What’s the Story? Podcast

Colonel Randall Larsen is a retired US Air Force Colonel and is the national security advisor at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and a senior fellow at the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University.

He formerly served as a professor and department chair at the National War College, the founding director of the Institute for Homeland Security, the executive director of the bipartisan Congressional Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism.

The world seems a fragile place in 2017, political tensions are aired on the news, and twitter, everyday. There is no longer a balance of Superpowers, and attacks from small groups or individuals have become more frequent. So what if one of these attacks was carried out, but instead of guns or explosives, the weapon of choice was a biological weapon designed to infect as many people as possible? Is it a real threat or is it just a conspiracy - has anyone tried to do it before or will nature throw something at us before anyone can weaponise a disease? These are just some of the things Randy was able to tell us about. 

WTSpod is brought to you by Fitzpatrck Castle Hotel, go to www.fitzpatrickcastle.com for more. 

This week the lads are joined by one of Ireland's greatest messers, PJ Gallagher. 

PJ came to a lot of people's attention over 10 years ago thanks to his part on the much loved "Naked Camera" tv show. Since then he's gone on to be one of Ireland's favourite comedians and continues to be a leading light in the entertainment industry. 

From gicknas to manscaping, a pitbull named Sharon and how passionate is Damien Dempsey?, PJ had Mero & Danny sweatting with the laughter. 

You can hear PJ every weekday morning on 4fm from 6-10 as he hosts the breakfast show alongside Jim McCabe, he is also hosts the hilarious "Dubland" Podcast with Suzanne Kane which is available on iTunes now. 

His new tour "Dickhead" kicks off April 28th in Sligo with dates around Ireland to follow, follow @PJGallagher on twitter for full listings. 

WTSpod is brought to you by Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel, go to www.fitzpatrickcastle.com for more. 

This week the lads go from being jovial and happy, to angry and ranty, to having a full blown deep and meaningful conversation like a couple of teenage girls at a sleep over. 

The state of the nation has angered both the lads, the Tuam Mother & Baby home, Grace, and the treatment of Sgt. Maurice McCabe are just some of the issues that are plaguing Ireland right now. The lads question the motives of the Catholic Church and ask why are people continuing to baptise their children into a religion they don't believe in? 

Mero leads Danny into a deep and meaningful conversation he was not expecting and there is way too much singing. 

WTSpod is brought to you by Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel, go to www.fitzpatrickcastle.com for more. 

This week the lads are joined by one of Ireland's modern treasures. Emmet Kirwan recently captured the hearts and minds of Ireland with his incredible poem "Heartbreak". The video that accompanied the poem has been viewed over 1.3 million times and has been shared over 20,000 times on Facebook alone.

is brought to you by Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel, visit www.fitzpatrickcastle.com for more. 

A special edition of the podcast this week as we took WTSpod on the road and travelled to Bray (Bré) for the 2017 Bray Comedy Festival. We caught up with some of the comedians who performed across the week including Chris Kent, Karl Spain, Danny O'Brien and friend of the show/comedy Don, Adam Burke. 

David Moore is Ireland's best known astronomer. Having set up Astronomy Ireland in 1990, he has been gazing into space and looking beyond our own planet for over three decades. 

He has discussed space with Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Sir Patrick Moore and now the two lads on WTSpod. You can learn more about the world beyond our world by going to www.astronomy.ie and joining the club. 

We also give details of our first ever live show which will take place on May 18th - first guests are announced and we'll give more details in the coming weeks including how you can be there. 

WTSpod is brought to you by Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel, check out www.fitzpatrickcastle.com for more. 

Diamond Dallas Page is a former pro wrestler and a three time Heavyweight Champion of the World. He has revolutionised the world of fitness with his DDP Yoga workouts. 

DDP has enjoyed success in and out of the wrestling ring and at age 60 he shows no signs of slowing down or taking a step back from the DDPY revolution. 

The DDPYoga Now app is available in the App store, Google Play store and online at www.ddpyoganow.com 

WTSpod is brought to you by the award winning Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel - check out www.fitzpatrickcastle.com for more. 

This week Danny & Mero spoke to journalist and author, Irvin Muchnick, who is one of the world's best investigative journalists. 

The lads spoke to Irvin about George Gibney, the former Irish Olympic Swimming coach who is at the centre of a child sex abuse scandal that has rocked irish swimming for more than three decades. Since the mid 90's Gibney has lived in the USA under a cloud of suspicion and a desire from many to have him extradited to Ireland to face charges. 

Irvin has also worked extensively on pro wrestling stories, most notably the story involving Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka and the death of his girlfriend Nancy Argentino. Further to this Irv has also covered the infamously tragic story of the Benoit double murder suicide which shocked the world in 2007. 

This week we welcome Caroline McGuigan back to the podcast. Caroline is the founder and CEO of mental health charity Suicide or Survive.

When we originally spoke to Caroline way back on chapter 22, we were amazed by the response to her story - over a year later and we thought we would check in to see how Ireland is doing with mental health and for the usual waffle the lads provide - including Danny trying to talk about mad cow disease but knowing nothing about it. 

If you want to learn more about Suicide or Survive check out www.suicideorsurvive.ie or if you feel you need to talk to somebody, phone Samaratains on 116 123 - 24 hours-per-day, 7 days-per-week. 

WTSpod is brought to you by Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel, check out www.fitzpatrickcastle.com 

Nostalgia just aint what it used to be... except for when you're talking about computer games from your childhood. 

This week gaming guru and retro enthusiast Naoise O'Hare stopped by WTS towers in the beautiful surrounds of Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel to talk all things Gamer Con and all things retro gaming. 

Retro gaming has developed a massive following over the past few years as the worlds original home gamers seek out what brought them hours of entertainment as a kid. From Mario to Sonic, Duckhunt to Metal Gear Solid, Golden Axe to Street Fighter, we talk about all the classics and our favourites from down the years. 

Naoise will be manning the Retro Zone at the 2017 Gamer Con which takes place on March 18th and 19th in Dublin's Convention Center. 

WTSpod is brought to you by Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel, check out www.fitzpatrickcastle.com for more. 

This week we are joined by one of the most successful Irish boxers in History. 

Wayne McCullough is an Olympic Silver Medal winner and went on to become the WBC Bantamweight Champion of the world. 

We talked to The Pocket Rocket about his incredbile career and some of his favourite moments from his years in the ring. We also hear how he is looking to establish a stable of Irish fighters at his gym on the west coast of America, including reaching out to fellow Irish Olympians Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlon. 

Wayne talked about his love of The UFC and Mixed Martial Arts and how even at 46 he reckons he could take on current 125lb king pin, Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson. 

Wayne also gives his take on a certain Conor McGregor, including the much rumoured McGregor v Mayweather superfight. 

Remember to rate, review, subscribe and share if you like what you heard - WTSpod is brought to you by Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel, check out www.fitzpatrickcastle.com for more. 

So long 2016, hello 2017. 

Friend of the podcast, Gary Mackle makes a welcome return to Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel and joins the lads for their review of 2016... kind of. 

We had great inentions of reviewing 2016 but as usual, tangents and rabbit holes get the better of the conversations. 

This week we welcomed one of Ireland's most beloved drag acts to Fitzpatrick Castle to get a glimpse of life through the eyes of an all singing, all dancing entertainment sensation. 

Davina Devine has been performing nationally and internationally for over a decade. She is the resident Queen of Dublin's iconic gay bar "The George" and hosts her own night every Thursday. 

Merry Christmas to you and yours, thanks for listening. 

WTSpod is brought to you by Fitzpatrick's Castle Hotel, check out www.fitzpatrickcastle.com for more. 

This week the lads welcome friend of the show, Paul Howard to studio 9 in Fitzpatrick Castle. 

One of the most popular guests to ever feature on WTSpod, Paul is a multi award winning journalist and author who created the infamous and beloved, Ross O'Carroll Kelly. 

Paul's latest book "I read the news today, oh boy" is about the life and times of Tara Browne. A man who died at the age of 21 and yet led one of the most fascinating and incredible lives of any figure from the 20th century. 

WTSpod is brought to you by Fitzpatrick Castle, check out www.fitzpatrickcastle.com for more

This week the lads bring WTSpod on tour and record part of the chapter in Danny's car and the other part in the company of journalist and broadcaster Jessica Kelly in Dublin's Newstalk FM. 

Jess has been with Newstalk radio for over 6 years now and is currently the technology correspondent for the station. She is a regular contributor to the Pat Kenny show and can be heard across all shows discussing the latest and best bits from the technology world. 

Special thanks to Jess and all in Newstalk for allowing us use their studio for recording this week. 

WTSpod is brought to you by Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel, check out www.fitzpatrickcastle.com for more. 

Ronan Burtenshaw is a journalist, broadcaster political genius and Dail Researcher. He covers Ireland and Britain for Jacobin Magazine and has featured on Tonight with Vincent Browne. 

We talked to Ronan about Fidel Castro, Brexit, Trump and even Bertie this week as Ronan brings a bit of political nouce to two bewildered lads who like to think they know about important stuff but really would be better off talking about Attenborough shows again or that time Hulk Hogan turned heel and formed the NWO. 

We announce the winner of our Brock Lesnar competition and loads more besides. Hit that subscribe button where ever you listen and don't forget to rate, review and share. 

WTSpod is brought to you by Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel - check out www.fitzpatrickcastle.com

Adam Burke is one Ireland's finest comedians. A native of Bray (Bré) Co. Wicklow he launched The Hardy Har comedy club 8 years ago and it has become a favourite amongst comedy fans and comedians.

He has played some of the best venues around the country and featured in comedy festivals that would make any joke writer blush, including launching the incredible Bray Comedy Festival which will run again in February 2017 for the third year running. 

Ontop of all this Adam has been known to dawn some spandex and boots between the ropes as professional wrestler. He has been in the squared circle with legends like Dan Severen, current WWE Smackdown Women's champion Becky Lynch and of course, fellow Bray man and friend of the show Finn Bálor. 

Be sure to check Adam's solo show "Adam Burke is Alive" on December 8th in the Hardy Har Comedy Club, Harbour Bar, Bray. 

WTSpod is brought to you by Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel - www.FitzpatrickCastle.com

This week on WTSpod, Danny & Mero change things up a bit. There's more Trump talk, Conor McGregor is the King of The World, Danny insults vegans and Mero is still talking about his new found celebrity status thanks to Tesco. 

All of this and loads more besides, including how you can get involved in our 2016 Christmas Special AND its competition time - You'll need to head over to our facebook and twitter pages for details on how you can. 

Don't forget to check out Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel and hit subscribe as you download. 

Way back in chapter 9 we spoke to Borough legend Patrick "Pajo" Flynn. Over a year later and Pajo has called time on a football career that seen him play alongside some legends of the game in England before returning home to become a fan favourite (in most cases) with clubs across the country. 

Having laced up the boots for the last time as a pro, Pajo penned a heartfelt thank you letter to fans, friends, family and clubs from down the years which went viral and was shared thousands of times. A two time League of Ireland winner, a Setanta Cup winner and a Division 1 winner, Pajo will always be rememberd as a no nonsense player who gave everything he had. It was a pleasure to welcome him to Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel and congratulate him on wonderful career. 

With UFC 205 just days away WTSpod sticks with tradition and brings you a special chapter ahead of Conor McGregor stepping into the Octagon once again. 

This week on WTSpod the lads are joined by historian, author, broadcaster and League of Ireland fan, Donal Fallon. 

We last spoke to Saskia over a year ago when she was on the brink of qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. 

This week on the award winning WTSpod we welcomed one of Ireland's brightest talents to Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel. 

This week Danny has the dreaded man flu and Mero has to put up with his grumpy whinging. 

Paul Kelly and Gordon Rochford AKA Those Conspiracy Guys have gone from Ireland's best kept secret, to Ireland's leading independent podcast.