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 his new book 'Chasing History: A Kid in the Newsroom', Carl Bernstein tells the story of how he found his calling, and meaning, in journalism. It is an absorbing tale, crammed with anecdotes about the characters he stumbled across through the journey.
Bernstein occupied a rarified place in the world of journalism. Together with his fellow Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward, he ranks among the two most famous journalists in the world, renowned for their work bringing down President Nixon. He understands power, and the importance of holding it to account.
In this podcast with Sam Smyth, he delves into the relationship between power and politics, examining the impact of Trump on US society. He also talks about the decision by Jeff Bezos to pull an editorial by The Washington Post endorsing Kamala Harris, his reporting on the Vatican, and his recollections of his early days in the newsroom.
The attorney and law professor Barry Scheck was one of the first to link the complicated science of DNA with criminal law back in the 1990s. In the decades that followed, The Innocence Project, the non-profit organisation that he co-founded with Peter Neufeld, has used DNA evidence to help exonerate hundreds of people who were wrongly convicted. In this podcast with his friend Sam Smyth, Scheck talks about the evolution of science in criminal trials and explores how AI could be the next breakthrough. He talks about the work of the Innocence Project, the nature of criminal defence, and some of his most prominent cases, including OJ Simpson and Louise Woodward.
Manchester City are collapsing and it seems like the end of the Pep Guardiola era but what does this tell us about the Abu Dhabi project. In this podcast, Miguel Delaney talks to Dion Fanning about his book States of Play and how City took over the Premier League. He speaks about the uncertainty at the club now as they wait to hear the result of the 115 charges they are facing and why Rubem Amorim chose Manchester United over City because of this uncertainty.
The former managing partner of PwC Feargal O’Rourke has written a new book chronicling the history of the Irish rugby men’s team during the professional era. The book, From Rags to Riches; The Irish Men’s Team in the Professional Era, is an encyclopedia containing teams and match statistics of each game over the past 29 years, accompanied by more than 700 pictures and QR codes linking to online video highlights.
In this podcast with Ian Kehoe, he discusses how Irish rugby has evolved over the past three decades, and the structure that has allowed it to succeed. He also talks about his new role as chairman of IDA Ireland, what Trump’s trade policies could mean for Irish FDI and his late mother, the political trailblazer Mary O’Rourke.
Gary Murphy has long been one of the country’s most prescient and articulate political analysts. And, unlike many of his academic contemporaries, Murphy is not afraid to share his views. However, in an age of online abuse, he understands why many of his younger colleagues opt to stay off the airwaves. In this podcast with Ian Kehoe, the DCU politics professor also talks about his roots in Cork, how he got interested in politics, and how politics itself has changed over the decades. He also talks about how Irish political parties have shifted to the left, as evidenced by the economic platforms of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. He gives his views on Sinn Fein, the independents, and the electoral malaise of the parties of the soft left.
There has been a surge in Irish deals involving both domestic and international private equity firms. The finance house Renatus has identified 49 deals that were completed with private equity firms in the first nine months of this year, up from 20 deals for the same period last year.
But just how do you know if private equity is the right fit for your business? And if you decide that it is, how do you prime your business for private equity?
In this podcast with Ian Kehoe, Gerard Hughes, a partner at the accounting firm Baker Tilly, explains the issues that companies must weigh up before deciding to take private equity investment - from decision-making changes to ownership timeframes. He also talks through seven key considerations for businesses preparing for private equity investment.
Shane Kenny served as Government Press Secretary during the years of the Rainbow Coalition. They were eventful years in Irish life and for the government: the murder of Veronica Guerin, a divorce referendum, Michael Lowry and the murder of Jerry McCabe. But what took up most of Taoiseach John Bruton’s time was the peace process. Shane Kenny believes Bruton has been written out of history. In this podcast he talks to Dion Fanning about why it’s about time Bertie Ahern gave his predecessor some credit.
Eoghan Murphy’s political ascent, through Fine Gael and government, was rapid. So too was his political unravelling. His new book, Running From Office, is a compelling and uncomfortable reflection of that journey. In this podcast with Ian Kehoe, the former housing minister argues that writing about his failures has allowed him to move forward with his life. He also talks about the toxic relationship between politics and politicians, and why he believes politics can corrupt your sense of self, and self-worth. He also talks candidly about his time in office, when he needed to get away from politics, and whether things could have turned out differently.
Donald Trump has completed an historic political comeback, reclaiming the White House with a startling election victory. But what does it mean – for the US, for global politics, and for Ireland? To discuss these issues, and much more besides, Sam Smyth is joined on this podcast by Prof Barry Scheck, the eminent criminal defence lawyer and an early authority on DNA; Joanna Molloy, author, and one-time New York gossip columnist; and Jamie Smyth, US energy editor of The Financial Times, born in Belfast and now based in New York.
The global average cost of a data breach is now €4.49 million.
For many businesses, it can be the difference between success and failure.
And yet, despite the high cost of cyber breaches, less than one in three Irish organisations have implemented robust cyber resilience across their business.
That is according to PwC’s 2025 Digital Trust Insights Survey, the longest-running and the largest annual survey worldwide on cyber security trends.
The study surveyed more than 4,000 businesses and tech executives across 71 countries, including Ireland.
To discuss its findings and the wider issue of cyber security, Ian Kehoe is joined on this episode of The Tech Agenda by Len McAuliffe, a cybersecurity partner with PwC Ireland.
McAuliffe talks about embedding cyber resilience into your business, third-party cyber risks, and why GenAI has given hackers new ways of breaching systems, while simultaneously offering new greater safeguards and defences. This podcast series is sponsored by PwC.
