we should be focussing on. Dermot also tells me about a recent major health scare that could have been fatal for him, and how it’s affecting his day to day life now. And we also talk Gift Grub and my impressions of him!COMEDY – its seems that everyone wants to get their house done by Dermot, including some very well-known people, who left messages for him on the Mario Rosenstock Podcast hotline this week..Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Russell 'The Voice' Watson - from Working Men's clubs to the World stage 18.04.2026 57min

Russell Watson and Gary Barlow have something in common – they both started their careers in Workingmen’s clubs across northern England, playing to audiences that were very hard to win over. They other quality they share is grit and determination, and so fast forward to today, and Russell is selling out concerts globally, he has performed for the Queen, the Pope and US presidents, topped the charts in the UK and US for months at a time, and sang at major football and rugby finals all over the world. He has also been a contestant on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! UK in 2020.In this episode Russell tells me so many great stories about the tough crowds he’s played to, the celebs he has met and performed with, and the secret to his ‘overnight success’ (“that was a very long night!!”)Russell will be in Ireland very soon for some shows in Wexford, Limerick and Dublin – check out russellwatson.com for all the details.Lots of news around this week but one of the stories that have cause a bit of a stir is the news that RTE boss Kevin Bakhurst is getting a €20k pay rise. We got exclusive access to his voicemails – press play to hear them!Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Would Bruce Springsteen make it big today? (and more great insights from a hit songwriter) 10.04.2026 41min

I just love talking about music and songwriting, so when I had the chance to interview  Grammy-nominated singer songwriter, RuthAnne Cunningham, it was never going to be a short conversation! So we divided out our chat across two episodes and this week its part 2. Having written songs for some of the world’s biggest performers, including Niall Horan, Britney Spears, Westlife, Niall Horan, Martin Garrix and One Direction, Ruthanne has so many great stories to share and so much to say about the music industry and how it all works. In this episode Ruthanne and I talk about the role the social media plays in the modern industry - and why she’s not too happy about it – she tells me how things work when it comes to royalties and how songwriters get paid, and we talk about why a legend like Bruce Springsteen wouldn’t be a success if he started out today.  COMEDY - The fuel protests and blockades are dominating the news this week, and Michael O’Leary and Paschal Donohoe let their opinions about it be known on The Mario Rosenstock Podcast Hotline.   Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand.

Inside the world of a Grammy-nominated hit songwriter 03.04.2026 52min

RuthAnne Cunnigham has written songs for some of the world’s biggest performers, including Niall Horan, Britney Spears, Westlife, Niall Horan, Martin Garrix and One direction. She is a Grammy-nominated singer-song writer with multi-platinum global hits totally over 10bn steams and collaborations with greats like Diana Ross and John Legend.RuthAnne joined me on the Sunday Roast radio show on Today FM  a few years ago  to tell me the story behind 'Nice to meet ya', which she co-wrote with Niall Horan, a song that went on to be a huge hit. So we asked her to come back for a chat about all of her other hit songs, collaborations and her own successful career as a performer. She has some amazing stories to tell.Check out RuthAnne’s new book ‘Its not just a song’COMEDY – the Sauna craze sweeping Ireland has now made it into the hallowed halls of Leinster House!Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

We need to talk about Roy (Keane) 28.03.2026 57min

Ireland has produced a lot of sporting greats, but none quite like Roy Keane. He’s not just a footballer, or a pundit, or even a national obsession at this stage, he’s practically a genre of Irish conversation. And he’s someone that has been a big part of my career for many years, in particular with Radio Roy on Gift Grub.Dave Hannigan has just published new book called We Need To Talk About Roy in which he takes a fresh and fascinating look at Keane - not just the man himself, but what he tells us about Ireland, ambition, class, celebrity, masculinity, football, and fame. And this isn’t just a great piece of journalism – Dave is from the same part of Cork as Roy, they are roughly the same age, and they even played against each other a few times!!!In this chat Dave and I chat about Roy’s early days in Cork, why Saipan still has such a grip on people, how Roy became such a huge media figure, and why he may actually be more culturally relevant now than he was in his playing days.COMEDY - its Michael O’Leary’s birthday this week – he’s decided to throw himself a big birthday bash, in true Ryanair style…Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

The greatest football manager you’ve probably never heard of 13.03.2026 56min

I am a huge football fan, and I love the history of football too. I’m fascinated by the best players we’ve had the privilege of watching over the years, my all-time favourite being Diego Maradona , and also by the great managers like Alex Fergusson and Jose Mourinho – many of whom I’ve caricatured on Gift Grub over the years.And that’s why I was delighted when I received a copy of a new book about one of the most interesting and successful football managers of all time - and you’ve probably never heard of him! I certainly hadn’t anyway. His name was Helenio Herrera , also known as HH, and what a life story he has. Born into poverty, he went to become an ok football player but incredibly accomplished, wealthy and famous football manager - he’s also credited with inventing the modern style of football management.Barcelona-based Irish football writer Richard Fitzpatrick has just published a fascinating profile of this man – its called HH: Helenio Herrera – Football's Original Master of the Dark Arts, and he joins me on this episode of the Mario Rosenstock Podcast to tell me all about it.COMEDY - As this episode is all about great football management, we put a call in to some of the great footballers and managers, and asked them to reveal which manager they most admire…Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Karl Deeter and Larissa Nolan talk Tourette’s, OCD and the BBC 11.03.2026 51min

Larissa Nolan, who you may know from previous episodes of the show, got in touch the other day about a story that she really wanted to talk about, and she wanted Karl Deeter , another friend of the show, to join the conversation too.  The story was about an incident that happened at the recent BAFTA awards on the BBC, where an actor with Tourette’s syndrome, whose life story inspired the award winning film ‘I Swear’,  shouted out the N-word when black actors Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage to present an award. Naturally this caused a major stir - but the reaction was actually quite nuanced, with some very different viewpoints emerging.So Larissa, who has OCD, and Karl Deeter, who has Tourette’s, joined me to get into this issue. We chat about what it’s like to live with Tourette’s and OCD and how both conditions are actually quite similar in some ways. They also give a great explainer about this BAFTA’s story and the nuanced outcry it has caused, and they share their own opinions about it. Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Ireland’s most iconic Panto Dame? Oh yes he is!! 23.02.2026 58min

Joe Conlon first walked on to the stage of the Gaiety Theatre at the age of 13 and he knew immediately that that’s where he wanted to be. Fast forward to today and Joe has become synonymous with Panto and theatre in Ireland. He spent 15 years as the iconic Gaiety panto dame, Nana, and has been in countless productions in that role and many others besides.Joe has now decided to hang up his panto boots to concentrate on other projects, including focusing on his own drama school, which he has been running for many years. So we thought it was a great time to sit down with him and chat about his many decades on stage, the importance of drama and drama schools for building confidence in kids, Ireland’s phenomenal acting talent, working with Brad Pitt, and lots more.COMEDY – Is RTE paving the way for the return of Ryan Tubridy?Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand