The Southern Star Sport Podcast

WE have a very special treat for  Southern Star  fans as we caught up with two-time Olympic gold medallist Fintan McCarthy to chat about his experiences at the Paris Games. One-half of the dominant Irish lightweight men’s double alongside Paul O’Donovan, Fintan reflects on the A final, the build-up, sharing the moment with his family and friends, and the celebrations in Paris. Hosted on...

They only went and did it! Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy are Olympic champions once again following victory in the men's lightweight double sculls final this morning. It's a massive achievement for the Skibbereen pair, who will go down in the history books as some of Ireland's greatest-ever athletes. Paul O'Donovan is now the only Irish person to medal at three separate Games – Silver in Rio,...

SKIBBEREEN will have three  rowers competing in Olympic finals on Friday morning after Paul O'Donovan, Fintan McCarthy and Aoife Casey – with Rochestown's Mags Cremen – all qualified after impressive performances in their semi-finals. On today's podcast we look back on an exciting morning for West Cork, Cork and Ireland as Star Sports editor Kieran McCarthy reports from outside Skibbereen Row...

SKIBBEREEN rowers are heading into one of the biggest weeks of their sporting career, as competition at the Olympics hots up. All four rowers from West Cork were out in action on Sunday, with Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy dominating their heat to qualify straight into the men's lightweight double sculls semi-final on Wednesday morning. We chat about their performance and confident demeanour a...

THERE are four rowers from West Cork heading to the Paris Olympics – Paul O'Donovan, Fintan McCarthy, Aoife Casey and Emily Hegarty. All four have come through Skibbereen Rowing Club, and all four are part of an Irish rowing team which is confident of bringing medals back from France later this summer. On this week's podcast, Star Sport editor Kieran McCarthy previews the action which ge...

ALL roads lead to Croke Park on this week's  Star Sport Podcast , as former Cork senior hurling manager John Meyler joins us to preview Sunday's All-Ireland hurling final between Cork and Clare. Cork are hoping to get their hands on the Liam McCarthy Cup for the first time in 19 years, but have a formidable Clare side in their way, who are themselves looking to win for the first time since th...

GOLEEN captain Padraig Reidy was in great form, along with his teammates, this week as they ended a long wait for the county confined junior B football title with a victory over Ballyphehane in Páirc Uí Rinn on Saturday. The men from the West had lost four county finals in recent years and were determined not to let that number grow as they found the energy to get over the line in a banner day for...

FORMER Cork footballer and  Star  columnist John Hayes joins the podcast this week to talk about Cork's loss to Louth in the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final at the weekend. Hayes says he doesn't think he's 'ever been quite as annoyed' at a result as he was on Sunday, and breaks down where he thinks Cork went wrong, why they struggled to create chances against Louth's defensive syst...

EUROPEAN silver medallist Phil Healy – the Ballineen Bullet – joins us on this week's podcast to chat about her incredible achievements at the European Championships in Rome. Healy was part of the women's 4x400m team who thrilled the Irish crowd last week with a brilliant performance in the final, securing their silver medals with a new national record of 3:22:71. The West Cork woman ran the third...

NICOLA Tuthill is this week's podcast guest, fresh off the plane home from the European Championships in Rome. The Bandon hammer thrower – still just 20 years old – finished in ninth position at her first ever senior European Championships and joins us to chat about an amazing experience, beating her personal best in recent weeks and her future potential. We're also looking ahead to another big da...

CLONAKILTY Soccer Club are West Cork League Premier Division champions for the first time, and to celebrate we are welcoming Shane Buttimer to the podcast this week to chat about how it felt to get the title over the line. It was a nerve-wracking match on Sunday against defending champions Drinagh Rangers, who needed to beat Clon to secure first place. The game finished 2-2 and Clonakilty celebrat...

WITH one game to go in the West Cork League Premier Division, two points separate Clonakilty Soccer Club and Drinagh Rangers. The pair meet in their final game of the season this Sunday, and Ger McCarthy joins us on this week's podcast to preview what will be a tense affair. Clonakilty SC are top of the league on 46 points, with Drinagh travelling to Darrara College this Sunday knowing that only a...

James O'Donovan has had a brilliant few weeks. The Bandon bowler won gold in the Moors competition at the European Bowling Championships in Germany before making his Netflix debut in Bodkin, and now joins us as a guest on the  Star Sport Podcast ! We chat to O'Donovan about the trip to Germany, his delight at winning a gold medal in what was a tough competition, and what it was like getting i...

IT'S a Cork GAA special on this week's  Star Sport Podcast as we look forward to a bumper weekend of action across all codes. This Saturday, Cork ladies' footballers meet Kerry in the TG4 Munster senior championship final on Saturday in Mallow (4pm). While Cork are the defending Munster champions, Kerry are the form team, and the favourites heading into what will be an intriguing game this we...

CLONAKILTY won their first Beamish Cup title in 16 years at the weekend, beating Drinagh Rangers 3-2 in a victory that was widely celebrated in the town. On this week's podcast we are joined by Liam Anthony White – a member of the cup final winning team in 2008 and again in 2024 – who chats about what it means for Clonakilty to win, their hopes for the WCL Premier Division this season and a lot m...

DANIEL Davey of Davey Nutrition is the special guest on this week's Star Sport Podcast , ahead of his upcoming trip to West Cork for a live event at Glenilen farm in Drimoleague. The event,  Raise Your Game , will focus on insights from Davey aimed at helping to empower you to maximise impact and potential in all aspects of your life. It takes place at Glenilen farm on Thursday, May 16th – ti...

CORK'S minor football manager Haulie O'Sullivan joins us on this week's podcast to chat about his sides chances in the upcoming Munster championship. The former Carbery Rangers manager named a strong panel earlier in the month, and is looking forward to his side's opener against Kerry next Tuesday. There is a strong West Cork contingent on the minor panel, so football fans in the area will be watc...

FORMER Cork footballer John Hayes joins the Star Sport Podcast  this week to chat about the Rebels' upcoming Munster SFC semi-final against Kerry. It's been slim pickings for Cork against the Kingdom in recent years, with one win in their last 10 championship meetings . Can they bridge the gap in Fitzgerald's Stadium on Saturday? John Hayes thinks that while it will be difficult as alway...

ON this week's podcast we're welcoming Cork hurler Shane Kingston, who joins to chat about his team's chances in the upcoming Munster Senior Hurling Championship. Cork get their campaign underway away to Waterford next weekend, on Sunday April 21st. Having had their season ended in May last year, Kingston says Cork are determined to make sure their presence is felt in this year's championship. Kin...

THIS week's Star Sport Podcast is a preview special, as we take a look at two big games taking place in Cork this weekend – Clonakilty SC vs Drinagh Rangers in the Beamish Cup final, and Cork vs Limerick in the Munster SFC quarter-final. West Cork soccer fans will be hoping the weather doesn't postpone the Beamish Cup final this weekend – as Storm Kathleen brings gale force winds and a weather war...

OUR guest on this week's podcast is Andrea Stock, the latest West Cork rugby player to get called into an Irish rugby squad. The former Bantry RFC player from Durrus is in the 34-strong Ireland women’s squad for the upcoming Guinness Women's Six Nations, swelling the West Cork interest as Skibbereen’s Enya Breen has also been included. Ireland get their campaign underway away to France this Saturd...

THE  Star Sport Podcast  is on tour this week for a special episode recorded in the Access Credit Union buildings in Skibbereen. We're welcoming four key members of O'Donovan Rossa's All-Ireland winning ladies football team onto the podcast this week – Derek Tobin, a selector with the team, Cork minor and defender Allie Tobin, Sinead Farrell who is also a writer at The 42 AND forward Jes...

PHIL Healy is the special guest on this week's Star Sport Podcast, fresh from helping the Irish women's 4x400 relay team to a fifth place finish at the World Indoor Championships last weekend. It was a brilliant performance from the team, who also set a national record in their semi-final with a time of 3:28:45 after a stunning first leg by Healy. She joins the podcast to reflect on a great result...

ON this week's podcast we are joined by former Castlehaven manager James McCarthy, who recently stepped away from the job after last season's success. McCarthy led the Haven to the county and Munster senior football titles, before falling at the semi-final stage of the All-Ireland championship to St Brigid's of Roscommon. It has been a successful four years for McCarthy, who leaves Castlehaven in...

WE have two special guests on this week's podcast – Bantry Blues manager Ivan Kingston joins to reflect on his team's first U21A championship win in 12 years, and St Oliver Plunkett's manager Margaret Keohane joins to look forward to a Munster junior B final which takes place this weekend. Kingston chats to Seán Holland about his great group of players, the support from around Bantry and what it m...