Talking Bollox Podcast

This week ,for Episode 277, MMA fighter Gary Rooney joins Calvin and Terence for a chat about his upbringing, career and plans for the future. Gary takes it back to growing up on Watling Street flats in the Liberties, how the murder of his cousin shaped him, and how finding MMA and jiu-jitsu as a teenager gave him structure, confidence, and a place to belong. He also chats going pro, the mental sw...

It’s a bonus episode and the chaos starts immediately: Lauren’s in studio after the infamous stage fall, and the lads waste no time debating what her RIP.ie announcement would’ve been. From there it’s peak Talking Bollox — college exam myths, why tests are a “memory yoke”, and the genuine discovery that you don’t even need a licence to drive a small boat in Ireland (so… TB on the water?). Listener...

In 2019 Bláthnaid Raleigh’s life was changed forever when she was raped and violently sexually assaulted by a man she had met on a night out in Galway. She joined us to tell her story, speaking about that night, the strangers who helped her get to the guards, and the long five-year journey through the justice system that followed. Bláthnaid also spoke about the impact it had on her life, finding t...

There's an impromptu quiz that puts the lads geography knowledge to the test, and there are debates about not only the best film to live in, but what defines a film in the first place. Fair City is not a film but somehow The Office is? Ideas for Talking Bollox merch are dreamed up and there's a slip of the tongue that leaves Terence pink and everyone else speechless. Keep sending your questions to...

Damien Dempsey made this episode happen - And we're so glad he did! Seamus is a breathwork coach who took us through a few breathing exercises that had us feeling so zen we forgot we were even in the studio before another faster paced one that had us floating. And it's something you can follow along from home too! Seamus is also known as the Mindful Rambler and we can see why, because this chat we...

Terence gives a very confident, and very incorrect, biography of Oscar winning actress Whoopi Goldberg. Calvin makes a petition to bring back school sports days and wonders why no one famous shares his birthday. There's stories of Ballyfermot cats denting cars and stealing runners and of lies that we refuse to accept aren't true. And we reveal the winner of the years free TBX! Keep the questions c...

Our understanding of life with Tourette Syndrome has improved in recent years as more celebrities like Lewis Capaldi open up about their struggles as well as films like 'I Swear' showing the realities of the condition which can cause uncontrollable tics. This week, we wanted to hear a first hand account of life with the neurological condition so we spoke to Martin Sturman. Martin had mild tics as...

Betrayal. Disgrace. Absolute heartbreak. That's how the episode starts and it only goes downhill from there as the Meta Glasses capture some truly poor reading comprehension and questionable pronunciation. Apologies in advance to anyone listening in from Brisbane. Plans are made and quickly abandoned for a run, dip and sauna and despite the listeners diagnosing Terence he refuses to accept that he...

Last Saturday we had probably the biggest guest we've ever had on the podcast - Katie Taylor. And we didn't just record an episode with her, we spent the full day together on her tour bus as she traveled around the country. We debrief the full day and give you every detail from the numbers of wheels on the bus to the disasters with the Meta glasses. There's also drama from JD the night before and...

Do you ever cry in the night and look at a street light? Specifically the orange ones... These are the important questions Terence is asking in this weeks bonus - And he's not too happy with the answers he gets. Calvin debates the risk of bouncing on a pogo stick, and there are mathematical equations being done on the maximum number of pigeons that could be carried at any one time. Send your quest...

It's hard to understand how much this episode means to us - Katie Taylor is a hero of Irish sport and a dream guest for a long time. This weekend, we joined her as she drove around the country promoting her final ever fight in Ireland's most iconic arena, Croke Park. Katie told us what it means to follow in Muhammad Ali's footsteps fighting in Croke Park and how she knew this was the right time to...

When he decided to walk away from boxing Aidan Walsh was a two time Olympian with a medal around his neck and plenty of potential ahead of him. But, the pressure had all gotten too much and he couldn't cope anymore. So, at just 28, he retired. Aidan told us all about reaching his breaking point, realising he hadn't been happy for a long time and explained why he has no regrets about retiring early...

Terence learns a lesson about taking risks but somehow it doesn't affect his decision making when offered the chance to win a million. Calvin has learned lots too and has started to believe in the red string theory with not one but two mad coincidences to back it up. There are tales of recent scary trips to Calvin's attic and Terence gets a self inflicted injury mid podcast. Not to mention the ret...

From sitting across the table from two of England's most notorious serial killers, Myra Hindley and Ian Brady, to heading up the investigation to locate the bodies of the 17 people disappeared during the Troubles in the North, Geoff Knupfer has had a fascinating career. He sat down with us and took us back to his investigation of the Moor Murders and how a chance question led them to recovering th...

Calvin gets told of for his bad language and his questionable geography that has him leaving Pearse St outside of the boundaries of 'town'. Terence gets a nickname from a listener and considers giving his son a middle name inspired by a past guest. They ponder which is better a week of wet socks or a bed full of Nature Valley crumbs and an unhinged snowball fight is dreamed up. Send your questions...

Legend of the Irish music scene Damien Dempsey joined us for a sing song this week. In between songs, we talked about the resurgence in Gaelic culture among young Irish people and how important the old ballads have been to him since he was a young child. He told us how music kept him connected to his father after his passing and opened up his spirituality, and his visions of flying over Connemara...

Wayne Waldron signed up to his first ever marathon on a whim a few years ago. He finished the race in under three hours. A time that many runners couldn’t achieve with months of training behind them, never mind with one weeks notice like Wayne had. And he did it all in a pair of Nike Air Max. Since that first race, Wayne has gone on to become one of the country’s best Ultramarathon runners, gettin...

Are murderers ticklish? Is the aquatic centre still a thing? These are the sorts of important questions the lads answer in this weeks bonus episode. Terence wonders where the resurgence of people cursing his dog has come from while Calvin dreams up plans for a swim, a TB trip to New York and a statue of Coolio in the Pheno. Don't forget to send your listener questions in to TalkingBollox@GoLoudNow...

True crime series Lines Of Enquiry launched in November and has very quickly taken off. This week we spoke to the host, John Sweetman a former Garda who specialised in fingerprints and handwriting analysis. John told us about the scenes that always stuck with him, developing a thick skin and some of the heavy cases he worked on including Jastine Valdez, the murders of the Hawe family and the Midla...

Are there secret swimming lessons happening in Sean MacDermott street baths? Terence and Calvin are convinced but refuse to reveal their sources. Terence gets worked up by a question about mayonnaise and Calvin gets emasculated at the thought of having his phone snatched by a world record breaking marathon runner. Send your best question to TalkingBollox@GoLoudNow.com for a chance to win a year of...

When Bob Cullen woke up in a Garda cell with no memory of how he got there, he began looking back at his life to understand what led him to that moment. A childhood scarred by bullying. Drug taking at age 12. Insecurities masked by lashing out violently. Bob was sentenced to 7 and a half years for robbery and he used his time in prison to tackle his addiction and educate himself on criminology and...

There's been a lot of talk about punctuality lately on the podcast. But this week it went to the extreme. After waiting in studio for over an hour for Terence to arrive, Calvin had only begun recording an apology when a phone call came through. Terence had awoken from his nap. Down the phone, he does his best to convince the lads to record another day. There's talk of money exchanging hands, but w...

Aaron Rowe has been blowing up lately, with hit songs like Hey Ma, sold out gigs and crowds that blow the roof off. He joined us this week after an incredible show in the Academy. He told us about his journey from being afraid to tell his friends he played guitar to standing on stage in front of thousands of people opening for Ed Sheeran and Sam Fender. Aaron got his big break when he was playing...

Quite the trip this week (in every sense) as the boys respond to last week's callout to listeners in far flung corners of the globe and it's fair to say their voices are lighting up some random spots. A very disturbing story from a listener involving a dog, a used condom and a father in law inspires Terry to ring his brother to get him to tell an absolute cracker involving a near death experience...

World champ Pierce O’Leary is back with Terence and Calvin – and this time he’s actually walking in with the belt. He chats about the ups and downs nobody sees: boxing politics, learning the business, nearly packing it in 14 months ago, and the mad graft it took to turn “I’m gonna be world champion” into reality. Pierce tells the full Rocky-style story of moving to England with a backpack and a gr...