FILP Podcast

Are we actually getting wiser as we get older… or are we just getting more comfortable with being a bit weird? This week we’re joined by Carmel Ryan Leahy, our first female guest and someone we’ve known since our secondary school days so she arrives with more than 30 years of potentially damaging information about some of us. With all five of us now around the 50 mark, we get into the habits, pett...

Ireland has produced some unbelievable sportspeople. The problem is, we now have to agree on the greatest ten of all time. And this debate got so heated that Aaron somehow managed to pull his hamstring mid-episode 😂 We attempt to create the definitive FILP Top 10 Greatest Irish Sportspeople across boxing, football, rugby, golf, horse racing, athletics, cycling, GAA, snooker and more. But what act...

Six months after our first Return of the TEDI episode, we're heading back to the TV, films and adverts of the 80s and 90s, including quite a few we somehow left out the first time. Friends, Father Ted, Glenroe, The A-Team, Knight Rider, Baywatch, ALF, Bosco, Wanderly Wagon and the Milk Tray Man all come under review as we decide what still works, what has aged surprisingly well and what hasn&#...

Everyone says they don't judge people... but we all do. In this episode, we're confessing the harmless, petty and occasionally completely irrational things that make us quietly judge other people. Talking on speakerphone in public. Not returning the shopping trolley. Being constantly late. Oversharing on social media. Filming concerts. Bad driving. Dressing up your pets. Where do you draw...

Twenty years ago, we somehow survived without smartphones, Google Maps, WhatsApp, contactless payments and high-speed broadband... How did we manage? In this episode, we look at the modern conveniences that have quietly become essential to everyday life and ask whether they've actually made things easier—or just made us completely dependent on them. What do younger people completely take for g...

Twenty episodes ago, four middle-aged Irish friends decided the world needed another podcast...Were we right? In this episode, we look back at what we've learned, not just about podcasting, but about each other, friendship, and navigating middle age. What have we learned about podcasting and each other? Who prepares the most? Who's most likely to get us cancelled accidentally? What have we...

When did you realise adults don't actually have everything figured out? In Episode 20 of Friends in Low Places (FILP), the lads compare the lives they imagined they'd have with the ones they actually ended up living and discover that most of us are still winging it. From careers, parenting and relationships to money, DIY, pensions and all those "grown-up" life skills we thought w...

Why will men tolerate a problem for six months rather than make one ten-minute appointment? In Episode 19, the lads compete in The Great Irish Male Check-Up Avoidance Championship, comparing the excuses men use to avoid the doctor, the unofficial Irish male health system, and the medical issues we'll happily ignore while constantly complaining about them. There's a FILP Top 10 of Things Me...

For FILP Episode 18, the lads are joined by Philip Briscoe from The Mid-Life Men Podcast for a conversation we never thought we'd have via a podcast. Together, we discuss getting older, mental well-being, resilience, strength, and the pressures many men carry through life. We also explore why men often find it difficult to talk about these issues and why they should. For the Mid-Life Men Podca...

In Episode 17, Sean, Mike & Niall are asking a very important midlife question: What disappeared from everyday life… and should we bring it back or bin it forever? From being told to “be home before dark”, knocking for friends, landlines in the hall and video shops, to proper lunch breaks, no emails after work, one TV in the house and the lost art of just waiting for things - this one is full...

Episode 16 of Friends in Low Places is all about the music of the 80s and 90s. This episode looks at international music as we covered Irish music during episode 10. The songs, bands, videos, guilty pleasures and questionable taste that shaped us, whether we like it or not. This week, Sean, Arron and Niall are joined by DJ Handsome Pat Collins to talk music that felt massive growing up, build the...

For Episode 15, the lads dive into the sporting memories that still stick with us years later — matches, moments, victories, heartbreaks and the near misses we still talk about. From school sports and local heroes to iconic Irish moments, it’s a mix of nostalgia, glory, sporting trauma and things we probably took far too seriously. There’s also a FILP Top 10 Sporting Moments, an Italia ’90 quiz, a...

We’ve all heard them, the big life regrets people have at the end. Not spending enough time with people, working too much, losing touch with friends… nothing shocking, which is probably the problem. In Episode 14, the lads (minus Aaron) look at a few of these and ask the uncomfortable question: Are we already heading in the same direction? There’s a bit of honesty, a few admissions… including who...

Are school days really the best days of your life? Sean, Aaron, Mike and Niall all went to St Ailbe’s Secondary School in Tipperary Town and in this episode, they go back (in a way). They’re joined by past pupil and current principal Ruaidhri Devitt, who also happens to be Niall’s brother, for a chat about what school was like then… and what it’s really like now. Subscribe to FILP Podcast to join...

Ahh, yes - who doesn’t enjoy a good old Irish wedding? From pints before the ceremony to residents’ bar sing-songs, best man speeches to beef or salmon, it’s a big day out… but at what cost? And would you do it again? In Episode 12, the lads get into Irish weddings - sharing stories from their own, others they’ve been at and even a few they probably weren’t invited to. Tune in to find out which on...

Welcome to Episode 11 - Room 101 . Everyone has things that annoy them more than they should… this is where we try to get rid of them. In this episode, the lads lightheartedly take on their everyday pet peeves, each putting forward their case for why they should be banished to Room 101 to face their ultimate nightmare. From Saint Patrick’s Day to sun holidays, King Crisps and more, it’s a relatabl...

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day from FILP! In this episode, the lads celebrate Ireland’s national day by revisiting the soundtrack of their youth, diving into the Irish music scene of the 80s and 90s. From the challenge of building a Top 10 Irish music playlist, to capturing the magic of an Irish music session, the boys share the bands, songs and music that defined growing up in Ireland. And of course,...

In this episode, the lads talk about friendship - how they’ve managed to keep theirs intact over the years and what it really takes to stay connected through life’s different stages. They also look at the challenges of making and keeping friends today, from school years to midlife and whether it’s actually getting harder. Plus, in a round of “Most Likely To…”, the boys reveal who among them is mos...

In Episode 8 of Friends in Low Places, we talk about work, careers and the reality of midlife work. The jobs we thought we’d have… versus the ones that pay the mortgage. From career changes and workplace personality quirks to burnout, career wobbles in your 40s and whether we’re working to live or just paying bills. This is an honest, if slightly cynical look at modern working life. If you’ve ever...

It’s Valentine’s and yes, all you need is love… and a solid podcast to get you through it. In this special episode of Friends in Low Places (FILP) , the lads lean into romance (reluctantly, in some cases) and get surprisingly honest about love, marriage and midlife relationships. In Love Factually , Aaron bravely asks: “Would you do it all over again?” Niall shares the relationship advice he wishe...

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, there was an Ireland with only two TV channels, where 80s and 90s TV shows shaped childhoods, ads felt like mini-series, and movies became lifelong memories. Once a week the nation gathered around the television to watch three priests on a small island (Down with that sort of thing! Careful now!).In Episode 6 – Return of the Tedi, the lads dive into 80s...

The lads kick off 2026 with some brutally honest confessions about the things they’ve always been and always will be absolutely useless at. In this episode of Friends in Low Places, four Irish men in their late 40s admit to the everyday life skills they still haven’t mastered. From DIY disasters and flatpack furniture fails to parallel parking nightmares and the eternal struggle of changing a duve...

“There’s an old African proverb that says it takes a village to raise a child.” But what does parenting actually look like in modern Ireland? In this episode of Friends in Low Places, the four lads wrap up 2025 with an honest conversation about parenting in your 40s — from raising young kids and teenagers to navigating modern pressures, schools, social media, and family life. We explore: Whether p...

“Happy Christmas your arse, I pray God it’s our last!” In this special Christmas episode of Friends in Low Places, the lads dive into the realities of Christmas in Ireland — from decorations going up far too early to festive traditions we love (and secretly hate). This is midlife Christmas as it really feels: family chaos, nostalgia, pressure, over-commercialisation, and the quiet question of whet...

In Episode 2 of Friends in Low Places, the lads take a drive down memory lane, revisiting friendships, nights out, old-school technology, and growing up in Ireland in the 80s and 90s. From childhood friendships and teenage nights out to life before smartphones and streaming, this episode explores what made the “good old days” feel simpler — and whether they actually were. We talk about: Friendship...