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.
In the middle of the pandemic, former journalist and twice start-up entrepreneur Mark Little raised another €1.6 million for his business Kinzen. In conversation with Sean Keyes, he explains the importance of combining machine learning with human editorial skills to tackle disinformation as it pops up in the most unexpected corners of the internet. They explore how his involvement in Kinzen resulted from a career in public service journalism, at his first company Storyful and as a senior manager at Twitter, where he learned the true meaning of leadership: "A manager walks into a room and everybody knows that person knows what they're doing. A leader walks into a room and everybody walks out going, 'I know what I'm doing'."
It's easier than ever to invest your own money. There's more information out there (like The Currency's new weekly investing email), and more products to help you do it. The promise of investing for yourself is that you can match the professionals, and save on fees. But what are the pitfalls? In this podcast, investing columnist John Looby and Sean Keyes, who writes our weekly investment email, talk about the most common categories of mistakes made by ordinary investors. They discuss investors' most common biases and blind spots, and show how to avoid them.
Chupi Sweetman founded her eponymous jewellery business Chupi at her kitchen table in 2013. Today, it has 45 staff, a flagship store in Dublin, and is exporting to 67 countries through its growing online platform. Within five years, Sweetman wants to double her staff numbers to 100 and open outlets in New York and London. In this podcast with Ian Kehoe, Sweetman talks about how she is creating a global brand from Dublin, and why Brexit prompted the company to pivot away from wholesale to a direct-to-consumer model. Sweetman argues that the future of retail is digital and that this has been accelerated by Covid-19. Having invested heavily in technology, she outlines how the company is embracing augmented reality and virtual reality to help provide customers with a better online shopping experience.
During his 14 years as editor of the Financial Times, Lionel Barber transformed the title from a niche printed publication to a global media organisation with digital at its core. Having stepped down last year, he has now published The Powerful and the Damned, an account of his tenure in charge. In this podcast with Sam Smyth, he talks about meeting the world’s most powerful leaders, transitioning the FT to a global audience and the future of media. He also reflects on Ireland’s boom and bust, Brexit and the rise of China.
What do Harrison Ford, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Lopez, Van Morrison, Michael O’Leary, Paddy McKillen, Gerry Adams and Peter Robinson all have in common? Answer: They have all been represented in libel cases by the Belfast lawyer Paul Tweed. In a podcast with Sam Smyth, Tweed talks about how he built his practice and his work defending the reputations of some the most famous and wealthy people in the world. Arguing that Irish defamation laws favour the rich, he says the system needs to be changed so that people without means defend their reputations. He also reveals how smear campaigns can often be designed to discredit a celebrity, and why he does not believe in the concept of libel tourism. Looking to the future, Tweed says the state needs to deal with the biggest threat of them all: social media giants.
The people of America have spoken. As of now, no one is quite sure just what they have said. In this podcast, economist Stephen Kinsella and investment strategist John Looby talk to Ian Kehoe about the US presidential general election and what it means for the country’s fiscal and economic strategies. They also discuss what the potential outcomes of the election mean for Ireland, specifically on FDI and Brexit negotiations.
John Feehan and Derek McGrath are two of the country’s top sporting administrators. Feehan is the former chief executive of Six Nations Rugby and the British & Irish Lions, while McGrath is the former CEO of the European Rugby Cup and the Curragh Racecourse. In recent weeks, they have launched a new business, Sport2Sport, which aims to help sports organisations, event owners and brands deal with Covid-19. In this podcast with Ian Kehoe, Feehan and McGrath speak about the impact of the crisis on the sports industry – from governing associations to media rights' holders to sponsors. They also explain the rationale for their new business and outline who their target customers are. Both men also talk about their own backgrounds in sports administration, and what it was like to run some of the world’s biggest rugby tournaments. Looking to the future, they explain how Covid-19 will change sport going forward, and why sporting bodies need to increase their interactions with fans.
Ruth Medjber has 2020 all mapped out. The award-winning music and portrait photographer was covering Glastonbury for the BBC, had an exhibition in Australia and was touring in the US. In March, however, it all fell apart. However, using some of the entrepreneurial zeal she inherited from her parents, the Dublin photographer launched an online store and a range of t-shirts. However, it was her series, Lockdown Portraits in a Window, that caught international attention and landed her a book deal with Penguin Random House. In this podcast with Alison Cowzer, Medjber talks about pivoting her business as a result of the crisis, and about the impact of Covid-19 on the creative industries. Medjber, who trades as Ruthless Imagery, also talks about touring with Hozier, the importance of developing an online following, why artists should never be too proud to take a job, and the racism and sexism she encountered in her career.
Simon Harris has one of the longest job titles in government, but he says he is essentially the Minister for Skills. Now free from daily crisis management in the Department of Health, he argues that his new role is about helping to prevent a lost generation by redefining how people view skills, training and further education. In this podcast with Stephen Kinsella, The Currency’s Chief Economics Writer and a former acting chair of the Higher Education Authority, Harris outlines his agenda for third-level and further education, addressing issues such as lifelong learning, digital literacy, gender diversity and the rigidity of the university system.
In a rare and revealing interview, the former manager of U2 Paul McGuinness reflects upon his career – from the early days of trying to secure gigs for the fledgling band right through to negotiating with Steve Jobs over a collaboration with Apple. McGuinness also talks openly about his relationship with the band members and explains the deals and commercial moves that made U2 both a musical and financial juggernaut. McGuinness talks about the people he encountered along the way, and reveals why the U2 organisation was the “Harvard or Oxford” of rock and roll. Revealing how the activities of some Russian oligarchs in the south of France inspired him to create the hit television show Riviera, he also talks about why Neil Jordan left the project. He explains why rich lists are vulgar and outlines why he still turns to Bono for financial advice.
