The Mike Quirke Podcast

In this episode, I’m thrilled to introduce Tony Holler, a Hall of Fame sprint coach from the United States and the mind behind the revolutionary “Feed the Cats” training philosophy. Known for challenging traditional approaches to speed training, Tony has transformed the way coaches think about developing sprint performance. Today, he’ll share his insights on prioritizing speed, avoiding burnout, and rethinking what it means to train athletes for peak performance.

Whether you're a coach, parent, or sports enthusiast, this episode is packed with wisdom and practical insights to help you foster success in sports and life. Tune in to learn from one of the best in the field and explore new ways to enhance your coaching journey.

You can help support Tir Na Nóg orphanage by contributing to the fundraiser I've set up for listeners of the podcast; http://bit.ly/4fypLSh

In this insightful episode, we delve deep into the world of coaching with the legendary Wayne Goldsmith. A highly respected Australian coach, Wayne has spent over 30 years revolutionising sports coaching across various disciplines, including swimming, rugby, triathlon, and cricket. Join us as Wayne shares his innovative approach to coaching, focusing on athlete development, high performance, and youth empowerment.

Wayne's passion for fostering environments where young athletes can thrive is evident as he discusses the importance of resilience, motivation, and a growth mindset. He emphasizes the critical role of sports parents in supporting their children's athletic journeys and offers valuable advice on how parents can nurture a positive sports experience.

Through his extensive experience working with national teams, elite coaches, and community sports programs, Wayne has inspired countless individuals to rethink traditional approaches to youth sports. His unique perspectives on adaptability, creativity, and long-term athlete development have transformed how coaches, athletes, and families engage with sports, focusing on enjoyment, balance, and holistic growth.

Whether you're a coach, parent, or sports enthusiast, this episode is packed with wisdom and practical insights to help you foster success in sports and life. Tune in to learn from one of the best in the field and explore new ways to enhance your coaching journey.

You can help support Tir Na Nóg orphanage by contributing to the fundraiser I've set up for listeners of the podcast; http://bit.ly/4fypLSh

Welcome to Season 4 of the Mike Quirke Podcast, where we dive deeper into the realms of sports coaching, performance, and the psychology of being a sports parent and plenty more. In this episode, we explore an inspiring story of change and resilience.

Watch Kilimanjaro Mama on Youtube - https://youtu.be/2IYoOKNVoyw?si=hwjGa8nLBbCpxJxX

In this week's episode, the last of the series, I wanted to provide a recap of some of the brilliant messages shared by all the various guests along the way.

I'd like to say a sincere thanks to all of those people who have come on and shared their vast knowledge with us and I'd also like to thank all of you that have listened, shared, and contributed to the fundraiser along the way.

I want to say a big thank you to PST Sport for their continued support as title sponsor for this project. Go to pstsport.com for world class delivery of all your artificial grass pitch needs. Similar to both of the previous two seasons, I've set up this podcast with a dual purpose in mind, firstly to provide some thoughtful debate for coaches, but I've also linked up with the Lily Daly Foundation, who are a new charity raising funds for the heart ward in Crumlin children's hospital and Ronald McDonald house. For more info, listen to the podcast about the Lily Daly Foundation.

If you found some value in the podcast, it would be great if you could donate any amount, no matter how small to the Lily Daly Foundation through the link here: https://bit.ly/3t9EtfI 

If you enjoyed this episode, click on the like button, please share it around, leave a review and follow the podcast.

You can also check out Game Sense Coaching who run an online GAA coaching platform that advocates for a games-based approach that is suitable for teams of all ages. www.gamesensecoaching.com

Thanks for listening.

In this week's episode, I got the opportunity to pick the brains of Dr Mark O'Sullivan, originally from Cork, the 'accidental' academic is now an associate professor of football at the Norwegian School of Sports Science and formerly head of youth development at AIK Stockholm who specialises in skill acquisition, coaching, as well as coach and youth development.

Mark is regarded as being at the cutting edge of a new wave of thinking about how best to coach our young sports people.

This is an episode not to be missed.

I want to say a big thank you to PST Sport for their continued support as title sponsor for this project. Go to pstsport.com for world class delivery of all your artificial grass pitch needs. Similar to both of the previous two seasons, I've set up this podcast with a dual purpose in mind, firstly to provide some thoughtful debate for coaches, but I've also linked up with the Lily Daly Foundation, who are a new charity raising funds for the heart ward in Crumlin children's hospital and Ronald McDonald house. For more info, listen to the podcast about the Lily Daly Foundation.

If you found some value in the podcast, it would be great if you could donate any amount, no matter how small to the Lily Daly Foundation through the link here: https://bit.ly/3t9EtfI 

If you enjoyed this episode, click on the like button, please share it around, leave a review and follow the podcast.

You can also check out Game Sense Coaching who run an online GAA coaching platform that advocates for a games-based approach that is suitable for teams of all ages. www.gamesensecoaching.com

Thanks for listening.

John McGrath is a former GAA player, an international rower, a circus strong man, a world record holder and so on...

The 6'6" Irish man lives in Paarl, South Africa and has earned renown as a strength and conditioning coach working with rugby players, the South African women’s tug-of-war team, and, most famously, Olympic silver medal and World Athletics Championship gold medal long jumper, Luvo Manyonga. 

Luvo came from a poverty stricken local township, and John tells of the incredible story how the pair struck up a strong bond that saw the young South African athlete kick an addiction to crystal meth and go on to achieve athletic greatness in both the Olympics and World Championships.

This is an interesting listen about a fascinating journey.

I want to say a big thank you to PST Sport for their continued support as title sponsor for this project. Go to pstsport.com for world class delivery of all your artificial grass pitch needs. Similar to both of the previous two seasons, I've set up this podcast with a dual purpose in mind, firstly to provide some thoughtful debate for coaches, but I've also linked up with the Lily Daly Foundation, who are a new charity raising funds for the heart ward in Crumlin children's hospital and Ronald McDonald house. For more info, listen to the podcast about the Lily Daly Foundation.

If you found some value in the podcast, it would be great if you could donate any amount, no matter how small to the Lily Daly Foundation through the link here: https://bit.ly/3t9EtfI 

If you enjoyed this episode, click on the like button, please share it around, leave a review and follow the podcast.

You can also check out Game Sense Coaching who run an online GAA coaching platform that advocates for a games-based approach that is suitable for teams of all ages. www.gamesensecoaching.com

Thanks for listening.

John O'Connor is this week's guest on the podcast - owner of Target Nutrition and head performance nutritionist with the Kerry senior football team. 

This episode is slightly different to previous efforts, where we talk all things food and nutrition information and misinformation. As parents, how do we fuel our young sports mad children? As coaches, how do help kids develop positive long-term associations with food, nutrition and hydration.

I found this a really informative chat about a subject that can be hugely confusing given the overload of information out there on the subject.

I want to say a big thank you to PST Sport for their continued support as title sponsor for this project. Go to pstsport.com for world class delivery of all your artificial grass pitch needs. Similar to both of the previous two seasons, I've set up this podcast with a dual purpose in mind, firstly to provide some thoughtful debate for coaches, but I've also linked up with the Lily Daly Foundation, who are a new charity raising funds for the heart ward in Crumlin children's hospital and Ronald McDonald house. For more info, listen to the podcast about the Lily Daly Foundation.

If you found some value in the podcast, it would be great if you could donate any amount, no matter how small to the Lily Daly Foundation through the link here: https://bit.ly/3t9EtfI 

If you enjoyed this episode, click on the like button, please share it around, leave a review and follow the podcast.

You can also check out Game Sense Coaching who run an online GAA coaching platform that advocates for a games-based approach that is suitable for teams of all ages. www.gamesensecoaching.com

Thanks for listening.

I want to say a big thank you to PST Sport for their continued support as title sponsor for this project. Go to pstsport.com for world class delivery of all your artificial grass pitch needs.

Niall O'Mahony is this weeks guest - a lecturer and PhD candidate working in the health and leisure department of MTU Kerry campus who is currently coaching the Kerry minor football team. Previously he would have coached the Kerry under 20 side under Declan O'Sullivan, and before that he worked for 3 seasons as S & C coach with the Kerry senior squad. 

Niall combines the latest coaching science research with the real-world practical applications and listeners will come away with some fantastic insights on the use of questioning as well as a more nuanced approach to games based coaching.

Similar to both of the previous two seasons, I've set up this podcast with a dual purpose in mind, firstly to provide some thoughtful debate for coaches, but I've also linked up with the Lily Daly Foundation, who are a new charity raising funds for the heart ward in Crumlin children's hospital and Ronald McDonald house. For more info, listen to the podcast about the Lily Daly Foundation.

If you found some value in the podcast, it would be great if you could donate any amount, no matter how small to the Lily Daly Foundation through the link here: https://bit.ly/3t9EtfI 

If you enjoyed this episode, click on the like button, please share it around, leave a review and follow the podcast.

You can also check out Game Sense Coaching who run an online GAA coaching platform that advocates for a games-based approach that is suitable for teams of all ages. www.gamesensecoaching.com

Thanks for listening.

I want to say a big thank you to PST Sport for their continued support as title sponsor for this project. Go to pstsport.com for world class delivery of all your artificial grass pitch needs.

Stephen Lavin played senior inter-county football for Limerick for the best part of 13 years. Having finished playing several years ago, the school principal now finds himself as the head of the Limerick GAA football development squads, following on from the foundations laid of Paul Kinnerk.

Stephen coaches UL's sigerson team and during covid, himself and his two brothers started a passion project that is now Game Sense coaching. The website is a fantastic resource for GAA coaches with huge amounts of detailed information for coaches of all age groups.

We get into the nuts and bolts of his philosophy on coaching, the overlap between teaching and coaching, lessons learned from Paul Kinnerk and plenty more.

Similar to both of the previous two seasons, I've set up this podcast with a dual purpose in mind, firstly to provide some thoughtful debate for coaches, but I've also linked up with the Lily Daly Foundation, who are a new charity raising funds for the heart ward in Crumlin children's hospital and Ronald McDonald house. For more info, listen to the podcast about the Lily Daly Foundation.

If you found some value in the podcast, it would be great if you could donate any amount, no matter how small to the Lily Daly Foundation through the link here: https://bit.ly/3t9EtfI 

If you enjoyed this episode, click on the like button, please share it around, leave a review and follow the podcast.

You can also check out Game Sense Coaching who run an online GAA coaching platform that advocates for a games-based approach that is suitable for teams of all ages. www.gamesensecoaching.com

Thanks for listening.

I want to say a big thank you to PST Sport for their continued support as title sponsor for this project. Go to pstsport.com for world class delivery of all your artificial grass pitch needs.

This week's guest is Liam McHale is a household name throughout Ireland for his contribution and prowess both on the football field and particularly the hardwood. Assisted by his brothers Sean and Anthony, brother-in-law Paul McStay and honorary Mayo man Deora Marsh, he helped to catapult his hometown Ballina to the forefront of Irish basketball and indeed Irish sport.

Here he discusses those heady basketball days and how he's used the lessons learned along the way to transition into the world of GAA coaching to club and county

Similar to both of the previous two seasons, I've set up this podcast with a dual purpose in mind, firstly to provide some thoughtful debate for coaches, but I've also linked up with the Lily Daly Foundation, who are a new charity raising funds for the heart ward in Crumlin children's hospital and Ronald McDonald house. For more info, listen to the podcast about the Lily Daly Foundation.

If you found some value in the podcast, it would be great if you could donate any amount, no matter how small to the Lily Daly Foundation through the link here: https://bit.ly/3t9EtfI 

If you enjoyed this episode, click on the like button, please share it around, leave a review and follow the podcast.

You can also check out Game Sense Coaching who run an online GAA coaching platform that advocates for a games-based approach that is suitable for teams of all ages. www.gamesensecoaching.com

Thanks for listening.