The Players Voice

We were joined this week by Colm Begley of Laois, who officially announced his retirement from the inter-county game. Colm made his senior debut in 2005 but life soon took him in a very different direction. That direction was Down Under, when he secured a professional contract with Australian Football League team Brisbane Lions. Colm’s rise through the ranks of a new sport was remarkable and he was voted club rookie of the year in 2007. The Stradbally man played four years in the AFL before deciding to return home.

Back in Ireland, he enjoyed 12 more seasons in the blue and white of Laois and learned the importance of developing Colm Begley the person, as well as the athlete. Transition was a key theme throughout this episode as Colm reflected on life lessons gathered from experiencing two elite sports. He is now the Player Welfare and Engagement Manager with the Gaelic Players Association.

This podcast is brought to you as part of BEO 360, a GPA programme that empowers inter-county players across 4 key areas - life skills, wellbeing, dual career and transitions. Please go to beo360.gaelicplayers.com to learn more.

To find out more about our host, Alan O’Mara, and his work as a performance and wellbeing consultant with sports teams and companies, please go to www.RealTalks.ie

Enjoy The Players Voice with Colm Begley!

We are joined this week by Aisling Maher. Aisling is a respected leader on the Dublin camogie team, an All-Star, an artist, a member of the GPA’s LGBTQ+ working group and the co-founder and CEO of Mooze Vegan.

She talks about the importance of living an authentic life, her experience coming out to family, friends and teammates and her passion to drive equality, diversity and inclusivity. She also calls for straight allies to step up in the GAA world and in wider society.

The Players’ Voice is a podcast brought to you by the Gaelic Players Association in collaboration with Real Talks. Hosted by Alan O’Mara, a former Cavan goalkeeper now working as a performance and wellbeing consultant, this series takes you inside the minds of inspiring inter-county GAA players.

If you have enjoyed any of the episodes so far, please leave a review on whatever podcast platform you prefer to help us reach more listeners.

Please go to beo360.gaelicplayers.com to learn more about BEO 360, a GPA programme that empowers inter-county players across 4 key areas - life skills, wellbeing, dual career and transitions. To learn more about Alan O’Mara’s work, check out www.realtalks.ie.

We are joined this week by former Wicklow footballer and managing director of Nutriquick, Dean Siney, who recently made a €9 million business deal with Aldi.

Dean talks to our host Alan O’Mara about the entrepreneurial journey that stemmed from an idea in his head. Dean began operating from his home kitchen and eventually became a leading brand for healthy, convenient food. They now employ more than 50 people in his hometown of Blessington.

Dean Siney’s story is one full of courage and passion and the conversation features so many insights on leadership, starting a business, work/life balance and much more.

Welcome to The Players’ Voice - a podcast brought to you by the Gaelic Players Association in collaboration with Real Talks.

We are joined this week by Neil McManus, who at 33 years of age has more than 100 inter-county appearances for Antrim under his belt. He opens up about his love for hurling and Cushendall and, thanks to the longevity of his playing career, the joy he now gets from hurling with the sons of former teammates. This is a conversation about an athlete embracing his leadership qualities to create a more fulfilling life, the importance of personal development and much, much more.

Our host, Alan O’Mara, is a former Cavan goalkeeper and Real Talks Founder, now working as a performance and wellbeing consultant.

This podcast is brought to you as part of BEO 360, a GPA programme that empowers inter-county players across 4 key areas - life skills, wellbeing, dual career and transitions. Please go to beo360.gaelicplayers.com to learn more.

We are joined on The Players’ Voice podcast by Conn Kilpatrick, an All-Ireland winning midfielder with Tyrone in 2021, who opens up in great detail about his gambling addiction.

He talks about the web of lies he spun to hide his secret, the ups and downs of recovery, bouncing back from a relapse and repairing damaged relationships with family and friends. This is a powerful listen full of honesty, insight and courage that will help many people and communities.

We also discuss the joy he has experienced from representing and winning with Tyrone and Edendork, climbing the steps of the Hogan Stand to lift the Sam Maguire Cup and living a more authentic, balanced life.

Our host Alan O’Mara, is joined this week by Louise Galvin. From Finuge in Co. Kerry, our guest is a trailblazer who has played both international basketball and rugby for Ireland as well as inter-county football.

She discusses the many highs and important life lessons learned on her unique journey and offers fascinating insights into imposter syndrome, growth mindset, leadership and the importance of integration in the GAA. She also shares the difficulties that have stemmed from inequality or lack of resources over the years - including Ireland’s disappointing home performance in the 2017 Rugby World Cup.

This episode was recorded just as Louise began maternity leave, so we talked about how pregnancy challenges athletes both physically and mentally. This is the first time for as long as Galvin can remember that she hasn’t been an active member of a team, but she hopes to be back on a court or field soon.

This podcast is brought to you as part of BEO 360, a GPA programme that empowers inter-county players across 4 key areas - life skills, wellbeing, dual career and transitions. Go to beo360.gaelicplayers.com to learn more.

We hope you sit back, relax and enjoy The Players Voice with Louise Galvin.

This week our host Alan O’Mara is joined by Kate Keaney, who was called up to the Donegal seniors at 15 years of age after experiencing All-Ireland minor success and then became a key leader in successful senior teams.

In 2022, a new adventure across the Atlantic awaits, where Kate will be working as a sports scientist with the USA’s international soccer teams. We discuss her excitement for this incredible opportunity and how much she has already enjoyed supporting elite teams around the world.

Kate also shares how struggles with concussion significantly impacted her day to day life and how participating in the GPA’s Madden Leadership Programme had a transformational impact on her personal journey.

This podcast is brought to you as part of BEO 360, a GPA programme that empowers inter-county players across 4 key areas - life skills, wellbeing, dual career and transitions. Please go to www.beo360.gaelicplayers.com to learn more.

In this episode, Chloe Morey and Séadna Morey join the Players’ Voice. Cousins born ten days apart, they grew up together in Clare and broke through to the senior hurling and camogie teams as teenagers respectively. They discuss the pros and cons of reaching the pinnacle of the game at such a young age, the challenge of finding balance in their adult lives and why they both took a break from the inter-county scene after more than a decade of service. They now run Morey Movement together, a fitness facility in their hometown of Sixmilebridge.

This podcast is brought to you as part of BEO 360, a GPA programme that empowers inter-county players across 4 key areas - life skills, wellbeing, dual career and transitions. Please go to www.beo360.gaelicplayers.com to learn more.

For more information on Alan O’Mara and his work as a performance and wellbeing consultant, visit www.RealTalks.ie, or follow Alan on Twitter @aomthecat.

The Players’ Voice is a podcast brought to you by the Gaelic Players Association in collaboration with Real Talks.

Hosted by former Cavan goalkeeper Alan O’Mara, each episode takes you inside the minds of inspiring inter-county GAA players as they talk about life on and off the field.

The series starts with former Mayo footballer and current CEO of the Gaelic Players Association, Tom Parsons. He discusses the many highs and lows he experienced while playing for Mayo between 2008 and 2020, including a horrific leg injury, and being dropped from the squad. He also explains how a journey of self-discovery has made him a more resilient person and leader, and how proud he is to represent and support inter-county players in his role.

This podcast is brought to you as part of BEO 360, a GPA programme that empowers inter-county players across 4 key areas - life skills, wellbeing, dual career and transitions. Please go to www.beo360.gaelicplayers.com to learn more.

For more information on Alan O’Mara and his work as a performance and wellbeing consultant, visit www.RealTalks.ie, or follow Alan on Twitter @aomthecat.

Ahead of World Mental Health Day on Sunday, the GPA have partnered with SilverCloud to offer members a new online support platform to help them look after their mental health. To mark the new service The Players’ Voice speaks to Tyrone’s All-Ireland winner Conor Meyler and from SilverCloud Dr. Derek Richards.