Are US scholarships good for Irish athletes?

Over the weekend, the Irish radio station Newstalk had an in depth discussion on it's Off the Ball sports programme about the merits or otherwise of Irish athletes taking scholarships and going to universities in the US.

Included in the 50 minute programme are Sonia O'Sullivan, Eamonn Coghlan, Marcus O'Sullivan,  David McCarthy and Irish Times columnist Ian O'Riordan.

Newstalk interview with Sonia O'Sullivan...5th Sept 2013

As part of the build up to the Hurling All-Ireland final next Sunday, the Newstalk Off the Ball programme were in Cork City. As part of the programme, they had an interview with Sonia O'Sullivan. In it, Sonia talks about her early career, her choice of college in the USA and on athletics in general. The interview is about 30 minutes long.

Jerry Kiernan critical of grants to GAA

In the middle of last week, the Irish Sports Council announced a €900k support scheme for GAA  Inter-County Players for the next two years. In reaction to this news, some international Irish athletes had commented that limited funds should have been spent on those representing Ireland internationally rather than on GAA players playing for counties.

Newstalk radio interviewed Irish athletics commentator Jerry Kiernan for his reaction. In it, he doesn't exactly mince his words.....

“I wouldn’t (give GAA players a grant), I think the GAA is the richest sporting association in the country, and they should be well able to look after themselves. I don’t particularly like the GAA, I don’t like football in particular, there’s not much to it….but I watched bits of the games over the weekend and what struck me was how unfit the players were.”

“My one abiding memory of the championship last year was when Donegal beat Kerry (in the All-Ireland quarter-final). In the Irish Times the following day you had (a photograph of) four Kerry players trooping off the field…and I looked at it and I said to myself ‘well these are four people who didn’t invest too much time in training.’ I don’t have a high opinion of their fitness; I don’t have a high opinion of their commitment to fitness.”

“…there’s absolutely no comparison (between athletes’ training regime and that of inter-county players). I believe that the GAA people live in a cloistered world and they don’t think beyond what they do themselves, and they tell themselves that they are training hard.”

“I often notice when they (GAA players) are commenting on things, they’re always talking about the sacrifices they make. You’ll never hear that among athletes, boxers, swimmers or people who do international running. But always with the GAA it’s always, always a sacrifice. Now maybe I’m extra sensitive to this…but they all talk about the sacrifice they’re making.”

“When you talk to them (the coaches) after, they’ll tell you how poor they (the players) are fitness-wise.”

“I would only give money to people who are competing internationally.”

The full interview can be heard below. It starts at 7:00 and runs until 22:40......



The grant scheme works out at €400 per GAA player per annum. Some will argue that the GAA should be funded as it's a sport unique to Ireland but should the inter county players be getting grants? Should sports grants be reserved for international athletes?

Newstalk interview with top Irish race walker Rob Heffernan

Following on from Rob Heffernan finishing 4th in the mens 50k walking race at the London Olympics, Newstalk radio interviewed him this evening on it's Off the Ball sports programme. In it, Rob talks about the Olympics, his training, his immediate plans and what needs to be done if Irish athletes are going to perform at the top level on the world stage.

The piece on Rob starts at 25:35 and lasts until 39:45.

Interview with Ciarán Ó Lionáird on NewsTalk radio...Sat 4th Aug 2012

In this 17 minutes interview on NewsTalk radio, Ciarán Ó Lionáird talks about his performance in the heats of the mens 1500m in London, how his injury has hampered his performance and talks about his future in the sport.

The interview starts at 14:25 and lasts until 31:40.

Newstalk interview with Ciarán Ó Lionáird

There is an interview on the Newstalk website with Ciarán Ó Lionáird from Monday, 30th of Jan 2012.

I'm not sure how long it will stay there so listen sooner rather than later. The interview goes from 16:26 to 33:30.

Link HERE