Irish Tennis Updates Podcast artwork

Irish Tennis Updates Podcast

84 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 2 ratings

I get to chat with prominent figures in the world of Irish tennis. Current players, past players, coaches and others involved in the game.

Tennis Sports
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Episodes

Davis Cup Review - with Sam Barry and Players

February 14, 2024 09:42 - 33 minutes - 21 MB

Hello and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast.   In this episode I’m reviewing the recent Davis Cup tie in Limerick. I do this with the help of Sam Barry, who was at the event commentating for Premier Sports on live TV within Ireland. We both agree it was a fantastic event with a lot of positives for Irish tennis.   Over the weekend I got the chance to interview some of the players, including Dominic Thiem, Sebastian Ofner and Michael Agwi. This episode also features the audio f...

Ireland vs Austria Davis Cup Preview

January 18, 2024 16:14 - 22 minutes - 16.8 MB

Hello and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast.   This time I’m chatting to Davis Cup captain Conor Niland to look ahead to the upcoming tie Ireland vs Austria in Limerick on 3rd and 4th February. This is the first home tie in Ireland since 2015 and promises to be a great weekend of tennis.   We chat about the tie itself, the players likely to play on both sides and some of Ireland’s recent ties that have led to this point. This includes recent away wins against El Salvador and B...

Eoin Collins Interview

October 29, 2023 16:13 - 35 minutes - 25.3 MB

Hello and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast.   In this episode I’m chatting with current O/55s world champion Eoin Collins. Eoin was also the world champion over 45 and has played for Ireland in Davis Cup over many years, and in the Olympics in Seoul and Barcelona.   We chat about all of this and discuss Eoin’s secrets to still be playing at such a high level. Eoin has lived in the US since attending college there on a scholarship, and he also talks about his experiences with ...

Colin O'Brien Interview

June 18, 2023 08:51 - 45 minutes - 41.8 MB

Hello and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast.   This time on the podcast is Colin O’Brien. Colin has had many roles in tennis and has a lot of experience in the game. He won 9 pro doubles titles and reached the top 600 in the world in singles. Since retiring from playing, Colin has begun coaching and has been based in Templeogue for the last few years as performance director.   We chat about Colin’s journey in tennis and his best experiences along the way. We also talk a lot a...

Celine Simunyu Interview

June 04, 2023 10:10 - 36 minutes - 34.2 MB

Hello and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast.   In this episode I’m chatting to Celine Simunyu. Celine is Ireland’s top female tennis player and has recently moved into the world’s top 1000 with some strong performances on the ITF tour so far this year. Celine is just 18 years old and has a very bright future.   We chat about Celine’s tennis journey so far, including her move to live and train in Barcelona, where she is still based. We touch on her experiences playing Billie J...

2023 Spring Update

March 25, 2023 18:17 - 31 minutes - 18.9 MB

Welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast! This episode is the latest update episode with Mark Finnegan. We touch on a number of updates in the world of Irish tennis. Including: ·       US college tennis updates ·       DLTC Winter League ·       Davis Cup results ·       Billie Jean King Cup tie coming up ·       New CEO for Tennis Ireland ·        Irish tennis players on tour ·       And more! Hope you enjoy this episode, and please consider sharing it around if you found...

James McGee Interview

December 23, 2022 14:05 - 1 hour - 45.8 MB

Hello and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast. Ever since I started this podcast, I’ve known that I had to have a chat with James McGee. And finally, here is that episode! James is a legend of Irish tennis and is probably our most successful player in the last 10-15 years. He reached the top 150 in the world ATP, won a Challenger event in 2016, and in 2014 he qualified for the main draw of the US Open. He also won many crucial matches for Ireland in the Davis Cup. These days ...

Conor Gannon Interview

September 11, 2022 09:39 - 25 minutes - 16.6 MB

Hello and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast. This time I’m chatting to Conor Gannon, who is currently at the University of Memphis, and previously attended Tennessee. Conor has also recently been selected for his Davis Cup debut in Barbados later this month, the 16th and 17thof September. This is a brilliant achievement for Conor In this episode, we hear about Conor’s journey in tennis so far, his experiences in junior tennis, and his memories of watching Davis Cup as a kid and...

Garreth Greene Interview

September 04, 2022 10:47 - 43 minutes - 31.3 MB

Hello and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast. In this episode I’m chatting to Garreth Greene. Garreth is Ireland’s number one wheelchair tennis player, and is currently ranked inside the top 100, at number 92. He is targeting qualification for the 2024 Paris Paralympics. We talk about Garreth’s tennis journey, from finding the game at 28 to competing in the Irish Open, to winning his first professional singles title in Switzerland earlier this year. We also discuss the state of ...

Final College Tennis Update 2022

May 20, 2022 13:52 - 26 minutes - 24.2 MB

Welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast. This is the latest episode with Mark Finnegan and this time we’re looking back at the end of the US College tennis season, as well as talking about summer league back in Ireland and some upcoming tournaments over the summer Thanks for listening to this update, get out there and enjoy some tennis!

2022 Second College Tennis Update

April 18, 2022 12:49 - 38 minutes - 35.7 MB

In this episode I catch up once again with Mark Finnegan. We look back at the recent ITF junior event in Dublin and get an update on the results of the Irish players in US college tennis as we come into the final few weeks of the season. The very best of luck to everyone competing over the next few weeks, both in the States and also back here in Ireland as we come into the exciting summer months for tennis. Thanks for listening and please do tune in again next time for another update.

2022 College Tennis Update

March 07, 2022 16:10 - 32 minutes - 22.9 MB

In this episode with Mark Finnegan, we hear all about the progress of the Irish players in US college so far this season. We also hear about some recent results from college tennis here in Ireland, and also get some updates on the recent DLTC winter league that is moving into the play off stages. It’s a busy time for tennis at the moment so tune in to hear all about it

2022 Preview with Mark Finnegan

January 16, 2022 18:55 - 32 minutes - 29.9 MB

Welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast. This episode I’ve been talking to Mark Finnegan catching up on the goings on in Irish tennis from the end of 2021, including the National Indoors, and looking ahead to 2022, and in particular the US college tennis season. Please do tune in over the coming weeks and months to see how things progress. The very best of luck to all players in action this year.

Wesley O'Brien Interview

January 09, 2022 11:08 - 37 minutes - 34.7 MB

Hello and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast. This week I’ve been chatting to Wesley O’Brien, an Irish tennis coach. Wesley is the founder of Hit and Hope Tennis and has visited various refugee camps around Europe, running tennis sessions and making the sport available to so many people who would otherwise not have access to it. Back home in Ireland, Wesley is involved with the Enjoy Tennis programme and blind tennis in particular, working with the Irish team at the 2018 blind t...

Stuart Haxell Interview

January 02, 2022 11:42 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MB

Hello and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast. In this episode I’ve been talking to Stuart Haxell, who is one of Ireland’s top blind tennis players. We talk about Stuart’s experiences in the sport, in the past and looking ahead to future competitions. We also look at the state of the sport in Ireland and around the world and discuss how it’s grown over the last few years. Most people don’t know a lot about blind tennis, and I think it’s brilliant to get to hear about it, especial...

Larry Jurovich Interview

October 17, 2021 09:26 - 36 minutes - 34.1 MB

Hello, and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast. This time I’ve been talking to Larry Jurovich. You may know of Larry as the coach who worked with players such as James McGee and James Cluskey during the early 2000s. Larry is from Canada, and that’s where he’s now working, and he’s also spent time working in the UK, China and more along the way. He’s had a great journey in the coaching world with a lot of success and I really enjoyed talking to him. This year Larry has offered a t...

National Hospice Fundraiser 2021

September 13, 2021 09:35 - 17 minutes - 16.1 MB

Hello and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates podcast. In this episode I’m talking to Paul O’Sullivan and Alan Beaddie about the upcoming fundraiser for the Irish Hospice Foundation. This is something that Alan has been running in his club of Clontarf for several years with great success and now it’s coming nationwide. Paul is the commercial manager at Tennis Ireland and he also joins the chat to tell us more. It takes place on October 1st and everyone can get involved. Make sure to l...

Olwyn O'Toole and the Access Tennis Foundation

September 06, 2021 05:28 - 25 minutes - 23.4 MB

Hello, and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast. This week I’ve been chatting to Olwyn O’Toole. Olwyn has been involved with tennis for many years and has recently founded the Access Tennis Foundation, which aims to make tennis accessible to those in disadvantaged circumstances, for example people living in direct provision centres and emergency accommodation. This is an amazing Foundation and it was great to hear about all of the work that it’s doing. As Olwyn mentions, there are...

Summer Update and Fitzwilliam Preview

August 15, 2021 13:46 - 35 minutes - 33.3 MB

In this episode of the Irish Tennis Updates podcast, myself and Mark Finnegan look back at the summer so far and look ahead to the national junior championships in Fitzwilliam this week. Hope you enjoy this episode, and the very best of luck to all players this week.

Siobhan Nicholson Interview

July 25, 2021 09:08 - 38 minutes - 35.6 MB

Hello, and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast. This week I’ve been chatting to Siobhan Nicholson. Siobhan had a very successful tennis career, with career high rankings in the top 300 for singles and doubles and several pro ITF titles to her name. More recently she has won the world over 50 championships. We talk about all of this, as well as her time representing Ireland at Fed Cup, her experiences in the US College tennis system in the 1990s and moving into the world of work a...

Karen Nugent Interview

July 18, 2021 08:42 - 43 minutes - 39.8 MB

Hello, and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast. This week I’ve been chatting to Karen Nugent. Karen has had a lot of success in her tennis career and it was great to talk to her. She reached the quarter finals of junior Wimbledon, reached the top 250 in doubles as a pro and won numerous pro titles along the way. In this episode we talk about playing the junior grand slams, playing Martina Navratilova in Dublin as a 17 year old, the challenges she faced in her professional career ...

Claire Curran Interview part 2

July 04, 2021 09:03 - 46 minutes - 43.3 MB

Hello, and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast. This week I’ve been talking to Claire Curran and this is part two of our chat. Claire had a lot of success as a pro tennis player, and represented both Ireland and Great Britain during her career. She got to top 100 in doubles and played in Wimbledon four times. This episode, in part two, Claire talks about her pro tennis days and the success that she enjoyed, making the switch from representing Ireland to Great Britain, why, and ho...

Claire Curran Interview part 1

June 27, 2021 08:00 - 44 minutes - 40.9 MB

Hello, and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast. This week I’ve been talking to Claire Curran and this is part one of our chat. Claire had a lot of success as a pro tennis player, and represented both Ireland and Great Britain during her career. She got to top 100 in doubles and played in Wimbledon four times. This episode, in part one, Claire discusses her current involvement with tennis, her junior days in the sport, spending four years in the US on a tennis scholarship and p...

Billie Jean King Cup Update

June 18, 2021 18:16 - 6 minutes - 5.15 MB

In this episode I've caught up with Grainne O'Neill, Ciara Finucane and John McGahon who are in Lithuania this week with the Billie Jean King Cup team.   We discuss how team preparation went, winning the group stages, promotion play-offs and look ahead to the last match tomorrow.  Enjoy this episode, and best of luck to the team for tomorrow.

Davis Cup Update with Cian Blake

June 17, 2021 19:24 - 11 minutes - 8.86 MB

With Davis and Billie Jean King Cup teams both in action this week, I caught up with Cian Blake, interim co-captain for the Davis Cup team, to get his thoughts on the week so far and look forward to tomorrow’s match-up. The very best of luck to both teams, and keep an eye out for more content like this over the coming days.

Cian Blake, Carlos Miranda and Davis Cup 2021

June 13, 2021 12:17 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MB

Hello and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast. This week I’m chatting to Cian Blake and Carlos Miranda, the interim captains for the upcoming Davis Cup tie in Cyprus this week. You’ll hear about their background in tennis, their journeys as coaches, and they also preview the matches this week. They discuss the team, the format and how to follow along. Also, find out how they fare with their Irish Davis Cup trivia. I really appreciate their time with this episode and wish them and...

JoAnne Williamson Interview

June 06, 2021 08:58 - 59 minutes - 55.5 MB

Hello and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast. This week I am chatting to JoAnne Williamson. JoAnne has been involved in tennis her whole life and spent time as a teenager in the Bollettieri Academy and represented Ireland at the Junior World Championships. More recently she has played for Ireland at a vet level and done so with a lot of success. And she has also spent a number of years coaching to a high level. JoAnne has a lot of passion for tennis and has a lot of great storie...

Rob Leahy and Racket Restringing

May 30, 2021 08:38 - 57 minutes - 53.5 MB

Hello and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast. This week I’m chatting to Rob Leahy. Rob has a huge amount of experience in the racket restringing business and has worked as a stringer at several professional events over the years in addition to working in shops in Cork for many years and more recently Doha where he now lives and works. As well as discussing some of his own journey in tennis and how he started stringing, Rob also shares a huge amount of advice for those interested...

End of College Tennis Season Update

May 27, 2021 10:44 - 29 minutes - 27.6 MB

We are in the final week of the US college tennis season so tune in to hear how the Irish players have fared in the National Championships over the last 2-3 weeks. Also find out which players have been recognised by their conference as having had outstanding seasons. There are visuals that accompany this episode, so I’d recommend watching on YouTube if you can, to see the images and draws that Mark is discussing. A big well done to all the players for a great season and many thanks to Mark...

Georgia Drummy Interview with Fergus O'Rourke

May 25, 2021 07:08 - 8 minutes - 7.68 MB

Georgia Drummy is currently competing at the NCAA national championships and has won her opening two matches to reach the last 16. Fergus O’Rourke, also an Irish college tennis player has been on the campus for the tournament and yesterday he caught up with Georgia to get her thoughts on the tournament so far. Many thanks to both Fergus and Georgia for taking the time to do this, and best of luck to Georgia for the rest of the tournament. She plays her next match at 6:30pm Irish time today, M...

End of Season Preview with Mark Finnegan

May 06, 2021 08:16 - 30 minutes - 28 MB

With the regular season now finished, Mark Finnegan takes us through what the remainder looks like. From NCAA D1, D2, NAIA and Junior Colleges, team, singles and doubles, tune in to learn all about it and hear about which Irish players are competing over the course of May. The very best of luck to all players. With thanks to the NCAA where all the draws used in this episode are taken from. See https://www.ncaa.com/sports/tennis-women/d1 and https://www.ncaa.com/sports/tennis-men/d1 for mor...

Liam O'Donoghue and Enjoy Tennis

April 25, 2021 08:37 - 28 minutes - 26.7 MB

Hello and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast. This week I’ve got a really special episode with Liam O’Donoghue, the founder of Enjoy Tennis. Liam gives a brilliant insight into what Enjoy Tennis does, how it has grown and is continuing to do so, and the impact that it has had on so many people all around the country. This is without a doubt one of the most moving and uplifting chats that I’ve had on the podcast. As we say during the episode, if you have any questions or would li...

Sixth College and Pro Tennis Update

April 21, 2021 08:26 - 26 minutes - 24.9 MB

As the US College tennis season nears an end and we reach the Conference championships this week, tune in to catch up on all the action from the last two weeks. Thanks as always to Mark Finnegan for the updates and make sure to listen again as the National Championships are fast approaching.

Gina Niland Interview

April 11, 2021 08:39 - 41 minutes - 38.6 MB

Hello and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast. I’m really excited to have Gina Niland on the podcast this week. Gina has had a really great tennis journey, including being Ireland’s most successful Fed Cup player over 12 years, and she has career high rankings in the top 500 for singles and doubles. During the chat we talk about her early tennis development and progress, both in England and after her family moved back to Ireland. We talk about Fed Cup, the not-so-glamorous lif...

Fifth College and Pro Tennis Update

April 07, 2021 09:07 - 26 minutes - 24.6 MB

On this episode I’m talking with Mark Finnegan about all of the Irish players playing college tennis in the US at the moment. There are a lot of players doing amazingly well over there and this is a chance to give them some of the recognition they deserve. Enjoy this update and tune in again in two weeks to see how the season is progressing.

The History of Irish Tennis - Episode Five - Fed Cup, Ireland's Oldest Club and More

April 04, 2021 08:34 - 24 minutes - 23 MB

Welcome to episode five, the final part, of “The History of Irish Tennis”, my series with Tom Higgins, author and expert. Over the course of the series, we have looked back at various areas of the history of the sport in this country. Join us for this fascinating journey and learn something new. In the fifth and final episode, Tom discusses various topics, including the Fed Cup, US tennis scholarships, and the not-so-easy question of the oldest tennis club in Ireland. There are also some othe...

The History of Irish Tennis - Episode Four - The Olympics and the Davis Cup

March 28, 2021 09:01 - 31 minutes - 29.6 MB

Welcome to episode four of “The History of Irish Tennis”, my series with Tom Higgins, author and expert. Over the course of the series, we will be looking back at various areas of the history of the sport in this country. Join us for this fascinating journey and learn something new. In the fourth episode, Tom discusses the Olympics and the Davis Cup; the origins of these competitions, how they have developed and progressed, and of course Irish successes over the years, from Olympic medals won...

Fourth College and Pro Tennis Update

March 24, 2021 10:25 - 32 minutes - 30.4 MB

On this episode I’m talking with Mark Finnegan about all of the Irish players playing college tennis in the US at the moment. There are a lot of players doing amazingly well over there and this is a chance to give them some of the recognition they deserve. Enjoy this update and tune in again in two weeks to see how the season is progressing. And also in this episode I’ve caught up with Dave Mullins for some more explanation of the competition structure, and the structure of the college tenn...

Garrett Barry and the National Performance Strategy

March 21, 2021 10:38 - 1 hour - 64 MB

Hello and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast. This week on the podcast is Garrett Barry. Garrett is the National Performance Coordinator at Tennis Ireland and has been part of the team developing a new national performance strategy. The plan is ready to go as soon as Covid allows and Garrett takes us through all the main details here. As Garrett mentions towards the end of the episode, he is more than happy to receive any feedback, queries or advice on the plan, and you can re...

The History of Irish Tennis - Episode Three - The Defining Families of Irish Tennis

March 14, 2021 11:50 - 36 minutes - 33.5 MB

Welcome to episode three of “The History of Irish Tennis”, my new series with Tom Higgins, author and expert. Over the course of the series, we will be looking back at various areas of the history of the sport in this country. Join us for this fascinating journey and learn something new. In the third episode Tom discusses some of the individuals and families that have shaped Irish tennis over the years – from the top players of the early and mid-1900s, to more recent families such as the Nila...

Third College and Pro Tennis Update

March 09, 2021 16:53 - 21 minutes - 20 MB

On this episode I’m talking with Mark Finnegan about all of the Irish players playing college tennis in the US at the moment. There are a lot of players doing amazingly well over there and this is a chance to give them some of the recognition they deserve. Enjoy this update and tune in again in two weeks to see how the season is progressing.

The History of Irish Tennis - Episode Two - The Golden Era of Irish Tennis

March 07, 2021 09:58 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MB

Welcome to episode two of “The History of Irish Tennis”, my new series with Tom Higgins, author and expert. Over the course of the series, we will be looking back at various areas of the history of the sport in this country. Join us for this fascinating journey and learn something new. In this second episode, Tom discusses the Golden Age of tennis in Ireland, the success of the Irish at the major championships, as well as touching on other issues such as what caused Ireland to lose its grip o...

The History of Irish Tennis - Episode One - The Beginnings, and the Irish Championships

February 28, 2021 09:42 - 23 minutes - 21.8 MB

Welcome to the first episode of “The History of Irish Tennis”, my new series with Tom Higgins, author and expert. Over the course of the series, we will be looking back at various areas of the history of the sport in this country. Join us for this fascinating journey and learn something new. In this first episode, Tom discusses the origins of the sport of tennis, how it first came to Ireland, the inaugural Irish Championships in 1879 and why they were such a big success. Tom’s three volume bo...

Second College and Pro Tennis Update

February 23, 2021 10:37 - 20 minutes - 18.7 MB

On this episode I’m talking with Mark Finnegan about all of the Irish players playing college tennis in the US at the moment. There are a lot of players doing amazingly well over there and this is a chance to give them some of the recognition they deserve. Enjoy this update and tune in again in two weeks to see how the season is progressing.

Elsa O'Riain Interview

February 21, 2021 10:42 - 37 minutes - 35 MB

Hello and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast. This week I’m talking to Elsa O’Riain. Elsa played pro tennis for two years and achieved a top 400 singles ranking in that time. She’s represented Ireland in the Fed Cup, competed at three of the four junior grand slams and had a very successful time playing tennis at Harvard University. I really enjoyed talking to Elsa and hearing her tennis story. As well as discussing the highs and lows of her journey, we also talk about the wider...

Rosa Stephens Interview

February 14, 2021 09:11 - 54 minutes - 50.5 MB

Hello and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast. This week I’m talking to the wonderful Rosa Stephens. Anyone who’s been involved in tournaments or leagues in Leinster over the last number of years definitely knows Rosa and what a great job she does. During her time working for Leinster Tennis Rosa has been involved in bringing in Tournament Software, organising junior leagues, introducing Phoenix draws and a lot more. Rosa has done amazing things for Irish tennis and you’re not ...

College and Pro Tennis Update

February 11, 2021 19:12 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

On this episode I’m talking with Mark Finnegan about all of the Irish players playing college tennis in the US at the moment. There are a lot of players doing amazingly well over there and this is a chance to give them some of the recognition they deserve. Enjoy this update and tune in again in two weeks to see how the season is progressing.

Mike Cation Interview

January 31, 2021 10:10 - 1 hour - 55.9 MB

Hello and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast. This week I’m delighted to be chatting to Mike Cation. Mike is a legend of pro tennis commentary, working primarily on ATP Challenger level tennis on the USTA Pro Circuit. And he’s also worked at the Australian and US Opens. We talk about where this started for Mike, what he loves about the job and some of his best memories. In the second half of the episode, we talk about Mike’s experiences and memories of some of the best Irish pla...

Mark Carpenter Interview

January 24, 2021 09:00 - 41 minutes - 38.8 MB

Hello and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast. This week I’m talking to Mark Carpenter. Mark has been around tennis his whole life and has a lot to offer to tennis in Ireland. As a junior he grew up in Switzerland and got to experience the tennis system over there. We touch on what we can learn from the Swiss when it comes to competitions. We also discuss other issues in Irish tennis as well as Mark’s time working on the committee for the Irish Open and what that experience tau...

David Wilson Interview

January 10, 2021 09:56 - 58 minutes - 54.5 MB

Hello and welcome back to the Irish Tennis Updates Podcast. This week I’m chatting to David Wilson. David is an expert in coach education, and how we best learn. He has presented at various ITF and Tennis Europe conferences on topics like these. We chat about where this started for David, as well as discussing the coach education system in Ireland and where he sees room for improvement. Later on we discuss other aspects of Irish tennis, including tournaments, and spreading the word. I found t...

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