The 42FM
Episodes
An unusual Masters: Tiger absent and Rory back as champion
07 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 y...
The tragedy of Tiger Woods
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Sinead O’Carroll and Gavin Cooney discuss the rise and prolonged downfall of golf’s greatest ever player.From prodigious talent levels in childhoo...
SNAP REACTION: Ireland’s World Cup dream ends in penalty shootout heartbreak
26 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 s...
One win. Then one more win
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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...
How those who sent racist abuse to Edwin Edogbo could be caught
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Is the GAA trying to back out of integration?
12 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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, ...
How RTÉ handed the GAA a goldmine for €3m
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The stark hypocrisy of Ireland’s stance on politics in sport
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Sinead and Gavin take a look at a new policy that seeks to enhance the country’s international reputation through sport - while the government argue...
Should Ireland play football against Israel?
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 un...
Trump vs Team USA at the Winter Olympics
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 athlet...
Thrills, spills and politics: Why you should watch the Winter Olympics
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 star...
How we talk about parenthood in professional sport
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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’...
What’s Ireland’s problem with cyclists?
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 Ire...
Unlike democracies, Manchester United need a strong man
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
Will Trump have invaded any of his co-hosts by the World Cup?
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Should we be worried about the Ireland rugby team?
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 Wor...
Succession or betrayal? The complicated endgame for Mo Salah and Liverpool FC
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 h...
Are Ireland’s stars missing out on the Netflixification of sport?
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 muc...
How should football talk about Diogo Jota’s death?
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After Scotland’s remarkable qualification for next year’s World Cup, captain Andy Robertson gave an emotional insight into his grief following the...
Why are we so happy? How does football make us feel this way?
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 Hu...
Hungary v Ireland - The aftermath, with Gavin Cooney, David Sneyd and Shane Keegan
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 wi...
How sport exposes Ireland’s housing crisis
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Ciarán Murphy on why hurling and the Irish language have a similar struggle
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 r...
Why the loss of Irish journalism jobs is bad news for sports fans
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 numbe...
The GAA is dropping the ball on Integration
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 lea...
The f****d-up thinking behind the Enhanced Games
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Irish Olympic swimmer Shane Ryan last week announced his retirement from competitive swimming before this week dropping a bombshell: he has signed up ...
Blathnaid Raleigh on the aftermath of a rape trial and the two sides of sport
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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....
Why didn’t Jim Gavin stick to football?
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sinead and Gav sift through the wreckage of Jim Gavin’s presidential campaign and ponder why so many people thought the former Dublin manager was a ...
How ‘hideous, nasty’ Ryder Cup jeering crossed the line
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gav dials in from New York City, following the most remarkable, the most epic and the most fractious Ryder Cup of all.He tells Sinead about the person...
The Ryder Cup: Where sport, money and politics collide
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gav dials in from Bethpage Black, where the Trump-attended 45th Ryder Cup tees off this week.He tells Sinead why this edition of the inter-continental...
Why are we happy to let the NFL into Croke Park?
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Pittsburgh Steelers will face the Minnesota Vikings at Croke Park on 28 September, marking the first regular-season NFL game to be played in Irela...
Is it realistic to expect Ireland to qualify for a World Cup?
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gavin joins Sinéad from Yerevan ahead of this evening's must-win World Cup qualifier vs Armenia. If the Boys in Green claim three points, can a gener...
Will Jim Gavin regret running for President?
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dana, Adi Roche, Sean Gallagher, David Norris, Gavin Duffy - all people who thought they had a good enough public standing to seek election to Áras a...
Is horse racing a sport or an industry?
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s Galway Races week, so on this week’s episode Sinéad and Gavin dive into the Irish State funding of horse racing. They present the figures wh...
Why Cork choked - and why that's okay
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, Sinéad and Gavin look back on a shocking All-Ireland final collapse by Cork. Did they choke? And why is there such stigma att...
An extraordinary development in the George Gibney saga
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s show, Sinéad and Gavin look at the recent developments in the case of George Gibney, former swim coach and subject of the 2020 Secon...
How Katie Taylor definitively settled her trilogy against Amanda Serrano
12 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gavan Casey dials in from New York City to reflect on Taylor’s majority decision win over Serrano in their Madison Square Garden main event. Hosted ...
Previewing Taylor-Serrano III - The last fight of Katie’s career?
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a bonus episode of The 42FM, with Gavan Casey joining Gavin Cooney live from NYC ahead of Katie Taylor’s third battle with Amanda Serrano. Th...
The shattering of DJ Carey’s reputation
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s show, Sinéad and Gavin look back at the extraordinary fall from grace of DJ Carey. They contextualise his greatness as a sportsperso...
If we can fix Gaelic football, we can fix anything
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's podcast, Sinead and Gavin toast the extraordinary work of Jim Gavin and his Football Rules Committee, which has successfully saved Gael...
Could you get in trouble for using a dodgy box?
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
An estimated one in five Irish households access live sport using a dodgy box - on this week’s show, Sinéad and Gavin explain the crackdown on thei...
Arise Sir Becks: What David Beckham tells us about modern football and celebrity
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
David Beckham has completed a career ambition with the bestowing of a knighthood by King Charles.On this week’s podcast, Gavin and Sinéad discuss w...
How the GAA allowed hurling become a minority sport
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sinead spent the weekend at Croke Park, watching her beloved Kildare hurlers complete a stunning rise to win the Joe McDonagh Cup, and earn promotion ...
The highlights and the weirder parts of this summer’s biggest sports events
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s episode, Sinéad and Gavin look ahead to the biggest events of the summer, previewing storylines and the likely winners and losers. W...
How I came to play and love team sports at the age of 51
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine first experiencing the thrill of scoring a goal or kicking a point at the age of 51. That's the unlikely and thrilling turn life took this yea...
Gary Lineker, and the UK media coverage of Israel
22 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s pod, Gavin and Sinéad discuss Gary Lineker’s early exit from the BBC, after he shared a social media post that included an anti-se...
Rory McIlroy: Unburdened and dangerous
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gav dials in from Quail Hollow where Rory McIlroy begins his new quest - to become the first golfer of all time to win a calendar Grand Slam.He and Si...
‘The skort is an expression of frustration’ - Rena Buckley on camogie controversy
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
18 All-Ireland medals and 11 All-Stars across camogie and LGFA - few people are as qualified to speak on the skort controversy as Rena Buckley.The Cor...
The GAA’s split season isn’t working
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The GAA enacted a revolution a couple of years ago in introducing the split season, bringing forward the All-Ireland finals to July to allow for a def...
Has Irish Rugby admitted that Leinster have become too strong?
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The IRFU last week announced a change to the central contract system that has underpinned Irish rugby’s success in the professional era, with provin...
Rory McIlroy’s Masters glory: Why does it mean so much?
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rory McIlroy has entered an exclusive club: the subject of back-to-back episodes of The 42FM. Oh, and he’s also become the first Irish golfer to win...
Why do we care so much about Rory McIlroy now?
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s podcast, Sinéad and Gavin dive into the epic quest that has become of Rory McIlroy’s efforts to win the Masters. Why does winning ...
Is kids' sport too competitive?
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One of five kids in Ireland drop out of sport when transitioning from primary school to secondary school, and the average age at which a child drops o...
From UFC to the Áras: Conor McGregor’s fight to stay famous
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Conor McGregor caused a national jolt by turning up at the White House on St Patrick’s Day, and McGregor has since doubled down on his intentions to...
How the gambling industry captured sport
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s episode, Sinéad and Gavin discuss gambling in sport, and Ireland’s drawn-out means of tackling it. First they illustrate the exten...
Rob Heffernan on how Ireland can become an athletics powerhouse
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s podcast, and off the back of Sarah Healy, Mark English and Kate O’Connor’s medals at the European Indoor Championships, Sinéad a...
Why our national football teams are going to get worse before they get better
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gavin last week met our new sports ministers for the first time, who told him that the government’s promised funding for professional football acade...
How Colin Healy's treatment shows the FAI is still dysfunctional
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The manner of the exit of Colin Healy from his role as assistant manager with the Irish women's national team has provoked intense criticism of the Fo...
Should inter-county GAA players be paid?
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The amateur filling an 82,000-capacity stadium before returning to the day job on Monday morning is one of the sources of pride among GAA folk.But how...
Is it fair to ban trans women from female sport?
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Last week, Donald Trump signed an Executive Order banning transgender women from female sport, beneath the title, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Spor...
What has happened to Marcus Rashford?
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s show kicks off with some Six Nations chat: is the Irish team too dominated by Leinster, and is Jack Crowley the fall guy? Sinéad and Ga...
What is the new government going to do for sport?
28 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, Sinéad gives Gavin the lowdown on last week's farcical Dáil scenes, and what is says about this government's hopes of lastin...
Media training is not a ‘personality transplant’: Leinster's side of the story
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There was a big reaction to last week’s episode off the back of Mack Hansen’s punishment for criticising officials, specifically on the nature of ...
What is the purpose of RTÉ Sport?
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The 42 revealed last week that RTÉ have lost the rights to show League of Ireland matches to Virgin Media - despite an early-year press release in wh...
How our sports stars have their personalities removed
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Mack Hansen and the entire Connacht rugby squad were sentenced to media training, it was a deflating moment for sports media. But why should you ...
Rory Gallagher, Naas - and what’s next for the GAA?
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Who is Rory Gallagher? Why is he seen as such a good Gaelic football coach? Why is he not managing one of the top county sides in Ireland? And why did...
The Review of 2024
31 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Gavin and Sinéad review the year by picking the moments from 2024 they believe they’ll still be talking about in 20 years. There’s naturally tale...
How to write a William Hill-winning sports book
24 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s episode is all about sports books, as Sinéad quizzes Gavin about the process of co-writing The Racket with Conor Niland, whic...
Taxing Times: Could Revenue’s audits change the GAA forever?
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s show, Gavin and Sinéad are joined by The 42's GAA correspondent Declan Bogue to get into the details of Revenue’s audit of GAA cou...
What is football’s rainbow laces problem?
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s show, Gavin and Sinéad explore the controversy around the Premier League’s Rainbow Laces campaign, a long-running visibility and i...
GE24: Hutch, SF as the FAI, and political player ratings
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is Gerry Hutch an exponent of sportswashing? Are Sinn Fein the FAI of politics, to Fianna Fáil’s GAA? And why do all count centres look like Irelan...
The fallout from the Conor McGregor case
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On Friday, a jury found that Conor McGregor sexually assaulted Nikita Hand in a Dublin hotel in 2018.Gavin and Sinéad discuss the case on today’s s...
Are Ireland mismanaging the post-Sexton era?
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Gavin and Sinead discuss what happens when a totemic leader reaches the end.Should they be kept close to the team, or even be given a bespoke role lik...
Why Katie Taylor was the rightful winner against Amanda Serrano
16 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Was Katie Taylor the just winner of last night’s fight for the ages with Amanda Serrano?Was the majesty of Taylor-Serrano II diminished by its stagi...
Is Katie Taylor wrong to box on Tyson-Paul undercard?
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Why are Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano fighting on the undercard of the ‘freakshow’ that is Mike Tyson versus Jake Paul?Gavin Cooney and Sinead O...
Is Ireland rugby country?
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
WITH IRELAND KICKING off their November rugby internationals against New Zealand on Friday night, Gav and Sinéad debate the extent to which Ireland c...
Will Damien Duff change Irish football?
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
AS THE LEAGUE of Ireland season draws towards its nerve-shredding final day, Gav and Sinead discuss the boom in popularity of domestic football.Why ha...
The General Election will show that we don’t care about sport
22 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There is an election on the horizon - even though the government won’t tell us when it will be.Whenever the official election campaign swings into a...
How much are GAA managers paid?
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
GAA president Jarlath Burns last weekend floated the possibility that inter-county GAA managers could be put under regularised contracts, which brough...
Could Fifa sanction Israel?
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sinead O'Carroll and Gavin Cooney discuss whether Israel could face sporting sanctions.The pair examine why Israel has been judged differently than Ru...
How did Ireland Women go from wooden spoon to beating New Zealand?
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Gavin and Sinéad are back for the second episode of The 42FM and they aren't alone!This week, Murray Kinsella drops into the studio to discuss the jo...
Should Kyle Hayes have been nominated for Hurler of the Year?
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today we launch a new podcast, The 42FM with Gavin Cooney and Sinéad O’Carroll.Building on the success of Olympics Daily with Cooney...
(Re)Introducing: The 42FM with Cooney & O'Carroll
23 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Cooney & O'Carroll are back!Off the back of their incredible success with Olympics Daily, Gavin Cooney and Sinéad O'Carroll are back with brand-n...
Olympics Daily: We will always have Paris
12 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Here it is then, the final episode of of Olympics Daily: Paris 2024.Gavin and Sinead gather at the mics for one last time, mainly because the longer t...
Olympics Daily: The curtain draws on Ireland's most successful ever Olympic Games
11 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
And it must come to an end. Gav and Sinéad report from Ireland's final two events at Paris 2024 - an incredible fifth Olympics for Fionnuala McCormac...
Olympics Daily: 4th is the worst place in the world
10 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
So close! The brilliant 4x400m women's relay team finished fourth in the Olympic final after running a national record. The quartet were devastated ta...
Olympics Daily: No medal for Rhasidat but she's 'hungrier than ever'
09 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The country watched on as Rhasidat Adeleke came fourth in a world final for the second time. Sinéad and Gav were in Stade de France to witness the 21...
Olympics Daily: GOAT Watch
09 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Gavin bagged a media ticket to watch the USA’s star-spangled basketball team and reports back from their stunning comeback win against Serbia, which...
Olympics Daily: Rhasidat crosses a rubicon - but not as quickly as she would have liked
07 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rhasidat Adeleke has made history by qualifying for an Olympic sprint final, but she admitted afterwards it was a “messy race” that leaves a lot o...
Olympics Daily: Kellie’s golden moment
07 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kellie Harrington has done it: she has become the first Irish Olympian to successfully defend their title since, well, Friday. Let’s say she’s onl...
Olympics Daily: Rhasidat stakes her claim but heartbreak for Ciara Mageean
05 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Gav and Sinead were both there to witness Rhasidat Adeleke’s comfortable victory in her first run at the Olympic Games. What does the time and resul...
Olympics Daily: Seven from seven: Wiffen completes absurd week for Ireland
04 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sinead reports back from the final act of Ireland’s miracle Olympic week: a bronze medal for Daniel Wiffen in the 1500m freestyle. But was he a litt...
Olympics Daily: Rhys McClenaghan's special gold on a special Saturday
03 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's six medals in six days. Three of them are gold - and one of them might yet turn to gold. Gav and Sinéad are giddy about Team Ireland's phenomena...
Olympics Daily: Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy make history
02 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ireland have a second gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games - Gavin reports back from the scene at which Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy confirmed...
Olympics Daily: Ireland robbed in the boxing but bag a bronze on the water
02 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sinéad witnessed her fourth medal of the Olympic Games - more than many journalists see in their entire sports writing careers - at the Nautical Stad...
Olympics Daily: Joy and despair for Ireland as France marches to Marchand’s beat
31 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It was all going too well - Gav and Sinéad react to abrupt disappointments for Mona McSharry and Aoife O’Rourke before then remembering t...
Olympics Daily: Wiffen writes himself into the history books
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel Wiffen has become the first man to win an Olympic medal for Ireland in the pool - and it's a golden one. Gav and Sinéad were there to witness ...
Olympics Daily: Mona medals and Ireland smiles
29 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
And we're off. Ireland has its first medal of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games courtesy of Sligo swimmer Mona McSharry.The 23-year-old touched the wall 0....
Olympics Daily: Mona stars, Marley redeems, and Paul O’Donovan pulls like an underdog
28 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mona McSharry smashed the Irish record in qualifying for the 100m breaststroke final: Sinead reports from poolside and tells us whether we can now exp...
Olympics Daily: Dupont’s golden moment and Rhys keeps his nerve
27 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Antoine Dupont’s audacious bid for Olympic gold came to pass at a raucous Stade de France - Sinead reports as 80,000 French fans along with most of ...