Crafty Rogues

This week, the Crafty Rogues goes on the roadfor a bittersweet farewell to Irish on Grand, the beloved St. Paul shop closing its doors after decades serving the Twin Cities' Irish community and Elvis Costello!. Enjoy the chat with Maeve and Liam about the shop’s history, its future online, and their plans post-retirement (like escaping the MN winters)  Also in this episode: St. Patrick’s Day adven...

Post Paddy’s Day, Cosgrove chats with D. Patrick Connolly, a quintessential Irish-American from St. Paul!  Patrick shares his take on St. Patrick's Day traditions, snow plows & potholes, proper pub etiquette (never order an "Irish Car Bomb"!), and his love for music including Bruce Springsteen and U2. The conversation weaves through politics, Patrick's PR career, and the evolution of Irish foo...

This week on The Crafty Rogues, John Cosgrove is joined by longtime listener, first-time guest, Aiden Benedict Scanlan! Aiden shares stories about the Scanlan family's 100+ year history in the Twin Cities, from his grand-uncle's arrival in 1910 to the family's deep roots in the local Irish community. Also covered in no particular order: Ireland's disappointing Six Nations rugby match against Franc...

This week, John Cosgrove welcomes guest Pat Curry—bartender, storyteller, and American of Irish descent with roots in Emyvale and West Cork. They dive into everything from Shakespeare  James Bond propaganda, the madness of St. Patrick’s Day in St. Paul, and why the New York Yankees suddenly allow beards (spoiler: JD Vance). Plus, they talk sports, music, and a 40,000-piece Disney jigsaw puzzle (ye...

This week, John Cosgrove is joined by Ruairi Barnwell for a lively chat about Minnesota’s wild weather swings, Irish community happenings, and a short but deep dive into Liverpool’s title procession (the chase is over). They reminisce about life in Chicago, debate Premier League drama, and share insights on the local Irish network scene with Ireland Network MN.  Plus, some proper craic about rugby...

This week, John welcomes Danny Stockton, the other famous thing about Slough and the newest board member of the Irish Fair of Minnesota, to chat about growing up in an Irish household in England, expat life in the U.S., and why volunteering at the Irish Fair led him to join the board. #CraftyRogues #Podcast #IrishFairMN #Football #ExpatLife #IrishMusic #Minnesota #PremierLeague   #IrishHeritage #I...

After 17 amazing episodes, 398 decent ones and a few stinkers, the pod must go on without our beloved Quinno. From kitchen table beginnings to interviews with sports legends, he's been the heart and soul of our show. Missing you already, mate. In our first "new" format, we're cozying up with storyteller Jim Leinfelder, chatting about Minnesota winter magic at the Luminary Loppet, catching Travis l...

Seinfeld...The Sopranos...Game of Thrones...The Crafty Rogues. Three of these four are among the most talked about final episodes in entertainment history. Which is the odd one out? Listen to this, and you'll probably have a better idea.

The boys revealed some pretty big news this week. We'll give you a hint; this is the second-to-last show in its current format. We'll give you another hint; not only is this the second-to-last show in its current format, it's also an absolute craic-fest!

America has new king...Erling Haaland has new contract...and Kevin Keegan had a problematic perm. Seriously, the perm era of football was a little disturbing. Mind you, it was fun to talk about. In fact, this whole show is fun. Well, expect the 'America has new king' bit.

The boys welcomed special guest, music maven extraordinaire Graeme Hoey, to the show this week. Yes, there was still sport and craic, but with Graeme in the house, it was a very Twin Cities music-centric chat. It's really good stuff.

Yes, it was a fun show. Yes, the craic was mighty. But, the singular highlight may have been the phrase, 'They shot themselves in the foot and shat on the eggs.' That's poetry, right there.

Well, that's it for 2024 from a Crafty Rogues perspective. And what did we learn in the final show of the year? Not a lot, to be honest. But good Lord, it was fun. You can't ask for too much more than that. Enjoy.

'Twas the show before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even John's mouse. Yes, we crow-barred that in, but there really is a bit about John's mouse in the show. This is the last show of 2024, and we humbly submit that the boys ended the year in style. This is top-shelf craic.

If you're the kind of person who thinks that any show featuring the line 'I treated myself to a couple of Spotted Cows in the jacuzzi' is worth listening to, congratulations, you're correct. Enjoy.

After a week in which John debuted as a stand up comic, Quinno went to work in an Hawaiian shirt and FIFA granted the World Cup tournament to Saudi Arabia, one of those things is bound to make your eyes roll...

It was a very intimate, personal start to the show this week. In the first three minutes, John maintained that he wouldn't pardon his son, and Quinno revealed some nasty on-field abuse he once copped. Imagine what's in the other 40 minutes or so!

This week's pre-Thanksgiving episode is best summed up by a cross-section of topics mentioned: Gout...Billy Connolly...Pickleball...flying...schadenfreude...the Wankdorf Stadium...Eric Gates...Dungeons & Dragons...and Cards Against Humanity. Good luck finding that lineup anywhere else!

Yes, there was a bit of sahhkerrrr and rugby talked about, but the cultural scope of this week's show also encompassed a card game, the new dodgy stick, Smokie, Suzy Quatro, Olivia Rodrigo, Graham Norton, and Sonny Bono. Didn't see that last one coming, did you?

How to summarize this week's show? Let's just throw some random stuff out there and see what sticks. Slopey football pitches...Billie Eilish...northern referees...David Coote...Apple TV...doom spending...divisiveness and intolerance...Liam Delap...Keb' Mo'...and meeting new people. Something for everyone

The election is over, and the people have spoken - loudly! In other news, John invented an accent, Quinno went to Duluth, and 'pique' is an excellent Scrabble word. Did we mention that the election is over?

With an election on the horizon, the boys delivered a show full of references to sport, airports, rock bands, TV shows, and New Zealand accents. Okay, there was some election stuff, too. But mainly sport, airports, rock bands, TV shows, and New Zealand accents.

Jet lag, shmet lag! The show must go on, and it did. The boys touched on topics as diverse as wine, beer, Leon Bridges, Sharon Horgan, colonialism, Vini Jnr, Erling Haaland, Danny Welbeck, flight cancellation protocol, and...wait for it...Troy Parrott. Yes, THAT Troy Parrott!

The boys came straight from the sahhkerrr field to record this episode. We're not kidding. Quinno still had his shin pads on, and John was a full-kit wanker. It's tasty stuff.

It was a very Minnesotan show this week. There were shout-outs for Grand Marais, New Ulm, the Vikings, the Lynx, the Loons, and of course, Monday night Fall League in Roseville. Rude not to.