RTÉ GAA Podcast

3.9 (57)
SPORT
UPDATED TWICE WEEKLY

Cathal Mullaney and the RTÉ Sport team take a look at all the biggest issues in football and hurling, plus preview and review the weekend's action with RTÉ's top GAA analysts.

19 HR AGO

Whelo’s hurling confession, Messi-like Mayo’s McDonald and Tipp’s puckout challenges

Mikey Stafford steps in for Cathal Mullaney in the presenting seat this week and is joined by Marty Morrissey and Ciarán Whelan at RTÉ HQ to mull over the weekend’s football action. Shane McGrath then joins for the hurling chat, where he laments Tipp’s loss to Limerick in Thurles, an evening that ended with his car stuck in the mud! After Ciarán gets his hurling days confession out of the way, it’s straight into Armagh and Donegal, where the ex Dublin footballer shares that despite Armagh’s record he feels they are still in a good place, though they had many missed chances at the Athletic Grounds on Sunday (4:00). Kickout piggery was back as a topic for another week, and Ciarán comments that he thinks it is overplayed, adding that the lack of control for managers has continued to reduce kicking in games (8:00). While Armagh continue to be low on goals and two pointers, Ciarán expresses his lack of concern for the 2024 All Ireland champions as Ulster football continues to thrive. Possible Mayo Messi Kobe McDonald’s debut is dubbed by Ciarán as “unbelievable”, and he explains how Mayo need a star like David Clifford to have an impact. His young age and future plans are discussed (13:50). Marty makes a big prediction that Monaghan may be contenders for an Ulster final come championship season due to a “softer” draw, but Ciarán reflects on the impact of home losses on player morale and their poor league performances overall (20:30). Dublin’s performance in their defeat to Kerry is described by Ciarán as a “difficult watch”, noting the lack of energy from the Dubs and their slow attacking play (22:50). The Rossies are flying high, and discussion turns to the swings being seen in scorelines and the potential impact of the wind on results. Next up for them is the Dubs at home, which Ciarán feels is a winnable fixture (30:00). Lastly, Division 2 is discussed, with Whelo saying he feels there will be some great games in the coming weeks (31:40). When attention turns to hurling (37:00), Shane dials in to express his disappointment in Tipp’s performance on Saturday and says he would love to be a fly on the wall at their training sessions this week (39:00). Shane also brings an armful of impressive stats to the discussion on Limerick’s puckout retention and feels panel competition is key to their success so far (48:00). He is also full of praise for the pitch conditions at Nowlan Park but expresses concern about a perceived lack of emerging talent in Kilkenny to replace the likes of TJ Reid and Mossy Keoghan (51:00). Attention then turns to Division 1B, where Marty reacts to Clare’s scare against Kildare, adding that he feels Kildare are the “best of the rest” and have a good chance of staying in the division (59:00). Finally, Dublin and Wexford’s spicy encounter is tipped by Shane as an important factor in the Leinster Championship, and he comments that defensive coaches for both sides will be despairing (1:05.00). Watch the RTÉ GAA Podcast on the RTÉ Sport Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_7bF90ySEVfWLXtn9HlWA Web http://www.rte.ie/sport X: https://x.com/RTEsport Follow us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/rtesport See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1h 9m
5 DAYS AGO

RTÉ GAA Podcast

Ahead of this weekend Gaelic football and hurling action, Cathal Mullaney is joined by Dessie Dolan, Damian Lawlor and Liam Sheedy. Cathal, Dessie and Damian look ahead to an Allianz Football League weekend where arguably the Division 2 action outstrips the top tier, with Cork and Meath of particular interest. Dessie reckons Cork need to put together a consistent 70 minutes to compete with a Meath team who have been turning heads. Elsewhere, the lads assess Darragh Canavan's loss to Tyrone, Armagh's keeper conundrum and Kerry's motives as they head to Croker to take on the Dubs. Also, with kick-out 'piggery' supposedly ruling the game, Dessie says a player of Paul Galvin's quality would be worth an astronomical value. Liam Sheedy joins Cathal in studio (36:45) to preview the weekend's hurling. The All-Ireland winning Tipp manager backs Kyle Hayes to fill the centre-back position for Limerick in the long term as the game comes to terms with the value of a sitting 6 versus a deep 11. Waterford will give a good test to their neighbours Kilkenny, who are looking to fill a few positions. After some good performances with no reward, Galway are in need of a result against Offaly. In Division 1B, Lee Chin's return is just in time for the trip to Croke Park, with Wexford dealing with a dearth of leaders, while Clare seem to be getting the old gang back together for one more heist. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1h 7m
5 DAYS AGO

€100m for Paul Galvin | Hurling's Deep 11 v Sitting 6

Ahead of this weekend Gaelic football and hurling action, Cathal Mullaney is joined by Dessie Dolan, Damian Lawlor and Liam Sheedy. Cathal, Dessie and Damian look ahead to an Allianz Football League weekend where arguably the Division 2 action outstrips the top tier, with Cork and Meath of particular interest. Dessie reckons Cork need to put together a consistent 70 minutes to compete with a Meath team who have been turning heads. Elsewhere, the lads assess Darragh Canavan's loss to Tyrone, Armagh's keeper conundrum and Kerry's motives as they head to Croker to take on the Dubs. Also, with kick-out 'piggery' supposedly ruling the game, Dessie says a player of Paul Galvin's quality would be worth an astronomical value. Liam Sheedy joins Cathal in studio (36:45) to preview the weekend's hurling. The All-Ireland winning Tipp manager backs Kyle Hayes to fill the centre-back position for Limerick in the long term as the game comes to terms with the value of a sitting 6 versus a deep 11. Waterford will give a good test to their neighbours Kilkenny, who are looking to fill a few positions. After some good performances with no reward, Galway are in need of a result against Offaly. In Division 1B, Lee Chin's return is just in time for the trip to Croke Park, with Wexford dealing with a dearth of leaders, while Clare seem to be getting the old gang back together for one more heist. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1h 7m
16 FEB

Kickout piggery, maverick Meath and Antrim’s agony

Cathal Mullaney is joined in studio by Niall McCoy and online by Enda McGinley to break down the third round of the Allianz Football League, a weekend that brought a somewhat unexpected Armagh defeat, a halt to Mayo’s momentum, and a notably aggressive performance from Tyrone. Enda (1:30) reflects on how managers are struggling to exert control from the sidelines amid the heightened chaos created by last year’s rule changes. While the shift has been challenging for those in charge, he notes that it has made the game more enjoyable to play. The panel also digs into Kieran McGeeney’s “piggery” remarks surrounding kickout battles. Former manager Enda explains that while possession is still central to modern football, the days of relying on intricate set plays are fading as teams become less consistent at securing their own restarts. The conversation turns to Roscommon’s growing promise, the group debates whether Mayo’s re-found chaos isn't going to work against teams that maintain possession for long spells. Niall floats the idea that Donegal legend Michael Murphy could evolve into a devastating “super sub” for Jim McGuinness in this year’s Championship, with Enda imagining the lift Murphy could provide if introduced during a difficult spell. The panel then shifts to Tyrone (37:00), with Enda praising the side’s rediscovered aggression, energy, and attacking pace. However, he believes a few more players need to elevate themselves into top-tier roles for the team to fully reach its potential. Finally, the spotlight moves to Division 4, where, with two Ulster men on the pod, the discussion naturally lands on Antrim. Enda shares his view that there is little reward for competing in the division at present and suggests the League may be a tough sell in a dual-code county (38:30). Watch the RTÉ GAA Podcast on the RTÉ Sport Youtube: https://youtu.be/vaOEGUmoV2M Web http://www.rte.ie/sport X: https://x.com/RTEsport Follow us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/rtesport See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

46 min
12 FEB

Mayo bandwagon rolls again | Meath's hunger more apparent than Louth's

Cathal Mullaney previews the weekend's Allianz Football League action in the company of Dessie Dolan and Conor Neville. But before we get to that Dessie relives some of his favourite Sigerson memories (1:00), including togging out with a (very) young Michael Meehan in NUIG. Kerry v Galway is arguably the pick of the games (3:30), with Galway impressing Conor despite their permanent injury crisis. Arguably Kerry don't carry their usual fear factor at this time of the year, even in Tralee. Strange to think it but Dublin and Monaghan has the feel of a relegation four-pointer (12:30). Monaghan depleted through injuries, retirements and Sigerson. Dublin's possible malaise is different and Dessie believes Ger Brennan is borrowing a move out of Pat Gilroy playbook by threatening to ditch senior players. Anyway, Dessie says Brian Howard would be welcome in Westmeath. Roscommon are travelling under many's radar ahead of Armagh game (17:30), but surprising a few people, especially with no Brigid's players. Diarmuid Murtagh impresses Dessie with his efficiency. However Armagh's running power will test them this week. The hype is with us early this year as Donegal-Mayo (24:40) sees a huge crowd expected in Ballybofey. Ryan O'Donoghue is tenacious and making huge contribution from centre-forward, reckons Dessie. Meath looking buoyant (29:30) ahead of clash with Louth, with their return to centre stage last year reminding Conor of a soap opera villain. Louth dip to be expected after last summer's heroics, says Dessie, who knows a thing or two about ending a long wait for provincial glory. Tyrone's early season form a bit of a mystery reckons Dessie (34:00) ahead of clash with Cavan, with Division 2 safety and Sam Maguire status already on the table. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

38 min
9 FEB

O’Connor’s interview impresses, Dowling for Kilkenny? And Gillane’s goal of the year contender

GAA commentator and journalist Cathal Mullaney is joined on the sofa by Rory O’Neill with Shane McGrath dialling in to review the weekend's hurling action. Shane gives Darragh Fitzgibbon the nod for hurler of the year at this early stage (04:20) for his impressive performance against Tipperary on Saturday recounting the one time he was unfortunate enough to mark him once retired from inter-county duty. There is some discussion of the impact of the red cards that were given at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, particularly for Shane Barrett (07:50) with Shane saying that a match ban may mean no competitive hurling for five weeks, which should be a concern. The ex-inter-county player also states that he would be in favour of referee's having the ability to watch replays before making sending off decisions and would be in favour of more technology for referees (14:30). Attention then turned to Aaron Gillane's wonder goal for Limerick. Which the panel feel could be a goal of the year contender (29:50). Shane also praises Gillane's game awareness. The discussion of Division 1B was dominated by Kildare with Shane boldly stating he felt Brian Dowling is building a CV that may be worthy of the post of Kilkenny manager at some stage in the future (38:00). Watch the RTÉ GAA Podcast on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rtesport Web http://www.rte.ie/sport X: https://x.com/RTEsport Follow us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/rtesport See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

43 min
5 FEB

Cork seeking Tipp revenge, Limerick and Kilkenny to do battle | RTÉ GAA Podcast

Anthony Daly and Marty Morrissey join Cathal Mullaney to look ahead to another busy weekend in the Allianz Hurling League. We've a repeat of the All-Ireland final between Cork and Tipperary, while Kilkenny have the chance to kick Limerick when they're down. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

36 min
2 FEB

Breach business, impatient Dubs and how long can Limerick old guard keep delivering?

GAA commentator and journalist Cathal Mullaney is joined on the sofa by Rory O’Neill with Ciarán Whelan and Neil McManus to discuss the weekend’s football and hurling action. FOOTBALL (0:01) (0:30) Ciarán Whelan gives his thoughts on Dublin’s loss to Mayo adding that he feels older players need to step up, he also comments that the Dubs do seem to be the most inexperienced team so far and highlights the midfield as a possible issue for Ger Brennan that may need to be resolved before Championship season. (10:30) Ciarán comments that he felt Kerry sat deep against Donegal and it was Seán O’Shea that dragged Kerry back into it. He also noticed that Donegal’s panel are operating with more of their big hitters than Kerry. (15:40) Kieran McGeeney’s comments about the lack of communication between referees and management following the three-man breach decision in the first half were discussed by the group with Ciarán stating he felt the call was incorrectly made and urges for a common sense approach going forward. (27:00) Finally Ciarán makes a big prediction that the Leinster Championship will be full revived in 2026 off the back of strong performances from Meath, Kildare and HURLING (28:20) (31:20) Neil McManus joins for part two and the panel kick off by talking about Waterford’s bounce-back performance against Limerick. Neil reflects on Waterford’s intensity and highlights several concerns for Limerick. A question from a listener is answered, on if Wexford is now a Joe McDonagh standard team having been run so close by both Down and Antrim. (52:00) Neil also adds that for smaller panels losing players to injury and illness can be a challenge at this time of year. Watch the RTÉ GAA Podcast on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rtesport Web http://www.rte.ie/sport X: https://x.com/RTEsport Follow us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/rtesport See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

56 min

See All (103)

Mikey Stafford

Host
Rory O'Neill

Host

3.9

out of 5

57 Ratings

Stop interrupting

07/02/2025

Galway2025

If Rory could reduce interrupting people to maybe 5 times in a half hour pod will be much improved
Sniffing

23/05/2025

CMP1q

Oh my god the sniffing throughout is desperate - for an RTE podcast it is very amateur
Mfyyrysd

27/08/2021

Roadster987

S Hooke xgser
Annoying Sound & annoying sounds!!

26/04/2022

Whelo83

Very enjoyable & insightful Podcast, but the sound quality is awful at times. Too high, too low, muffled or an echo. Then to make matters worse someone is banging away on a keyboard during every episode while people are talking & it sounds like someone sucking on a Vape all the time too! Poor production overall for national broadcaster. Can do better.

Cathal Mullaney and the RTÉ Sport team take a look at all the biggest issues in football and hurling, plus preview and review the weekend's action with RTÉ's top GAA analysts.