Twenty years ago, Sport Ireland launched its Women in Sport programme with a bold aim: to give women equal opportunities on the pitch. Two decades later, participation is up, sponsorships are stronger, and elite events are drawing record crowds. But stubborn challenges remain — from teenage dropout rates to a shortage of facilities and patchy media coverage.
In this episode of Sports Matters, Ian Kehoe sits down with two women at the forefront of change: Niamh Tallon, founder and CEO of Her Sport, and Emer O’Sullivan, corporate affairs director at Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Tallon talks about why she launched Her Sport and the mission that drives it: “Our vision is equal opportunity in sport, regardless of gender… Wwe have to be honest with ourselves when we look at the landscape and realise that the opportunity for girls and women is not the same.”
O’Sullivan explains Lidl’s long-running sponsorship of ladies' Gaelic football, from the controversial “Lady Ball” launch to grassroots investment in jerseys and equipment: “We want to do good, we want to be purpose-driven… but equally there are commercial reasons too. It has to work both ways.”
They discuss the barriers that still hold girls and women back — from lack of toilets at pitches to entrenched club cultures — and the power of visibility to change the game. “If girls have a positive experience, they have the facilities… They’ll tend to stay in sport,” O’Sullivan says.
Sports Matters is sponsored by the law firm Whitney Moore.
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.
In episode three of Energy Matters, we look at what the future of transport in Ireland might look like and what needs to be done to get us there.
Ian Kehoe is joined by Derek Reilly of Nevo.ie, Ireland's only dedicated EV website, and David O’Reilly of Zeus Scooters, who are active in over 50 cities but are currently unable to operate in Ireland.
This series is sponsored by Pinergy
Food is an essential and integral part of our existence and our culture, but what if you could see inside your own body in real-time, to know what impact that food is having on you? In this podcast, Rurik Bradbury, chief executive of Limbo, speaks to Rosanna Cooney about glucose monitoring and how it changed his perspective on food entirely.
In this week's episode of Experience, world renowned sculptor John Kelly talks to Dion Fanning about coming close to death, the realities of the art world and building a famine memorial on his land.
Evelyn Kelly, the founder of Orphan Drug Consulting, works in an industry fraught with difficult decisions. In this podcast, she talks to Rosanna Cooney about her company's role in bringing medicines to market as quickly as possible, the growth in the orphan drug market, and the challenges of equitable access to medication.
In this episode of Experience, the Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny talks to Dion Fanning about his single-mindedness, why trophies have never been how he judges success, and dealing with criticism.
In episode two of Energy Matters, we examine how individuals and businesses can be more efficient in their energy use. Ian Kehoe is joined by Muireann Lynch, Senior Research Officer at ESRI, and Madeleine Murray, CEO of Change By Degrees to look at ways we can reduce our energy usage and bills, and the shifts we need to make to our habits. This series is sponsored by Pinergy.
The restaurant and hospitality sectors are in the eye of a storm, with a slew of insolvencies and closures expected in the next twelve months. Damien Grey, the two-star Michelin chef, and owner of Liath, talks to Rosanna Cooney about the misguided perception of a restaurant as anything other than a profit-seeking business, his obsession with daily accounts and when to let go and walk away with integrity.
