Re:Energise from ESB

Can sports save the planet? Host Meghann Scully dives into the future of sports sustainability in Ireland, looking at how the world of sport can advocate for and implement major climate action.

In this mini-episode of the ESB Re:Energise podcast, we are joined by:


Sean McCabe – Head of Climate Justice and Sustainability at Bohemian Football Club (Bohs)


Oscar Carolan – Sustainability Consultant and Co-Founder of Green & Blueprints

Discover how Irish sports clubs, fans, and athletes are moving past token green initiatives to tackle the climate crisis head-on—and how local communities can do the same.

Loved this mini episode? Search "ESB Re:Energise" on your favourite podcast player to listen to the full-length episode!

Welcome to Re:Energise, a brand new show that looks at sustainability in all its forms, and what we can do to shape a clean energy future. Host Meghann Scully explores sustainability from all sorts of angles, asking the difficult questions, and providing practical advice to change the way you live and influence the world around you for the better.

Think of Dingle, in Co Kerry, and you might be picturing breathtaking
scenery, green farmland and sandy beaches, pubs and tourism, ice-cream and Fungie the Dolphin. 

What you may not be picturing is a Sustainable Energy Community and hub of activity and innovation, focusing on smart agriculture, sustainable transport, rural regeneration, and bioenergy.

So on this, the final episode of the season, Meghann heads to Dingle to chat to three people who are at the forefront of Dingle’s sustainable future.

Deirdre de Bhailís is the General Manager of The Dingle Hub. It’s a non-profit, community enterprise that connects people and organisations to develop cooperative approaches to the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Dinny Galvin is a dairy farmer who describes himself as an engineer at heart. He’s been leading the way on sustainable agriculture since first getting involved with the ESB Networks Dingle Project, and the Dingle Hub.

And finally Rose Spillane, also a member of the ESB Networks Dingle Project, has been working to make her bar and restaurant as energy efficient as possible.

The many benefits of cycling - for your health, for the planet, for your pocket - are very clear. And yet Ireland is not a country of cyclists. On this episode, Meghann chats to two people who are advocating for a better society by embracing cycling and sustainable travel.

In Waterford, lecturer and activist Sadhbh O’Neill has completely ditched her car and fully embraced cycling. She talks through the practicalities of car-free life in Ireland with Meghann, and looks at how we can get more people into active travel. 

In Dublin, Stephen McManus runs the Bike Hub, a social enterprise that uses cycling to promote inclusion, healthy lifestyles and sustainability. He works with local communities on all sorts of fantastic bike-related projects, from maintenance courses and refurbishing bikes for people in need, to cycle safety for kids and promoting active lifestyles for the over 60s.

Out on the streets of Dublin, Meghann finds out how reliant people are on their car and whether they could get rid of it completely. And finally, inspired by everything in the episode, non-cyclist Meghann tries out the new e-mobility hub in Galway city.

Repurposing and upcycling can be a great way to breathe new life into old objects, but on this episode, Meghann sits down with three people who are repurposing on a grand scale!

Patrick Bradley is an architect based in Derry whose designs have reused shipping containers in incredibly creative ways. In fact, his own multi-award-winning house used four of them, and was voted as the “Grandest Grand Design” in 20 years of the Channel 4 show.

Meanwhile, Gordon Hickey, the owner of a cafe in a shipping container in Dublin, has found his creative choice of building has led to all sorts of benefits. 

And finally, at a company called BladeBridge, Angie Nagle and her team are repurposing wind turbine blades into all sorts of products. You would be surprised at how incredibly adaptable they are! 

These are all incredible projects, demonstrating how we can take what would otherwise be waste materials, and apply design, engineering, and huge amounts of creativity.