'There's a generation of sportswriters in Ireland from the '90s who were massively influenced by American sports journalism'

EPISODE 15 OF Behind the Lines, our sportswriting podcast exclusive to members of The42 is available now.

If you’d like to get involved, then head on over to members.the42.ie to sign up for €5 per month or, alternatively, €42 per year.

This week’s guest is Dave Hannigan, who you may know best from his weekly column on American sport in the Irish Times. Dave is also the author of a series of books, including the acclaimed book on Irish soccer The Garrison Game, and Drama in the Bahamas, the story of Muhammad Ali’s final fight.

Listen for the story of how Dave grew up playing football against Roy Keane but only felt his fury once he was working as a journalist, of being befriended by Ossie Ardiles in Zagreb, and an electrifying experience with a one-time piano prodigy who ended up running from the mob as one of Muhammad Ali’s promoters.

You can get in touch with the show by emailing behindthelines@the42.ie, and you can find some highlights from the show’s first 12 episodes here.