In 2001, Peter McKenna was on the corporate fast track at Smurfit in the publishing business. But a conversation with mentor Paddy Wright planted the seed for a dramatic career pivot as stadium director of Croke Park. When he took over, the stadium was under construction and loss-making. Last year, it had annual revenues of €132 million and paid a €16 million dividend to the GAA.
McKenna still serves as stadium director but he is also in charge of the GAA’s commercial arrangements and corporate partnerships.
In this episode of Sports Matters, he talks about making the stadium as a financial contributor to the GAA, the decision to take control of the association’s streaming service, and the lessons from his career.
Sports Matters is sponsored by the law firm Whitney Moore.
AI and data are transforming the customer experience at an unprecedented pace, forcing businesses to rethink how they engage with customers. But how can companies harness these technologies effectively? In this podcast, produced in association with EY Ireland, we explore the strategies, challenges, and opportunities of customer transformation. Three EY partners share their insights with Ian Kehoe on the role of AI, data, and technology in driving competitive advantage — and what businesses must do to stay ahead.
This podcast has been produced in assocition with EY.
Sarah Keane has spent more than two decades at the forefront of Irish sport, driving governance reforms and rebuilding trust in organisations facing crisis. As CEO of Swim Ireland and former president of the Olympic Federation of Ireland, she has championed accountability, gender balance, and cultural change. Yet, while progress has been made, Keane warns that too many reforms risk becoming box-ticking exercises rather than meaningful improvements. From the evolving nature of volunteerism to the challenges of properly funding sport, she argues that deeper structural change is needed to ensure a sustainable future for Irish sport. In this episode of Sports Matters, she talks about governance, accountability and volunteerism with Ian Kehoe. Sports Matters is sponsored by the law firm Whitney Moore.
Ciaran Medlar’s day job is as a partner with BDO, an accountancy firm that, through Medlar’s Sports Advisory Unit, is a major player in sport in Ireland. However, his influence extends far beyond financial spreadsheets. Whether guiding elite athletes through career transitions, negotiating high-stakes sponsorship deals, or helping steer Shamrock Rovers through a golden era, Medlar is one of the most influential figures in Irish sport. Despite the high-profile nature of his work, Medlar has remained extremely low profile. Instead, he prefers to operate away from the headlines, letting his clients attract attention. Indeed, he is currently transitioning his own career to take on a larger management role with the golfer Rory McIlroy. In this episode of Sports Matters, he talks about his journey, the development of the business of sport in Ireland, and the highlights from his career. Sports Matters is sponsored by Whitney Moore.
French economist Gabriel Zucman has led the charge against tax avoidance by multinationals and, more recently, billionaires. On a visit to Dublin, he sits down with Thomas Hubert to discuss Trump's challenge to an economic development model based on attracting taxable profits from other jurisdictions, how to catch tax exiles, and the fine line between academic research and politics.
What did it mean to be a prison officer in the jail housing convicted IRA members during the Troubles? Brian Stack knew that life and he was a committed senior prison officer at Portlaoise prison who paid for his dedication with his life. His son Austin talks to Dion Fanning about his family’s search for justice.
The independent Senator Rónán Mullen has spent decades championing traditional values in an Ireland that has undergone profound social and political change. A vocal advocate for Catholic-informed conservatism, he has challenged prevailing narratives on issues such as secularism, migration, and free speech. In a wide-ranging conversation with Ian Kehoe, he reflects on his political journey, the role of faith in governance, and his belief that mainstream media is increasingly hostile to voices like his.
Gordon D’Arcy and Paul Howard have combined to write Let’s Play Rugby. In this podcast, they talk to Dion Fanning about professionalism, the danger of rugby’s reliance on the schools for talent and the reality versus satire in Ross O’Carroll Kelly.
Conor Murphy’s decision to leave Northern Ireland politics where he was economy minister to run for the Seanad raised eyebrows. Why was the move necessary? Why would a senior politician give up a ministerial position for life in the Seanad? Murphy’s long career in republicanism and his comments concerning the murder of Paul Quinn in 2007 provided further complications. In a wide ranging podcast he discusses all these matters with Dion Fanning.
Podcast description: Who killed Jean McConville? It is impossible to say, Martin Dillon believes, but it is one the darkest secrets of the Troubles, a conflict with many dark secrets. Dillon has made a career of exposing them to the light. He talks to Dion Fanning about his new book, his time as a journalist in the north when his life was in danger as he exposed the world of informants and double agents. He also tells the extraordinary story of bringing John Hume and Gerry Adams together for a debate on the BBC in 1985.
Who was Edna O’Brien? Was she the fearless slayer of convention as depicted by the tributes after she died or was she the frivolous, insubstantial figure long depicted in Ireland? A new documentary reveals a compelling vulnerable genius, whose courage was not a hollow statement but one that was not without fear, loneliness and misery. In this podcast with Dion Fanning, Sinead O’Shea talks about making the documentary.
