Inside Fingal Podcast

Fingal County Council has its very own podcast channel, Inside Fingal. A podcast is an audio programme, just like Talk Radio, but you subscribe to it on your smartphone and listen to it whenever you like, in the car, out walking or cutting the grass, you choose.

The Inside Fingal podcast takes you inside Fingal County Council and gives you an insight into the work being done by councillors and staff to make Fingal a better place to live, work, visit and do business in.

We recommend the following apps to listen to the Inside Fingal Podcast, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Castbox and Google Podcasts, and as soon as we launch, remember to subscribe to Fingal County Council on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn to be notified of each new episode. All podcasts are also posted to www.fingal.ie/podcast so you can listen to past podcasts.

We hope you enjoy listening to Inside Fingal and gain an insight into the work of Fingal County Council, your council, working for you.

Episode Twenty Eight

In Episode 28 of the Inside Fingal podcast, Eoin Connelly, Communications Officer at Fingal County Council, speaks to Dr. James Carr of the University of Limerick and Valerie McAllorum of Fingal County Council’s Integration Team about the SALAAM project.

Episode Twenty Seven

Administrative Officer Fearghal McSweeney and Senior Executive Planner Solomon Aroboto are two members of Fingal County Council’s Planning Department and in Episode 27 of the Inside Fingal Podcast they speak to Head of Communications Gerry McDermott about the planning process and, in particular, planning enforcement.

Episode Twenty Six

In Episode 26 of the Inside Fingal podcast Sinéad Murphy, who is the Senior Engineer with Fingal County Council’s Active Travel team, talks about the work she and her team are doings to deliver hundreds of kilometres of safe cycling and walking infrastructure that will make it easier for citizens in the county to move about their area without needing to use their car. Labhrann sí i nGaeilge mar chuid de seo agus labhrann sí freisin faoin oiliúint Ghaeilge a fuair sí tríd an obair

Episode Twenty Five

Cathal Kearney was recently appointed as Fingal County Council’s first full-time Access Officer and has already hit the ground running. In Episode 25 of the Inside Fingal podcast Cathal talks to Gerry McDermott about the role, his previous experience as part of the Access Team at Wexford County Council, and the task of building access into everything Fingal County Council does as an organisation.

Episode Twenty Four

Fingal County Council recently appointed Sarah O’Neill as the new County Arts Officer. Sarah, who has over 25 years’ experience in arts development, sat down with Gerry McDermott for Episode 24 of Inside Fingal to talk about her career to date and her plans for the arts in Fingal.

Episode Twenty Three

In Episode 23 of the Inside Fingal podcast we talk to the outgoing Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Howard Mahony about his year in office and get an insight into the role of the county's first citizen.

Episode Twenty Two

Episode 22 of the Inside Fingal Podcast sees presenter Gerry McDermott in conversation with Kevin Halpenny, Senior Parks Superintendent at Fingal County Council, who talks about the development of Fingal parks and open spaces, the Council’s Play Policy and the renovation of Bremore Castle and Shackleton Gardens

Episode Twenty One

To mark Positive Ageing Week, Episode 21 of Inside Fingal talks to Fingal County Council’s Age Friendly Programme Manager Tricia Matthews about her team’s work in implementing Fingal’s Age Friendly Strategy.

Episode Twenty

Over the last 1,500 years Swords has gone from being a monastic settlement to the point where it is the county town of Fingal and, in the coming years is set to be classified as a city with a growing population. In preparation for this population Fingal County Council has developed the Sustainable Swords Strategy which is focused on the strategic regeneration and sustainable development of the existing town. In Episode 20 of Inside Fingal, Gerry McDermott hears from Senior Planner Roisin Burke and Senior Executive Engineer Linda Lally about the strategy which is currently out to public consultation.

Episode Nineteen

As part of the rejuvenation of Swords town centre, Fingal County Council are planning to build a new Civic and Cultural Centre in the heart of Fingal’s county town. The Swords Cultural Quarter project has reached a major milestone with the plans for the new Civic and Cultural Centre going out to public consultation. In Episode 19 of Inside Fingal Gerry McDermott talks to County Architect, Fionnuala May; John Tuomey of O’Donnell Tuomey Architects; County Librarian Betty Boardman and County Arts Officer Rory O’Byrne about what is proposed.

Episode Eighteen

As her year in office comes to an end, the Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Seána Ó Rodaigh, looks back on her time as the first citizen of Fingal in the latest episode of the Inside Fingal podcast.

Episode Seventeen

Episode 17 of the Inside Fingal podcast features an interview with Hans Visser, Fingal County Council’s Biodiversity Officer who talks about the recently published Draft Biodiversity Plan and some of the interesting projects he has been involved in, like the reintroduction of Old Irish Goats to Howth and the creation of wetlands in Turvey Nature Reserve.

Episode Sixteen

Fingal County Council is firmly focused on enhancing the digital economy and supporting communities to take advantage of a digitally enabled society. In Episode 16 of the Inside Fingal podcast Gerry McDermott chats to the Council’s Digital Programme Officer, Aishling Hyland, about the digital transformation that is happening across the county.

Episode Fifteen

In Episode 15 of the Inside Fingal podcast Gerry McDermott talks to Fingal County Council Arts Officer Rory O’Byrne about how the Arts have developed within Fingal since his appointment in 1994

Episode Fourteen

On February 1, 2019, Fingal County Council became the first local authority in Ireland to move to a centralised model of procurement with the establishment of the Central Procurement Unit. In Episode 14 of the Inside Fingal podcast the Council’s Procurement Officer, Brian Murray, explains how public sector procurement works and how the Unit provides full tender support to departments across the organisation.

Episode Thirteen

Episode 13 of Inside Fingal is about education, innovation, Transition Year, Brexit, personal development, fitness and football. Denis Hyland is a FAI Football Development Officer with Fingal County and is Course Co-ordinator of the Football and Fitness Transition Year course in Corduff Sports Centre. He talks to Gerry McDermott about this unique course which started in 2016 and has just seen one of its graduates, Andrew Omobamidiele, make his senior international debut for Ireland.

Episode Twelve

National Heritage Week 2021 will take place from Saturday, August 14 to Sunday, August 22 and in Fingal it will be supported by Fingal County Council’s Heritage Officer, Christine Baker. In Episode 12 of the Inside Fingal podcast she speaks to Gerry McDermott  about National Heritage Week, the role of the Heritage Officer and the importance of knowing about our Heritage and also gives an insight into some of the amazing heritage projects that have been undertaken in Fingal.

Episode Eleven

Episode 11 of Inside Fingal is all about beaches and looks at some of the work that Fingal County Council is doing to make our beaches safe and enjoyable for everybody while at the same time protecting the unique environment of our coasts. In this programme we hear about Lifeguards, Bathing Water Quality and also a special project that is being carried out to restore and protect Donabate Beach. We also hear why the Two Minute Beach Clean is an important thing to do every time you visit the beach.

Episode Ten

In Episode 10 of the Inside Fingal Podcast Paul Carroll, a Senior Engineer with Fingal County Council, talks about Greenways and the various Greenway projects he is leading across the county including the Fingal Coastal Way, the Royal Canal Urban Greenway and the Broadmeadow Way.

Episode Nine

The two-year process to create the new Fingal Development Plan 2023-2029 has just commenced and Fingal County Council are currently seeking submissions from the public. In Episode 9 of Inside Fingal, Gerry McDermott talks to Senior Planner Róisín Burke about the Development Plan process, the importance of the Development Plan, the issues facing Fingal and how to make a submission.

Episode Eight

In Episode 8 of the Inside Fingal Podcast, Gerry McDermott talks to Michael Campbell and Enda Hoey from the Environment, Climate Action and Active Travel Department about how Fingal County Council is dealing with increased volumes of litter, fly-tipping and dumping across the county.

Episode Seven

Just before she recently retired as Fingal County Council’s Principal Sports Officer, Marion Brown talked to Gerry McDermott for Episode 7 of Inside Fingal about her 19 years with the Sports Office which she joined at its inception in 2002. She gives a fascinating insight into the development of sport in the county and within the Council and shares the moments that have given her great pride in the work of her team of dedicated sports officers.  

Episode Six

Oisin Geoghegan, who is the head of Fingal’s Local Enterprise Office and the current chair of the national network of Local Enterprise Offices, is the guest on Episode 6 of the Inside Fingal podcast. Oisin speaks about the work of the Local Enterprise Office and the wide range of supports they offer to Fingal businesses as well as previewing Local Enterprise Week which starts on March 1.

Episode Five

In Episode 5 of Inside Fingal, Aoife Sheridan, from the Economic Enterprise Tourism and Cultural Development Department, talks about Fingal County Council’s Sustainable Fingal initiative which aims to encourage businesses across Fingal to embrace sustainable measures. She outlines some of the benefits to businesses if they incorporate sustainability into the day-to-day running of their business.

Episode Four

Episode 4 of Inside Fingal features an interview with Ronan O’Reilly, Climate Change Co-ordinator with Fingal County Council, on the Council’s Climate Change Action Plan and how individuals can take their own steps to help tackle this global problem.

Episode Three

In Episode Three there is an interview with County Librarian, Betty Boardman, a report on the development of the Village Green in Malahide and a round-up of the latest Council news as well as a competition for a €100 One For All voucher.

Episode Two

Welcome to our second episode which is a special interview with Emer O'Gorman, Director of Economic, Enterprise, Tourism and Cultural Development at Fingal County Council on how the Council is supporting Fingal businesses during the current Covid-19 pandemic.

Episode One

We hope you enjoy our very first episode featuring interviews with AnnMarie Farrelly, Chief Executive of Fingal County Council and David Healy, Mayor of Fingal. Be sure to enter our competition and be in with a chance to win a One4all voucher.