Most people experience sport not in a stadium, but on the sidelines of a local club. From fundraising committees to coaching under-10s, volunteers are the engine of Irish sport. But as Emma Richmond, managing partner of Whitney Moore, explains in this episode of Sports Matters, that passion comes with real responsibility.
Richmond outlines the unseen legal landscape of community sport: safeguarding obligations, data protection rules, trusteeship headaches, and the challenges of running staff with volunteer committees. She also discusses how mergers — like the planned integration of the GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association — will test constitutions and ownership structures across the country.
From finance committees to safeguarding officers, her message is clear: Understanding the legal framework isn’t optional. It’s what keeps clubs safe, solvent, and sustainable.
This week, Ireland has been talking about Sean Quinn and the RTÉ documentary, Quinn Country. In 2007, Tom Lyons went to the Slieve Russell Hotel and heard Quinn deliver a speech in which he reflected on his life but which also foreshadowed much of what was to come.
This weekend, in a special podcast which includes excerpts from that speech never previously broadcast, Tom Lyons and Ian Kehoe talk to Dion Fanning and reflect on Quinn's life and times and the themes that have been present through his rise and fall.
Denmark has long been a superpower when it comes to renewable energy. But what can we learn from their experience? In the latest episode of Energy Matters, Ian Kehoe is joined by Lise Holmegaard Larsen of State of Green, a Danish public-private body tackling climate change, to understand the journey Denmark has been on, what policies have been put in place, and how countries such as Ireland can catch up. This series is sponsored by Pinergy.
Is the recent wave of job cuts by technology companies a structural shift or a necessary realignment? The Currency’s Chief Economics Writer Stephen Kinsella and Senior Correspondent Thomas Hubert join Editor Ian Kehoe to discuss Ireland’s response to the tech slump - including the opportunities arising from it.
There will be around 100,000 satellites orbiting the earth by the end of the decade. Ubotica, an Irish space tech start-up, has developed a machine learning chip that can process images from inside these cereal-boxed sized satellites. Aubrey Dunne, chief technology officer and c0-founder, talks to Rosanna Cooney about the potential applications of this observational technology, from spotting crop failure before it's visible on the ground, to identifying forest fires and oil slicks in real-time.
In episode four of Energy Matters, we look at renewable energy and examine whether Ireland is really where it should be in terms of both onshore and offshore energy systems, and where we need to go over the next decade. Ian Kehoe is joined by Ruth Young, Senior Consultant at Cornwall Insight, and Conall Bolger, CEO of the Irish Solar Energy Association. This series is sponsored by Pinergy.
Leaving the world of mass manufactured alcohol behind, Karen O'Neill founded a new drinks brand with a modern take on mead. Beekon was going gangbusters, O'Neill tells Rosanna Cooney, but then the unimaginable happened and she had a decision to make: to fight on or fail.
Colm Tóibín talks to Dion Fanning in this week's episode of Experience about the World Cup, his career as a hurler and why he won't talk about Sinn Féin.
Siobhán McHugh is the chief executive of the Demand Response Association of Ireland, whose members scour businesses for power usage that can be postponed when a surge occurs on the national grid. She tells Thomas Hubert how this emerging industry works and who can take part.
Roddy Collins's life has been a story of adventure, resilience and, sometimes, bluster. In this week's episode of Experience, he talks to Dion Fanning about never being afraid to risk everything and standing up to John Delaney.
