Comedian Joe McGucken hosts new RTÉ podcast series Ramble
Launching today (Thursday 25 June), new RTÉ podcast Ramble with Joe McGucken is a series of curiosity-driven conversations where actor, writer and comedian Joe McGucken takes listeners on a journey to meet extraordinary people from every corner of Ireland.
In this interview podcast series, Joe McGucken, armed with absolutely no qualifications, follows his curiosity around Ireland, meeting interesting guests on their own turf. Whether they’re an A-list celebrity or an off-grid cult, the only thing Joe is concerned about is hearing a good story, meaning absolutely everything is on the table.
Podcast host Joe McGucken said: “I’m both excited and kind of nervous to release Ramble. I really wanted to set the tone with the first episode. The whole point of the podcast is to tell stories from the fringes of society. Stories that you don’t get to hear anywhere else. It doesn’t get more on the fringe than bare knuckle fighting, which is actually illegal in Ireland. With a topic so extreme, there is inevitably going to be controversy attached, including some of the characters involved. But I’m not trying to be an edgelord for the sake of it. I just want to speak with interesting people and give the listeners an opportunity to take a peek behind the curtain of certain areas of society. Because we’re all a bit nosey it’s in our DNA. I’m not a journalist… I’m just a really curious bloke!”
The first two episodes of Ramble with Joe McGucken drop today. In the first episode, Joe goes to Crumlin Boxing Club to chew the fat with Johnny Jawbreaker, a bare-knuckle boxer. Formerly an MMA fighter with Bellator and Cage Warriors, John Redmond is now competing in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC). The debut episode skips the standard sports chat for a blunt look at the brutal realities of fighting for a living.
In the second episode, Joe visits Barcelona to meet up with an Irish lad who is trying to take down ICE in the US by doxxing them. “Dominick Skinner” has created a database exposing over 4,000 ICE agents. In the interview he also speaks about how he was homeless in Ireland as a teenager, finding solace in the kindness of strangers, and eventually leaving Ireland for a better life.
Head of Podcasting at RTÉ, Hugh Ormond said: “Joe McGucken’s great eye for a story and his unique take on life were a big draw for us and the reason that RTÉ’s new podcasting department is making its first commissioned podcast series with him. Ramble is going to bring listeners on an amazing journey as the series develops and I’m absolutely delighted we get to make this with Joe.”
New episodes of Ramble with Joe McGucken will drop every Thursday, with a bonus episode on Tuesdays. Listen to Ramble now on rte.ie/podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts:
https://www.rte.ie/radio/podcasts/series/45216-ramble-with-joe-mcgucken/
ENDS
Sarah Neville, RTÉ Communications Lead