New RTÉ podcast series Ramble premieres today

[Dominique Farrell]

Ramble, a new RTÉ podcast series presented by comedian and actor Joe McGucken, premieres today and promises to take 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," said RTÉ.

"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."

 

In episode one, Dubliner Joe McGucken travels to Crumlin Boxing Club to meet John Redmond, aka Johnny Jawbreaker, a bare-knuckle fighter who explains "the brutal realities of fighting for a living".

 

"I'm both excited and kind of nervous to release Ramble. I really wanted to set the tone with the first episode," said host Joe McGucken.

"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. And it doesn't get more on the fringe than bare-knuckle fighting, which is actually illegal in Ireland."

 

" 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," he explained.

"Because we're all a bit nosey. It's in our DNA. And I'm not a journalist. I'm just a really curious bloke."

 

In the second episode, he 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 we are making our first commissioned ongoing 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 will arrive every Thursday, with a bonus episode on Tuesdays.

Listen to Ramble now on

 

https://www.rte.ie/radio/podcasts/series/45216-ramble-with-joe-mcgucken

 

Or wherever you get your podcasts.

 

RTÉ Entertainment.