Thomas Walsh is the singer and songwriter with the band Pugwash. Pugwash have released 6 studio albums the latest of which is Play Intimately (As If Among Friends). They have recently toured the States where they have released the compilation album A Rose In A Garden Of Weeds. Their fans include Jeff Lynne (ELO), Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys), Ray Davies (The Kinks) and Andy Partridge (XTC). Ray Davies and Andy Partridge guest on backing vocals on their latest album. Neil Hannon also guests on the album. Thomas and Neil have released two albums as the band The Duckworth Lewis Method. Both of these albums are ridiculously brilliant. The long and the short of it is Thomas Walsh is an extremely gifted songwriter and should be a national treasure. Also features in a live in-studio performance of 'Here'.

Ronan MacManus grew up in Twickenham, West London, His father Ross MacManus was a musician and trumpet player, with Joe Loss and his orchestra, (and also responsible for the music and vocals from the R. White’s Lemonade television commercial, “Secret Lemonade Drinker”). Needless to say, his father passed on the musical tradition, to all 5 of his sons.The eldest son, Declan (from his father’s first marriage), went on to become a well-known musician called Elvis Costello. Ronan is a singer/song writer with the bands Bible Code Sundays (who have recorded three albums) and The Brand New Zeros and has recorded a solo album called Strawberry Hill.

Michael Collins first came to prominence as an actor in the long running soap Glenroe. He has also starred in the films Man About Dog, King Of The Travellers and the award winning Pavee Lackeen and written/performed three one man plays dealing with the Traveller's experience in Ireland. I met Michael Collins first on the set of the comedy series Killinascully quite a few years ago but hadn't seen him again until recently when we coincidentally ended up working on two different projects together. During that time we have been on a few long car journeys together and had some in-depth conversations covering much of the ground we cover on this podcast. Following the recent tragic event in Carrickmines, in which ten people from two families died in a fire, and the ensuing reaction from some people, we discussed the fraught relationship between Irish Travellers and the majority of Irish settled people. It's a great chat.

Frank Kelly of course is best known as Father Jack Hackett the raving drunken foul mouth priest from Father Ted. But I first knew him as Parnell Mooney on RTE's Hall's Pictorial Weekly. As a young lad growing up Halls Pictorial Weekly starring Frank Kelly was a show that all the family enjoyed; well my father enjoyed it when Fine Gael was being lampooned and I enjoyed it when grown men were acting like gobshite local councillors. I didn't understand the politics but I had my suspicions that most people in authority were gobshites and it was a relief to think at least one grown up thought so too. Frank Kelly for me also represented the possibility of making a living out of acting the eejit. The only comedy album we had in the house was of his character Gobnait O'Lunasa. He is an incredibly mild mannered erudite man and yet lurking inside there, there is a lovely bit of absurd brilliant madness.

I got to know Ardal O' Hanlon when I was starting out in comedy and we all met once a week at The Comedy Cellar in The International Bar. Since then we have worked together on and off most notably in Father Ted and a lovely film called Flying Saucer Rock n' Roll. Over the years Ardal has appeared on Whose Line Is It Anyway, My Hero, Hooves Of Fire, Dr Who and has presented Top Of The Pops. He has also written a novel called Talk Of The Town and is an accomplished stand up comedian.

The first time I saw Kevin McAleer live was in Andrews Lane Theatre. He came on stage and without saying anything more than " Aye" and "Well ye see" he had the audience in stitches for a good ten minutes before actually doing any material. It was the most incredible thing I ever experienced at a live comedy event. It was the kind of laughter that comes in waves like when you are with a group of friends and you get a fit of the giggles which is something that very rarely happens at comedy gigs. He had invented this character that the whole country had tapped into so we were all in on the joke but I'm sure there were others who found it bewildering. Years later I got to tour with Kevin and Barry Murphy in the modestly titled "The Kings Of Comedy" show and got to know him as the true gentleman he is. He is a man you just want to spend time with.

I work with Dermot Whelan on a regular basis with The Dublin Comedy Improv. He is a tremendous improviser and has brought those talents to his radio show The Dermot and Dave Show on Today FM. He also is a drummer with the band The 1234's covering all the punk classics along with Colm Murphy, John Colleary and Jackie Hamilton (formerly bassist with The Moondogs) and has presented The Republic Of Telly and The Soccer Show. He is a great stand up comedian and impressionist to boot. In this podcast we talk about his growing up in Limerick, making fake news reports, a disastrous audition for a "youth" program on RTE and lots more.

I met Cathy Davey at The Electric Picnic after performing at her stage "My Lovely Ranch" which she set up to promote and collect donations for her charity "My Lovely Horse". The charity rescues and looks after urban abandoned horses and dogs. The name comes from the fact that her partner Neil Hannon co-wrote the famous song from Father Ted with Graham Linehan. I've been a big fan of Cathy for years and particularly loved her last album The Nameless. I visited her at the house she shares with Neil and talked to her as she fed the chickens and checked on the horses and donkeys. I was amazed that she had put her music career on hold to concentrate on her charity work but am glad to find out she has a new album recorded and ready for release.

Colm O'Regan is a stand up comedian and best selling author of the series of books "Irish Mammies" which sprang from the twitter account @irishmammies. He is also a columnist with The Examiner and a radio columnist with The BBC World Service. He runs a monthly stand up comedy club called Inn Jokes at The Patriot Inn, Kilmainham. As well as that, he has an impressive beard and will possibly be a Dad by the time you read this. It wasn't until I chatted to him for the podcast that I found out we shared a similar background in that we both grew up on a dairy farm. Did I mention he has a very impressive beard?

I first got to know Des Bishop when I was running a comedy club on Thursday nights in The International Bar called The Mad Cow Comedy Club. He was a new act doing ten minute slots. Then I gave him a twenty minute slot and he bombed so I told him I was demoting him back to ten minute slots. Amazingly he thanks me for this now for giving him a reality check. I loved having this conversation with him because as I find with a lot of my guests that I've known throughout the years I find out more about them in that one hour than I have while bumping into them at various gigs. Des has gone on to do a load of TV work including, Joy In The Hood (which gave a break to my previous guest Willy White) and In The Name Of The Fada and wrote the best seller book My Dad Was Nearly James Bond.

eeThis week's podcast comes from the Electric Picnic. I talked to Irish comedian based in London Jarlath Regan who hosts the An Irishman Abroad podcast. I also spoke to comedian/actor and former Southend United goalkeeper Terry Alderton who many of you will know from Eastenders in which played cab driver Terry Spraggan. I spent a whole summer rehearsing and acting alongside Terry in the stage version of The Shawshank Redemption back in 2013. Finally I spoke to 25 year old Scottish veteran comedian Daniel Sloss. Daniel has been performing stand up comedy since he was 16 and was the youngest comedian to perform a solo season in London's West End aged 19. Follow @joerooney1 and @castawaymedia

I've known Willie White since he came on the scene after appearing on the Des Bishop show Joy In The Hood.

He and Eric Lalor arrived on the scene at the same time and although they have very different styles both have established themselves as reliable solid stand ups.

Willie has incredible charisma and presence onstage but I would love to see him do more personal stuff as he has a unique story to tell and can bring a comic angle to even the most harrowing firsthand experiences as you will hear on this podcast.

Perhaps it's a miracle he has come so far from where he was but I believe he can go on to even greater things.

I spent two weeks in the USA recently performing at the La Crosse and Milwaukee Irish festivals and a couple of gigs in between.

While there I was overwhelmed at the effect Irish culture has on American people. I spoke to one woman who burst into tears when she told me about the first time she set foot on Irish soil. I was amazed at the diverse views Irish American's have both on politics and religion. I met Republicans, Democrats, Socialists, Believers, Non-believers, Survivalists, Drinkers and Teetotalers.

In this episode I interviewed Bret Lipshutz an American Jewish man who can play the tin whistle as well as I've ever heard, The Celtic Tenors, Ed McAllen who was dressed as a leprechaun and told me he built his own house and hunts all his own meat, Joanie Madden of Cherish The Ladies who runs an Irish themed cruise called Folk n' Irish Cruise and a Trad/Punk band called Whiskey Of The Damned from Milwaukee whose lead singer is from Tallaght.

Follow Joe on Twitter @joerooney1

This week I took my Zoom ( I need sponsorship!) recorder to the Vodafone Dublin Comedy Festival in The Iveagh Gardens. I performed with The Dublin Comedy Improv on Friday and The Comedy Improv Allstars and Phil Jupitus on Saturday.

There's a clip here of the DCI live and interviews with Andy Smart, Stephen Frost and Phil Jupitus of the CIA. The atmosphere in the Iveagh Gardens was relaxed and induced yet another great comedy happening in Ireland this year along with BARE In The Woods and Body and Soul festivals among others.

I chatted with up and coming acts Lolly Adefope, Alison Spittle and Marcus O'Laoire and well established acts Tommy Tiernan and Nick Kroll.

Enjoy!

I was put in contact with Shanne Bradley by some friends of mine in London who told me of her relationship with Shane MacGowan and the songs he had written for her and the fact that she was the founding member of The Nipple Erectors which included Shane on vocals.

I met her on a sunny afternoon in London and at her suggestion we visited Highgate Cemetry where Malcolm McLaren is buried.

She told me of her first encounter with McLaren and the Sex Pistols at St Albans School of Art and how she was unaware that she was witnessing the very birth of punk rock. For anyone interested in early punk bands like The Pistols, The Damned, The Clash or The Jam.

I think you'll find this quite a revealing listen.

Follow Joe on Twitter @joerooney1 and @castawaymedia

I’ve met Katherine Lynch over the years here and there around Dublin before and after her success on RTE. She has always been down to earth and friendly.

Katherine has come through a different route to most Irish comedians. She developed her own characters and show without setting foot once in any stand up comedy venues or appearing at any of the regular comedy festivals. She came to a live sketch show I did with Patrick McDonald years ago and she told me about the live work she was doing. Stupidly I never made down to her show.

Since then she has gone onto great things with her TV shows, Working Girls, Single Girls and An Audience with Katherine Lynch.

She has also released an album called “Settling Dust” with a track “Twilight Romance” which was inspired by the death of her father

Finbar Furey is without doubt a legend of traditional folk music. I met Finbar on the set of a film we were both acting in a few weeks ago.

He was constantly telling stories about his travels and experiences over a long and varied life recording and playing live traditional music around the world. He was incredibly approachable and friendly with everyone from the crew to the extras.

I finally plucked up the courage to ask him to do the podcast and he gave me his home number and we arranged it from there. On the day of the interview we met at Bruxelles Pub and had a good chat before heading up to the studio and to be honest by the end of the interview I felt very close to the man and we said we would meet up for a pint some time soon.

I'm looking forward to it!

I met John Connors first when we were "celebrity" judges in a Strictly Ballroom night in Santry.

I hadn't seen the 5th season of Love/Hate then so wasn't aware of his sudden rise to fame. Since then bizarrely we have ended up acting on two very different and equally strange film projects together.

He is a good man to hang out with and obviously an incredibly talented actor. There's no bullshit from him. When I did see him in Love/Hate I was blown away by his presence on screen and the honesty he puts into his acting; it's not in him to fake it.

I'm sure he is going to go on to do great things in film and TV.

I first met Mundy in Dublin airport as we were both heading off to Vienna for a St Patrick's Day festival over there. It turned out he was a big fan of Killinaskully which was running at the time.

Maybe because he grew up in a country pub environment he could appreciate the nonsense banter of barflies Timmy, Jimmy and Dan. We got on really well and anytime we met we had a good chat. Last year we both did the Kansas City Irish Festival together and it was decided we would both do a few gigs together in the States with fellow comedian Andrew Stanley.

Then I landed a gig as compere for a couple of gigs with Mundy, The Stunning and the Boomtown Rats in New York and Boston so I've seen him play live quite a bit in the last year and I never get tired of it. Quite the opposite, I look forward to it. He has amazing charisma onstage and his between song banter is always open, honest and witty.

To top it all his new album is an absolute gem and to top it all off he plays an exclusive live performance in the Castaway studio, as well as giving you a chance to win three copies of the new CD in a competition.

Follow Joe on Twitter @joerooney1

Luan Parle has been singing publicly since she was six and writing/recording songs not long after.

She appeared on The Late Late Show singing her own song at the age of twelve and was offered a recording contract not long after. Considering she had such an early brush with fame you would imagine by now she would be on her second bout of rehab or at least shop lifting on a regular basis but she is actually a very down to earth level headed girl.

I have met her many times over the years but it took a podcast to really get to know her. In this podcast she talks about spending Christmas with Elton John and James Blunt and being offered lots of free Wranglers and Happy Meals in an attempt to get her to sign a contract.

Follow Joe on Twitter @joerooney1

John Colleary was a latecomer to comedy but he was quick to make an impression with strong clever material, being a natural at accents and impressions and a charismatic understated stage persona.

His writing and acting skills particularly came to the fore on radio and TV where he is extremely sought after. He is the only actor/writer to feature prominently on both The Savage Eye and Pictorial Weekly.

He also plays guitar very well. It'd make you sick how talented he is and the fact that he is such a nice fella as well makes me wish I had met him during his drinking days.

Then maybe I'd have something to complain about.

I first saw Al Porter at a gig in a sparsely attended comedy gig in a bar near Blanchardstown Shopping Centre. Immediately I was aware that he was something special. 

At a time when a lot of new stand ups are influenced by acts like Bill Hicks or Louis CK, Al was coming from a completely different tradition. His influences are people like Frankie Howerd and Larry Grayson and the British vaudeville tradition they come from but of course he gives it a modern twist. 

Unlike all the other comedians and musicians I have interviewed he is not someone who has discovered a yearning for performance in his teens. He has been performing on stage literally from the age of three.  

Follow Al on Twitter @TheAlPorter

The Savage Eye is the best, if not the only, satirical comedy on Irish TV in the last decade.

Although it is written by a team of writers surely it is David's anger and resentment that is the driving force behind it. I first met David McSavage down in the old Laughter Lounge when it was basically a cinema with a bar turned into a comedy club.

Like Eddie Izzard he started out as a busker and much of his material at the time involved audience interaction. I liked his spikiness and his willingness to play with the audience's expectations and I respected his inclination to take risks that may not come off.

Whenever you see David live you know you are going to see an event; it may be a brilliant insightful stream of consciousnesses or it may be a litany of self indulgent complaints but it will always be memorable.

In this interview I tried to get to know David more than I did before; I hope I lifted the veil just a little bit.

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The first time I saw Cáit O' Riordán in the flesh was at a Pogues gig in Leisureland, Galway sometime in the 80's. I can't remember the year but it must have been early on in their career because it was by no means a sell out.

I was in awe of her. The Pogues looked like a bunch of Gun totin' outlaws. Cáit looked like she didn't suffer fools gladly and would fill you full of lead as soon as look at ya.

She won't remember but I kind of met her for the first time briefly at a gig in the RDS to raise money for the Tsunami survivors back in 2004.

Then I met her properly at her graduation party a few years ago in The Grand Social Club. Nevertheless I was pretty nervous about this interview. I think it went pretty well.

Follow @joerooney1 - visit castaway.media/podarooney for the archives.

Eleanor Tiernan has been on the stand up comedy scene for quite a while now and I have performed with her on a fairly regular basis but never really got to know her so it was great to have her as a guest on Pod-a-Rooney and find out more about what makes her tick.

I have seen her a few times and have always been amazed at her turnover of new material. She always has something new to say on varying subject matters and is constantly working both here and abroad.

We talked about growing up in Athlone, getting a birthday present of acting classes and a mutual admiration of The Breeders.

Follow Eleanor on Twitter @eleanortiernan