Talking Bollox Podcast

This week ,for Episode 277, MMA fighter Gary Rooney joins Calvin and Terence for a chat about his upbringing, career and plans for the future.

Gary takes it back to growing up on Watling Street flats in the Liberties, how the murder of his cousin shaped him, and how finding MMA and jiu-jitsu as a teenager gave him structure, confidence, and a place to belong.

He also chats going pro, the mental switch to being a “professional athlete”, cornering Shauna Bannon in the UFC, becoming one of Ireland’s youngest black belts, and one of his most treasured achievements: Starting Flat Jiu-Jitsu as a real community project.
This episode was sponsored by Rightstyle Furniture - RIGHT PRICE, RIGHT STYLE, RIGHT NOW. Visit rightstyle.ie
Get in touch on TalkingBollox@GoLoudNow.com

It’s a bonus episode and the chaos starts immediately: Lauren’s in studio after the infamous stage fall, and the lads waste no time debating what her RIP.ie announcement would’ve been.

From there it’s peak Talking Bollox — college exam myths, why tests are a “memory yoke”, and the genuine discovery that you don’t even need a licence to drive a small boat in Ireland (so… TB on the water?).

Listener questions bring the heat too: one song on repeat for a backyard ultra, lying in a bath of “anything” for €100k, ginger traits, and the worst possible soundtrack to a scrap.

In 2019 Bláthnaid Raleigh’s life was changed forever when she was raped and violently sexually assaulted by a man she had met on a night out in Galway.
She joined us to tell her story, speaking about that night, the strangers who helped her get to the guards, and the long five-year journey through the justice system that followed. Bláthnaid also spoke about the impact it had on her life, finding the strength to keep going, and why she chose to waive her anonymity in the hope of helping others feel less alone.
This episode contains discussions about rape, sexual assault, violence and trauma. If you have been impacted by any of the topics discussed in this week’s episode, you can contact the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, no matter where you are in the country:
National 24hr Helpline: 1800 77 8888
Email: counselling@rcc.ie
Instagram: @dublinrapecrisis
Twitter/X: @DublinRCC

There's an impromptu quiz that puts the lads geography knowledge to the test, and there are debates about not only the best film to live in, but what defines a film in the first place. Fair City is not a film but somehow The Office is?
Ideas for Talking Bollox merch are dreamed up and there's a slip of the tongue that leaves Terence pink and everyone else speechless.
Keep sending your questions to TalkingBollox@GoLoudNow.com

Damien Dempsey made this episode happen - And we're so glad he did!
Seamus is a breathwork coach who took us through a few breathing exercises that had us feeling so zen we forgot we were even in the studio before another faster paced one that had us floating. And it's something you can follow along from home too!
Seamus is also known as the Mindful Rambler and we can see why, because this chat went everywhere. From discussing why some people struggle with meditation, to his sobriety journey nothing was off limits with Seamus.
This episode was sponsored by Rightstyle Furniture - RIGHT PRICE, RIGHT STYLE, RIGHT NOW. Visit rightstyle.ie
Get in touch on TalkingBollox@GoLoudNow.com