Craig Doyle – the highs and lows of a TV career

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0:44Upgrade and save up to 20 % on our award-winning mattresses. Shop the Memorial Day sale now and get up to 20 % off at avocadomattress.com or select retailers nationwide. Visit avocadomattress.com. That's avocadomattress.com. The Mario Rosenstock Podcast. Thanks to home. Finance made easy when you shop tech, electrical, appliances, kitchens, and much more. Flexify Europe Limited. Trading as home is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Coming up on this episode of the Mario Rosenstock Podcast. And we're in the Groucho Club in London. And there's Louis Theroux and there's Jeremy Clarkson. And there's all these different people, about 10 of us around this dinner table and some execs.

1:27And I'm sat beside Jeremy Clarkson and he's chugging into Marlborough Reds, you know. Yeah, yeah. And he turned around at one stage and he rubbed my face and he goes, look at that skin. What's the fucking point? Exactly. And I was like, I'm so terrified in this space. I haven't actually spoken to anybody. No, yeah, yeah. And I asked him, I said, Jeremy, could I have one of your cigarettes? And I smoked one of his marvellous alcohol. He goes, look, he's fucking human. And I was like, I haven't even said anything here. They've just made their mind up already.

2:06Chat GBT is great, isn't it? I asked Chat GBT to tell me a bit about Craig Doyle. One of the things it said was this. Craig gives off good bloke who accidentally wandered into television and stayed their energy. And when I put this to Craig, he didn't disagree because even though he's a naturally talented and very popular TV host now, working on some of the UK's most watched shows, this was never really a part of Craig's grand plan. And the story of how it all happened is a great one. Not only is Craig a talented presenter, he's also a brilliant guest, as you're about to hear in this episode of the Mario Rosenstock podcast.

2:39Here is a guy who's had lots of life experience And has the ability and storytelling now To be able to tell those stories Craig and I have great crack He tells me so many funny stories from his career And his childhood He's an absolute sports nut of course So we nerd out on sport And did you know he runs a production company With Brian O'Driscoll And not just any old production company It actually gets stuff done They made a fantastic documentary About rugby called Shoulder to Shoulder In which Brian investigates the whole influence and effect of Northern Ireland as opposed to Southern Ireland playing together in one united rugby team and that's its history down through the generations as you might imagine how interesting it was during the 70s and 80s.

3:23It turns out that they've made some of my favourite documentaries as well, other documentaries like the one about Jonah Lomu, the life after rugby one etc. There's lots coming up in this one folks. You'd be at the bar out with Loll, Laura Staglio at a night out and you'd be like I'm going to try and sneak out doing an Irish accent and you just see this huge hand like Hagrid's hand on your shoulder this massive thing be like make it eight tequilas on top of that doily oh no oh we're settling in wild there's people who went to Black Rock who live in you know D4 and there's people like me who we lived in kind of very modest houses and mother had three jobs I remember one newspaper doing a story about me saying Craig Doyle is a poster boy of private schooling born with a silver spoon in his mouth I remember being really annoyed about it because I wanted to sing from the rooftops about how great she was and what she did for my brother and my sister.

4:12I was in the gutter since the Olympics. Yeah. I came home. I'm not kidding. I shaved my head. I went full Britney on it all. Yeah. And I said, I'm going to become a... I loved it. My degree was in history. I said, I'm actually going to become a history professor. That's what I'm going to focus on. Cut it in. Yeah, I said, I can't do this. I was ripped apart. Yeah. Was it the rejection? It was the humiliation. And this car rolls by and it stops. Yeah. And the window rolls down. It's Phil Linnett Of Tim Lizzie And we're like Phil Linnett Stuff Ray Tracy It's Phil Linnett Brilliant And he goes Alright boys Played a bit of football Follow me guys Come on And because It's Craig Doyle And he is a well known Sports broadcaster My hotline was Absolutely buzzing With people From the rugby fraternity And indeed The television fraternity Hi you've reached The Mario Rosenstock podcast Please leave a message Yeah, hi.

5:07Felicitations. This is Brian O'Driscoll. Really looking forward to hearing Craig Doyle on the podcast today. Actually, a message for Craig. Um, Camille Doiler Um, I sincerely, you know, hope that you, um You know, you thank me for, um Well, you know, for all I did for you Backing you up on the whole Jeff Parling fiasco I mean, that could have been a real career killer So, um, listen, buddy, you know, it's payback time So, you know, hopefully, you know, you pay your dues there Good Mario, it must be, it has to be, it is, Ryle Nugent What a weekend of ledges we have coming up It's a Leinster love-in, and I can't believe it You have Craig Doyle on the show The ledge bag of Lakelands in Stilorgan The weather is perfect It's 25 degrees in Bilbao for Leinster I can just see it now Drisco Doyler and the Nuge all in their banana hammocks in Bilbao caning Heineken's by the pallet load in the Spanish sun wake up Nuge it's never going to happen yeah hi Mario this is Donald Lenehan calling you from Sunday's well in Cork I'm just ringing in to say that Monster Rugby will not be listening to this podcast we'll be boycatting it in fact and actually I'll be doing my own podcast in my shed here in the back garden with a real legend not one of your Leinster drop-in blow-in types this is a real legend of international rugby broadcasting Michael Corcoran Paul O 'Connell has the ball now oh glory there he is in the background I have been tied up like the gem in Pulp Fiction we're on Spotify as well you know what the fuck glory glory monster and exclusive new comedy every week on the Mario Rosenstock podcast contact me if you want to chat to me at mariorosenstock at gmail.com I read them all and I get back to most of them if you want to talk to me about guests that you'd like to suggest comic sketches that you think I should be doing or new comic characters that I haven't identified yet that you've noticed in the public sphere at mariorosenstock at gmail.com you the listener are the most important part of this broadcast and please give us a follow or a like or a subscribe.

7:38We don't charge for the podcast. So when you do that, it really, really helps us. Okay, of course, I have to say thank you, of course, to our great, great sponsor. That is Home Finance. Home have partnered up with us here on the Mario Rosenstock podcast and Home is a finance company who provide flexible payment solutions for customers for some of Ireland's most popular retailers. They can help you make your purchases and pay back in bite-size easy payments. It couldn't be easier. And we're delighted to have Home on board as sponsors of the Mario Rosenstock podcast. Okay, so as I mentioned, myself and Craig had so much to talk about and we ended up talking for well over an hour and a half.

8:15We had a ball. So much so, in fact, that we split it up into two episodes. This is part one. I hope you enjoy it. Craig Doyle. So Craig, listen, I have so many things I want to talk to you about. Are we currently podcasting? We're going to podcast now, right? I have so many things I want to talk to you about. And I'm not just saying that because I do. I have a list here as long as I am. Open book. Anything's you got. Patrick gave me a list of things to talk to you about. But for full disclosure for the podcast listeners, I'm actually very friendly with Craig. We live near each other. And I think it's safe to say we quite like each other as well.

8:46So I hope it doesn't come off like a mutual sort of loving thing. And I don't want it to come across like that. But I have... We can put up some barriers. We can. But I have plenty of things to say to you. We put you into ChatGBT. We asked ChatGBT about you. Oh, don't. No, an opinion. Oh. He said to chat GBT Give us an opinion On Craig Doyle And here's what the opinion Of chat GBT Came out with Good bloke Who accidentally Wandered into television And stayed there Energy Correct Not bad Thank you Chat GP I still know GPT Yeah GPT What's it stand for? Oh god No I forget Nobody knows Yeah I've heard it before It could mean anything So discuss that statement That's what happened Yeah That's what happened I had no interest I had no interest In being on TV in TV maybe as a producer okay not on TV no and where I where I started my first job I was a staff reporter in BBC Regional Radio and you know the equivalent of the TV Alan Partridge figure would come in to our studio and everything would stop and you'd have to leave the little studio because they'd have to come in and do something because they're a telly and I used to think dicks yeah I'm doing a story in a very important local council meeting about closing a bingo hall okay This has to be done.

10:04The world is waiting for this and you've just come in to do your piece about turnip prices, which is more important because you're a celebrity TV type. So I never wanted that ever. And I would have been, people say this, don't they, all the time when they're in TV, but I would have been, I think, quite shy. I certainly wouldn't have been, wanted to be center of attention that much. Now it's changed, obviously. But so it was an accidental thing, but it's so much fun and the hours are good. Yeah. And the money is good for what little work you actually have to do. Exactly. Now you went to Black Rock.

10:36I did, yeah. So, I mean, Black Rock. So a lot of people never leave Black Rock. I mean, they stay. They're always Black Rock. They keep coming back to Black Rock in their 20s. They actually hover around the school. They wear the jersey out at night sometimes. Even when they're 26, 27. What was your... But Drisco's a good guy. I mean, the school gave him a lot. So I understand Was he a real Blackrock boy? No In other words He was from Clontarf Wasn't he? Yeah no I mean the wrong side of things Yeah You would say Not even Clontarf Kind of Sutton Oh Not even Sutton Cross But they sent him to Blackrock They sent him to Blackrock Yeah I mean Brian was a great sport Brian was a great tennis player Yeah was he?

11:19Great Gaelic footballer And he didn't make the Junior Cup team In Blackrock Right But you know what he's like You know what he's like Yeah He's so committed He's crazy He's so mad Yeah he's so mad but yeah we're eight years between us eight years between us but actually you because of your association through rugby since you've been on the TV doing the rugby and everything you kind of became friendly with him and you set up your own little production company together yeah we did so we made a documentary we've worked together on TNT for years and years and years and I've just known because I used to do the interviews for the BBC after matches and it'd be Brian and we always got on well and I wanted to people used to ask me I'd be when they go Craig why have you got two anthems you know with the rugby you know why that's an English accent how dare me do any form of impression in front of you not at all it's good it's like trying to say mass in front of the Pope not at all I'd say you're good at the old impression I feel bad now can you do Brian that's my impression of Brian I do this impression of Brian O'Driscoll where I make out that he has let's say a mentally challenged laugh right so and it came from this thing I saw him doing once where he kind of he kind of loses it with his face when he laughs when he laughs uncontrollably so that he tries to laugh normally but then the actual act of laughing of finding something funny makes him laugh really laugh so he kind of goes

12:43and his tongue kind of comes out of his mouth and his face kind of makes a I've lost it face and so he sounds a little bit compromised mentally I know this face when he laughs I've only heard him do it once or twice but I picked up on it for Gif Grub straight away So when I do impressions of Brian to Brian, it's me doing an impression of Mario doing Brian back to Brian. It's very confusing. That reminds me, I'm sorry, I might as well say that. That reminds me of Joe Duffy years ago where he was going, he was doing this program called Funny Friday. Oh, I remember it not being too funny. Yeah, I know.

13:13In fact, it was, I used to call it Friday, right? And we said, have you tuned into Friday yet? And he'd go, good afternoon. Good afternoon to you, Funny Friday. Funny Friday, Funny Friday. Good afternoon to Funny Friday. We want to hear your impressions. we want to hear your impressions give us a note 1850 715 715 give us your impressions Tony's on the line hey Tony hey Joe Tony who are you going to do Roy Cain Joe go on go on give us your best Roy Cain okay Joe are you ready yeah go on how are you Roy how's it going what are you doing Tony what are you doing Tony I'm doing Roy Cain Joe what do it again that's not Roy Cain Tony that's Mario Rosenstock doing Roy Cain and we love Mario we love Marnie we love Marnie we love Marnie because Joe's Joe's very nice to other stations no no no I'm not just an RTE man the news talk is very very very good you never know the news talk they might come knocking for Joe exactly he was always ridiculously egalitarian about other radio stations that's Mario Rosenstock doing it it was Mario Rosenstock you're doing Mario Rosenstock doing Roy Kinn that's Roy Kinn anyway so Brian and you you agree with it but so look Brian and I would be similar about so the production company thing sorry People used to ask me why there are two anthems.

14:29I go, well, there's one, obviously, which is Aaron Levine. So does not have a very important anthem to our country. But, you know, obviously it's difficult for the guys from up north to sing that song. So we have a song that they can all sing. And I just said to Brian, what do we make a documentary about? Why don't we explore this? So we delve deeper and deeper and deeper. And then Brian realised, because I don't know if I know that much about it myself, actually. Brian said. Oh, did you make that documentary? So we made that documentary. Oh, that was a super documentary. It's called Soldier to Shoulder.

14:56Yeah. fantastic documentary even if I say so as that it's really good that took me nearly two and a half three years go on so we made that and we formed a production company to make that and BT supported and it was fantastic and then we said well we'll make another one so we made one Brian was telling me about retirement and how tough it was and how you know it was almost like grief and I talked to others about it and there's like five or six stages to retiring and not just in sports people have worked in the same company for years and they leave and whatever it might be getting over that and the things you miss and I said would you would you go for therapy he goes well actually a lot of players do I said would you do it now and let us film it and he said yeah okay so I contacted Richie Sadler of course who's been through the run and Mill himself and you know pro footballer had tough times came through it and now he's a psychologist fantastic guy just a wonderful human being so we filmed the sessions with Brian pinpointing those five or six stages of post career grief and then for each stage we'd go and meet someone who suffered particularly badly.

15:56So it was someone like who missed the pain of training and competing and even the injuries. We went to see AP McCoy, greatest of all time, without a doubt. Someone who had to give up early because of injury went to see Anthony Nogogo who got injured or injured his eye after the Olympics and couldn't box anymore. And we went through all these and we made this beautiful documentary called After the Roar and then the company just kind of took off and now we make, if you watch the Gallagher Prem highlight show on ITV, we make that. If you watch the European highlight show that's shown all around the world, we make that.

16:25We made a lovely one last year about Jonah Lomu. Someone, I met a... Oh, I... It was beautiful. Ah, Jesus, I saw it. Let me tell you about it. This one I love about... Jonah Lomu documentary. Yeah. And it kind of goes, like, you're going back to not wanting to be on TV. Like, I love being on TV and I love the fun and we get nice things. I get to do things like this and it's lovely. But from day one, like, the producing side gave me a different kind of energy that I enjoyed, you know, and the creative side where you just... With Jonah Lomu, I met a great journalist who had been in the Telegraph for years called Mark Suster, who was moving house.

16:56I met him for a coffee and bath like three years ago. And he said, I was clearing out the attic and I found a box of tapes, VHS tapes for younger listeners. They're called VHS tapes and you'll never have to use them. So don't worry about it. And it's 10 hours of Jonah Lomi interviews. He said, I did a thing for Adidas years ago with him in New Zealand. I found these tapes. No one's ever seen them before. I don't know what to do with them. I said, well, can I have a look at them? So I got them all transcribed and I sat down with my brother, Keith, who was a BBC journalist for 25 years said you know what we can tell John Olomu's life story with these tapes in his own words like from beyond the grave so I did a deal with Mark we got the tapes did a deal with TNT and we funded this documentary this documentary funded called John Olomu in his words from beyond the grave and it's just such a beautiful documentary him telling his life story but it starts over this funeral going you know it's very poignant very beautiful I can't actually you're watching that It would bring a tear to your eye, yeah.

17:54Beautiful, yeah. He was a beautiful person. Oh my goodness. Like, I got the pleasure of meeting him a couple of times. And what a great man. And, you know, he was ill-advised at a certain stage of his career, but like a superhero and changed rugby. Yes. I don't know if anyone has... No, he is the greatest. He is the most... He is the greatest name in the history of rugby. I agree. He has to be. I agree, yeah. He has to be. And there's a lot of names to choose from. Yeah, yeah. But really, he kind of took it... He's kind of like almost Ronnie O'Sullivan or Alex Higgins in the sense that he, it doesn't matter whether you say he's the best rugby player or not because we can argue over that for hours.

18:29It's just that he took it to a different planet. That's it. It's their effect on the game, isn't it? And whatever the sport is, the effect that person has on a game. You know, I mean, I look at, say, like David Beckham. You know, I'm a Man U fan. Like Dave Beckham would run 14 kilometres a match, right? This guy, his work rate was great. Was he the best ever player for Man United? No. So I was my, I'm a, obviously Roy Keane guy. and I'd be even, I'd go Scolzi as well. Scolzi, ah, like, Canton, there's so many, you know, when you go back, you know, I was a big Frank Stapleton fan, you know, and Stapo, obviously got sent, no, it was Kevin Warren got sent off in the 85 Cup final, but Stapo played in that one, Norman Whiteside scoring the goal, all that crew of guys, you know, but Beckham has probably had the biggest influence on English football, out of anyone.

19:12Does that make him the biggest English footballer of all time? I think, Well it may in a way In terms of English There was no other footballer Hanging around the Chelsea Flower Show With the King of England No of course not So it's interesting isn't it The other influence No it's a bit like that thing Where we used to do We'd be doing outside broadcasts All over the world With the breakfast show let's say And you might go to Japan Or you might go to Dubai Or whatever Or you might even be in Spain And speaking to people Who don't speak English And they'd just go Ireland Ireland Rookin Rookin Rookin Rookin Rookin Rookin Yeah And that's what they know They know that word And recently then In the last few Maybe ten years It would be Gunnar McGregor And all those You know So you hear that a lot But that's what it is It's outreach Yeah Brian has that Yeah Actually Like two guys I know Definitely have that Brian And Lawrence Delaglio Okay The big Lowell Yeah The Lollipop Yeah Alright son You'd be at the bar Out with Lowell Lawrence Delaglio At a night out And he'd be like I'm going to try and sneak out doing an Irish accident you just see this huge hand like Hagrid's hand on your shoulder this massive thing be like make it eight tequilas on top of that doily oh no oh we're settling in wild those guys like Lawrence Delaglio and Martin Johnson they have aura but they have that SAS aura don't they yeah yeah they're scary they have that SAS aura it's like it's like come in we're in Basra the parachutes have dropped send in Delaglio and Johnson and it's like you know those kind of things guys with a load of weapons pointed and a lot will just go it's just guys with night vision goggles are you sure you want to do that yeah when we have a little drink and talk about it I've got five targets in my sight I think I can take them with one you know send in more targets I need more targets not enough targets I love those guys they have bottle though Lawrence would like now and again he's just like I mean like you know at times in life when you work with someone for a long long time I don't work with them anymore but you know I'd say when my father Lawrence would know this kind of really smart you know sensitivity about him and he'd come and grab you and he'd get an arm around and he'd pull you into his chest and you're like this is the safest place in the world I feel yeah but like all those guys are great so look so that's how Brian and I started the production company together we're currently making a Lewis Moody documentary about his life because Lewis is sick yeah Lewis is motor neurone and bravely getting through it with his wonderful family and Annie and the kids what an athlete What an athlete, what a man, gentleman.

21:44So it's great. And he's struggling, as you say, with motor neuron, isn't it? Yeah. So he's in fairly early stages of it. So he's still fairly well. But, you know, it's a horrible disease. I must say now, I didn't realise, and I'm delighted to hear that your production company is so vibrant. Yes. For those listeners out there, every creep who has a microphone in front of them has their own production company, mate, including yours truly. Now I don't do anything Except Mario Rides with the stock Productions But it is an Incorporated vehicle And when Craig Told me the same Yeah my production company I went Yeah Yeah right But now I'm being Put in my box Because actually Your production company Makes things Yeah we make a lot Brilliant We make a lot We're very busy We've got It's not I'm very I'm quite conservative The way I run it I don't You know there are Production companies That like to employ Lots of people And have swanky offices We have a slightly Swanky office in London But maybe six or seven People full time Maybe 15 on a busy weekend brilliant people I've stolen a few people from other production companies and it's going really well thankfully we're very lucky we're part owned by all three media who are one of the biggest media companies in the world let me talk to you let me talk to you about your TV stuff because so there's several aspects for listeners who mightn't be fully aware but Craig obviously has made his name you know ostensibly in sports TV he loves sports isn't that right Craig you've always love it yeah yeah brought up Who were your heroes growing up in terms of both sport and in terms of sports kind of broadcasting?

23:16Oh, gosh. I love Jimmy McGee. Yeah. And Jimmy McGee lived down the road from me. Okay. I had two superstars lived around the corner from me in Lakelands. By the way, when you mention Blackrock, there's Blackrock, people who went to Blackrock who live in, you know, D4. Yeah. And there's people like me who we lived in kind of very modest houses and mother had three jobs to put us through. OK, so more lower middle class than upper middle class. But we kind of, you know, with aspirations, I guess. There was golf clubs, how we paid for them, I don't know. So they must have had to pay up to pay your fees.

23:51Honestly, my mum, my mum, who's still with us, Ethna, great woman, good bridge player. I was talking to her about this yesterday. She was offered the chance to play bridge for Ireland. And she turned it down because she wanted to help bring up, she wanted to bring up the kids. She didn't want to be just playing bridge all the time. Fantastic woman. But I remember she would go into Arnott's or Switzer's, whatever shop it was. She worked for Lancome, which is a cosmetic company. And she'd go into Switzer's or Arnott's or whatever at, you know, nine in the morning. She'd work there till half five, six.

24:26And then she would run across to the either Jewelry's Hotel or the Conrad Hotel. They had a shop called, I can't remember what it was called. it was like they had all like Irish goods like water for crystal and clatter rings and all that she'd work in that shop till midnight and then on weekends she'd be in supermarkets doing tasters Sounds like the Rory McIlroy story almost Oh right of his parents Yeah I mean His parents tag teamed basically they didn't see each other 15 years Yeah He worked in the bar and then he did the night shift at the bar and she was cleaning at night Yeah Unbelievable like it's I think about it now more so when I'm you know my own kids and the cost and you know what it's like I don't know how I have no idea how she did it.

25:04Dad, you know, dad was unlucky with businesses. They, you know, they went well and didn't go well. And he struggled a little bit with that. So she had to take over a lot of the reins. He was a beautiful man. He died just six years ago next week. But gorgeous man. But she worked so, so hard. So it was interesting, you know, you're in Black Rock is this banner. And I remember it for years, Mario, and we'll get back to the other thing in a minute. But I remember like there'd be certain newspapers. I remember one newspaper doing a story about me saying they were slagging off, basically, private school people saying and craig doyle is a poster boy of private schooling born with a silver spoon in his mouth and i so wants to say something but i kind of thought in the back of my head my mom what might like my mom and dad might like that that like she's done a good job if people think it's been a seamless okay you know life and i thought i'll leave it but i remember being really annoyed about it because i wanted to sing from the rooftops about how great she was and what she did for my brother and my sister.

25:59We all went to private school. I cannot imagine how she did it. So, you know, when you're in an environment, and these schools do have a lot of people who are a lot of wealth, but a lot of them don't, and you're very grateful, and your work ethic kind of stems from that, I think, because you think, right, they've done this for me. I now have to give them something back. Right. So it's interesting. And you would describe yourself as having a strong work ethic, would you? Yeah, I don't, look, I don't work hard. I work a lot, but we don't work hard, do we? We just kind of show off a bit on telly or radio.

26:34And the production stuff has a lot of stress with it, and as does live TV. But it's not, like I'm not plucking chickens or driving an ambulance, you know. It's different, but I work, you know, I work as often as I can to fulfill the financial needs of life with so many people in our family, you know. But I can't even remember what we were talking about to get into that. Your heroes and everything. Oh, heroes. So like Jimmy McGee was one. Jimmy McGee, so we lived in Lakelands. Nice semi D houses Maybe hundreds of them In the upper Kilmercourt Road With a big park in the middle of it And we'd just all go out And play football All day Every day And rounders Lakelands Were the All-Ireland Rounders champions For about 10 years In the bounce But Jimmy McGee Lived down the road I knew his son Mark And I just couldn't believe Beautiful night here In Heisel Stadium Maradona Different class I think that commentary That he did Oh my word Because this Everybody knows it It's Maradona gets the ball in the Azteca Stadium in 1986 in the quarterfinal against England.

27:32And Jimmy McGee, the doyen of Irish TV commentators. Well, you know, Philip, what's his name? The old radio guy would have been Philip Green would have been great as well. Oh, yes. But Jimmy was also. Was this hand of God territory? No. Yeah. Same game. So basically, Maradona gets the ball inside his own half and flicks the ball and does a pirouette and takes out about three England players he then goes by two England players another England player he goes by Shilton and he scores a goal Some players that goal is the most famous goal of all time When you hear the commentary from Argentina you hear the imagine the Argentinian in his days Maradona Maradona El gundio El genio Genio Genio Maradona Mundial El genio El genio El padre mio Maradona Maradona Goal Maradona Maradona Right So they go crazy Because they're Catholic And Argentine And they're passionate This is the way McGee did the goal Beautiful night here In Aztec Maradona Different class

28:40Different class And so Anybody who loves TV And TV commentary Knows what happened there What happened there Is that Jimmy McGee Let the pictures Do the talking Correct And he said the words Different class twice And that's all he said because he was class because he was class and a lovely man and I was like I just couldn't believe he lived there around the other corner like England might have might have had Beckham we had Ray Tracy oh Ray Tracy Ray Tracy great for Ireland striker for Ray Tracy and then Ray Tracy travel handsome man tan great hair a real Dublin ass a real Dublin and a real rough you know kind of we all liked his daughters yeah a little bit American to it as well I was kind of like I'd only need to be in America for one day and I'd pick up an American I got an accent.

29:25And a swanky, shirt open, jewellery tan. He could have been in a snapper. He could have been in a snapper. A1. Perfect. And there was one better. There was a drummer from a band. I'm going to say, I'm going to say horse lips, maybe. I'm not sure. Up the road. So one day we're out in the street and we're playing squares or curbs. Maybe both. Two greatest games in the world. Yes. You know of these games? I don't know them really. Yeah, I know I hate the curb. Posh Street? No, no. Farm. Farm. Okay, so yeah No curbs No curbs Curbs is one of the greatest games Curbs is like You throw the ball onto the curb Yeah, don't simplify it Mario It's a game with great skill It has to come off the curb In a certain angle And if you catch it You get to the halfway And you throw it like Anyway, we're standing Playing curbs And it's like Car, car, car, car Car, everything stops And this car rolls by And it stops And the window rolls down It's Phil Linnet Of Tim Lizzie And we're like Phil Linnet stuff Ray Tracy it's Phil Linna brilliant and he goes alright boys playing a bit of football follow me guys come on and we follow his car up the road he goes up to the guy horse lips so it's like standard semi D houses at the back there'd be the double bedroom your chair the two big windows that are open then the single bedroom himself and the other lad god I wish I could remember who it was they go up to the double bedroom and we're all in the garden plugs in an amp plugs in the other amp and they play a set for us out the window in the garden with our own little kind of little kind of quasi Thin Lizzy set.

30:57Yeah, yeah. And people got their albums and he signed them. That was the actual first festival in Ireland. It was the first one, yeah, yeah. Before Longitude. Yeah. It was called Lakeitude. It was called Lakeitude. It was called Lakeitude. We had no yurts or anything like that but they were to come years later. So yeah, we're very lucky. We had all this people around us. This podcast is sponsored by IQ Bar. Not to be a stereotype or anything but I am one of those go, go, go girls. So I have so much stuff that's always on my plate. And I always try to grab something on the go after the gym, and it's always so hard to find something that's actually gonna be good tasting and good for you, right?

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32:0520 % off all IQ Bar products, plus free shipping. That's IQBAR.com, promo code BRAINIQ. IQBar.com, code BRAINIQ. This podcast is sponsored by Talkspace. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Talkspace, the leading virtual therapy provider, is sharing the message that connection is crucial because good relationships are an essential and sometimes overlooked component of mental well-being. If your relationships could use some strengthening, a licensed therapist from Talkspace can help. Therapy can help you communicate better with loved ones, repair conflicts, and understand how to address loneliness and build community.

32:40It's easy to sign up. Just go to Talkspace.com and you'll be paired with a therapist within two days. You'll meet with your therapist online on your schedule. Plus, Talkspace is in network with most major insurers, and most insured members have a$0 copay. Make personal connections a priority and start today. If you're not covered by insurance, get$80 off your first month with Talkspace when you go to Talkspace.com and enter promo code SPACE80. That's S-P-A-C-E-8-0. To match with a licensed therapist today, go to Talkspace.com and enter promo code SPACE80. In terms of sport I loved Frank Stapleton So there was a guy Across the road from me Colman Lynch We did 158 headers So like no one was beating That record Because we used to head the ball Like Staple Now Frank Stapleton Classic heading technique The picture frame technique You're familiar with this Go on So you hold a picture Oh yeah And you're putting your head Through the picture like that Yeah Very good yeah Put your head through the picture Staple Beautiful header of the ball And Colman Lynch and I We did 158 headers And we had the record In Lakelands he almost come near us so I loved Stapo he played for Arsenal then he moved went to United I moved with him they signed both of us so I moved over to United he was part of that great I suppose you'd say triumvirate of Irish people Stapleton Brady and O 'Leary who played for Arsenal yeah so he was big I love that and then and the other one would have been like I mean I loved Ollie Campbell obviously Tony Ward Tony Ward was my guy I know Wardy as do I've got to know him yeah lovely guy gorgeous guy really amazing man secret to didn't know that yeah amazing man really sweet guy sweet guy loves comedy does he loves comedy loved Dermot Morgan was a big friend of Dermot Morgan yeah and actually Dermot Morgan Dermot Morgan used to always do a little routine on Jimmy McGee they'd go Jimmy McGee is coming out of Jimmy McGee is coming home he's at the bar and he's coming home or no he's just coming home from a thing and he's stopped by a guard in the car whoo whoo whoo pulls him over and the guard does goes says sorry mister do you have any idea what speed you were going and he says coming out of Longford Town I would have been doing 78 miles an hour coming into Clockerhead I was doing 75 as we hit the road to the M11 it was 69.3 and then coming in yeah he did a commentary that I think Morgan did that kind of routine so Wardy yeah I know Wardy as well and I would have been a massive fan of Tony Ward playing rugby.

35:12Oh yeah. Good footballer too. Great footballer. Played for Limerick City. Won an FAI Cup medal with Limerick City. A lovely man, Tony Wood. Did you like David Coleman and the commentators like that? Yeah, kind of. Like Des Leinam because obviously he was Irish and we liked all that. And Terry Wogan who I just adored. Yeah. Because his touch, his gentle touch just worked. He just had everyone in the palm of his hands all the time. He did, yeah. Des Leinam presented Grandstand. He presented Grandstand. And you said, if I'm not wrong, you said when you were a kid, I'd love to present Granstad. Yeah, I said it in school.

35:47I said it in my transition year, you know, when you go to your careers talk with the careers specialist in school. And they said, what do you want to do? I said, I'd like to present Granstad actually is my plan. And they went, yeah, that's not going to happen. How is that going to happen? I know. I mean, at that stage, bear in mind, at that stage, maybe the year before, if I was asked to read an essay out in class, I would start crying. I would actually start crying. I did not want to speak in front of people. And so, yeah, I think it was a shock to them that I wanted to do that. Roll on all those years later, and I'm in the studio, and I'm looking across at Brian Robson, and it's my first grandstand, and the music starts.