The Think And Learn Smarter Experience.

In this episode I sit down with some mates of mine all from different courses in UCD. We chat about what UCD is properly like going there as a student. We all chatted about why we chose UCD and the particular course that we ended up doing. We went into what we thought expected it to be like versus what it actually ended up looking like.

The chat ended up veering towards the socialising part of going to college. From UCD Christmas Day to various events organised by the different courses some of the stories that happened on those nights were shared here. For me at least, it became clear throughout the podcast that the experiences that had the greatest impact on each of us came about as a result of the variety of mates you make in college. We talk about the organic nature of making new circles as you move into college and how that can affect your academic side positively too.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable podcast to be a part of as it was great to chat about being back in UCD in normal times. It really reminded me what normality used to look like and how similar all the things people miss are. Once again thanks to Gary, Ellen, Éile and Matin for joining me here and I'm sure the rest of you will enjoy it too.

In this episode I sit down with Róisín Cormack, a psychology student in Maynooth University. Róisín is also a Crisis volunteer at 50808 and is the PRO of the Maynooth Mental Health Society. In addition to this Róisín is also involved with Mind the Mind Ireland, a mental health awareness campaign that's aimed at helping young students become aware of their own mental health needs.

In this chat we talk about Róisíns own Leaving Cert experience along with how she's finding college. We also talk about different techniques we can use such as breath work to control our brains state and either calm us down or energise us. Róisin also outlines various resources available online that can help guide such practises or others like journaling.

We also talk about Róisíns experience of working on the helplines for over 200 hours now at this stage and what she has learned from all of those experiences. Overall this was a very insightful podcast for me and one that I learned a good bit from myself especially with regards to the control neurologically you can have over the mind through your control of your breath.

Here I sit down with Peadar O'Cofaigh Byrne, current Dublin footballer and Business and Law student in UCD. Peadar was on the team that won the 5 in a row with Dublin and also had the chance to try his hand at AFL. In this podcast we chat about all things from studying for the Leaving Cert to going up against Fenton in training.

We talk about moving into college and playing freshers football along with starting the Business and Law course. In addition to this we talk about the culture established in the current Dublin set up and how it's conducive to sustained dominance in the Football landscape.

Overall, once again I really enjoyed this chat with Peadar. We actually talked for over 2 and a half hours but the mic turned off so we lost 40 minutes of the conversation ! At least that made my job easier getting the time down of the podcast. I hope you'll enjoy it and for anyone wondering what it's like moving into UCD as a GAA head this will most certainly give you an idea.

In this episode I sit down with Liam Turner, current Leinster player and BESS student in Trinity. Liam went to school in Blackrock winning both Junior and Senior Cups as captain. Liam also played underage for Leinster and Ireland winning the U18,19 and 20 Interpros and winning a Grand Slam with the Ireland 20's in 2019. Liam has also represented Ireland on the Rugby 7ns circuit playing in the likes of Cape Town.

We chat about the Leaving Cert and Blackrock at the start and then more about playing for Leinster and Ireland at underage and getting his chance in the senior squad after about 20 mins. Liam also talks about his own Leaving Cert experience and the cross transferable skills he noticed between studying and playing elite sport. 

Overall I really enjoyed this podcast big time. From talking about the cultured fostered in the Leinster setup to playing for Ireland in a World Cup in Argentina there's plenty to dig into. We even touched on the two times that he managed to torch me on the rugby pitch ! I hope you'll enjoy this podcast and get some benefit out of it too.

(Apologies for the audio quality at times by the way. It's a work in progress but we're on the case.)

Today I'm here with Eimear Dinneen, Studyclix's own Chief Operations Officer. Eimear is an expert in all things Leaving Cert related and has been working with Studyclix for the past few years. We chatted about a number of different topics from Eimear's own Leaving Cert experience and college life to the more nitty gritty parts of actually sitting down and studying for the Leaving Cert.

One thing I most certainly took away from this was the variability of approaches you can have in tackling a language. Eimear outlined various tips that can even be applied after the Leaving Cert as she ended up studying languages in UL and now is living in Germany. Overall this is a really interesting chat for someone sitting the Leaving Cert now as the various mindsets that can be implemented in preparing effectively are broadly examined.

Thanks again to Eimear for this insightful chat and if anyone wants to hear more specifically from her head over to Studyclix's own podcast to hear some for specific LC tips !

In this episode I sit down with Ger Brennan, 2 time All Ireland winner for Dublin and Vincents in both club and county and current Carlow trainer. Ger is also head of UCD football among many other activities too. Here we chat about going to school in Belvedere and playing with the likes of Cian Healy. We talk about the challenges of playing intercounty sports and the mentality it takes to succeed at the top level. In addition to this Ger explains part of his management style and what lessons he took from playing under various managers such as Jim Gavin.

Overall we look at the influence faith has had on Ger's experience and how he manages to have his combative personality on the pitch with a more rounded personality off it. We discuss the challenges balancing intercounty careers with a professional job and much more throughout this episode. 

I really enjoyed making this episode and I hope you too will get some benefit out of it along with enjoying it too. 

In this episode I have a chat with Hannah McLoughlin. Hannah's a member of the Irish ladies hockey team that will be heading to the Olympics in July. Hannah's also studying Economics and Finance in UCD and is currently on an internship in Davy. We talk about everything from why she chose Economics and Finance to how she has found training to become and Olympian. 

We go into depth into the more technical and mental side of actually being an elite athlete about halfway in and Hannah also tells us what processes she uses to analyse her own performances. We also talk about balancing a challenging finance career in conjunction with the rigours of international hockey and much more.

I hope you enjoy this episode and get something from it to take away too. Best of luck to yourselves and have a good one.

This is the first episode ever in the Think And Learn Smarter Experience. Here I sit down with Diarmuid Murtagh, current Roscommon footballer and a primary school teacher in Ballymun, Dublin. We chat about Diarmuid's experience dealing with balancing both county football and the Leaving Cert, college and his job later in life. 

In addition we talk about the run he had with Roscommon underage winning 4 Connacht titles in 5 years along with the breakthrough into the senior setup culminating in 2 more Connacht titles and a deep run in the All Ireland. 

Finally we chat about what it's like being a teacher and what lessons translate to sport along with how he manages his day to aid his performance on the pitch. 

The approximate time stamps of the episode are as follows:

00:00 - 05:30 Intro, Teaching and coaching.

05:30 - 08:15 Training in lockdown.

08:15 - 19:00 Leaving Cert and Underage county.

19:00 - 25:30 College and free kick routine.

25:30 - 56:11 Roscommon Seniors and a bit of everything really to finish up !

Hope you've enjoyed this episode and have taken something away from it. I'll see youse in the next one.