Ramble with Joe McGucken

5,600 people packed into the Convention Centre in Dublin recently to officially declare their fidelity to the Irish nation, a massive bureaucratic event that highlights the evolving identity of the island. Joe decided to wander into the ceremony to figure out exactly what these new citizens were signing up for, only to promptly plunge himself into a mild existential crisis about his own national i...

Is the apocalypse coming? Joe has questions. After the government sends 2.2 million households a 17-page Be Emergency Ready booklet, Joe starts wondering what exactly we're supposed to be preparing for. Nuclear fallout? Cyber attacks? A massive blackout? The Russians blowing up the internet? Or just a very inconvenient few days without the card machine? In this episode of Ramble On, Joe digs into...

On the 100th anniversary of Harry Houdini's passing, Ireland's only escapologist is preparing to contact the legendary illusionist's spirit from an old shoe shop in Limerick. This week Joe takes a Ramble down south to meet Steve Spade, the Irish Houdini.  The conversation starts with card tricks at weddings and dodgy hypnotists and ends with a plan to contact the dead. Steve's built a career...

Joe took the boys to see Matilda at the Bord Gáis. The lead got sick, the safety curtain came down, and an eight year old understudy walked out in front of a sold out house and stole the show. That sets Joe off on a Ramble through the strange world of child stardom. A chance encounter with the original Matilda talking about intimacy at a variety show in New York. The militant casting rules for a M...

Shane McLoughlin holds eight world records for pulling incredibly heavy vehicles, and he does it all while missing a leg. After a freak accident involving a heifer leaving him with gangrene, Shane endured 78 operations over a period of 10 years before finally telling his surgeons to just take the leg off. Instead of going easy on himself, he became a paralympian and eventually pivoted his focus to...

During World War II, Nazi and Allied soldiers played golf together in Kildare. In this episode of Ramble On, Joe takes us through the back nine of a surreal moment in Irish wartime history. What starts as Joe's disdain for the sport of golf somehow evolves into a fascinating narrative about Nazi soldiers who crash landed in Ireland, were given daily parole to attend local dances, visit the cinema,...

IIn front of 82,000 roaring fans on the most historic night in Irish boxing history, heavyweight contender Thomas Carty took an illegal punch to the back of the head and fell headfirst out of the ring in Croke Park. Before any of that happened, Joe spend the day with Thomas, having secured exclusive behind-the-scenes access to shadow him on the biggest day of his professional career. Expecting a t...

In 1972, a former circus strongman who pulled buses with his teeth managed to bring the greatest boxer on the planet to Croke Park.  After Katie Taylor’s historic walk to the squared ring in Croke Park over the weekend, Joe takes a look back at the last boxing match in Croker. Muhammad Ali's legendary and utterly chaotic visit to Dublin. From forgetting Ali's boxing gloves and borrowing a loc...

This week, Joe takes a Ramble into the grueling world of ultra-running. Joe somehow wrangles an interview with an actual superhuman, Seán Clifford, who is in the middle of a punishing 25-day Challenge to run every single street in Dublin. All 4,402 of them, while sleeping rough to raise awareness and funds for homeless charities. Joe ventures out into torrential rain to meet Seán and his endlessly...

In this week's bonus episode, Joe tries to record while a Bon Jovi concert shakes the walls of his studio. After some predictable grumbling about stadium rock and The Weeknd's spelling choices, Joe quickly sets his sights on Electric Picnic. He takes immense comfort in missing the mud this year, thoroughly roasting anyone who willingly subjects themselves to that biblical festival weather as if it...

On this week’s Ramble, Joe wanders into Dublin's Museum of Curiosities to speak with the curator Paul about his collection of… weird things. Joe reflects on his own failed collections, like the fact that he threw away his million dollar Pokémon cards, and comes face-to-face with a literal room of nightmare fuel. Think mummified cats, a two-headed cow, and a 19th-century witch's conjuring box. Natu...

Joe is finally back at Ramble HQ after four weeks of filming up in Donegal, and naturally, he immediately fell down a rabbit hole of absolute madness.  In this episode, he dives into the bizarre world of turning absolute historical tragedies into children’s entertainment. From a viral English fruit farm with a Titanic slide on the back of a lorry to the fever dream that is Europa-Park's "Irel...

In this episode of Ramble On, Joe has somehow convinced himself he is a maritime historian.  This week our intrepid host attempts to connect the dots between modern Inishowen road signs and the origins of Amazing Grace. The Iconic Hymn. What follows is Joe’s slightly unhinged, deep dive into the chaotic life of John Newton featuring 18th-century teenage melodrama, disastrous career choices, n...

This is just a quick update to let listeners know the podcast is taking a short break this week. Normal programming will resume next week with a bonus episode on Tuesday and full regular episode as scheduled on Thursday. Thank you for listening, and we will be back next week.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this bonus episode of Ramble On, recorded straight from the driver's seat, Joe broadcasts from the stunning backdrop of Donegal while on location filming. Taking a quick breather from the trad music echoing from the house, he reflects on a brilliant, whirlwind weekend taking in the very best of the country. From soaking up the breathtaking landscapes on a mountain walk with alpacas (and fending...

Ever wondered what actually goes on inside Ireland’s underground furry community? Well Joe did. So he sat down with Jay, a chemistry PhD student by day and a yellow furry by night. Joe tries to make sense of a world he knows absolutely nothing about. But before getting into the mystery, Joe kicks off the episode reflecting on his childhood obsession with dogs in the flat, dodging neighborhood pack...

Joe heads for the Wild West in search of an Irish cowboy and grapples with his fear of horses, the smell of slurry and getting stuck behind a tractor on the way. He makes it as far as Laois where he meets Mick LaCumbre of Fossey Mountain Springs Ranch in the hills of Timahoe. Mick tells him about the special gift he has with horses and his profound respect for them. Mick’s career began as a 12 yea...

Joe called the D-doc about an earache, and when he was asked a question about Covid this somehow sent him down a rabbit hole about a woman dubbed Typhoid Mary.  Mary Mallon was an Irish teenager who emigrated to New York in the late 1800s. She worked her way up through the ranks to become a top cook for wealthy families. She then unknowingly started making people sick wherever she went and sh...

In the middle of nowhere down the Irish countryside, there’s a woman who holds magic mushroom retreats out of her house, and Joe went down to meet her. She lives as off-the-grid as you can get and runs illegal psychedelic weekends to heal people living with trauma. For the sake of anonymity we'll call her Liberty.  Joe opens up a little bit about his experience dealing with his mental health...

As the rest of the country supports some sort of ban on e-scooters, Joe swims against the tide. Despite being hospitalized after being run over by a car on his scooter, Joe still thinks it’s the best way to navigate the Viking built streets of Dublin. He even gave broadcast royalty Claire Byrne a spin around Stephen’s Green on his scooter to prove how safe they are. Explicit.  See omnystudio....

Joe is back from a sun-soaked holiday in Tenerife, and while most people return with souvenirs and a tan, Joe came home with a massive appreciation for cheap, tacky, and absolutely glorious live entertainment.  Driven by a tip from an Instagram follower, Joe tracks down Leslie "Elvis" Moore, who moved to the island 16 years ago to become one of Tenerife's most recognizable Elvis Tribute Artis...

Joe is back from his Holiday in Tenerife, and to the surprise of absolutely nobody, he didn't exactly have a relaxing time. Between peeling like a snake after five minutes in the sun and panicking over an Irish heatwave of 22 degrees, he’s got plenty to complain about. From a resort with perpetually broken lifts to inventing a tragic, backstory for a random da and toddler by the pool, Joe’s holida...

Stressed out by a mountain of work and an upcoming family holiday, Joe jokingly wishes for a short prison sentence just to escape his responsibilities. This thought leads him into a deep look at the reality of the Irish penal system, starting with a wild story about the time he unknowingly gave a lift to a fugitive on his way to hand himself in. Joe talks to Robert and Damien, who both served sign...

In this bonus episode of Ramble, Joe follows up on the chaotic aftermath of his interview with Grace and Jeff. He shares behind-the-scenes insights into their remote Minnesota Homesteading lifestyle and details the heartbreaking reality of Jeff's ultimatum. Joe is also joined by AI researcher Bella, who shares her ongoing studies into why companionship and therapy have become the number one uses f...

Joe's fascination with artificial intelligence led him down a rabbit hole and he came across a woman who is in love with her AI companion. Based in Minnesota, Grace created an AI companion over a year ago called Max. It didn't take long for her to fall in love with Max after intense sexual encounters with it. The only problem is, Grace is married to her husband Jeff and they have a 5 year old daug...