What’s the Story? Podcast

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Dr Rory Hearne is one of Ireland's leading voices for action on housing, homelessness, and social justice.

He is an Assistant Professor and Lecturer at Maynooth University and the host of Reboot Republic. His new book "Gaffs: Why no one can get a house and what we can do about it" is out now and available in all good bookshops and some rubbish ones too. 

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This week we are joined by author and analyst Aoife Gallagher. Her new book Web of Lies is out now and takes a look at the world of misinformation, conspiracy, and the threat of a rising far right. We chat to Aoife about the book and how easy it is for people to fall down the rabbit hole of a dangerous ideology. 

Web of lies is available online, in all good bookshops and some rubbish ones too. It is brilliant. 

This podcast was brought to you by Bill Gates, George Soros, The Illuminati, Lizzard People, Q, and the fellas what faked the moon landing in '69. 

Subscribe to hear all of our new episodes free and first and head over to Twitter where you'll find us - @WTSpod 

This week we're talking to Miriam Burke, author and editor at RollerCoaster.ie - Ireland's leading pregnancy and parenting website. Miriam is the co-host of the parenting podcast "A little birdie told me" which brings listeners insights and advice on the ups and downs of all things pregnancy and parenting. 

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Returning to the podcast this week is the wonderful Aisling Daly. Ais remains the only Irish woman to have competed in the UFC and to non-MMA fans, they may know her simply as "Number 6" from the latest season of RTÉ's Ultimate Hell Week - The Professionals. 

Having retired from MMA in 2017, we hear how Ais "The Bash" is getting on as she transitions from the UFC octagon to the primary school classroom.

We talk about Ais finding her passion for coaching and teaching and of course, we get the low down on life inside Ultimate Hell Week. 

Aisling took part in Ultimate Hell Week in aid of the mental health charity, Jigsaw. 

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This week we welcome Philip O'Connor back to WTSpod and, as always, it leads to an hour or so of conversational bliss covering everything from sportwashing to Churchill and lots more besides. 

Check out Our Man in Stockholm for more of Philip's great work including his brilliant Irish in Sweden podcast. 

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After a busy few weeks away from the podcast, we're back to blow off some cobwebs and (sort of) get back into the swing of things. 

The great air-fryer debate rages on with Mero remaining skeptical but Danny being fully converted. 

Is there a need for any monarchy in this day and age? We've watched on in bewilderment as Queen Elizabeth is laid to rest. 

And the lads chat about Garth Brooks in Croke Park and if stadiums in Ireland are actually any use for big concerts? 

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This week we're joined by Professor Helen Heneghan, Consultant Bariatric Surgeon with St. Vincent's Hospital and lead surgeon with the National Weight Management Service. 

Helen talks to us about the reality of weight loss surgeries like gastric bypass and gastric sleeve and explains where Ireland is with our attempts to help people who have obesity - explaining the health benefits go far beyond just weight loss. 

From waiting lists to medications that help weight loss and people traveling abroad for surgery but not always getting the best care - bariatric surgery is an increasingly popular and important tool in helping people with obesity but is surgery always the right choice? 

Danny shares a little bit of his experience having gone through the surgery with Professor Heneghan and the National Weight Management Service, and we take some questions from listeners who want to know more about the life-changing surgery. 

If you'd like to learn more, there is a detailed video, which Professor Heneghan mentions in our chat, available here. 

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This week we're joined by BBC journalist, Tranmere Rovers fan, and hand-cycling enthusiast Ellis Palmer.

Ellis, who has cerebral palsy, visited Ireland earlier this year and toured the east coast by hand cycling along greenways, bus lanes, cycle lanes, and everything in between. 

We talk about accessible cities and hear about Ellis' time studying in Barcelona - a city Mero holds in high esteem for its planning and legacy from the '92 Paralympic games. 

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This week we're joined by Paddy Cullivan. Paddy is a musician and entertainer who many will know as the front man from the Camembert Quartet who were the soundtrack to Tubridy Tonight and the Late Late Show for over a decade. 

As we come to the 100th anniversary of the death of Michael Collins, we spoke to Paddy about his current show, The Murder of Michael Collins. While giving a laugh or two along the way, Paddy helps his audience get closer to the truth about what happened on August 22nd, 1922 in Beal na Blath, pointing out some of the myths and madness surrounding Ireland's version of the JFK assassination.

Our chat with Paddy about his show and lots more starts at the 9-minute mark on this episode. 

Tickets to The Murder of Michael Collins are available through https://www.paddycullivan.com/ with shows taking place in Dublin, Cork, and all over the country. 

Remember to hit subscribe to hear all of our new episodes free and first and head over to Twitter where you'll find us - @WTSpod 

This week we're joined by motoring journalist Bob Flavin to talk about motoring in Ireland, Electric Vehicles, what Ireland is doing wrong when it comes to electric vehicles, petrol prices, and lots more besides. 

If you're on the TikTok, head over to Bob Flavin to see what he gets up to, and check out his YouTube for car content. 

*Apologies for Danny's audio this week, he'll have a shiny new mic for next week. 

WE'RE BACK! 

After a summer of weddings, international tournaments, surgical interventions, and a lot of naps the WTS boys are back in the podcast game. 

Joining us this week is the brilliant Brianna Parkins. Brianna is a journalist and broadcaster currently with The Journal. She is the resident fact checker and is setting the record straight on what is true and not true. 

Jump to 18:20 to get straight into our chat with Brianna. 

This week, as well as chatting to our favourite Aussie, we take a long intro as Mero asks Danny about his recent surgery and we use the word flute too many times for one episode. 

Remember to hit subscribe to hear all of our new episodes free and first and head over to Twitter where you'll find us - @WTSpod 

Hit subscribe to hear all of our new episodes free and first and head over to Twitter where you'll find us - @WTSpod 

Philip O'Connor, AKA Our Man in Stolkholm, returns to the podcast to chat through a heaping number of topics which include marriage advice for Danny, the NBA, the Champions League final and Phil's experience on the ground in Paris, Stephen Kenny's Ireland team and why romance is sport will not die, Swedengate, Mero and Irish Wheelchair Basketball team in Europe, and lots more besides. 

You can check out more of Philip's great work by tuning into the Irish in Sweden podcast and heading over to Our Man in Stockholm.

We'll be back later this summer but for now, Danny is off to get married and Mero is off to Bosnia for European Glory. We'll see yas soon xoxo 

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts...

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Social historian and fountain of knowledge Donal Fallon joins us to let us know what he's been up to over the last while share some great stories about the Hibernian metropolis that is Dublin City. 

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Ahead of hosting a wild Bingo Loco Show at Dublin's 3 Arena, Adam Burke returns to WTSpod to chat comedy and changing perspectives. 

Look out for Adam's comedy nights in Bray's brilliant Hardy Har Comedy Club and at festivals around the country this summer. 

Hit subscribe to hear all of our new episodes free and first and head over to Twitter where you'll find us - @WTSpod

This week we're joined by Blanchardstown's best and brightest - Petesy Carroll. Fresh off the plane from NYC, Petesy gives us the low down on the fight of the year between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano. 

We talk Taylor, Jake Paul, MMA, New York sandwiches, and Petesy shares a story about a trip to Macey's. 

To hear more from Petesy, tune into the Ringer MMA Show on Spotify where you'll find him alongside Ariel Helwani and the great Chuck Mindenhall. 

Hit subscribe to hear all of our new episodes free and first and head over to Twitter where you'll find us - @WTSpod

Our guest this week is Dublin's own Kevin Patrick Egan. Kevin will be familiar to fans of WWE has onscreen personality Kevin Patrick and he has been the voice of the Sunday Game on RTÉ as well as covering the Champions League, La Liga, and other top European football leagues. 

We spoke to Kevin about getting his start in RTÉ before deciding to venture across the Atlantic and crack the US, landing his first role in unfamiliar territory, and what happens when WWE comes calling. 

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This week we're joined by Ireland's podfather, Tony Groves.

Tony is a driving force for the Tortoise Shack podcast network and co-host of the Echo Chamber podcast. Check out the great work Tony and the Tortoise team do by visiting https://tortoiseshack.ie/ 

Hit subscribe to hear all of our new episodes free and first and head over to Twitter where you'll find us - @WTSpod

This week we spoke with our dear friend Dr Tom Clonan. Tom is a retired Irish Army Captain, security analyst, media lecturer, and equality activist. He is an Independent Candidate Trinity Senate 2022. 

We spoke to Tom about his senate campaign and the task of breaking the status quo in Irish politics. We also take an indepth look at Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine - what's happening, what could happen and what it all means for Irish security. 

Hit subscribe to hear all of our new episodes free and first and head over to Twitter where you'll find us - @WTSpod

This week we're joined by two time (two time!), F1 E-sports World Champion, Brendon Leigh.

Brendon is currently part of the Ferrari Driver Academy Esports Team and is based in Moderna, Italy - the home of the famed prancing horse. 

After Danny banging on about E-sports for months now and plugging his own exploits in Ireland's biggest F1 E-sports league (LOI F1), it was recently announced that the Commonwealth Games will trial E-sports in 2022. Sky Sports have been broadcasting gaming for a couple of years and the growth of online leagues has been huge. 

Brendon spoke to us while in the off-season for the E-sports F1 championship and told us all about how he got into the sport and what a typical day is for someone at the pinnacle of this digital sporting revolution. 

Hit subscribe to hear all of our new episodes free and first and head over to Twitter where you'll find us - @WTSpod

This week we welcome our dear friend Tom O'Mahony back to WTSpod. 

One of Ireland's top comedians, Tom has been gracing comedy stages for over a decade and his new show 'Clattered' is hitting the road with dates across the country soon to be announced. Tom will be in the Wild Duck Comedy Club in Dublin on 5 May 2022, performing his new show and tickets are available here. 

Hit subscribe to hear all of our new episodes free and first and head over to Twitter where you'll find us - @WTSpod

This week we're joined by the brilliant Richard Chambers. Richard is a journalist who can be found regularly on TV screens with Virgin Media and was one of the most sought-after sources of information throughout the pandemic. Most importantly for this podcast though, Richard is a Bohs fan. 

His book, "A State of Emergency: Ireland's Covid Crisis", was released in 2021 and gives a behind-the-scenes look at what was happening during one of the most difficult years the country will ever face. 

Away from the pandemic talk, we chat football, journalism, politics, and when job interviews go bad... really bad. 

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This week we're talking football with journalist Daniel McDonnell. Dan is a writer with the Irish Independent, hosts the League of Ireland Central podcast, and can be heard regularly on Newstalk's Off the Ball.

Before we get into the football chatter Mero and Danny go on a bit of a meander about food and there is division in the ranks over ketchup. 

When the lads eventually get past the food chat, Dan comes along and shares his take on a week of multiple announcements from the FAI. Bidding to host the Euros, a new strategy, and a new season kicking off - there's a lot going on in Irish football so sit back and have a listen as we get to grips with all that's going on. 

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A short burst of WTS goodness to get you over a hump as the lads struggle to understand how Boris Johnson is still going, Mero tells us about the return of the Bulls and Danny explains why you're allegedly seeing fewer birds in the sky than usual...

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On this week's podcast...

Returning for her hat-trick and with some heavy silverware now in tow, Irish Journalist of the year Aoife Moore joined us to talk a little bit about a lot of things.

Aoife is one of the brilliant team of journalists currently propelling the Irish Examiner and is a regular contributor to national and international broadcast media. 

In this episode, we spoke with Aoife about her recent experience at a Chisty Moore concert, writing a book, wondering about accountability in politics, the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, and much more besides. 

So, here it is merry Christmas... 

It just wouldn't be Christmas on What's the Story? Podcast without catching up with our old friends Paul Howard and Gary Mackle. 

This Christmas, we go on a two-hour meander through pondering religion and when exactly should Jesus go in the crib in your Christmas nativity display? Problems are caused by pineapples, Danny isn't happy with Mero and Gary makes an interesting bet with Paul... 

It's weird. It's wonderful. It's the WTSpod Christmas special for 2021.

We'll be back in January - Happy Christmas, stay safe.