I often quote a great Jim Carrey line that I think is a great approach for life. Jim’s father always wanted to be a comedian, and would have been a great one, but he opted for the ‘safer bet’ and became an accountant instead. But he was ultimately made unemployed, and Jim learned a valuable lesson from that, saying “You can fail at what you don't want. So you might as well take a chance on doing what you love”

My guest on this episode, John Travers, initially opted for the safer bet of a well-paid job as an engineer with a global energy company, but before he started the role, he went to India and did some volunteer work – and that changed everything. He returned home to that job and worked in the corporate and start-up world for a number of years, but he fulfilled the promise he made to himself in India – he would dedicate his life to helping society’s most frail and vulnerable people.

Today, John is a qualified GP and is not only making a difference in the world, but he is happy and fulfilled by the work he is doing. He has just published a book about his time working as a doctor, the people he has met and treated, and the impact they have had on him. Its call A Shot of Hope and he’ll be telling me all about his fascinating story on this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast.

COMEDY – How are supposed to cope with this heatwave hitting Ireland? A few well-known people share their advice, including Michael O’Leary, Michael D Higgins, and Ivan Yates.

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Niall Harbison was a very successful entrepreneur in Ireland, setting up and selling a social media marketing agency and the very popular and sometimes controversial ‘Lovin Dublin’ media brand. But a combination of burnout and partying too hard, too often, led him to cut ties with Ireland and start a calmer and healthier life in Thailand. But unfortunately things got far worse, and his addiction to drink and prescription drugs soon led him to wake up in a hospital bed, at the point of near death.

Niall promised himself that things would dramatically change from that day on. It wasn’t easy, but slowly he turned his life around and today, Niall is the founder and mastermind behind Happy Doggo, rescuing and feeding as many of Thailand's millions of stray dogs as he possibly can. His work saving dogs has also saved his life. This is a conversation that I enjoyed so much, and I know you will too.

Check out Niall’s latest bestselling book - Tina: The dog who changed the world.

COMEDY - What would it sound like if RTE put some of its most popular sports commentators on Wimbledon duty?!

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Its a question that women have to ask each other all too regularly at the end of a night out, and for standup comedians Claire Roche and Justine Halpin, it was time to start talking about why. Claire and Justine wanted to start a wider conversation about the issue, bit not in a preachy way, so they put together a standup comedy show called 'Are Ya Alright Getting Home?'

Come and laugh through the fear at 'Are Ya Alright Getting Home?', a standup comedy show with an all-female lineup diving into the ridiculous rituals we must perform just to return safely to our homes after a night out. From fake phone calls to keys as weapons and hurried steps as we reach our front door. This goes further into our daily lives as we navigate through harmful gender norms that affect all in society. Under the umbrella of comedy, we wish for everyone to hear our stories and help us recognise how we can build a safer place for all to live, turning daily survival mode into stand-up gold.

Claire and Justine put on their first show in Bewleys Theatre a few weeks ago in front of a sold-out crowd and such was the reception, that they’re already planning the next one. Check it out here https://thelark.ie/are-ya-alright-getting-home/

COMEDY - Joe Duffy's has just presented his last ever Liveline, and auditions have been taking place for his successor. Michael O'Leary, Ray Darcy, and even Paschal Donohoe have thrown their hats into the ring

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand.

Ian O’Doherty has been a very regular fixture on Irish TV and radio, and in print, for many years now. His columns in the Irish Independent have always attracted a lot of attention – because they often challenge accepted truths and give voice to so-called ‘unpopular opinions’. In fact he sees doing this as an essential part of the role of a journalist.

Ian has just launched his own podcast called The State of Us and he joins me on this episode of The Mario Rosenstock podcast to talk all about this new venture - and its well worth a listen. We also talk about Ian’s background, what got him into journalism and why he’s so passionate about it, his support of Israel, his affinity with Conor McGregor, and he also gives me an exclusive bit of news about Fr Ted the Musical!!

Comedy - when word got out that Ian was going to be my special guest on this episode, the Mario Rosenstock hotline started hopping…

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

It’s time for a second helping of the great writer, thinker and commentator, Fintan O’Toole. Fintan has spent a lot time in the United States, including twelve years as a visiting professor in Princeton, so he has lots to say about American culture and politics, which we get into on this episode. We also chat about Brexit, the state of modern journalism, covering the culture wars, and if he’s going to be throwing his hat into the ring for the top job in the Aras!

Comedy - As you can imagine, lots of people listened in to part 1 of our chat last week and we got a lot of interesting messages on the Mario Rosenstock Podcast hotline…

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Political reporter Gavan Reilly has been in the Oval Office twice – the first time was during Donald Trump’s first term as US President, and the second was during Trump’s current term. In this bonus episode Gavan tells me what its like to be up close and personal with Donald J Trump and he shares his thoughts on his politics, his personality, and even his physical demeanour.

Fintan has been one of the top thinkers, writers, and speakers in Ireland for as long as I can remember. He has so much to say about so many things and always has a deeply thought-out and fresh perspective on the big issues. So when we get stuck in to a great conversation, I let it run for as long as he’ll let me!

This is part one of a two-part conversation we've just recorded, covering immigration and the ‘idiots’ of the far right, why Donald Trump uniquely combines fascism and comedy, how Charlie Haughey got away with it, and what it really means to be Irish. Enjoy!

Comedy - Now that Elon Musk has dramatically vacated his government job as head of D.O.G.E, Trump is looking for applications for the role - and we’ve got hold of some of them…

Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

As the saying now goes, what happens in Leinster House…ends up in Gavan Reilly’s new book, ‘The Secret Life of Leinster House: what you really need to know about how the country runs’.

Gavan is a former colleague of mine from back when he was the correspondent for Today FM and Newstalk. He now leads Virgin Media’s political coverage and he’s also one of the presenters of the great Group Chat podcast. When it comes to politics and politicians, Gavan has been there, done that, and got the t-shirt – and now it’s time to write the book .

In this episode of The Mario Rosenstock podcast Gavan joins me to share the juicy stories, behind the scenes intrigue, and the insights into how politics really works, that he has gathered over his many years as a political reporter.

COMEDY- Did you see that Ryanair Boss Michael O ‘Leary has just become 100m euro richer? …This has caught the attention of a few well known people and they’ve been leaving messages for Michael on his phone…we got exclusive access.

Produced by Patrick Haughey, Audiobrand