In 1972, a former circus strongman who pulled buses with his teeth managed to bring the greatest boxer on the planet to Croke Park. 

After Katie Taylor’s historic walk to the squared ring in Croke Park over the weekend, Joe takes a look back at the last boxing match in Croker. Muhammad Ali's legendary and utterly chaotic visit to Dublin. From forgetting Ali's boxing gloves and borrowing a local club's boxing ring, to a dapper con-man taking off with seven grand in programme money, the event was a masterclass in mismanagement.

Joe struggles to wrap his head around the sheer madness of the 1970s, but exploring how Ali rubbed shoulders with everyone from Taoiseach Jack Lynch to local civil rights leaders is a fever dream worth dipping into.  Explicit.

In 1972, a former circus strongman who pulled buses with his teeth managed to bring the greatest boxer on the planet to Croke Park.&nbsp;After Katie Taylor’s historic walk to the squared ring in Croke Park over the weekend, Joe takes a look back at the last boxing match in Croker. Muhammad Ali's legendary and utterly chaotic visit to Dublin. From forgetting Ali's boxing gloves and borrowing a local club's boxing ring, to a dapper con-man taking off with seven grand in programme money, the event was a masterclass in mismanagement.Joe struggles to wrap his head around the sheer madness of the 1970s, but exploring how Ali rubbed shoulders with everyone from Taoiseach Jack Lynch to local civil rights leaders is a fever dream worth dipping into.&nbsp; Explicit.

This is Ramble, a podcast where Joe McGucken immerses himself in the crazy world of  each guest, capturing on-location interviews with people from the fringes of society, people from weird subcultures, hobbyists, sports people, celebrities and anyone in between.  Joe is only interested in hearing a good story. The problem is, Joe is highly unqualified. With  zero journalistic credentials and a naive optimism, Joe is perpetually out of his depth. But  there’s a charm to it all. Driven by a genuine, relentless curiosity, he fumbles his way through  these raw encounters and reflects on the madness back in the studio, relying entirely on his  own pure inquisitive, nature and the extreme patience of his guests.

This is Ramble, a podcast where Joe McGucken immerses himself in the crazy world of each guest, capturing on-location interviews with people from the fringes of society, people from weird subcultures, hobbyists, sports people, celebrities and anyone in between. Joe is only interested in hearing a good story. The problem is, Joe is highly unqualified. With zero journalistic credentials and a naive optimism, Joe is perpetually out of his depth. But there’s a charm to it all. Driven by a genuine, relentless curiosity, he fumbles his way through these raw encounters and reflects on the madness back in the studio, relying entirely on his own pure inquisitive, nature and the extreme patience of his guests.

Ramble with Joe McGucken

Ramble On: Muhammad Ali in Croke Park

On the 100th anniversary of Harry Houdini's passing, Ireland's only escapologist is preparing to contact the legendary illusionist's spirit from an old shoe shop in Limerick.

This week Joe takes a Ramble down south to meet Steve Spade, the Irish Houdini.  The conversation starts with card tricks at weddings and dodgy hypnotists and ends with a plan to contact the dead.

Steve's built a career on escaping things that could kill him. The kind of stunts that have genuinely ended other magicians' lives.

He talks Joe through how he got into it, the injuries along the way, and the unwritten code escape artists live by.

There's also a wedding proposal at a magic awards ceremony, a Houdini pair of handcuffs treated like a family heirloom, and a seance planned in an old Limerick shoe shop to mark 100 years since Houdini died.

Joe, for his part, remains deeply unconvinced by magic in general and is still trying to figure out how his uncle took off his finger. Explicit.  

On the 100th anniversary of Harry Houdini's passing, Ireland's only escapologist is preparing to contact the legendary illusionist's spirit from an old shoe shop in Limerick.This week Joe takes a Ramble down south to meet Steve Spade, the Irish Houdini.&nbsp; The conversation starts with card tricks at weddings and dodgy hypnotists and ends with a plan to contact the dead.Steve's built a career on escaping things that could kill him. The kind of stunts that have genuinely ended other magicians' lives.He talks Joe through how he got into it, the injuries along the way, and the unwritten code escape artists live by.There's also a wedding proposal at a magic awards ceremony, a Houdini pair of handcuffs treated like a family heirloom, and a seance planned in an old Limerick shoe shop to mark 100 years since Houdini died.Joe, for his part, remains deeply unconvinced by magic in general and is still trying to figure out how his uncle took off his finger. Explicit.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Ramble with The Irish Houdini

Joe took the boys to see Matilda at the Bord Gáis. The lead got sick, the safety curtain came down, and an eight year old understudy walked out in front of a sold out house and stole the show.

That sets Joe off on a Ramble through the strange world of child stardom. A chance encounter with the original Matilda talking about intimacy at a variety show in New York. The militant casting rules for a Matilda, and its fleeting nature for the child actors. West End wages of sixty quid a show. The Oliver orphans doing ten o'clock finishes for twenty pounds, and three Billy Elliots sharing one Tony Award.

Also: a Jobsbridge internship, a TV station that ceased to exist before the course finished, and a considered assessment of the McGucken boys prospects after Star Camp. Explicit. 

Joe took the boys to see Matilda at the Bord Gáis. The lead got sick, the safety curtain came down, and an eight year old understudy walked out in front of a sold out house and stole the show.That sets Joe off on a Ramble through the strange world of child stardom. A chance encounter with the original Matilda talking about intimacy at a variety show in New York. The militant casting rules for a Matilda, and its fleeting nature for the child actors. West End wages of sixty quid a show. The Oliver orphans doing ten o'clock finishes for twenty pounds, and three Billy Elliots sharing one Tony Award.Also: a Jobsbridge internship, a TV station that ceased to exist before the course finished, and a considered assessment of the McGucken boys prospects after Star Camp. Explicit.&nbsp;

Ramble On Matilda and Child Stardom 

Shane McLoughlin holds eight world records for pulling incredibly heavy vehicles, and he does it all while missing a leg.

After a freak accident involving a heifer leaving him with gangrene, Shane endured 78 operations over a period of 10 years before finally telling his surgeons to just take the leg off. 

Instead of going easy on himself, he became a paralympian and eventually pivoted his focus to pulling trucks and other heavy vehicles like a 1000 tonne passenger Ship. Shane is currently on a mission to get amputee truck pulling recognized at the upcoming Paralympics. Joe can barely muster the energy to walk to the bathroom without losing breath, so trying to wrap his head around a man who trains by casually dragging parked lorries off the side of the road left him feeling more than a little out of his depth. 

Joe sits down in Shane’s home in Monaghan to discuss his unbelievable threshold for pain, his upcoming attempt to pull the actual Polar Express train in New York, and his ongoing beef with the Guinness Book of Records. It is a fascinating look at pure, stubborn defiance and what happens when you completely refuse to let anyone tell you what your limits are.  Explicit. 

Shane McLoughlin holds eight world records for pulling incredibly heavy vehicles, and he does it all while missing a leg.After a freak accident involving a heifer leaving him with gangrene, Shane endured 78 operations over a period of 10 years before finally telling his surgeons to just take the leg off. Instead of going easy on himself, he became a paralympian and eventually pivoted his focus to pulling trucks and other heavy vehicles like a 1000 tonne passenger Ship. Shane is currently on a mission to get amputee truck pulling recognized at the upcoming Paralympics. Joe can barely muster the energy to walk to the bathroom without losing breath, so trying to wrap his head around a man who trains by casually dragging parked lorries off the side of the road left him feeling more than a little out of his depth. Joe sits down in Shane’s home in Monaghan to discuss his unbelievable threshold for pain, his upcoming attempt to pull the actual Polar Express train in New York, and his ongoing beef with the Guinness Book of Records. It is a fascinating look at pure, stubborn defiance and what happens when you completely refuse to let anyone tell you what your limits are.&nbsp; Explicit.&nbsp;

Ramble On: Muhammad Ali in Croke Park

Ramble with Joe McGucken

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