Over the last 20-years, Steven and David Flynn, aka The Happy Pear, have built one of Ireland’s best-known health food brands – and they’ve also become international healthy living influencers, known for the 5am sea swims, the handstands, the yoga in jocks, and all of the quirky things that they have become so famous for. And as a result, they have a massive following of people who love them, and indeed those that don't.

And that divided public perception is just of the things we chat about in this really fascinating conversation. . We also talk about things like being identical twins and what that feels like, why we’re all too obsessed with protein and are neglecting something far more important, and some pretty out-there places they ended up in on their travels. I think you're going to see a very different side to The Happy Pear in this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast.

Comedy – Matt and Ivan, and Taoiseach Simon Harris leave voice notes for the twins.

Check out their latest book The Happy Pear 20

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

You probably know Paul Williams well from his journalism and regular appearances on radio and TV. However, you may not be aware of how and why he got into crime journalism in the first place, what daily life is like for someone with a job like his, and how passionately he feels about the victims of crime. We get stuck in to all of that in this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast and Paul also tells me about his new book, Crooks: The Stories behind the headlines.

COMEDY – Paul gets voicemails from The Monk, Simon Harris and Fintan O’Toole.

Produced by Patrick Haughey of AudioBrand

It’s the time of year for reflection and I’ve been thinking a lot on how far we’ve come with this podcast since we started it almost four years ago - millions of listens, some big awards and nominations, and a lot of friends made along the way. And it’s all thanks to you for being a loyal listener and supporting us along the way. 

So I thought it would be fitting for this week’s episode to go right back to the very start and revisit my very first interview on this series, with the great Ian Dempsey of Today FM. Having shared a radio studio with Ian for well over 20 years, there was no one better to send me off into this brave new world of podcasting, knapsack on my back, excitement and trepidation in my heart.

You might have heard interviews with Ireland’s most-loved breakfast show presenter before, but you haven’t heard one quite like this. Ian reveals things about himself that even I didn’t know – like why he would never, ever get a massage; his desire to be able to drop an F-Bomb on the radio, his memories of the infamous Fr Joseph Marmion, and the real reason for his obsession with David Bowie. He even blew me away with his impressions of Paschal Donohoe, Joan Burton, Matt Cooper and many more! 

Produced by: Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand. 

Whenever I want to get stuck into a really great chat about US politics, Irish politics, or any kind of tending social issue, I have a couple of go-to guests that I love to thrash things out with – and Karl Deeter is one of them. We don’t always see eye to eye, but in my opinion that's often the essence of a great conversation.

As a mortgage-broker turned tech-founder, Karl is well-known for his knowledge of the property market and various economic issues, and he’s a regular on radio and tv giving his expert views on these subjects. But he's also very interested, knowledgeable and opinionated on politics, geo-political issues like conflicts around the world, and even the challenges of just having an opinion in the first place! He always has so much to say, and in this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast we get stuck in to issues like the General Election, Trump, The Monk, Irish attitudes to Israel and loads more.

COMEDY – it’s the eve of the election and the politicians are leaving voicemails on out hotline like nobody’s business. And Simon Harris is feeling particularly sparky!

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Comedian Ross Browne has written for and starred in several hidden camera shows including RTE’s The Fear and Scorchio, alongside Fred Cooke, Hilary Rose and Jennifer Zamparelli. And he has also personally pranked The White House, CIA headquarters and Enda Kenny! (here’s a link to the one with Enda)

Ross is also a lead writer for the latest series of The Young Offenders, he has an Amazon Prime Special show, and he’s a successful stand-up comic. Oh – and there’s the small matter of his former career as a professional wrestler! So as you can imagine, we had tonnes to talk about in this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast, and a lot of laughs were had.

COMEDY – It seems politicians are all about getting on podcasts these days, so we've been getting quite a few requests for 'air time' from election candidates this week!

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

So much has changed for Dave Moore since he last joined me here on the Mario Rosenstock podcast. Not only has Today FM’s Dermot and Dave show now become ‘The Dave Moore Show’, after Dermot Whelan left to focus on his mindfulness career, but Dave can now call himself an author!

He has just published his first book, ‘Dave's Bad Jokes’ - a carefully curated collection of questionable gags sent into the show by listeners over the last few years. Press play to hear all about it, and indeed some well-known personalities phoning in to read out their favourite bad jokes

Dave and I also nerd out over music, accents, and comedy, and he talks about life on air without the co-host he has shared a studio with for over 20 years.

COMEDY – Matt Cooper loses the rag over Donald Trump’s crazy cabinet appointments

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

He has been on our screens with Ireland AM for 25 years and on stage in your favourite pantos for over 30, Alan Hughes must be the hardest working man in showbiz. He’s also so refreshingly honest, irreverent and funny – the perfect ingredients for a guest on The Mario Rosenstock Podcast.

In this episode we talk all about Alan’s remarkable career, what drives him to work so hard , misbehaving celebrities, why he thinks panto is suffering from political correctness and lots more

Comedy – Donald Trump, Matt and Ivan, and Louis Walsh all leave messages for Alan on The Mario Rosenstock Podcast hotline.

Produced by Patrick Haughey, Audiobrand.

I am obsessed with US politics. Not only is it full of drama and fascinating characters, but the results of this upcoming election could have a real, tangible impact on Ireland. So I wanted to get stuck into all things election-related with one of Ireland’s best-known experts on this subject.

Larry Donnelly was born in Boston into an Irish-American family steeped in politics – most notably, his uncle Congressman Brian Donnelly, introduced the “Donnelly visa” enabling more Irish people to legally emigrate to the United States. Just over 20-years ago, after a short trip to Ireland, Larry knew that he wanted to move back to the family’s ancestral home and he now lives in Co Galway, and lecturers in NUIG.

In this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast Larry talks about growing up in one of America’s most Irish-American cities, the moment that he knew he wanted to move ‘home’ to Ireland, how America (and Ireland) has changed in his 20+years in Galway, and why the Trump/Harris election is so hard to call.

COMEDY – There’s a lot of excitement about Larry’s appearance and The Mario Rosenstock Hotline has been hopping! Check out the voicemails from Matt Cooper, President Higgins, Donald J Trump, and Joe Biden! 

Produced by Patrick Haughey of AudioBrand

I’m pretty sure that you will not have heard an interview with Tánaiste Micheál Martin quite like this one before. The man is great craic, full of funny stories and banter – it’s a side to him that we rarely get to see in the Dail and on current affairs shows, but we certainly get a taste of it in this episode.

 We talk about his love of impressions, and he even does a few for us! He tells me what he thinks of my Gift Grub caricature of him, he also talks about his relationship with Leo Varadkar behind the scenes, time he spent in the north trying to understand the unionist perspective, the return of Bertie and his rumoured bid for the Presidency, getting into bed with Sinn Fein, and and lots more.

 We actually stayed in studio chatting for over an hour and a half and so we’ve decided to break the conversation up into two parts, the first of which you’re about to press play - and if you'd like to hear part 2 afterwards, jump back to Oct 2023 on this menu. I hope you enjoy what I think is a very different kind of interview with one of Ireland best-known politicians.

 Comedy – Eamon Dunphy and John Giles discuss the massive cocaine haul off the Irish coast this week.

 Produced by Patrick Haughey of AudioBrand

This is one of my favourite interviews from last year. I’ve always noticed that rugby players, in particular retired rugby players, have brilliant stories to tell. There’s so much craic and mischief going on behind the scenes in the changing room and when they’re off on tour and then you and I are lucky enough to hear all about it, when a sufficient amount of time has passed and its safe to share the stories!

Tommy Bowe is one of those great former rugby internationals who also happens to be a brilliant storyteller, so I was delighted when he agreed to join me as special guest here on the Mario Rosenstock Podcast. I got some juicy behind-the-scenes stories and gossip which I think you’ll enjoy, but we also talk about his childhood growing up in a border county when the British army very much still a presence there, how he very nearly did not become a professional rugby player, his new career as a TV presenter (known for regular hilarious gaffes – 10 siblings, anybody?), and his successful clothing company XV Kings which has just turned 10 years old.

COMEDY - David McWilliams reminisces about causing trouble on ‘culchies shopping day’ on 8th December in his youth

Produced by Patrick Haughey of AudioBrand

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to ride a motorbike alone from the bottom of South America to the very top of North America? My guest on this episode did just that.

Peter Murtagh, having retired from the Irish Times after decades of doing the work he loved to do, hopped on his motorbike, and spent eight months travelling 45,000 kms alone through deserts, mountains, jungles and cities, and he joins me to tell me about the places he saw, the people he met, and what he has learned about himself and the world.

Check out Peter’s book about the whole experience: 'Tip to Top: The Journey of a Lifetime, From Chile to Alaska'.

COMEDY – whats the story with the Irish ‘Summer’ this year? The Mario Rosenstock Podcast hotline has been hopping with messages from well-known voices.

Produced by Patrick Haughey of AudioBrand