ISESA Podcast

Over the next few weeks, we're revisiting three episodes from the first season of the ISESA Podcast that have become even more relevant today than when they were originally recorded. Together, these episodes explore how sport and exercise science is increasingly moving beyond performance and into healthcare—helping people regain independence after stroke, supporting people living with obesity, and...

Nora Ní Fhlannagáin and Julia Gruszczynska from the Sport & Exercise Nutrition Group (SENG) join Bruce to discuss what this means for a registered dietician or sport and exercise nutritionist to be a member of the SENG in Ireland. Going forward, SENG members will be guests on the podcast to bring new content to our audience focussing on applied sport and exercise nutrition practice and researc...

Irish Rugby's Will Connors explains how he uses AI, Machine Learning and Biomechanics to decode tackle safety. In this episode of the ISESA Podcast, Bruce Wardrop sits down with Irish international rugby player and sport science researcher, Will Connors. Widely regarded as one of the most effective tacklers on the pitch thanks to his mastery of the "chop tackle," Will operates at the exact interse...

In this super episode podcast, Bruce speaks with Adam Sweeney, a 22-year-old adventurer from Waterford. Adam is preparing to begin a two-month expedition with the objective of becoming the youngest Irish person to summit Mount Everest. The discussion tracks his progression through increasingly demanding high-altitude environments, analyzing his experiences on Aconcagua in Argentina (6,961m) and th...

In this episode, Bruce sits down with Jonny McKenna, a recent South East Technological University (SETU) graduate who crossed the Atlantic to complete his MSc in Mental Performance at Ithaca College, New York. Jonny & Bruce go for a deep dive into the realities of pursuing graduate studies and building a sport science career in the USA. Serving as a natural follow-up to our previous discussion...

Preparations for the 2026 ISESA conference are well underway and today, Ciara Sinnott-O'Connor, e chair of this year's conference team brings us an update what we can expect and look forward to. Ciara outlines the shift in focus for this year's event, teasing us with potential keynotes on AI in sport, performing under pressure, and "bad science," while emphasizing that discipline-specific content...

People with severe mental illness face a staggering 15–20 year life expectancy gap compared to the general population. This is a scandal of inequality, largely driven by preventable physical health issues. In this episode, Bruce sits down with Dr. Evan Matthews , researcher at SETU Waterford and co-author of the recent Lancet Psychiatry Commission report on lifestyle interventions in mental health...

Most of us would struggle to drive a car for 12.5 hours without losing concentration. Caitriona Jennings ran for that long—averaging a blistering 7:34/mile pace to shatter the 100-mile World Record. In this episode, Bruce sits down with the 2012 Olympian and new ISESA board member to discuss one of the most remarkable feats in Irish endurance history. We explore how she balances her C Suite role (...

We spend hours training the heart and the muscles, but what about the primary sensor that drives every decision an athlete makes? In this episode, Bruce is joined by Dr. Fraser Horn, Professor at Pacific University College of Optometry and a world-renowned expert in Sports Vision. Having worked with Nike and collegiate athletics, Fraser challenges the idea that "20/20" is the gold standard, explai...

With the 2025 season approaching, Bruce chats with Dr. Shane Malone (TU Dublin) about all things pre-season for the team sports. We discuss Shane’s brand new research (co-authored with Martin Buchheit) which suggests we may have become too reliant on GPS, marking the return of heart rate as a critical monitoring tool. Shane reveals why the traditional aerobic slog might be working for your midfiel...

In this episode, we explore the powerful intersection of social enterprise, sport and exercise science and health promotion. Steve O'Connell, founder of The Football Cooperative, and Dr. Paula Carroll, Senior Lecturer at SETU and Principal Researcher on the Football Co-operative projects join me in studio to chat about their amazing collaboration. We discuss how a simple game of pick up football h...

This episode is a re-release from last year to coincide with Science Week 2025. Our vision at the Irish Sport and Exercise Science Association is to enhance the health, well-being and performance of individuals through sport and exercise sciences. With that vision in mind and looking to the future, we thought it would be a good idea to put out an episode aimed at anyone who might want to know more...

Lynne Cantwell is inductee number 174 in to the World Rugby Hall of Fame. With 86 appearances in green, Lynne is still Ireland's most-capped women's rugby player. In an international career that spanned 13 years, she appeared at no less than four Rugby World Cups and one Rugby Sevens World Cup. As a player, Lynne was integral to Ireland’s most iconic achievements, including their 2013 Six Nations...

Niamh O’Brien is the Lead Performance Analyst for the Irish Para Swimming Team. She has just returned from working at the World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore where the Irish Team secured an astonishing 7 medals. Niamh is a really interesting guest - she is a relative newcomer in the world of high performance sport and only recently graduated from her undergrad in Sport Science and Healt...

In this episode, expert from DCU's School of Health and Human Performance present their take on how best to prepare for the Dublin Marathon. Dr. Brendan Egan discusses nutrition Dr. David Nolan extolls the virtues of strength & conditioning for runners, Dr. Aoife Bourke chats about injury prevention when training for a marathon and Dr. Anna Donnla O'Hagan talks about Psychology when Racing. Ho...

In our latest episode, we bring you our elite athlete discussion panel from the 2025 ISESA Conference, held in SETU Waterford. Tiarnán O'Donnell (Paralympic Rowing), Laura Treacy (Cork Camogie) and Tom Barr (Athletics) share stories and insights which highlight the impact sport & exercise science has had on their career. This session was really well received by the conference delegates so if y...

The Past, Present and Future of Sport & Exercise Sciences Research and Applied Practice in Ireland. Pillars of the conference programme content: Empowering athlete populations The realities of theory to applied practice Shaping Careers and Innovation in Contemporary Sport and Exercise What to expect: Reflective presentations from world renowned keynote speakers, with actionable take home messa...

In the latest episode we bring you a double feature into the world of Athletic Rehabilitation Therapy in Ireland (ARTI). First, we have a chat with the President of ARTI to discuss the organization's crucial role in shaping the professional standards for athletic therapists in Ireland, how practitioners gain accreditation, and the future of the profession in Ireland. Then, we have a fascinating, i...

In this episode I catch up with Jenny Coe who is the Performance and Well-Being Lead for the women’s professional football leagues in the UK. This includes to two top tiers - the Barclays Women’s Super league & Barclays Women’s Championship. Over the last five years, women’s football has grown in popularity, visibility, recognition and financial success. Average match attendance in the top wom...

Sleep and recovery with Peter Tierney Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Alison Keogh is an Assistant Professor in Digital HealthCare Innovation at Trinity College Dublin where she is enjoying a very successful and productive career as an academic researcher. In parallel to this, Alison has also risen through the ranks in hockey officiating and is also an International Hockey Umpire, who has taken charge at hundreds of matches at the highest level, including the Paris...

In this episode we bring you with us to the Inaugural Women in Sport and Exercise Science Conference that was held in Glasson Lakehouse in Athlone at the end of January. The event was organized by Míde Research is an all-island, cross-institute consortium set up to conduct high-quality interdisciplinary research to ultimately improve the health, wellbeing, participation and performance of women an...

Tune into this bitesize episode to hear the exciting news about the inaugural Irish Sport and Exercise Science Association Annual Conference. Bringing together the entire sport and exercise science community in Ireland and with content and sessions aimed at undergrads, postgrads, practitioners and academics there is something for everyone and not to be missed! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac...

At just 25 years of age, Judy Bobbett has a phenomenal sporting CV; junior and senior county football for Meath, rugby for Leinster and Ireland and now boxing for Ireland. Rugby was her number one sport and she rose quickly through the ranks to make her international debut. However, the pressure of a playing team sport at an elite level, coupled with a global pandemic brought with it significant b...