Loi Weekly

After a decade of terrible mainstream media fuelled lies, we land on an existential discussion about the importance of football, the futility of fandom and the repeated death of a title race that doesn’t seem to really matter anymore anyway. Money, money, money, to win or break even? That is the question, and what is the answer? Is it 50 +1? Or is it £50 to rename Finn Park as Fun Park? To discuss this and more we have the unshaven but fully prepared Barry Murphy for a general ‘spiel’ on the state of a goalkeeping nation with an unexpected sidetrack to an Indian Sibin. Come and join us for an episode that has more twists and turns than a James McClean walk through the forest. With thanks, as ever, to Rascals, Future Ticketing, Planify, O’Reillys, and Collar & Cuff for guiding us along the way.

We are ten games into our tenth season and whether you're in Vietnam or in the shower, we hope there's something for you here as we wrap on a dramatic weekend where there was courage and controversy in Dundalk, more Galway joy, a bit of Bohs and Shels angst and unexpected days off in Derry. Dan was at Oriel Park and brings some Ciaran Kilduff and Stephen Kenny into our discussion with some praise for Johnny and split opinions around a tackle. There's more cat content, Meath FC's unveiling, Cillian Murphy, Daniel O'Donnell and a bad weekend for pirates. All of this legal content is brought to you in association with Planify, Future Ticketing, O'Reilly Sports, Collar & Cuff and Rascals Brewing

Some walk by night, some fly by day, nothing can change us, 'cept and sure of the way. We are moonlighting back into the LOI scene as the Prague hangover looms over all strands of Irish football. This is the show you've kinda all been expecting. The one where Agnes Dipesto and Burt Viola call Gary Cole about a murder involving an out of breath Brian Lenihan. The perfect hangover cure at midnight on BBC 2 as the boys discuss the national fervour, how it's relevant for the league's next step and begin the countdown to Saudi 2034. Johnny dials Derry to check in with Carl Winchester ahead of a big week on the road for a club that could do with an Easter rising. There's also lunchtime pints, bridesmaid free weddings and the latest update on the passing of time. All of this philosophising and more is brought to you in association with Collar & Cuff, Rascals Brewing, O'Reilly Sports, Future Ticketing and Planify

It's St Patrick's Night and Dan and Johnny are just two fortysomething dads recording a pod and debating the mechanics of the passing of time. They spend less than a hour of their existence picking over the talking points of the double header with Johnny enthused about his Galway PALS and Dan wondering if Dublin dominance is an inevitable consequence of a season where supposed regional powers are underperforming. We hear a snippet of Derry City's Tiernan Lynch who is struggling to get fans on board but did get a 12th man on the park on Monday. There's birthday shoutouts and Waterford's Blues in a relatively serene mailbag with all this philosophical fun brought to you by our friends at Collar and Cuff, Rascals Brewery, Planify, O'Reilly Sports and Future Ticketing

The lads are remote this week, and a bit distant at times as they struggle to process the big questions floating around their heads at this early stage of the season. What is a title race? Who will Galway United finish ahead of? What's wrong with Derry? Is Stephen Kenny back in the game? Who will win at Cheltenham on Friday? And where have all the Bohs fans gone from our mailbag? Shels are on the brain too, and we briefly hear from Joey O'Brien after a dramatic Tolka double header that reflects that 'The Reds' are still finding their way after a gruelling 2025. It's an hour long catchup after the benign Paul O'Hehir takeover and it's brought to you in association with our friends at Rascals Brewery, Collar & Cuff, Future Ticketing, Planify and O'Reilly Sports.

When you've spent your last nine euro on a curry cheese chips in Inchicore and been presented with a bag of promised vinyl and a sauna is the only cure for a hangover then you know it has to be another episode of your favourite podcast. Dan is away this week so we took our chance to see if Paul O'Hehir would reprise his performance from last week and you could have knocked us down with a feather when he agreed! To aid and abet in the days post Dublin Derby we got the poetic Paddy Kavanagh away from a Data Centre to join us, as he was apparently, "in the area". Without a Dan to stamp out the tangents we spiralled from a soul legend's header to Derry's maybe inadequate back five, to bar room filing in Iceland and eventually ended up with Stephen Bradley's new version of that old dancehall favourite, "Speak To The Club". Even though he wasn't in studio Dan spoke with Jon Daly and we had Niamh O'Mahony's take on the pyro debate. It was definitely a differently structured show which Rascals Brewery, Collar & Cuff,

After a fiery Friday and a surprisingly flat Monday, Dan is joined in studio by Paul O'Hehir and a gift bearing Johnny Dunleavy to pick through the talking points of the weekend. It brings us from flare ups and young players lighting up the league to unusual theme park sightings and unexpected Las Vegas reunions. Patrick O'Donovan's comments about the Louth derby aftermath set the agenda and the lads offer their own take before picking through Blues reviews, Pat's angst, Bohs excitement and much more besides. As ever we're brought to you in association with Collar & Cuff, Future Ticketing, Rascals Brewing & Planify and we now have a new partner on our roster with O'Reilly Sports added before the close of the transfer window. If you're with a sports team or club and want to get some new gear for your team then go to oreillysofficial.com and quote JD15 for a special LOI Central discount.

We're back indoors at Oliver Ireland wondering if we're going to be outdoors anywhere this weekend after another interrupted League of Ireland Friday. John Caufield joins us from Galway where a frustrating start to the season has followed a challenging winter, while Tommy Barrett dials in after an an agonising loss to Cork City on Friday. Season and league structure and the difficulties of recruitment are recurring themes in conversations that prove that it's a test out west. In addition to that we've got a packed mailbag that brings us from killing fields to artificial fields, and gambling partners to Bohs strike partners amongst other talking points that we wouldn't be able to bring to you withour our friends at Rascals, Collar & Cuff, Future Ticketing and Planify

We are back and so is football, weather permitting. The lads reflect on an opening weekend of the season that was affected by the elements, although that didn’t stop over 21,000 people turning up at the bore in Dublin 4. Johnny and Dan discuss the pros and cons of the exercise in addition to some Derry analysis, Francely Lomboto chant attempts and much more besides. After that we go back in time to our season opener in Rascals which spent nine days with the lawyers before we agreed on a redacted chat with Richard Brush and Eoin Doyle which, amongst other things, discusses how football can literally be a matter of life and death. We wouldn’t be functioning without the support of Rascals, Collar & Cuff, Planify and Future Ticketing. Tune in for season ten!

We are back for season ten and kicking off by bringing you back to Sunday night where we officially launched our 2026 season with not just one but two lads called Mark who captained League of Ireland clubs last year but now play for Coleraine. Mark Connolly and Mark Coyle reflected on their respective Derry and Shels journeys, the highs and lows of football and the novelty of an offer in Malaysia (Connolly) and working with Damien Duff (Coyle). Before that, Dan and Johnny reunite to look ahead to the year ahead. What will James McClean bring to the party? Will St Patrick’s Athletic fans show up on Sunday? What’s going on with Galway? And, of course, we have our annual ‘will there be a title race?’ debate. All of this and more in association with our friends at Collar & Cuff, Rascals Brewing and Future Ticketing and our new pals from Planify.ie

This is not a podcast apparently, its just a preview of the preview show that's coming to you live on Sunday! That's right we're back, and we've a competition for tickets to Sundays show.

Ho, Ho, Ho..It's the 40th and final podcast of the year and the lads convene to talk Christmas, Conference League and a bit of James Clarke amongst other things. How did 2025 compare to expectations? What do we want from 2026? Was Dave Mulcahy this generation's Bob Dylan? Will we get a title race? A visit to Grano? A David Partridge on a pear tree? All of these questions and more are summed up inside an hour with thanks, as ever, to our friends from Collar & Cuff, Future Ticketing, Rascals Brewing and Sport Cosanta. We'll be back with a live show to kick off 2026 in February but in the meantime have a Kool Yule!

Stranger Things in studio today as John O’Sullivan joined us for a midwinter chat. Yes, that John O’Sullivan, the one who played for Shelbourne until everything changed in August. He tells the story of an unhappy end to a happy time and the ruthless nature of football before sitting in for a series of European reflections, fixture ruminations and much more besides. There’s Duff memories, managerial inspirations and news on the Fresh Prince of Kildare. All of this pre Christmas penultimate episode of fun comes courtesy of our own Santa Clauses at Future Ticketing, Sport Cosanta, Rascals Brewing and Collar & Cuff. One more show to go before we tuck ourselves in for the winter!

We were live in Collar & Cuff this week where League of Ireland Director Mark Scanlon joined us to reflect on the 2025 season and look ahead to the plans for 2026. In a wide ranging discussion, we discussed fixture lists, financial plans, facilities issues, Foyleside fan issues and some other things that start with f before we eventually got to the league's future within the FAI. We hope the conversation answers some questions you have about the general state of play. Before that, we do have an abridged mailbag with Jack Byrne discussions, Galway United exodus concerns, and reflections on European events both on and off the park. All of this tailored discussion was brought to you in association with our hosts Collar and Cuff and our friends at Future Ticketing, Sport Cosanta and Rascals Brewing

This week’s show is half double winners, half double act. Firstly, we reflect on Shamrock Rovers’ success over troubled Cork City in the cup final and discuss the impact of Harry Nevin’s red card amongst other talking points arising from the day and the season for both clubs. In a packed mailbag, there’s a fair bit of playoff chat, pitch complaints, transfer talk, journalism advice and more. For part two, we go back to Rascals where old pals Chris Shields and Keith Ward offer their take on the season just gone amongst other things. We think you’ll enjoy the chat, which we couldn’t have brought to you without our friends at Rascals, Collar & Cuff, Future Ticketing & Sport Cosanta. Like the lads at Shels we know you’ll get the picture..

It was LOI Central Live, and the entirety of Monday's gathering in Rascals Brewing was exclusive only to those who joined us for the tantalising combination of pizza, beer and League of Ireland related musings. The league's top scorer Padraig Amond defied expectations to join Johnny Dunleavy on stage for a chat that was part reflection of the season, part Ollie Horgan memories and part their respective relationships with FAI Cup finalists Cork City and Shamrock Rovers. Not all of it made it past the editorial powers that be but there's enough to get a flavour of the conversation. Johnny and Dan reflect on the season that was with a heavy trace of disappointment around Dublin 8 while we also catch up with some of the news around the last 24 hours as silly season gets underway with a LinkedIn post for the ages. All of this couldn't be possible without our Brotherhood of Belief - Rascals Brewing, Sport Cosanta, Future Ticketing and Collar & Cuff

There’s a dual focus to this show as we reflect on an incredible week while also taking an overall look at the year as our friends at PFA Ireland have given us the honour of naming the Premier Division team of the year on this week’s show. Is that why Paddy Barrett and Michael Duffy are on? You’ll just have to tune in to find out but the good friends chat about their respective journeys including Michael’s Ireland near miss and Paddy’s rebirth with the Shelbourne defender also talking us through the drama and emotion of the last week and THAT own goal. Oh and there’s Duffer chat too. On top of that we have a packed mailbag with Bohs angst, Johnny’s new toy, Derry bus drama, Dundalk’s annual crisis and a lot more besides. All of this with thanks to Future Ticketing, Collar & Cuff, Sport Cosanta and next Monday’s live show hosts Rascals Brewing. We have a handful of tickets left but get this week’s trivia question right and you could be joining us. Cue rimshot!

We are back from an international break to begin the countdown towards the climax of the season – our live show in Rascals on Monday November 3 with tickets going on sale on Wednesday. Oh, and there’s the end of a thrilling European race, the playoff battle and the prospect of an FAI Cup Final at the Aviva Stadium where the fans – and not the SHOUTY PA GUY – will hopefully provide the volume. That’s a bit of a garbage time rant in a show which is heaven for those who like permutations as the lads unpick the significance of the weekend’s results with Johnny, fresh back from Dalymount, gathering the thoughts of both Stephen O’Donnell and Barry Baggley. Johnny tackles some criticism from Shels heads with the same relish he approaches small talk at a creche, a starter to a diverse mailbag that veers from Flann O’Brien to Usher before ending up in the cycle lane. As ever, we’re trying to stay on the right track with the help of Sport Cosanta, Future Ticketing, Collar & Cuff and Rascals Brewing.

On a week where skeletons are being found lying around all kinds of closets, a squeaky clean Kevin Doherty stops by Oliver Ireland for an international break chat on the highs and lows of 2025 – so far. While hedging his bets on talented non-Drogheda players, he is quite clear about his priorities and ambitions for his current crop of Drogs as well as his plans for a guaranteed Premier Division run again next season. Inside the hand-stitched Collar & Cuff mailbag is a lot of Saint Pat’s disillusionment as Stephen Kenny’s reign comes under scrutiny. There’s the obligatory Damien Duff mention, the overlong intro monologue, and a teaser date for the next live show. It’s all a bit hectic this time of the year and the adrenaline-fuelled banter is brought to you by Future Ticketing, Collar & Cuff, Rascals Brewing(ery) and Sport Cosanta. Oh – and didn’t we mention Cork City are in the cup final?

The finishing line is in sight for everyone apart from Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne as the closing stretch of the league clashes with the beginning of European league phase excitement. Dan and Johnny convene to discuss a busy week on a variety of fronts; and return to the familiar theme of Shamrock Rovers levels and Shelbourne’s 2024 standards, discussions that might just happen more frequently than Waterford changing managers. Our mailbag listeners do ask us to go there in the search to put respect on names, while there’s also talk of Damien Duff sightings, ungentlemanly transfer speculation and Derry dramas amongst other things. Johnny hears from Cork City’s Seani Maguire ahead of a big weekend for the final four in the FAI Cup. We couldn’t do this without our fab four; Collar & Cuff, Rascals Brewing, Future Ticketing and Sport Cosanta.