PODCAST · news
The 42FM
by The 42
Sport meets news, current affairs, society and pop culture as we zoom out on the biggest story of the week to explore the wider context and issues at play. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
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‘There will be a united Ireland before there is a united Ireland football team’
Paul Howard joins Sinéad O’Carroll and Niall Kelly to talk about how sport would work in a united Ireland. This is a subject Paul has spent a lot of time thinking about during the research and writing for his new novel, A Nation Once Again. The book centres on a secretive civil service department...
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The Lost Sportswriter: Vincent Hogan interview
Sinead O’Carroll and Niall Kelly are joined by the much-admired sportswriter for a far-reaching chat. Vincent talks about the privilege and pressure of covering the Olympic games across the decades for the Irish Independent. And he explains how the GAA has changed - from being an organisation…
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Ireland-Israel: a fraught weekend, the aftermath and Part II
Sinéad O’Carroll is joined by David Sneyd, who has returned from a tumultuous few days in Debrecen with the Ireland football team. There is much to discuss, including the curious suggestion of this being a ‘media-created’ story. How will the team and Gavin Bazunu be received on Thursday night at...
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Ireland’s Nations League games against Israel
Ireland will play Israel twice in the coming weeks, despite widely articulated concern and protest over the fixtures. Niall Kelly and Sinead O’Carroll discuss the background to these games, how they came about, and why they will go ahead despite the misgivings of many supporters. The pair discuss...
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Lowry or Trump: whose star shone brightest at the Irish Open?
Niall Kelly is back from Doonbeg to tell Sinéad O’Carroll about a golf tournament like few others. It was a bizarre weekend in Co Clare, which juxtaposed The US president and all of the associated security hardware and personnel with a run of four extraordinary rounds of golf from Shane Lowry.…
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Does the GAA have an AFL problem?
Declan Bogue joins Sinéad O’Carroll and Niall Kelly as the lure of Australia proves strong for many young footballers. The GAA, says Sinead, have been ‘getting their knickers in a twist’ about the prospect of yet more talented players swapping Ireland for a life of sunshine, flat whites and...
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SNAP REACTION: Katie Taylor bows out with Croke Park fairytale victory
Niall Kelly, Sinéad O'Carroll and Gavan Casey provide immediate reaction from Croke Park after one of the greatest nights in the history of Irish sport. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Who is the real Katie Taylor, and what does she mean to the Irish public?
Gavan Casey joins Sinead O’Carroll and Niall Kelly to discuss how Katie Taylor sold out Croke Park. At some point during the 20 years the Bray woman has been a public figure, she has gone from being widely respected to loved. But why is this the case for someone who has rarely bared her soul?…
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How important is Troy Parrott’s Spanish transfer for Irish football?
Sinéad and Niall welcome The 42’s football correspondent David Sneyd to the show to reflect on arguably the biggest Irish transfer in years. With Parrott in line to make his Real Betis debut tonight, David charts the Dubliner’s path from Belvedere to Seville, and breaks down some of the key…
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Will Katie Taylor’s Croke Park homecoming be shown on RTÉ?
With less than three weeks to go until Katie Taylor’s sold-out Croke Park homecoming, negotiations regarding the TV broadcast rights are still ongoing. Subscription broadcaster Dazn holds the exclusive rights for fight night – but could RTÉ or Virgin Media strike a late deal to ensure that this...
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Does Jeff Bezos care about the soul of Liverpool FC?
Probably not, as Paul Fennessy tells Niall Kelly. But what is it about Premier League football clubs that make them so compelling to billionaires? Well, the eye-watering increase in value of Liverpool during the reign of FSG - where their 2010 investment of £300m is now worth around £4.5bn - is...
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The psychology of Mayo
On this week’s 42FM, Sinéad O’Carroll is joined by Ian Robertson, a neuroscientist and clinical psychologist, Professor of Psychology at Trinity College Dublin, and author of ‘The Winning Effect’. In a recent Irish Times article, Professor Robertson explained how Mayo’s approach to historical...
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How much is too much sport on TV?
Sinead O’Carroll and Niall Kelly are in reflective form after a highly-anticipated sporting weekend fell flat. The pair were left questioning their life choices after the All-Ireland hurling final, Open Championship and World Cup final, replete with half-time show, failed to deliver. The expected...
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Why VAR has absolutely no place in the GAA
‘The whole conversation is stupendously ridiculous’ says Sinead, who fears for football and hurling should video review be introduced. Sinead tells Niall that any embrace of technology beyond HawkEye and goal-line sensors would lead to decisions which are no less contentious, while making the...
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Trump’s World Cup, where sport and politics mix freely
David Sneyd dials in from America to chat to Sinead O’Carroll and Niall Kelly about the US President’s intervention in the World Cup. Our reporter on the ground thought he might get through the rest of the World Cup talking about just football - until Donald Trump decided to call his fellow...
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What’s the story with Rhasidat Adeleke?
Still the biggest name in Irish athletics, Rhasidat Adeleke is set to make her long-awaited return to 400m action in America this Friday night – a major step on the road to August’s European Championships in Birmingham. Former world indoor champion, Olympian and analyst Derval O’Rourke joins…
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Is this World Cup good?
Sinead O’Carroll is joined by Niall Kelly to tackle the footballing and lingering moral questions around the American World Cup Pre-competition concerns about swathes of empty seats and mismatches have not come to pass. Instead the World Cup has been the same vibrant and life-affirming festival…
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The Predictions Episode
Sinéad and Gavin nail their colours to the mast as they debate their big sporting predictions for the rest of 2026 and beyond. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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What is the deal with Gianni Infantino?
Sinead and Gavin discuss the Fifa president: where did he come from and how long does he plan to stick around? Infantino was elected as Fifa president in February 2016. He showed a supposedly new, more humble version of Fifa when he flew EasyJet to an IFAB meeting in the UK, saying “We are normal...
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Munster’s leadership crisis evident in Randle U-turn
Sinéad O’Carroll is joined by Niall Kelly to discuss the fallout from Munster’s appointment of Roger Randle as attack coach, and the subsequent “mutual agreement” that the deal will not go ahead. Randle was accused of raping a woman in South Africa in 1997 when he was there as a player. Randle...
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Why sports tickets have become a rip-off
Gavin and Sinéad discuss the inflation-busting prices of attending matches and other big sports events. Ryder Cup ticket prices for Adare Manor raised eyebrows, but are such levels now becoming the norm, especially for high-profile events which attract interest from the corporate and influencer...
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What Irish sport tells us about our rural/urban divide
In the aftermath of the fuel protests, Leo Varadkar decided it was time for urban Ireland to do some straight talking to rural Ireland, saying that “we are the ones paying the bills and you’re the ones in receipt of a lot of subsidies and tax benefits that other people don’t get.” The comments...
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Gav rides the Rorycoaster at Augusta
Sinead is joined by Gavin from Augusta National. It is the morning after another epic night for Rory McIlroy. But did it need to be epic? Does it always have to be so fraught, so tortuous? Yes, it seems. “Nobody,” as Gav says, “this good needs to be this interesting.” Some people just can’t help...
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An unusual Masters: Tiger absent and Rory back as champion
Gavin Cooney dials in from Augusta to look ahead to the 2026 Masters with Sinéad O'Carroll. Despite finally getting his hands on a green jacket last year, Rory McIlroy is still the talk of the town. How is he embracing his champion status? How will he perform this year with the pressure finally…
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The tragedy of Tiger Woods
Sinead O’Carroll and Gavin Cooney discuss the rise and prolonged downfall of golf’s greatest ever player. From prodigious talent levels in childhood to dominating the sport in his 20s and 30s, to the slow and scandal-riven decline, Tiger Woods has rarely been away from the headlines. Is the...
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SNAP REACTION: Ireland’s World Cup dream ends in penalty shootout heartbreak
Gavin Cooney and David Sneyd provide immediate reaction from the Fortuna Arena in Prague as Ireland fall to the cruelest of defeats in the World Cup semi-final play-off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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One win. Then one more win
Gavin Cooney dials in from Prague to chat to Sinead O’Carroll during a defining week for Irish football. Gav is optimistic but daunted on Ireland’s behalf, as they need five competitive wins in a row to make the World Cup finals in America. Sinead, informed by her data analyst sister, says, no -...
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How those who sent racist abuse to Edwin Edogbo could be caught
Munster’s Edwin Edogbo made his Ireland debut during the 2026 Six Nations campaign, after which he was subject to vile, racist abuse on social media. On this week’s show, Sinéad and Gavin speak to Jonathan Sebire, co-founder of Signify, which monitors and reports online abuse of athletes. The…
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Is the GAA trying to back out of integration?
The planned merger of the GAA, the Ladies Gaelic Football Association and the Camogie Association is back in the news. The next president of the GAA, newly elected, has less ambitious timelines for the project than are currently in place. Sinéad is joined in studio by Senator Evanne Ní Chuilinn…
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How RTÉ handed the GAA a goldmine for €3m
RTÉ last week sold its 50% stake in GAA Plus née Go for €3 million. The news was met with a shrug, but Sinead's brow is furrowed. With Gav on leave, she's joined by technology and media professional Steve Dempsey to dig into the deal. Was €3 million a fair price for half of a profitable, growing...
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The stark hypocrisy of Ireland’s stance on politics in sport
Sinead and Gavin take a look at a new policy that seeks to enhance the country’s international reputation through sport - while the government argues that a football game against Israel should not be politicised. Gav went along to the launch of the International Sports Diplomacy Framework on...
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Should Ireland play football against Israel?
Sinead and Gavin discuss in-depth the pressing issue of this week, and one that will likely make headlines all year. The FAI have been placed in the unenviable position of having to navigate a path out of the crisis which began when Ireland were drawn to play Israel in the Nations League. Some…
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Trump vs Team USA at the Winter Olympics
Sinead O’Carroll dials in from northern Italy to tell Niall Kelly about all of the sporting and political action in Milano Cortina. Several US athletes, including Amber Glenn and Hunter Hess, have spoken up against the Trump administration this week, which has led to an inevitable backlash from…
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Thrills, spills and politics: Why you should watch the Winter Olympics
Sinead is off to northern Italy for the Winter Olympics this week. Today she tells Gav about her lifelong fascination with figure skating: how it started, how it developed and what she expects to see over the coming days in Milano Cortina. Also, Sinead runs the rule over Ireland’s four Winter...
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How we talk about parenthood in professional sport
French rugby player Thibaud Flament last week announced that he would not be available to play Ireland in the Six Nations owing to his and his wife’s fertility treatment. On this week’s show, Sinéad and Gavin discuss Flament’s story in the context of how the media covers matters of pregnancy,...
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What’s Ireland’s problem with cyclists?
Cyclists have become a nightmare in Dublin, according to one headline-making judge last week. And Judge James O’Donohoe is far from alone in Ireland in feeling comfortable criticising cyclists, despite the fact that 14 were killed in our roads last year, and 45 in the past five years. This week…
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Unlike democracies, Manchester United need a strong man
Why is the purported biggest club in British football in such a perpetual state of chaos? Gavin and Sinead delve into the reasons United have failed to adapt to a post Alex Ferguson world, and come to the conclusion that the club needs a powerful figure to oversee the empire, even if that figure…
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Will Trump have invaded any of his co-hosts by the World Cup?
In these uncertain times, getting even less certain by the hour, Sinead and Gavin take a look ahead to the summer’s World Cup in America and discuss how it will play out. Most fundamentally, will it take place against a backdrop of military activity? US co-hosts Mexico and Canada have already…
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Should we be worried about the Ireland rugby team?
Midway through the World Cup cycle, Sinead and Gav assess the health of the Ireland rugby team with an eye on the perennial question: Can we win a World Cup quarter final? Optimism levels in rugby country are more subdued than usual following a lacklustre Autumn series, while the provinces,...
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Succession or betrayal? The complicated endgame for Mo Salah and Liverpool FC
Mo Salah’s outburst after being left on the bench during Liverpool’s draw with Leeds on Saturday means the legendary forward has probably kicked his last ball for the Reds. But is Salah right to suggest he has been thrown under the bus by the club he has served so well for eight years? Is it...
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Are Ireland’s stars missing out on the Netflixification of sport?
Fans across the world are eagerly anticipating the finale of the Formula 1 season this weekend, but how much of that is down to the sport, and how much is due to the dramatisation of everything that is F1 on the Netflix series Drive to Survive? This week Sinead and Gav marvel at how F1 has…
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How should football talk about Diogo Jota’s death?
After Scotland’s remarkable qualification for next year’s World Cup, captain Andy Robertson gave an emotional insight into his grief following the tragic death of his Liverpool team-mate, Diogo Jota. On this week’s podcast, Sinéad and Gavin discuss Robertson’s interview, and why it led to a wider...
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Why are we so happy? How does football make us feel this way?
It is another gloriously happy day, as Sinéad and Gavin continue to bask with the rest of you in the beautiful afterglow of Ireland’s victory in Hungary. Gavin is back from Budapest and gives Sinéad the lowdown on how the whole, mad drama played out in the stadium. But truly it doesn’t matter…
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Hungary v Ireland - The aftermath, with Gavin Cooney, David Sneyd and Shane Keegan
How many times has Sinéad asked Gav is it possible? Could we?... is there any way? She should have been asking Troy Parrott. Ireland's stunning 3-2 win over Hungary is all anyone wants to talk about today. Unfortunately, Gav and Sinéad record on Tuesdays and Gav, naturally, is a wanted man...
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How sport exposes Ireland’s housing crisis
With the League of Ireland season over, clubs’ attention now turns to recruiting new players for next year, during which they will quickly run into the realities of Ireland’s housing crisis. On this week’s show, Sinéad and Gavin explain how the crisis affects professional sport in Ireland, how it...
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Ciarán Murphy on why hurling and the Irish language have a similar struggle
The Irish language and hurling should be accessible and a source of joy to many. Has this always been the case? Is it even the case now? Or are they ring-fenced? Taught in specific environments - school and GAA clubs that happen to offer hurling, which are not so plentiful in much of the country?...
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Why the loss of Irish journalism jobs is bad news for sports fans
Gav and Sinead discuss the events of last week, when there were yet more job losses in Irish sports journalism. This will affect sports fans in a number of ways, from there being fewer experienced people to hold organisations and individuals to account, to less depth and quality in the coverage…
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The GAA is dropping the ball on Integration
Why is it so hard to integrate the GAA, Camogie Association and LGFA? Why should it cost the mooted half a billion euro to do so, and why have the leadership of the GAA been so silent on the matter to date, with the vacuum being filled by naysayers? Sinead and Gav address these and more issues...
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The f****d-up thinking behind the Enhanced Games
Irish Olympic swimmer Shane Ryan last week announced his retirement from competitive swimming before this week dropping a bombshell: he has signed up to compete at the Enhanced Games, a version of the Olympic Games at which competitors are allowed to take performance-enhancing drugs. On this…
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Blathnaid Raleigh on the aftermath of a rape trial and the two sides of sport
In this week’s podcast, Sinead and Gavin talk to Bláthnaid Raleigh. In July 2019, Bláthnaid was raped by Jonathan Moran at a house party in Galway. Back in their hometown of Mullingar, Bláthnaid would spend the next five years living with the effects; her attacker, unable to be identified for…
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The 42FM have?
The 42FM currently has 126 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The 42FM about?
Sport meets news, current affairs, society and pop culture as we zoom out on the biggest story of the week to explore the wider context and issues at play. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
How often does The 42FM release new episodes?
The 42FM publishes regularly with 126 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The 42FM?
You can listen to The 42FM on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The 42FM?
The 42FM is created and hosted by The 42.
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