The Time Out Podcast

On June 11th 2005, Monaghan's Kevin McBride wrote his name into the boxing history books in Washington D.C as he defeated Mike Tyson in front of the 20,000 spectators in attendance. The Clones Colossus was a huge underdog going into the fight, yet it was he who prevailed victorious as Tyson failed to get off his stool for round 7. Its just gone past the 15th anniversary of that contest and McBride who retired in 2011 is now working for a tree surgeon in Boston, USA; a place were Kevin has lived for nigh on 20 years. I was delighted to interview Kevin yesterday and to chat to him about the famous win over Iron Mike, and got his thoughts on why he didn't manage to build momentum from that win. 

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If you're a snooker fan and watch tournaments on Eurosport and ITV, you'll be familiar with the voice of David Hendon as lead commentator. I interviewed David on Tuesday, a day before the sad passing of Willie Thorne was announced, may he RIP. Myself and David spoke of the challenges facing snooker during the current pandemic. We touched on the impact of Barry Hearn on World Snooker, we previewed the upcoming World Championship next month at the Crucible and looked back on the history of this great event which dates back to 1927 when Joe Davis won the first of 15 straight titles.

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Eamon McGee was first drafted into the Donegal squad in 2003 under Brian McEniff. In 2007, he was an ever present figure in Donegal's route to the Division 1 title where they beat Mayo in the final. Like many Donegal players, it was under Jim McGuinness where McGee took his game to another level. Alongside his brother Neil, provincial success was had in Ulster in 2011 & 2012 before the holy grail itself was landed in 2012 when Sam Maguire was won with Mayo again the opposition in the decider. McGee retired from the Donegal set up in 2016 & since then has gone on to achieve club success with Gweedore in securing county & provincial honours. I interviewed Eamon during the week & reflected on the McGuinness era & much more. 

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In 2019 Fr Brian D'Arcy celebrated a very special year in style. Not only was he marking 50 years as a priest, he was also honoured with an OBE award. Fr Brian; from Co Fermanagh originally, is now based in Co Down and has being well known nationally and beyond for many decades both from TV apperances and from having had slots on various radio programmes for over 40 years. 

I was delighted to interview him yesterday. We covered a lot of ground on different topics including the sad recent passing of Brendan Bowyer (RIP) who Brian tells a few great stories about during our chat. Also mentioned is Fr Brian's book, a memoir which he released in months past. 

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When most people think of Irish country music they think of Daniel O'Donnell. Since the early 80's to now its incredible the level of success he has had consistently. Album after album, concert after concert, people long for more. I'm proud of the fact Daniel hails from the Rosses . Himself and his wife Majella who I've also featured on this podcast are a huge credit to Donegal as a county in the work they do in raising money for charity, and having helped massively in attracting so many tourists to Donegal and the Rosses over the years which of course is a very positive thing for any location. The amount of joy Daniel in particular has given to hundreds of thousands of people across the globe can only be admired really. I caught up with Daniel yesterday to see how he was coping with the current lockdown and we touched on many different topics.

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Former boxing two weight world champion Carl Frampton recently listed Wayne McCullough as his no.1 irish fighter of all time. Its easy to see why. In a pro boxing career spanning 15 years McCullough mixed it with the very best at his weight, the likes of Prince Nazeem and Erik Morales just a few examples. Wayne in 1995 became WBC Bantamweight Champion by winning a split decision v Japan's Yasuei Yakushiji, a fight which took place in Japan. It was the pinnacle of a very impressive career which saw Wayne not being floored once by any boxer. I was delighted Wayne agreed to an interview with me. I phoned Las Vegas yesterday to discuss many things about his career.

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Pat Boyle has being secretary of Na Rossa GAA club since 1982. I thought it'd be a good idea to do a show on the history of this great club and there was no better man to do this with than Pat. During this particular podcast, Pat goes right back to the start with how & why Na Rossa were formed, he lists the successes the club has had down through the years and he touches on the current day scene as Na Rossa have a brand new pitch to be proud of in Lettermacaward. 

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When I think of great Donegal talent in music, Rory Gallagher from Kilcar sits right up there with the very best. His originality and passion for music can only be admired. He has written hundreds of songs in his time penning material and I've no doubt we're going to see a lot more great songs from him in the coming months and years. His story to me is a great one, he has lived, laughed and experienced many different cities of the world via music, from both his time with the Revs and now as he's known, Rory & The Island. I was delighted Rory agreed to do this podcast with me.

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For many years, Ken Doherty has been a sporting hero of mine. As a teenager I recall him winning the 1997 World Snooker Championship, an amazing feat considering he ended Stephen Hendry's 5 year streak of dominance at the crucible. I got the oppertunity to interview Ken yesterday, a great honour for me. We chatted about his impressive career.

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