The 738am podcast - talking to people about stuff

On this week's show it was a pleasure to chat with Adam Buxton. Normally the podcasts are recorded in our studio in Dublin, but because Adam was not, and is not to this day, in Dublin, we used a thing called ipDTL which makes it sound like we're in the same place. I wanted to talk to him not simply because he is a very talented and entertaining man, but also because he's a huge David Bowie fan. This is because I am also a huge Davi...

Jim O’Neill has one of the most distinctive voices on Irish radio. It’s deep man, deeeeeep. Depending on your age you might remember him from RTE Radio 2 with his sidekick ‘Thing’, or from his time with Century Radio or 98FM. Today he’s with Today FM presenting ‘On the road’, classic anthems and great driving music. We chat about his start in radio, why RTE bosses got rid of his Thing chara...

Simon Maher was one of the original founders of Phantom, the popular 'Indie' radio station. It began in a bedroom, moved to a garden shed, and after many years of trying, was awarded a licence in 2004. Due to an objection by another party, the station's launch was delayed for almost two years, before it hit the airwaves in 2006. At first things looked rosy, then CRASH went the CRASH and that had an impact on everyone, Phantom were ...

Hey folks, sorry for the delay between the last episode and this one. Sometimes life and work and other stuff you can't move gets in the way. My guest today is journalist Dion Fanning. He's a hugely experienced football writer, and for many years was the Chief Football Writer at the Sunday Independent. Now, he's left London after 20 years to return to Ireland to take up the position of Chief Sports Writer for SportsJoe.ie and Joe.c...

My guest on the show today is the third member of the Second Captains crew to drop into studio. After Eoin McDevitt (ep 11) and Ken Early (ep 15), Ciaran 'Murph' Murphy is next to chat about his rise to internet broadcasting based stardom. We talk about how he got started in the media as family connections inspired and then employed him. A stint in DCU proved important as he met one of the current Second Captains crew, and then got...

My guest today is Eoghan McDermott, currently the presenter of the drive-time show on 2FM. Turns out he grew up just up the road from me – but obviously not at the same time. I was grown up when he was growing up, but still! We chat about his first forays into the media world, doing a weekend Irish language kids TV show on TG4. He then had to apply for his own job when the show went full-time and didn't get it. In college he ...

When a man brings his own headphones to an interview, you know you're about to sit down with somebody interesting. Morgan C Jones is an actor, writer, producer, voice-over artist, stand-up comedian and probably a few others things as well. We chat about why he brings his own cans to interviews and VO sessions, and discover he's revisiting our studio after a significant absence. We discuss his work over the years and how going to fi...

Sorry this episode is a day late. I try my best to stick to the Monday schedule, but sometimes life, work, or more work or extra life gets in the way. Still, I think the fact we had an election last Friday and I've got a new episode out on a Tuesday before they've finished counting all the votes puts it in perspective. My guest today is Andy Preston who, if you're an FM 104 listener, you'll know well because he's been behind the mi...

This week I was delighted to be joined by Síle Seoige, radio presenter, TV presenter, MC, actress, singer, yoga teacher ... she does a lot. We chat about her media career, starting at 19 and being thrown in at the very deep end with little or no training. We touch on dealing with life in the public eye, and how she caught the eye of a major Hollywood director. And we talk about how her diagnosis and recovery from cancer has given h...

Kevin Branigan is the Chief Executive at Radio Nova 100 Dublin. He's also one of the first guys I ever did radio with back when we were just teenagers broadcasting from high up the Dublin mountains. I couldn't remember how it was we got together, so to speak, but Kevin's memory of a late night phone call to Radio Dublin, where I was working at the time, helped put some of the pieces together. We went from Signal 106, to radio stati...

My guest on the show this week is writer Belinda McKeon. Her debut novel 'Solace' (2011), won the Irish Book of the Year award at the Irish book awards, and her second book 'Tender' was published last year. Having read both of them very recently, and really enjoyed them, it was great to chat with Belinda about the books, writing, teaching and more. She lives in New York and teaches creative writing at Rutgers University, so we chat...

My guest this week is 2FM presenter Tracy Clifford. She began her radio career, like so many of us, in the pirate world – this was the era of the 90s dance stations. She went to Ballyfermot to 'study', and almost immediately after leaving there landed a job as a news presenter/editor on East Coast radio. From there she worked on the breakfast show, and the morning show with the legendary Declan Meehan – someone who play...

If you're of a certain vintage you'll remember Mike Moloney as one of the mainstays of late night radio in Dublin, and in Ireland. As presenter of The Night Train, when Mark Cagney wasn't doing it, and later Moloney after Midnight, his voice and music choices were an essential part of the radio landscape for years. Mike Moloney began his radio career almost by accident, starting off with a jazz show on ARD, before he did just about...

Some of you will know that part of what I do to earn a living is voice-over work. So, it was a real pleasure to chat this week to one of the legends of the Irish voice-over scene. Jonathan Ryan did his first gig back in the 80s, and he's been a mainstay behind the mic ever since. If you're in Ireland, you'll almost certainly recognise his voice when we start talking. As well as that though, Jonathan is an actor, appearing in TV sho...

My guest on the show this week is Cormac Battle who, if you're young enough, you'll know as a presenter on 2FM in his own right, and as co-presenter and 'man who comes up with surreal ideas' on the Rick O'Shea show. However, you might remember him from such bands as Kerbdog and Wilt, and we discuss his life as a musician, sending out demos and getting a record deal, touring, recording in LA in the same studio in which Nirvana made ...

Today my guest is Leagues O'Toole, whose main gig right now is as a promoter with Aiken Promotions. Chances are you've been to one of his gigs at some point, and we start by discussing US comedians, like Marc Maron and Anthony Jesselnik, who have played in Dublin in recent times. Leagues is also a writer, so there's chat about how he got started by writing reviews for the Dublin Event Guide, and the magazine he created called Foggy...

It's an absolute pleasure to welcome Tara Flynn back to the show this week. We first 'casted way back in episode 2, and so much has happened since that I had to ask her back on. In that first episode we talked a bit about social issues, such as the marriage referendum, and this year Tara spoke and wrote very openly and eloquently about her experience of abortion. In this podcast we talk about being so up-front with her personal exp...

Hey folks, welcome to episode 50 of the podcast. A bit of a landmark, you have to say. If you've been here since the start, thanks very much for listening. If you're new to the show, check out the archives for some amazing chats with people like Marc Maron, Dara O'Briain, Tara Flynn, Jon Ronson, and loads more. Remember, you can follow the show on Twitter @738ampod or my own account @andrewmanganvo. Today's guest is comedian Alison...

You might remember Nails Mahoney from such radio stations as Sunshine 101, Atlantic 252, 2FM, and 98FM to name just a few. His radio career has been long and varied, and in this episode I chat to him about his start in the industry as a rookie pirate, being given his current moniker by Wild Bill at Sunshine 101 when that station went 'hot hits', to where he is and all that went in-between. He's worked on and off in Canada down the ...