The 42FM

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 Ireland circa 1992?Gav, a “humble sports correspondent”, puts these and other questions to Sinead, who had led The Journal’s coverage of GE24, and must therefore be in a good place to offer some general election player ratings for the party leaders, and a lot more insight besides to a man who has noted an increased sportification of how politics is covered in the media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 show, and some of the reasons why the jury may have come to their decision. They also discuss the likelihood of McGregor being granted an appeal, and salute the astonishing strength and bravery of Nikita Hand. They also chart McGregor’s rise and fall: why did he become so popular in Ireland in the first place? And when did that popularity first begin to wane?Plus, why did McGregor gravitate to politics, and does this case truly end the possibility of him running for president?Get in touch - email [email protected] and [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 like Johnny Sexton? Or is a clean break as in the case of Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp or Bill Shankly preferable?Could Sexton be inhibiting the next wave of Irish out-halves, in the same manner that Alex Ferguson’s lingering presence at Old Trafford weighed heavily on successive managers?Or is it totally different for a player, and would Ireland be mad not to keep Sexon’s rugby brain in house?The pair debate the merits and otherwise of a dominant, era-defining character having a say in the next era. And they wonder what a young Sexton would say if faced with a similar set of circumstances when it was time for him to make the Ireland 10 jersey his own. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 staging as part of a farcical event featuring Jake Paul and Mike Tyson?Was the fight so good as to deem such concerns irrelevant?Might Netflix now seek to stage Taylor-Serrano III as a headlining event, minus the novelty sideshow involving a YouTube personality and boxer who hit his peak 38 years ago?These questions and more are answered by Gavan Casey, our man in Dallas, who caught up with Gavin Cooney and Sinead O’Carroll this afternoon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.