Humans of Gaelic

If you’re training hard but still feeling sluggish, flat, or injured — your sleep is probably the missing piece.
In this episode, elite sleep coach Tom Coleman breaks down the science behind high performance recovery, and why most GAA players are undermining their progress every night.

We talk about:

• The most common sleep disruptors for club players

• What evening games and late training sessions do to your nervous system

• Why caff...

Most Gaelic footballers — even at the top level — are still heavily one-sided. In this fascinating episode, Karol Dillon breaks down the science and psychology behind laterality, the gap between drills and decisions, and how to truly develop more two-sided players.

We explore:

Paudie Kissane – 2010 All-Ireland winner with Cork, now an S&C coach and owner of his own athlete development company.

In this episode, we unpack:

• How Paudie transitioned from inter-county football to high-performance coaching

• The myths around S&C in club setups

• Why most speed training is poorly implemented in GAA

• How warm-ups and training loads must adapt to the new rules

• What players and coaches can do to future-proof their...

We’ve all heard it: “he’s low on confidence.” But what if confidence isn’t actually the key to playing well?

Sports psychologist Eddy Sheeky breaks down why elite players perform regardless of how they feel — and how you can too.

We discuss:

• The myth of confidence — and why elite players perform without it
• The reset triggers, breathing drills, and mindset habits used at inter-county level
• How stress outside of sport is secretly kil...

In this episode, Tony Óg Regan shares his journey from playing in All-Ireland hurling finals with Galway, to dealing with being dropped from the panel multiple times and becoming one of Ireland’s top high-performance coaches .

He discusses mental resilience, overcoming self-doubt, burnout, and the mindset needed to thrive in sport and life.

In this episode, we break down:

• How burnout at 23 almost derailed his career
• The mindset shi...

Pre-season is where teams lay the foundation for success, butmany get it wrong—leading toavoidable injuries, burnout, and underperformance when it matters most.

In this episode,Rob Mulcahy, Head of Athletic Development at Setanta College and former Clare senior football S&C coach, breaks downthe most common mistakes and how to avoid them.

We discuss:

-Why most teams neglect a proper needs analysis (and how it impacts results)
-The ...

Paul Flanagan’s inter-county journey is one of perseverance and mental resilience.

After first breaking onto the Clare hurling panel for the All-Ireland win in 2013, he didn’t make his first senior championship start until 10 seasons later aged 28.

He finished the season with an All-Star nomination and retired last year after winning his second Celtic Cross. We discuss:

🧠 How he stayed motivated despite years of setbacks

💪 The impact...

Tipperary's Conor Sweeney has recently retired after 15 years of senior inter-county football. We discuss:

🏐 The ‘massive relief’ of stepping away from county football

🎯 Mastering free-taking – are great kickers born or made?

🔥 The conversation that changed everything in his career

💪 Balancing football, life, and the sacrifices required to succeed

If you're curious about what it really takes to make it at the top level and how the b...

Clare footballer Eoin Cleary has recently returned to the county panel after taking a year out.

We chat about:

- The craic and benefits of a summer playing football in Chicago- His battle with osteitis pubis and how he recovered - Burnout after 10 years playing senior inter-county football- What football's new rules means for forwards

➕ We've got some great guests coming up. Make sure you subscribe so you don't miss any episodes.

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AFLW Talent ID & Elite Coach Mike Currane joins us to explore how players can successfully transition to Australian Rules.

We chat about: - Why Irish players have excelled in making the move to AFLW - The journey from being scouted to securing a contract - The key physical traits that AFL and AFLW clubs prioritise - What Irish players can realistically expect to earn 

You can follow Mike at @AFLW_Ireland

➕ We've got some great gue...

S&C Coach Kevin Mulcahy joins me to discuss the new Gaelic football rules and their impact on strength and conditioning for players.

We discuss:

• The new Gaelic football rules and the S&C training players now need
• Managing injury risks with less recovery time
• Why some county teams are doing too much high-intensity work
• Incentivising solo & go in training
• The athletic profile now required for middle-third players
• Off...

Drewe Broughton, known as The Fear Coach, is the latest guest on the podcast.

We discuss:

Cavan footballer and former Collingwood player Aishling Sheridan is the latest guest on the podcast.

We discuss:

• Her decision to step away from AFLW
• The recruitment process and trials
• Navigating her early years in Australia during Covid
• Melbourne living
• Training week structure at Collingwood
• Key S&C tips from AFL
• Pre-game journaling
• Media training and building a personal brand
• Working in online coaching

You can fol...

Great chat with Laois footballer Kieran Lillis on this week’s show.  

We discuss:

• Huge success he enjoyed early in his career
• The lifestyle habits needed to play at inter-county level
• Key S&C metrics he looks to hit
• How he mentally preps for big games
• Growing up with Zach Tuohy
• His experience of training with elite athletes in Kenya 

➕We've got some great guests coming up. Make sure you subscribe so you don't miss any e...

I’m joined by sports psychologist Kelley Fay on this week’s show.  

She currently works with the Roscommon men’s and Meath ladies footballers. 

She has been part of the Royals’ backroom team for a number of years, including their back-to-back All-Ireland successes.

In the past, Kelley has worked with Team GB, Ulster Rugby, plus a host of individual athletes across GAA and rugby, athletics, golf, gymnastics, skiing, snowboarding and ot...

Conor McDonald has been on the road for 12 seasons with Wexford hurlers.

Over the past year he has battled nerve damage in his back that he feared would rule him out for the entire 2024 season.

He opens up about the low point of not being able to lift his infant daughter up out of her bed, to the difficulties of navigating a lengthy rehab with no finish line in sight.

We discuss:

• The long road to recovery 
• Mental aspect of being i...

There is a lot players will learn from this conversation with one of Ireland’s leading sports nutritionists.We discuss: * Life in the Kerry dressing room * How to nail the basics of nutrition * Importance of individualisation* Caffeine & Performance* Recovery* Post-Game fuelling* Drinking after games* Body composition changes during the season* AFL vs GAA nutritionYou can follow John O'Connor on Instagram here: www.instagram.co...

Connaire Mackin played a key role in Armagh’s stunning All-Ireland victory in July. We discuss:● What it’s like to play in an All-Ireland final, and how he prepared for it.● The ups and downs he had this season, and his battle to get onto the team.● The suspension he picked up after an off-the-ball clash with Conor Glass, and the controversy that surrounded it.● What a Kieran McGeeney pre-game speech is really like.

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