The Southern Star Sport Podcast

ON THIS week's podcast, we look back at the Cork footballers’ win on the opening day of the Allianz Football League Division 2. John Cleary’s side beat Meath by 2-19 to 0-21, winning their first Division 2 opening game in eight attempts. The Rebels face Down next in Newry (1pm on Sunday) and are looking up with positivity. The Hurlers also got on the winning trail after their 2-21 to 0-12 triumph...

ON THIS week's podcast, we look back at the recent West Cork Sports Star Awards held in the Celtic Ross Hotel. It was no surprise to see Olympic legends Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy pick up the main award, Paul for the fourth time, Fintan got his third. Niall Cahalane (Hall of Fame), Clonakilty Soccer Club (Team of the Year), Goleen GAA (Special Achievement), Clonakilty RFC (Club of the Year...

ON THIS week's podcast, Sue Nicholson joins us to talk about West Cork Jesters. Nicholson chats about all their activities, events and opportunities going on at their Clubhouse in Durrus. She also delves into their fundraising efforts to get their 17 athletes to the Mixed Ability World Cup in Pamplona Spain in June 2025.  They competed at the 2022 World Cup too and Sue talks about why it’s so...

ON THIS week's podcast, we look ahead to a new year of the Beamish Cup. It is a staple to the West Cork soccer calendar and nobody is more excited for the commencement than in Star HQ. Clonakilty Soccer Club hope to retain the cup they won in dramatic fashion in 2024, beating Drinagh Rangers 3-2 in the final. Drinagh themselves, who lost out on the league and cup last season, will hope to win thei...

ON THIS week's podcast, we are looking back at a memorable year in West Cork sport, hence why the end of year list has been increased from 10 to 20 places. 2024 was one to remember for West Cork sporting fanatics between success at the Olympic Games in Paris where the Ballineen Bullet Phil Healy and Skibbereen rowers Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy in particular excelled, local GAA clubs winnin...

ON THIS week's podcast, up and coming GAA referee Shane Scanlon explains why he took up the whistle. The Newcestown native has taken charge of some big games in his young career including this year’s Cork premier SHC final between Imokilly and Sarsfields. Scanlon chats about his career to date, the number of referees needed for club championships, respect for referees and the new rules for gaelic...

ON THIS week's podcast, we catch up with Macroom native Erika O’Shea after her Australian Football League Women’s triumph with the North Melbourne Kangaroos.  The Roos won the title against the 2023 victors, Brisbane Lions, in the final by 39-9 and went the whole season unbeaten, no team in the AFL men's or women's have done that before. O’Shea just finished her third season down under and at...

ON THIS week's podcast, we are joined by Goleen midfielder Matthew Sheehan as the Carbery junior B champions face into a county final against Douglas. The Mizen Peninsula club have already won two championship trophies (confined junior B and Carbery junior B titles) as well as a West Cork division 2 league win. Their county junior B final is in Pairc Uí Rinn this Sunday at 1pm as they hope to win...

ON THIS week's podcast, Kieran is joined by O’Donovan Rossa hurling trio Alan Foley, Flor Crowley and Rob Long. The club is celebrating 20 years after their Cork junior BHC victory in 2004. On November 14th, 2004, Crowley, who was captain of the team, collected the junior B cup in front of a huge Skibbereen following.  Recently, 25 players from the county winning panel, as well as the entire...

ON THIS week's podcast, Tom Savage from Three Red Kings joins us to discuss the current state of play involving Jack Crowley. The Bandon RFC graduate and Innishannon man has been in competition for the Irish number ten jersey for the past few weeks with Leinster players Ciaran Frawley and Sam Prendergast. Crowley played 58 minutes against New Zealand and 62 minutes against Argentina in Ireland’s r...

ON THIS week's podcast, O’Donovan Rossa forward Kate O’Donovan chats after the Skibbereen club’s Munster intermediate LGFA title win. Rossa beat St Ailbes from Limerick by 0-10 to 0-7 and produced a particularly impressive second half display. That's five championship titles in the last five for super Skibb, who have only lost one game in that time. O’Donovan talks about how the win has sunk in, t...

ON THIS week's podcast, Diarmuid O'Mathunas captain Jeremiah Hurley discusses their first Carbery junior AHC win in 14 years. The Castletownkenneigh club beat Ballinascarthy by 1-14 to 1-12 in Enniskeane to bring the Flyer Nyhan Cup back to Mathunas. Hurley talks about the emotion of the win, the support from the Mathunas’ fans, balancing hurling and football and their upcoming county championship...

ON THIS week's podcast, Castlehaven captain Mark Collins joins us on the show after their 0-16 to 0-11 win over Nemo Rangers, winning their second county premier SFC title in a row. They repeated the feat of 2012/2013, manager Seanie Cahalane captained the team 11 years ago and is now the winning manager. The Haven were full value for their win after outscoring Nemo by 0-9 to 0-3 in the second hal...

ON THIS week's podcast, former Cork footballer and Southern Star Sports columnist John Hayes previews the county premier SFC final between Castlehaven and Nemo Rangers, on Sunday in Supervalu Pairc Ui Chaoimh at 3.30pm. The Haven are going for their second Andy Scannell Cup in a row and face a Nemo side chasing their first crown since 2022. The sides battled it out in the final in 2023 too as the...

ON THIS week's podcast, Kieran chats to O’Donovan Rossa captain Laura O’Mahony after the Skibb side’s county intermediate LGFA triumph over Naomh Aban, 0-12 to 1-8. O’Mahony talks about the rise of the club from being in junior C in 2018 to competing in Senior in 2025. Rossa won the junior Cork, Munster and All Ireland crowns in 2023 and have won 19 of their last 20 championship games. It is a fai...

ON THIS week's podcast, Kieran McCarthy chats to Cork Camogie and Courcey Rovers star Saoirse McCarthy. McCarthy was in Croke Park this week for the Launch of Eir as an Official Telco partner of the Camogie Association and three year sponsor of the U16 Camogie All Ireland Championship. She talks about how Camogie brings people together, adapting to Dublin life and Cork’s quest for the O’Duffy Cup...

ON THIS week's podcast, we chat to Ballinascarthy forward Brian O’Donovan ahead of their Carbery junior AHC semi final against St James on Sunday at 2.30pm in Enniskeane. O’Donovan has been in two of the last three Southern Star Team of the Week’s across hurling and football. He is one of the most lethal finishers in the Carbery championship and one of Bal’s marksmen in both codes. We also look at...

BEARA'S Billy Murphy has a new role as their new schools coach and how they can develop as a division. He talks to Kieran McCarthy on this week's podcast. We also cover a big weekend of county football action as Clonakilty, Carbery Rangers, Dohenys and Bantry Blues. The current state of play in the Carbery junior A championships will be talked about too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...

PAUL O'DONOVAN was recently awarded for his incredible 2024 with a monthly West Cork Sports Star award, and we took the time to catch up with him in a year that has gone pretty well, it's fair to say. A second Olympic gold medal, a seventh World Rowing championship, starting work as a doctor – it's been a busy year. Thousands flocked to see O'Donovan and the other Skibbereen rowers at a massive ho...

THIS week's podcast is a preview special as we look ahead to this weekend's Cork football championship matches as the final round of the group stage takes place. It looks set to be an exciting couple of days of football as there is still plenty to be decided across the different divisions, with a number of West Cork clubs looking to either qualify for the next round or avoid the dreaded releg...

PAUL O'Donovan might have chosen to take some time off after winning his third Olympic – and second gold – medal in Paris during the summer. He would have been well within his rights to rest, recover and let everything sink in. Instead, he travelled to Canada just a couple of weeks later and won his seventh World Rowing title. He also started working as a doctor in the interim. His recent achievem...

CELEBRATIONS raged across Cork last week as the All-Ireland winning senior camogie team returned from Dublin with a second O'Duffy Cup in as many years. The Rebels’ reign is well underway. That’s now back-to-back All-Ireland senior camogie titles. With Cork also winning the All-Ireland intermediate crown, the first leg of the double, at Croke Park last week. Courcey Rovers stars Fiona Keating and...

PHIL Healy is the special guest on a special episode of the Star Sport Podcast, as The Ballineen Bullet joins Kieran McCarthy to reflect on a whirlwind couple of weeks at the Paris Olympics. Phil was welcomed home to the twin villages of Ballineen and Enniskeane in style last week, as she was paraded through the streets in a vintage Rolls Royce! She looks back on an incredible performance at Paris...

PHIL Healy ran an incredible race last Saturday night, clocking a time of 50.94 in the women's 4x400m relay final to help get Ireland to within eighteen hundredths of an historic bronze medal. It was an emotional race for Phil and her teammates, who were in tears afterwards, wondering what could have been. Now that the dust has settled, we can look back at what was one of the most memorable races...

PHIL Healy is a two-time Olympic finalist! The Ballineen Bullet along with Sophie Becker, Kelly McGrory, and Sharlene Mawdsley qualified in third position in heat two of the 4x400m women's relay to qualify automatically for the final. The Irish quartet ran a fantastic race, just finishing marginally behind Jamacia and the Netherlands with a time of 3:25.05. Becker led the team off with a 50.9, wit...