88: The Wayback #88 | Shane Todd

Summary

---

The Wayback with Ryan Sickler

Episode 88: Shane Todd

Release Date: September 4, 2025

---

Episode Overview

In this nostalgic and jovial episode, comedian Ryan Sickler welcomes Northern Irish stand-up Shane Todd for a deep-dive into their childhood memories, family road trips, and the quirks of growing up in Ireland. Touching on topics such as family cars, summer holidays, school, soccer, and cultural oddities, the conversation is filled with warmth, humor, and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. Shane’s perspective as a Belfast native brings a fresh, international flavor to the “wayback” nostalgia trip.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Family Cars and Early Road Trips

Timestamps: 01:31–05:55

• Shane reminisces about his dad’s knack for always buying similar BMW models:

  “He would just re buy the same car, different colors … he was a mechanic as well. He was a little bit, you know, he was a guy who knew how to get deals. Illegal, basically.”
  (Shane Todd, 01:54)

• The culture around cars in Ireland during the '90s:
  • Piling 10+ family members and cousins into a five-seater was standard.
  • Casual attitudes towards seatbelts and even drink driving (“didn’t really become a big thing until like 2010”).
• Nostalgia for Irish road trips: Journeys to Donegal, Mayo, and stony beaches, unfazed by travel duration.

2. Childhood Holidays: Ireland & Abroad

Timestamps: 05:41–17:12

• Typical Irish holidays meant stacking into caravans with family and cousins, staying at seaside towns, eating chips and ice cream.

  “It was such a. Such simple holidays … there was no plan. The parents would just leave the kids there … go where you like, do whatever you want.”
  (Shane Todd, 08:08)

• International trips:
  • For many Irish, going “abroad” meant Spain or the Balearic Islands (“Spain is still the most common place people from Ireland and the UK will go on holiday” - 14:12).
  • Shane fondly recalls his first Disney World trip and the awe of experiencing American excess—first-class flights, endless buffet at Golden Corral, and the sensory overload of Orlando.

3. American vs. European Sporting Cultures

Timestamps: 09:44–14:12

• Ryan shares stories from playing soccer across Europe as a teenager—competing in the Dana Cup (Denmark), Thistle Cup (Scotland), and other tournaments.
• Hilarity and shenanigans ensue:
  • Admits to losing every game, but making lasting memories drinking, “stealing,” and pranking teammates:

    “I've never been a big thief, but when … the last week, we had no money. We would eat and run … One kid … stole the Denmark flag … People from the town were chasing them.”
    (Ryan Sickler, 12:06–12:49)

• The sheer quality of European pitches compared to American ones:

  “Your shitty fields are like our premier fields. … This is where you practice?”
  (Ryan Sickler, 13:40)

4. Growing Up: School Uniforms, Neighbourhoods, Community

Timestamps: 25:55–31:19

• School uniforms: Mandatory from age 4, getting more formal in secondary school—full suits for boys, blouses and skirts for girls

  “It’s like a miniature businessman look … You wear a full suit to school every day.”
  (Shane Todd, 26:37)

• Shane describes the all-boys school culture, school discos with neighboring girls’ schools, and how uniforms leveled socioeconomic disparities.
• Neighbourhood memories:
  • Fond recollections of his childhood homes in Halstein Drive (East Belfast) and the extended-family-packed “row homes” in Hollywood.
  • Community vibe:

    “In so many of the … social housing in Hollywood, Belfast … your key would be in your door all day, morning till night.”
    (Shane Todd, 31:08)

5. Football (Soccer) and Local Anecdotes

Timestamps: 19:29–23:22

• Shane’s lifelong attachment to football, multiple retirements and comebacks, and the unique laughs found on amateur sidelines.
• Classic sideline banter and memorable coach one-liners.
• Hilarious story playing against Belfast Deaf United:

  “Our coach … was like, lads, just start saying what you’re going to do … that's where I'll be kicking it. They beat us 4:1. … They're just watching us say what’s coming next.”
  (Shane Todd, 22:31)

6. Football Hooligan Mythology & School Uniforms

Timestamps: 23:22–27:35

• Ryan quizzes Shane on the infamous “Chelsea smile” and other football hooligan urban legends.
• Shane confirms some roots in the 1980s but notes how much of it is now mythologized.
• Reflection on how school uniforms and cultural norms differ between Ireland and the US.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Irish travel habits:

  “We just got into my dad’s car and we just ended up there. … There was no such thing as ‘how long’s left?’”
  (Shane Todd, 05:20)

• On American buffets:

  “You could take me to like a Michelin starred restaurant in Paris. Suck my dick. I walked into the Golden Corral, I was like, what do you mean I can go back up?”
  (Shane Todd, 17:27)

• On US vs. European sporting goods:

  “I got a Charlotte Hornets top with rice … I was just in heaven. I walked around this place every day … I want everything.”
  (Shane Todd, 18:58)

• On community in Belfast:

  “You would just call in with your aunties, uncle’s, friends. You just walk in. That’s the way it was.”
  (Shane Todd, 31:14)

---

Important Segment Timestamps

• 01:31 – Shane describes the family BMWs and car culture
• 04:41 – Holidays in Southern Ireland
• 08:41 – Stories of sleeping on the floor in packed caravans
• 09:44 – Ryan’s European youth soccer adventures
• 12:06 – Eating, running, and a wild story about stealing a Denmark flag
• 14:12 – Spain as the Irish holiday destination; comparison to US vacations
• 17:27 – Shane’s first time at Golden Corral & US buffet culture
• 19:29 – Growing up with soccer; returning at age 36
• 22:31 – Playing against the Belfast Deaf United, comedic strategy failure
• 25:55 – School uniforms in Ireland vs. the US
• 29:25 – Mapping old residences and childhood neighborhoods
• 31:08 – The unlocked doors and community in Belfast neighborhoods

---

Tone, Vibe, and Final Thoughts

The episode’s tone is warm, hilarious, and deeply relatable—with both Ryan and Shane trading fond (sometimes cringeworthy) stories about their upbringings. Shane’s Irish perspective brings a unique humor and a sense of wistful reflection to the conversation. Whether you grew up in the U.S. or Ireland, there’s something familiar and heartening in their memories of simpler times—crammed cars, raucous holidays, uninhibited fun, and the camaraderie of childhood.

---

Shane Todd Plugs

• Website & Tour Dates: shanetoddcomedy.com
• YouTube: Search “Shane Todd” for specials and the “Tea with Me” podcast

---

Listen for:

• A vivid, funny look at how childhood nostalgia crosses borders
• Shane’s affectionate ribbing of 90s Irish culture (and American excess)
• Anecdotes balancing heartfelt reminiscence and unruly mischief

---

Transcript

[ADT Commercial Voice]

We all know that feeling. You finally manage to get away on vacation and the worrying starts. Will that bogus Beware of dogs sign keep your home safe? What about that fake camera you set up? And will someone finally find your old hide and key rock? That's where ADT comes in, all that stuff. It's safe ish. It seems fine when you don't really think about it, but you know, it truly doesn't work. Instead, ADT provides security solutions that keep you actually safe, giving you real peace of mind. Because vacation is supposed to be, you know, relaxing. Don't settle for Safe ish. Visit ADT.com today to learn more.

[Ryan Sickler]

San Diego I'll be at the Grand Comedy Club Friday, October 3rd. Get your tickets now on my website at Ryan Sickler dot com. Hey baby, we're gonna be here all day. We're gonna be here all day, baby. I like that kind of party. Welcome back to the Way Back everybody. I'm Ryan Sickler here want to say thank you guys. Thank you for supporting this show. I love doing this show and it's one you definitely have to watch. And I'm very excited to have this guest on here today with me. Ladies and gentlemen, all the way from Ireland, back here in the wayback, Shane Todd. Welcome to the Way Back buddy.

[Shane Todd]

What's happening?

[Ryan Sickler]

Thank you for being here. Before we dive into some fun stuff from your past right there. Promote everything you'd like. Please.

[Shane Todd]

Tea with Me podcast is my weekly pod sheintalkahomedy.com for tour dates. I've got some specials on YouTube just yet. On YouTube you'll find them. That's all I gotta plug.

[Ryan Sickler]

You gotta check out Shane's Honeydew podcast. You can see and hear him talking about growing up in Ireland. But I wanted to ask you. We're gonna get into that. You said you never sat in the seat in Ireland or any in the car because Jason Ellis swears this didn't exist over in Australia either. What was the first car family car you remember?

[Shane Todd]

So I, I remember. So we never had big family cars because it was just me and my dad or my mom's house was just like me, my mom and her husband. But my dad. I remember having the same car. He would just re buy the same car, different colors like the newer version. Everything, not even the new version. He just. Because he was a mechanic as well. He was a little bit, you know, he was a guy who knew how to get deals. Illegal basically. Of course, not really illegal but like he would fix cars a lot so he knew a lot of car dealers and stuff. So we always had these BMWs and I don't know what it's called, but if we were to look up like 1994 BMW, we would find this exact kind of car. So that, that, that's it, top left.

[Ryan Sickler]

Top left, that's a seven series.

[Shane Todd]

So there was different versions of this.

[Ryan Sickler]

Is that the seven or was that say 540 it all.

[Shane Todd]

So this sucker, they, they altered it slightly every time it came out, but this would have been the older one and then they continued up to the late 90s. So it was this, this body style of BMW. So that's what I remembered us having that right there.

[Ryan Sickler]

And he would just keep getting that and he just kept it.

[Shane Todd]

I'm not a car guy but I want to buy one of these and just, and just have it, you know, like a nostalgia thing. But I, yeah, I remember always. And my dad would have been like, like my aunties didn't drive. I have loads of cousins. My dad was like the guy with the car a lot of the time.

[Ryan Sickler]

Oh, he's the guy with the car.

[Shane Todd]

So he would have taken us out, he would have taken us out. It was a big deal. He would have get. I mean that's a, that's a five seater out of push. Yeah, you would get 10 of us in there.

[Ryan Sickler]

You know, people put 10 in that car.

[Shane Todd]

Oh, easy. People sitting on people's knees in the back, people down the foot wells, all that sort of stuff. Like when I grew up, like in the 90s, it was a very relaxed attitude, all that kind of stuff. In Ireland, like, like drink driving didn't really become a big thing until like2010. Yeah, it was, there was like unwritten rules that were actually the rules. You know, there was like 2010 sleep, like every, everybody. Like my, not my dad actually, funnily enough, with teetotal. But like everybody back then drink and drove. I remember it like drinking and driving was just not a big deal at all. And then like the police and the government had to kind of sit. Be like, I know we like a drink and this is a good fun but like let's, we need to stop this, you know. But I feel like there have been more accidents since. Everyone was great. Like it improved everyone's driving back then. I remember any accidents before they really.

[Ryan Sickler]

Cracked down everywhere now.

[Shane Todd]

But that was, that was the car we always had. So if we were going on holiday because, because growing up, everyone just like, we just went. Irish holidays. We just went.

[Ryan Sickler]

That's What I wanted to say, we.

[Shane Todd]

Would say down south. So you're going down to Southern Ireland.

[Ryan Sickler]

Okay, so you're staying in Ireland.

[Shane Todd]

Yep. Okay, you just get in the car and I.

[Ryan Sickler]

And where are you going? What's down in southern Ireland?

[Shane Todd]

Well, we're talking about places like, I don't know if you've heard of these places, but we're talking about like Donegal. We're talking about Mayo. Yeah. Donegal is a county in Ireland that has a lot of like, small towns and villages. Like, look at that second image there of the mountains and stuff. Any of those. Lots of beaches.

[Ryan Sickler]

Click on that one. Yeah, this is really what it looks like.

[Shane Todd]

Yeah, yeah. No, to be fair, there's a filter on.

[Ryan Sickler]

I'm sure there's a filter on. But this is what you guys are going down there to do and hang out.

[Shane Todd]

But it's. It's stony beaches and seaside. Fish and chips, ice cream. And it's funny now if I've got to go down to these kind of areas for, for a show, for a gig, I put it into my sat nav and it's maybe a five hour drive. Feels like five days. Back then, I don't remember ever being on a long car journey. You, you were totally unaware or excited to go where you were going. There was no such thing as a how long's left of this? Or this is a long journey. You just ended up there. You just got into my dad's car and we just ended up there. Also.

[Ryan Sickler]

I think about this all the time too. Like back in the day when, I mean, I grew up in the 70s and 80s, and we would play travel, soccer and stuff. And they would be like, okay, we're gonna go to, you know, Rockville, Maryland, to this school here.

[Shane Todd]

Oh, I thought you meant like soccer, went travel. And I was like, how big was your dad's car? I thought you meant you guys would have a little bit of a game in the car on the way to.

[Ryan Sickler]

We're going.

[Shane Todd]

I was like, that must have been a big flop.

[Ryan Sickler]

But back then there would just be like one dad on the team who knew where that school was. Yeah. You know what I mean? No gps, no Thomas guy. He didn't call anybody. Like, I know where that's at. And it would be like 50 minutes away. And we'd all follow, follow that guy. And he would be right. And we'd be there early on time and everything. I'm like, how the did we ever do that? Somebody had to know.

[Shane Todd]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

Early gps. We used to call like, hey, where Are you. You take a left off a Broadway and a right on Main. Okay. And you hang up, like, all right, I know where we're going. You know where to get there? Yeah, I know that part.

[Shane Todd]

Or your dad would just, like. Because, like, my dad would have a fair idea of how to get to these places. But your dad thought nothing of, like, we couldn't do this nowadays. Just going into a store and asking. And he'd get. He would get direct, like three hours worth of directions and he would remember it. But we don't have that capabilities anymore, you know? So this is like these. These were the holidays we went on. And they were. They were great. Like, there'd be sort of small towns and villages you would go to and you'd have like a fun fair there. Usually you maybe. Maybe play a bit of football or soccer and you. You go to the beach or. A lot of times you would go to, like, caravan parks.

[Ryan Sickler]

What's a caravan? Like RV park.

[Shane Todd]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah, okay.

[Shane Todd]

Yep. And. And my memories were just. There'll be loads of cousins and if you type in. We used to go to a place called Akal Island.

[Ryan Sickler]

The water looks like that, too.

[Shane Todd]

No, that's a filter too. It's Ireland. They photoshopped in the blue sky and the sun because we don't have that.

[Ryan Sickler]

It's. Yeah, you got that over. You got what looks like outside here today.

[Shane Todd]

This is beautiful. This makes me feel like home. I thought you'd done this for me. I was like, it's beautif. Dutch. But, yeah, this is. Now if I go to these places now, I appreciate the, like, the beauty of it and the mountains and all that kind of. As a kid, you don't give a. How good are the chips, you know? But my memories were. Yeah, like, we would have stayed in maybe caravans and stuff, and you would stay up late. You were allowed to drink Coke and eat sweets until late. And I remember there's a picture of me that my dad has where I'm just lying asleep on. On the caravan. Like. Like the living room. What would you call, like, a living room? Like a main room where you sit and watch TV with couches.

[Ryan Sickler]

Family room, living room.

[Shane Todd]

So I'm sleeping on the family room floor because there was a big bed in this caravan. There was maybe like eight of us cousins in it, you know, top to toe. You're lying here, I'm lying there, and I just didn't make the cut. So I just slept on the. On the. Of the floor. He eventually took me into a different Caravan. But. But they were. They were just the best. They were the best. It was such a. Such simple holidays. And I don't. Like, now if I take my kids away and we're somewhere like this, we'll probably, like, find out, like, is there a soft play nearby? Is there, like, an outlet we can maybe go to? Can we book them in for this and that? There was no. With holidays like this, there was no plan. The parents would just leave the kids there. We'll be sitting over here. You guys make your own fun. Go where you like. Do whatever you want. It was. It was the best.

[Ryan Sickler]

Tell me, now you're in Ireland. So what's an international trip for you?

[Shane Todd]

Oh, no, we would like, most commonly we go to Spain. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's where that.

[Ryan Sickler]

I would love to go to Spain.

[Shane Todd]

You've never been to Spain?

[Ryan Sickler]

No, bro.

[Shane Todd]

Oh, it's great.

[Ryan Sickler]

I've barely been anywhere. I've been really. Yeah.

[Shane Todd]

You've been to Ireland.

[Ryan Sickler]

Not Ireland. I saw. I will come back to it because I played soccer for the US My brother and I made a developmental team.

[Shane Todd]

Really?

[Ryan Sickler]

Under 17. Yeah. I was good, bro. All juco in college, bro. All chuko soccer. But we went to. And you may know these. We went and played in the Dana cup in Denmark, right?

[Shane Todd]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

We played in the Thistle cup in Scotland. Do you know that one?

[Shane Todd]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

You do know that one.

[Shane Todd]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

What's it called now?

[Shane Todd]

I don't know. They've. They've got a different name for. I think, but.

[Ryan Sickler]

So we try out. We go over to. We start in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, or excuse me, Holland. And then we go to. We did Holland, Rotterdam. Then we went to, like, Denmark. We came back to Amsterdam. We did Germany, Belgium, Belgium's first time. Like, they were like. We're like, oh, my God. We're on a topless beach. And they're like. They're not. No. This is how they do it.

[Shane Todd]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

You're good.

[Shane Todd]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

We did Scotland, England, Germany, Belgium, Holland, and the one other country in there. There were six. We went to. And we were there for a full month and played soccer. I. I mean, I. Tell the story, Shane Todd. We came down the field, kick off. We scored in like 20 seconds. And we were like, we're gonna. Yeah.

[Shane Todd]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

And let me tell you, European invasion. Ready? We never won a game. We got our ass kicked and never won. Not one for a month, Dude.

[Shane Todd]

Y.

[Ryan Sickler]

For a month. They pounded us. We also, to our detriment, realized we can go drink.

[Shane Todd]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

And as Long as we would get away from the chaperones who would report it. We would go out, we take your subway, whatever, and we'd go drink.

[Shane Todd]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

And I mean, we'd run by each other on the field, and I'd be like, good. You just smell Jack Daniels pouring out of people. So we're not at our best, but we got our asses handed to us. And I never had more fun in my life. Like, never stolen him. I've never been a big thief, but when you have. No. The last week, we had no money. We would eat and run. We. It got so good to us. We started stealing. One kid on our team stole the Denmark flag. That's the other place we went for dinner. He just stole it. And we're like, dude, that's like. Imagine if you stole an American flag right now. People from the town were chasing them, and it was crazy. It got out of hand. But it was so wild. Like, you know, we're meeting these kids from all over the US and. And then it got. We're. I still have pictures somewhere where we. This one kid, I. I can't believe it ever even happened. We would just sleep in cots at schools and, you know, we're playing everywhere. This one kid falls asleep with the old school. Those headphones right to your left, as a matter of fact, those yellow ones. And he falls asleep, and we're all taking our athletic tape, and there must be 15 of us. And we're just taping them tight to his cot while he's asleep. And he's got the headphones on and the cassette stops. And he doesn't have. This is old, bro. He doesn't have the automatic reverse cassette. You gotta open it.

[Shane Todd]

Oh, for sure.

[Ryan Sickler]

So someone on the team literally opens it, slides it out, turns it over, puts it back in, gently clicks it down, hits play. He doesn't wake up. We finish. And then we just start taking pillowcases full of. And just beating the. Out of them. Yeah. Just for fun.

[Shane Todd]

A better time.

[Ryan Sickler]

Just for fun.

[Shane Todd]

You could.

[Ryan Sickler]

And he's just bucking and we're dying laughing and. Oh, dude had a great time.

[Shane Todd]

If that was nowadays, he would. He would get a million dollars in compensation.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yep. And we'd be kicked off. We'd have to make an apology video and everything else. Yeah. No, not over there. That was a wild month.

[Shane Todd]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

To be 16 and running through Europe with no. Super.

[Shane Todd]

And you can drink. Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah, Drink. And we're getting our. And we're also. I loved soccer, so to play over there. Your shitty fields are like our premier fields. That when they would be like, nah, this is a practice pitch. We're like, what?

[Shane Todd]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

This is where you practice? Yeah.

[Shane Todd]

What is this game feel like?

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah. We would line up in little league and everything, especially baseball. We line up on one team on the third base side, one team on the first base out. We'd walk to the middle, just picking out rocks and glass. And before we.

[Shane Todd]

Spain was, Spain was the, the most. Spain is still the most common place. People from Ireland and the UK will go on holiday. Like we go to Mallorca every year with my kids. It's the best.

[Ryan Sickler]

You still. How far of a flight is it?

[Shane Todd]

Two and a half hours. That's it?

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah. God.

[Shane Todd]

Easy. And you breeze in and out. No, like big immigration, you get passport stamp, line up, you're in, you're in. And it's. It's the best. So. So Spain's very, very popular. And we were going. Tenerife was a big place. That's one of the Balearic Islands. Yeah. So if you go.

[Ryan Sickler]

That's a little island off of Spain.

[Shane Todd]

Yeah. And it's very, I mean, built for tourism.

[Ryan Sickler]

Wow.

[Shane Todd]

You go to a couple of tourist resorts and you're talking like 25 degrees at least volcanic sand. So even the sands warm. It's great. It's great. Do you know what it would be a little bit like, not as much, but it'd be a little bit like. You guys going to Orlando A bit.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah.

[Shane Todd]

Very touristy.

[Ryan Sickler]

Is it muggy?

[Shane Todd]

What does that mean?

[Ryan Sickler]

Humid?

[Shane Todd]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But then the first time I went on like a massive holiday was Disney. I think I was 10.

[Ryan Sickler]

Disney. Florida.

[Shane Todd]

Disney. Florida.

[Ryan Sickler]

Disney World, bro.

[Shane Todd]

Disney World is right because there's the Paris one. But it's, it's fine. Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

So you guys fly from Ireland to Orlando.

[Shane Todd]

And we got, we got upgraded on the way there. There was some mix up and they upgraded us to business. And it was around the time the Fresh Prince of Bel Air was like, what? Everyone watching tv. And at the start of it, who's.

[Ryan Sickler]

Going on this trip?

[Shane Todd]

Me, my mom and her husband.

[Ryan Sickler]

Okay.

[Shane Todd]

But they have freshman to Bel Air. When he's flying in the opening credits, he has a sip of orange juice out of a champagne glass. I remember doing that and being like, this is the best moment of my entire life. Plus, on the way there, I think this was that trip. My, my mom was like, you're talking about tape, cassette player. My mom goes, listen, we're in the airport. You went, you get yourself whatever tape you want. And that's so I, you know, to keep me amused on the flight. And Eminem had just brought out, I think it was My Name is or Real Slim Shady and the album. So I, I just knew the single because we would get stuff a little bit later than you guys. It was like a movie that came out here. We would be a couple of months maybe down the line before we would get it. So people had heard of Eminem, but that was about it. So I got that Slim Shady LP album and I put the headphones on and we'd never really heard that kind of stuff, like the swearing and what he was talking about. And there's that skit at the start where he's murdering his wife. And I'm sitting first class, the champagne glass with orange juice. And I'm making eye contact with my mom. She's probably like, God love him. Like he's listening to, you know, the Spice Girls or whatever and has no idea what is going on in here. And I'm hearing words I've never heard before. And I listened to that the whole trip. So it was an incredible, like Disneyland, all day Orlando and the. It's. It's like a sensory overload in terms of just even like the food. Like I walked into Golden Corral and I was like, it'll never get better than this.

[Ryan Sickler]

You know what I mean?

[Shane Todd]

I was like, I was like, nothing. You could take me to like a Michelin starred restaurant in Paris. Suck my dick. I walked into the Golden Corral, I was like, what do you mean I can go back up.

[Ryan Sickler]

I can go as many times as I want. Really? Yeah.

[Shane Todd]

I was like, when would the.

[Ryan Sickler]

I can go back up.

[Shane Todd]

I was like, guys, when will this food run out? And they were like, it does not run out. It was incredible. I'd never seen people as fat before. Like, I'd never seen that. I was like, I don't, I don't know if it's part of the attraction, like part of Disney, but these people. But it was just, just walking on International Drive. And I've always been big into like American culture, like some of the sport and stuff like that. So I remember in International Drive there was a place called Sports Dominator, big sports store. And I had like, if memory served me, I had a giant NFL player and a giant baseball Sports Dominator. Let's see if we can international drive. If you can. This will really take me back. Oh my God. So. So nowadays if you go into our sports stores.

[Ryan Sickler]

What is this?

[Shane Todd]

It Was just, it's heaven.

[Ryan Sickler]

Sports is this like, it's a big.

[Shane Todd]

Like outlet, big sporting goods outlet.

[Ryan Sickler]

Okay. It's a big, sporty, good outlet.

[Shane Todd]

But back then we could never have got like NBA tops, NFL gear. You just couldn't get it in Ireland back then. Now we can, we kind of get it all. But I remember walking into this place and being like, I want everything and I got a Charlotte Hornets top with rice.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah, yeah.

[Shane Todd]

And I was just in heaven. I walked around this place every day because our hotel was near it and I would walk in there for like one hour a day and just.

[Ryan Sickler]

I had no idea. This is just a massive sporting goods store.

[Shane Todd]

The sneakers would be different. Everything was different to what we had. And yeah, it was just an eye opener. Like Irish sports storage would carry like maybe some soccer gear, some rugby gear. But. But we didn't have, we didn't have this kind of stuff and it was just, it was just incredible.

[Ryan Sickler]

Tell me about, let's share some stories of football growing up here for you.

[Shane Todd]

So like I played from when I was. For teams from when I was maybe like six or seven.

[Ryan Sickler]

You've been on a. Ever been on a good one, One that won it all or anything?

[Shane Todd]

Probably so. My local team would have been a team called Hollywood fc. So that's like my like home team if you like. But when I moved away, it's just not practice, like 60 minute drive from where I live. So they were really good. Like back in the day, I'm talking when I was maybe 16, 17. They were great. And then when I got more interested in comedy, I was like, I just can commit like as much. So I, I've retired like four times and then I go back to it and I just went back a couple of months ago at the age of 36, playing my first game back and I was like, this is, this will be incredible. Injured in the first game and now I'm doing like rehab every day out here. I've got the insoles and. But like to tell you the level like I play. So like the stuff I hear when I go to play football is funnier than anything I hear in a comedy club. Stuff you hear on the sidelines, stuff your parents and coaches say. I remember my dad taking watch a look. It was actually Man United were playing in Belfast. So Manchester United brought over a team, this is maybe 1996 and they were playing like an Irish league select, so our best local players. And there was a guy shouting at Man United in the stands near us and he was Swearing he was calling everybody a bastard, you useless bastard. He was the whole game and a dad near us, dad near us put his arm on his son's shoulder and he said, I'll never forget this. He went, watch your language, you cheeky. And just left it sitting there. And it took like three seconds for everyone to start to realize, like, it's quite hypocritical of you to say that, but stuff my friend tells me a story about. He was like showboating in a game and an older manager in the other team asked. He's like, he asked him if he thought he was Mara Madonna. He's like, do you think you're Mara Madonna? Like, people get every name wrong. But we play, we once played against a team called Belfast Deaf United, who based in Belfast and death and the whole team. And it was like a pre season.

[ADT Commercial Voice]

We all know that feeling. You finally managed to get away on vacation and the worrying starts, will that bogus beware of dog sign keep your home safe? What about that fake camera you set up? And will someone finally find your old hide and key rock? That's where ADT comes in, all that stuff. It's safe ish. It seems fine when you don't really think about it, but you know, it truly doesn't work. Instead, ADT provides security solutions that keep you actually safe, giving you real peace of mind. Because vacation is supposed to be, you know, relaxing. Don't settle for Safe ish. Visit ADT.com today to learn more.

[Ryan Sickler]

They just play to realize the ball.

[Shane Todd]

Stopping and a lot of hand signals.

[Ryan Sickler]

And.

[Shane Todd]

And we played against them and the game had just kicked off and they were, they were pretty good. They're still going, as far as I know, as a club. And our coach shouted out like two minutes into the game, he had a brain wave and he's like, lads, just start saying what you're gonna do, like, and then everyone will know. So we were like, I don't know if it's the best idea I've ever heard or the worst idea, but everyone's like, let's give it a shot. So where you would have the ball and you'd be like, I, I'm gonna try and cross this back post. If anyone wants to try and like, maybe head level. If anyone wants to try and like, get their head to it, that's where I'll be kicking it. They beat us 4:1.

[Ryan Sickler]

They beat the death.

[Shane Todd]

They annihilate us because they can lip read. They told us after we really, we really played into their hands. They're just watching us say what's coming next. But I.

[Ryan Sickler]

Do you ever have any problems with the gangs, the soccer, the football gangs, like ultras, hooligans?

[Shane Todd]

There is like, yeah, the, the.

[Ryan Sickler]

Well, I want to ask you this because I experienced it going to Europe for the month. So we had, like I said we had a chaperone or whatever. These were all younger guys that played ball and stuff. And they told us two things. So we went to an Iax game. Yeah, saw Iax play. And we saw Chelsea play. Maybe they played each other. Would that, would that happen?

[Shane Todd]

They could play in the Champions League.

[Ryan Sickler]

Maybe we went to a two games. But that Iax, when I remember just seeing the pitch and being like, oh, man, this thing looks like it's 120 yards wide. Like it look massive Y. And they tell us before we go in there that the teams that, you know, we know about the gangs or whatever, the hooligans. And. And they tell us about the Chelsea smile. You know about the Chelsea smile?

[Shane Todd]

The razors.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah. Is that real?

[Shane Todd]

I would say it happened back in the day, but I would say it's.

[Ryan Sickler]

Become like one guy.

[Shane Todd]

Yeah, I'd say it's become like a little bit of a. A myth problem.

[Ryan Sickler]

There it is.

[Shane Todd]

So there was, there was. There was movies out. That first guy there, There was movies out back in the day. Elijah Wood is in a movie called Green street about football hooligans in the uk and the, the. The main guy's Charlie Hunam in it, who is from Newcastle in England, but cannot do an English accent in it. It is a horrific film, but worth watching. But so football hooligan culture got like very glamorized and you would hear a lot of urban myths about it, but they did have big issues with, especially in the 80s in England. But if you. I mean, if you're going to see like football like back home, there could.

[Ryan Sickler]

Be like, we're like, are they just trying to scare us and keep us in line? But he, he told us a story. So they told us about curb stomping.

[Shane Todd]

You know, will you bite the curb?

[Ryan Sickler]

Kicking the bag of the head. That's why we were like, we've all heard down before. That kind of sounds like. But then he tells us about the Chelsea smile. We're like, what? And he, he said he had a friend. Here's what he said. One arm held. One arm, one leg. And then they sliced his mouth and then they punched him in the nuts. And then when you scream, your face just tears up that's this is what. Yeah, 16 year old kid over there. We're like what? Yeah. And I just wanted was curious because I've, you know we hear about, we see. You know they love to show the riots and all that stuff. But you guys, even youth, you never had trouble with that.

[Shane Todd]

No, no, no, no, no. You would get like a little bit of it like the, the top level but nothing like that. Like people throw stones and stuff.

[Ryan Sickler]

Maybe it's like before we record you mentioned that all schools you have to wear uniforms.

[Shane Todd]

Oh like we think it's mental that America school you just chilling in your own clothes.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah.

[Shane Todd]

So yeah, we, we, we have to wear uniform from the age of like.

[Ryan Sickler]

4 now it gets always look the same.

[Shane Todd]

No, it gets more formal as it goes on. So see that second image in red there?

[Ryan Sickler]

Uhhuh.

[Shane Todd]

That's primary school. So that's from when you are like.

[Ryan Sickler]

Every kid in Ireland.

[Shane Todd]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

It's always red and gray.

[Shane Todd]

No, no, no, it's whatever the school is. All schools all have different colors. But that's like, that's primary school. That's from the ages of 4 to like 11. And then when you're see, see the group of the diverse group there. Yep.

[Ryan Sickler]

That's, that's so that's like.

[Shane Todd]

Yeah. So. Which is weird because at the time it doesn't really wear it but it's like it's like a miniature businessman look.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah.

[Shane Todd]

You're like wearing a full suit. We wear a full suit to school every day and I.

[Ryan Sickler]

What do you do for gym, Pete? Phys Ed.

[Shane Todd]

Or you would turn it, you would.

[Ryan Sickler]

Hang it up and go put.

[Shane Todd]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

Damn, that's a pain in the ass. It is that every day. But we high school is a full suit.

[Shane Todd]

Full suit.

[Ryan Sickler]

And what are the ladies?

[Shane Todd]

Smart shoes. They wear same thing but skirt and like black suit. No, they wear like gas skirts.

[Ryan Sickler]

But the top.

[Shane Todd]

Yeah. Tops is exactly the same. It's crazy. And I don't know whether there might be something in it, you know, because you do feel in your head you're like right, I'm going to school here. You know, so.

[Ryan Sickler]

Well you also don't have the kids over there that the rich kids that have the name brand stuff and then the poor kids or the you know, less fortunate want that stuff and they're going out stealing it and robbing you for Jordans.

[Shane Todd]

And that's actually coincidental. That's the closest like girls school to where I lived. So we would have gone to discos with these girls. So I went to an all boy school. And we would have had discos every couple of months with the girl schools. And they were w. Because you're holding everybody back from.

[Ryan Sickler]

Oh God. Yeah.

[Shane Todd]

It was a free for.

[Ryan Sickler]

I'll bet it was insane. Do you. I know your dad still lives in the childhood home. Do you remember any addresses from growing up where people no longer live? Yeah, let's look up one. Let's look one up.

[Shane Todd]

With my mom. We used to live in Halstein Drive which is H A L S T E E N. This is just outside like Belfast city center. Yeah, yeah. One in fact, see that house maybe with the brown door to the right? That. That could well be it.

[Ryan Sickler]

This one dead ahead. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's the house.

[Shane Todd]

Yeah, that could be it.

[Ryan Sickler]

And that's your little. You have a little front yard area like that.

[Shane Todd]

Yeah. Yep, yep.

[Ryan Sickler]

And then house was this.

[Shane Todd]

This was my mom's house.

[Ryan Sickler]

And you were you. Was that your room? Whose room is that up there?

[Shane Todd]

I don't remember that. Then we moved to. We moved. When my mom got remarried we moved to a different house. But I remember this house because they're on the corner. There was a like shop. You. You would call it like convenience store. But there was a shop. Yeah, there we go. Yeah, that. So that used to be a shop which we would call like a news agent. That's the kind of shop also. So newspapers and sweets and milk and stuff. And I used at the Chalky shop because I couldn't say chocolate yet. And I like getting chocolate from there. So that was the Chalky shop. So that's in a place called. That's in east Belfast. I could. I could show you where I. The house I grew up in. But my. But my dad still lives there and he would love it if you showed his house and people knew where it was. And he just had people calling in.

[Ryan Sickler]

Anybody be on the street getting punched there.

[Shane Todd]

Type in 21 West Link Hollywood. So this was my granny's house. This is where. Yep, that one with a white extension at the front. So this is where I would say I kind of grew up. This is where the stand up show I'm doing this year is called Full house. And it's about when that house was full of people. These uncles, cousins, everybody. And that's. We call that like a terrace Tyson. But like terrorists. Not terrorists. Yeah, but where all the houses are joined together.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah. Row homes.

[Shane Todd]

See that what you call an entry in between.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yes.

[Shane Todd]

Like that alleyway in between. Like played in there so much growing up. If we were getting chased, like around this housing estate. If we were getting chased, you ran.

[Ryan Sickler]

Down there and hit that through.

[Shane Todd]

Yeah. You could just turn left at the end and you couldn't be seen. But that. That's my granny's house. That is where the. Some of the best memories of my life are because we were just. Everyone went there because a lot of my family lives.

[Ryan Sickler]

Just curious.

[Shane Todd]

A lot of my family lived in the same street.

[Ryan Sickler]

These got grass over here showing off.

[Shane Todd]

If you looked at that, like, probably when you were playing college soccer, you'd be like that. That's like. That's.

[Ryan Sickler]

Oh, the best surface I've ever seen. I was gonna say. That's a good one.

[Shane Todd]

So this. So this was my granite. So this was like a mile from where we lived. And all my family lived in the same street. And everyone just went to my grand. It was like an open house. We would all up until not that long ago, everyone who lived here. And in so many of the. We call, like social housing in Hollywood, Belfast, place like that, your key would be in your door all day, morning till night.

[Ryan Sickler]

Is that right? Nobody's messing with you there.

[Shane Todd]

No, no. You never would have locked your front door.

[Ryan Sickler]

Wow.

[Shane Todd]

So you would just call in with your aunties, uncle's friends. You just walk in. That's the way it was.

[Ryan Sickler]

That's great.

[Shane Todd]

Real sense of community. And around the corner from there is where I started playing soccer on just like a grass pitch that would just sit in the middle of the estate. So that was. Yeah, yeah. So many great memories in there, dude.

[Ryan Sickler]

Thank you. Thank you for doing this, Shane. Todd.

[Shane Todd]

No problem.

[Ryan Sickler]

It's a good one, man. You're a good dude, brother. Please promote there. Promote everything you like. Your special, your shows, all that stuff.

[Shane Todd]

ShaneToDcomdy.com for. For dates that I've got coming up. I'm going to be turning early 2026. She and Todd on YouTube. You'll find me on their specials. That's where my podcast t with me podcast is. And thanks. Thanks so much for this. I'm saying that this is the first time I've been in an American podcast studio.

[Ryan Sickler]

And Donna pod and it's the first two American. First time sitting in a way back, bro. Look at that.

[Shane Todd]

That's great.

[Ryan Sickler]

A lot of here.

[Shane Todd]

That's great.

[Ryan Sickler]

We're not gonna l. As always, Ryan Sickler on all your social media. We'll talk to y' all next time week.

[ADT Commercial Voice]

We all know that feeling. You finally manage to get away on vacation and the worrying starts will that bogus Beware of dogs sign. Keep your home safe. What about that fake camera you set up? And will someone finally find your old Hide and Key rock? That's where ADT comes in, all that stuff. It's safe ish. It seems fine when you don't really think about it, but you know, it truly doesn't work. Instead, ADT provides security solutions that keep you actually safe, giving you real peace of mind. Because vacation is supposed to be, you know, relaxing. Don't settle for Safe ish. Visit ADT.com today to learn more.