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It was Brian Depauw’s first day flying tourists without supervision when a routine helicopter tour of Whakaari turned into one of New Zealand’s deadliest disasters. When the volcano erupted, Brian had seconds to react. Ignoring the official safety plan, he ordered his group into the ocean as scorching ash and debris engulfed the island. But when he resurfaced, he realised he was the only able-bodied person left who could help the severely injured tourists still stranded there. Despite the risk of another deadly volcanic surge or pyroclastic flow, Brian swam directly back into danger, spending hours administering first aid and helping victims reach safety. Brian’s wife, Jolien, shares the day from her perspective, from her anger over the decision to stand down rescue helicopters to her unexpected reaction when she first saw Brian in hospital wearing an ominous T-shirt. Together, they discuss the complicated reality of being both a survivor and an employee of the company facing legal action. Can you be seen as both a hero and a victim when you work for the very company being sued by the other victims? Brian opens up about the depositions, the trial, and the blame game that made headlines worldwide and inspired a Netflix documentary watched by millions. Despite everything, Brian never stopped flying. He’s continued working as a helicopter pilot, taken part in rescue operations worldwide and, much to Joe’s disbelief, still visits volcanoes. While Joe questions why volcano tourism exists at all, Brian explains why he refuses to let one terrifying experience dictate his life. Joe remains unconvinced. Explicit. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From working inside some of Britain's toughest prisons to becoming the world leader of a nearly forgotten Irish martial art.  This week on Ramble, Joe meets Bernie Leddy, a former prison officer and hostage negotiator turned Irish Stick Fighting Chieftain.  Once a familiar part of Irish life, stick fighting was almost lost to history, but one traditional system survived through generations of an Irish-Canadian family. Bernie travelled to Canada to learn bataireacht, the traditional Irish art of fighting with a shillelagh, before eventually being appointed Chieftain of the Doyle Irish Stick Fighting system. Today, he travels the world teaching and reviving the tradition. They chat about life inside prisons, the psychology of hostage negotiations, the brutal faction fights of old Ireland, and why the Irish diaspora seems far more interested in preserving this piece of Irish culture than anyone actually living in Ireland.  How did an Irishman end up travelling halfway across the world to rediscover his own country's fighting tradition, and could he be the man to bring it back? Explicit.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when a ghost hunter and a man terrified of ghosts spend the night in an abandoned convent, both hoping for very different results? This week, an anxious Joe heads to Cobh to spend the night in a deserted 19th-century convent with Matthew Clarke from Cork Supernatural Society. There’s a cemetery on the grounds, thermal cameras at the ready and Joe, who has apparently agreed to all of this. For Matthew, ghost hunting started with his mam and sister. They eventually drifted away from the hobby, but he kept going, getting deeper into paranormal investigations and building a group of people who share his fascination. What began as an unusual family activity became a way of finding his people. But what counts as proof of a paranormal experience? What keeps him searching? Is he chasing a ghost, or searching for something else entirely? And if something does answer back, is Joe really going to stick around for a follow-up question? Alongside those questions, there are slamming doors, videos of ghostly figures apparently giving chase, and audio equipment picking up spirits answering back. Joe tries dowsing rods and ventures into the cemetery by torchlight. None of this is doing much for his nerves. A Ramble about having a passion, finding your tribe and spending your free time doing something most people would actively avoid. Matthew has found people to go ghost hunting with. Joe would quite like someone to walk him back to the car. Explicit. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You've heard the Robbie William’s song “Angels” at a wedding, a funeral, or at 2am in a pub. But have you heard of the Irish-man who wrote it with Robbie Williams? His name is Ray Heffernan. In 1996, after a night on the town in Dublin, Ray bumped into Robbie Williams in The Globe pub. Robbie went back to Ray's mam's house in Glasnevin and stayed for ten days. In that time they wrote Angels there, recorded a demo in Temple Bar and became friends. Then Robbie went back to London, and when Ray followed, Robbie ghosted him. Ray signed away the song for seven and a half grand before it went on to become one of the biggest songs in the world. Thirty years later, a new European law could reopen the deal. Ray went to London to file against Robbie Williams, with a team of solicitors at his side and, for reasons we still can't fully explain, Joe waiting outside. So while Ray's case was being filed upstairs, Joe stood on a London footpath, waiting to find out whether Ray is a man who was done dirty or a man who can't let go. Explicit.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A group of Americans have signed up for a package holiday to find love in Lisdoonvarna. Flights, a seven-course dinner and a minivan are all included. Love is not guaranteed, but it is very much implied, and the package costs over three thousand dollars per person. The group have never met each other. They arrive with hope in their hearts and a very low bar. They are following Mary Timby, an American who came to the Lisdoonvarna matchmaking festival on a whim last year, fell for a local and went viral. This year she’s organized a trip for this group of Americans to hopefully follow in her footsteps. Every September around 80,000 singles descend on this Clare town of about 1,000 people, and the group is hoping lightning will strike twice. Of course, Joe tags along to watch. Like a safari in the Savannah, Joe observes as the Americans go hunting for love. Instead they’re faced with “handsy farmers” and over-eager young men sweating it out on the Matchmaker pub dancefloor. It comes as no surprise to Joe but, it wasn’t the PS I Love You experience they might have been expecting. By the final morning they are heading home with great memories but no matches, and Joe is left wondering: Is love something that you can sell?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

5,600 people packed into the Convention Centre in Dublin recently to officially declare their fidelity to the Irish nation, a massive bureaucratic event that highlights the evolving identity of the island. Joe decided to wander into the ceremony to figure out exactly what these new citizens were signing up for, only to promptly plunge himself into a mild existential crisis about his own national identity. From interviewing a newly minted Brazilian-Irish woman and a Sri Lankan man who has seemingly adopted a Wexford accent, to stumbling through a satirical, fake citizenship ceremony at the National Gallery orchestrated by the artist Asbestos, Joe earnestly attempts to pin down a neat dictionary definition of Irishness. Naturally, our intrepid host discovers that trying to categorize a culture defined by both a complex history and a complete refusal to take anything too seriously is a near-impossible task. After a slightly desperate phone call to his poet friend Emmet O’Brien in search of philosophical clarity, Joe ultimately realizes that defining a nation is a messy business, and perhaps a sociological exercise just a bit above his pay grade. Explicit.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is the apocalypse coming? Joe has questions. After the government sends 2.2 million households a 17-page Be Emergency Ready booklet, Joe starts wondering what exactly we're supposed to be preparing for. Nuclear fallout? Cyber attacks? A massive blackout? The Russians blowing up the internet? Or just a very inconvenient few days without the card machine? In this episode of Ramble On, Joe digs into Ireland's history of preparing for disaster, from Cold War nuclear fears and the infamous 1965 Bás Beatha booklet to the distribution of potassium iodite tablets during fears surrounding Sellafield. He considers what happens when the electricity, phones, internet, banking and water all stop working. And how quickly civilisation might descend into chaos when the neighbours noodles start looking particularly tempting. There are also bunkers, billionaires, radioactive satellites, the Rapture, what happens to your pets when everyone gets taken to heaven, and the rather obvious possibility that Joe would be absolutely useless in the apocalypse. So stock up on water, tins of tuna and noodles, get yourself a wind-up radio, and have a listen to Joe Ramble On about the Government’s Guide To The End Of The World.  Explicit. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During World War II, Nazi and Allied soldiers played golf together in Kildare. In this episode of Ramble On, Joe takes us through the back nine of a surreal moment in Irish wartime history. What starts as Joe's disdain for the sport of golf somehow evolves into a fascinating narrative about Nazi soldiers who crash landed in Ireland, were given daily parole to attend local dances, visit the cinema, and play a few rounds at the Royal Curragh. Naturally, Joe finds himself in the rough along the way. Casually crediting the construction of the Ballymun flats to Nazi compensation for accidentally bombing the Five Lamps. But his enthusiasm for the sheer absurdity of it all is infectious. He uncovers a strangely polite chapter of history, exploring everything from foiled escape attempts involving ladders smuggled inside golf bags to Axis and Allied troops casually exchanging holiday gifts. It is a captivating look at how some stranded soldiers managed to turn international conflict into an extended countryside holiday.  Explicit.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

IIn front of 82,000 roaring fans on the most historic night in Irish boxing history, heavyweight contender Thomas Carty took an illegal punch to the back of the head and fell headfirst out of the ring in Croke Park. Before any of that happened, Joe spend the day with Thomas, having secured exclusive behind-the-scenes access to shadow him on the biggest day of his professional career. Expecting a tense, high-stakes cinematic experience, our host is instead bewildered to find the elite athlete casually strolling around the south side of Dublin in his sliders and killing time by playing Fortnite. Joe somehow manages to turn a ringside media pass into an excuse to flee the stadium early after getting panicked by the medical response and trapped in a holding pen with Westlife. But while Joe was retreating to the safety of a lift home from his wife, the internet was busy spinning a wild narrative that Carty had intentionally thrown himself over through the ropes to avoid his 280 pound opponent. Sitting down in the aftermath of the freak accident, Carty sets the record straight. He opens up about the frightening reality of his terrifying fall, the utter absurdity of the online rumors, and how he manages to remain surprisingly zen about a night that ended in a hospital. It is a fascinating look at the unwavering grit of a professional gladiator. Explicit.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Joe takes a Ramble into the grueling world of ultra-running. Joe somehow wrangles an interview with an actual superhuman, Seán Clifford, who is in the middle of a punishing 25-day Challenge to run every single street in Dublin. All 4,402 of them, while sleeping rough to raise awareness and funds for homeless charities. Joe ventures out into torrential rain to meet Seán and his endlessly patient crew partner, Alicja to speak about the logistics, mentality and realities of undertaking such a challenge. If you’re expecting Joe to bring back a triumphant, uplifting tale of the human spirit… You might be disappointed. Instead, Joe mostly marvels at Seán's misery, complains about the weather, and questions whether tearing your body apart for charity is actually worth it. It’s a sobering look at extreme endurance expeditions, all filtered through the lens of a man who fundamentally believes running is just a bit too boring to bother with. Explicit. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's bonus episode, Joe tries to record while a Bon Jovi concert shakes the walls of his studio. After some predictable grumbling about stadium rock and The Weeknd's spelling choices, Joe quickly sets his sights on Electric Picnic. He takes immense comfort in missing the mud this year, thoroughly roasting anyone who willingly subjects themselves to that biblical festival weather as if it were a survivalist cult. Of course, Joe's own weekend wasn't much better. To celebrate his birthday, he managed to endure a dinner on a canal barge that barely left the dock. This triggers a traumatic memory of his 30th birthday in Croatia, where he somehow turned a romantic, Michelin-starred island dinner into a harrowing, near-death emergency. Tune in to hear someone entirely unqualified for both luxury and basic social outings try to make sense of it all. Explicit.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.