The 42FM

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? But what could happen if the language and game of hurling were not restricted to these environments? How could they begin to thrive if attempts to make them more widely available were backed rather than thwarted? These are some of the questions tackled by Ciarán Murphy of the Second Captains in his new book, Old Parish, where he takes up hurling in his early 40s. Today, he chats with Sinead about the humbling effects of competitive hurling, and the life-affirming adventure of returning to his father’s club in the Waterford Gaeltacht to live, write and hurl. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

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 of sport. Why are some media organisations laying off their most seasoned journalists? Why is there less money in the fourth estate nowadays? How did the internet change the game and why did so many newspapers and websites fall foul of social media algorithm changes? The pair ponder what’s next for the industry and Sinead explains why the future for media firms could be a return to more traditional journalistic practices. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

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 around Integration, and consider how much of the €500 million project cost is down to the ‘centre of excellence culture’ which implores county boards to invest more and more money on land and facilities for players earmarked as elite. Also, the FAI have been criticised strongly for not attending Oireachtas Committees. Why not the same volume of headlines for the GAA, Camogie Association and LGFA who have so far not engaged with elected representatives in public despite an invitation to attend Leinster House this month? ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

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 week’s show, Sinéad and Gavin explain just what the Enhanced Games are, and who its backers are. On the face of it, its creators are modelling the Games as not just an alternative but a successor to the Olympic Games, having made many compelling criticisms of the Olympic Games in its current guise. But why do they believe the alternative to the Games’ deeply-flawed anti-doping regimen is to simply allow athletes to dope? And why would sports fans tune in to simply watch world records being broken, rather than watch true competition? Sinéad and Gavin explain why the Enhanced Games are not imagined as a sporting competition, but rather demonstrations of science, drawing a link to the libertarian and transhumanist beliefs of the Games’ founders, one of whom says that ageing “is a disease that we should be able to treat, cure, and eventually solve.” Rather than merely highlight the Olympic Games’ many, many flaws, the Enhanced Games instead represents something else - it’s where Silicon Valley, libertarian tech bros get their hands on sport. Get in touch - sinead@thejournal.ie [sinead@thejournal.ie] and gavincooney@the42.ie [gavincooney@the42.ie] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

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 legal reasons, continued his life working, socialising and playing rugby, before he was jailed in July 2024. Today, Bláthnaid talks about the attack, and its devastating impact on her life and family. She also discusses sport, and how it heightened her sense of isolation following the assault. She talks about how becoming immersed in new sports in recent years has helped her to piece her life back together. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.