For professional athletes, retirement doesn’t come in the form of a gradual career peak—it arrives suddenly, often through injury or physical decline. Unlike those in other careers who can steadily build toward financial security, many athletes find themselves facing uncertainty in their early 30s. In this episode of Sports Matters, former rugby players Niall Woods and Marty Moore discuss the challenges of transitioning out of the game, from financial instability to the loss of identity and structure. Speaking to Ian Kehoe, they explore the psychological and practical difficulties of life after professional sport and the importance of preparation for the next chapter. Sports Matters is sponsored by Whitney Moore.
In this podcast Jonathan Wilson talks to Dion Fanning about his new book on Jack and Bobby Charlton. In his post playing career Jack became a huge figure, while Bobby became an emblem of the glory and tragedy of Manchester United. He was an old fashioned figure, to whom, as Wilson says in this podcast, the career of George Best could almost seem like a personal rebuke. But he also became a wealthy man.
WeHaveChefs is constructing a fast-track corridor between the kitchens of south-east Asia and the restaurants of Ireland to plug the gaping hole that Covid-19 left in the hospitality industry. In this podcast, Paddy Lynn, the business's co-founder, talks to Rosanna Cooney about streamlining the process and what the government can do to help the industry survive.
Sean O'Driscoll has written an extraordinarily detailed book on the life of Rose Dugdale. Heiress, Rebel, Vigilante, Bomber is centred around the many interviews Dugdale did with the author, who speaks to Dion Fanning about her contradictions, earning her trust and being savaged on Liveline for the book.
Adriaan Palm, the ambassador of the Netherlands to Ireland, says that almost every meeting he has with Irish officials and citizens throws up questions on his country’s ability to adopt cycling and other sustainable transport options. In this far-reaching interview on Dutch-Irish economic relations, he reveals that environmental issues have taken over from corporation tax and Brexit at the top of the diplomatic agenda and discusses investment from the Netherlands in Ireland, including the new €200 million cheese joint venture between Glanbia Co-op and Royal A-Ware in Co Kilkenny.
Thomas Hubert and Stephen Kinsella talk to Dion Fanning about the deal reached within the government about reduction in emissions from the agriculture sector and why without leadership the same problems will return.
Cork company Valid8Me has developed reusable identity software that it claims allows financial institutions and professional services firms to onboard new customers in a cheaper and quicker way than anyone else in the market. Grant Thornton believes in the product, and the accountancy firm has just taken a majority stake in the company for €12.5 million. In this podcast with Ian Kehoe, co-founder and CEO Patrick Horgan explains how the deal came about and outlines his plan to expand in the UK and the US. He also talks about the business of compliance, know-your-customer regulations and the company’s “atypical” journey.
In his book Chums, Simon Kuper explored the link between Oxford University and the elite that has ruled in the UK, primarily in the Conservative Party. That elite, through Boris Johnson, Dominic Cummings and other, also created Brexit. In this podcast, Kuper talks to Dion Fanning about the contenders for the leadership, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, two products of Oxford and two nostalgists for the glory days of Margaret Thatcher.
Prosperity is a devil's bargain. You get higher wages. But your rent goes up, your commute gets longer, and your traditional culture gets replaced by an insipid global one.
According to Joe McReynolds, this is why Tokyo deserves our attention. In a podcast with Sean Keyes, the urban studies expert and author of Emergent Tokyo explains how it is a rich, growing city with high wages and low unemployment, and seemingly immune from many of prosperity's unpleasant side effects - rents in Tokyo are about 40 per cent lower than in Dublin. McReynolds also explains how the city has managed to preserve its culture and old ways of life.
The assassination of Shinzo Abe has stunned Japan. The week since his death has led to an examination of his legacy as well as more reflection on the shocking nature of his killing. Gearoid Reidy is an Irish journalist who is a columnist for Bloomberg based in Japan. He talked in this podcast to Dion Fanning about the legacy of Shinzo Abe, both culturally and economically and how his life and death were wrapped up in his family history.
Lynn Hunter owns and runs the biggest influencer agency in the country and now plays the matchmaker between global brands and Irish content creators. In this podcast, she tells Rosanna Cooney about getting the agency off the ground and where the influencer industry is headed.
