Owenea FM hosts the most unique Radio Sports Programme in the world

If you have some time on your hands on a Sunday night, you should tune in to Owenea FM where you will find probably the most unique radio sports programme in the world.

From around 10 pm - punctuality would not be a big starting point - until midnight and sometimes well after, the world of sport is discussed and dissected by four well-known locals from the Ardara and Glenties areas.

There is great balance because there are two from Glenties and two from Ardara. The Doherty brothers, Connie and Martin, make the short journey to the Community Centre in Ardara where the Owenea FM studios are located, to join Ardara men, James McBrearty and the show’s host, John McBrearty.

Depending on the amount of topics on a given Sunday, there could also be a special guest or an interlude for music. The music interlude can be used to deal with any technical hitches that might arise on the night - and they can be a feature.

The self-effacing host, John McBrearty, has a wealth of sporting knowledge and despite putting himself down most of the time, still gets through the show in his own inimitable style.

There is banter aplenty, and the rivalry between Ardara and Glenties raises its head most nights. Barbs are given and taken in the right spirit.

Owenea FM is a community radio station that has a licence to broadcast for 100 days and that allows them to bring music, song and sports news to the south-west area from 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning until 12 midnight (and beyond) on a Sunday night.

All the presenters are volunteers and with it being available on the internet, people from the surrounding areas can tune in from anywhere in the world.

While the Dohertys and James McBrearty are now firmly established as contributors to the Sunday Night Sports Show, the main man is John ‘Largy’ McBrearty.

His nickname was given to him by his French teacher in Carrick Vocational School to differentiate him from another John McBrearty, and it stuck, although he says he hasn’t been called John Largy in a while.

In his own condescending way, he says he wasn’t much of a footballer, although he did win an Interfirms Soccer competition with the Boatyard in Killybegs, which he joined in 1974.

His days in Killybegs were cut short when he married Rosina Feeney in 1980 and moved to her native Ardara.

In the late 1970s he remembers playing for Letterbarrow not long after they had joined the league. “We went up in Pluto’s (Paul Gallagher) bus and we had Danny Gillespie, Georgie Flaherty, Joey Hegarty and Rory White with us.”

John’s time with the Boatyard ended in 1984 when the yard was sold, so he began work in the construction world. “I remember my first job was at the building of houses in Glen with Peter McGinley,” said McBrearty.

He also worked with a local company Boyle and McHugh and to this day is still working, mostly timber work.

“I just work to suit myself now,” says McBrearty, who turned 65 recently.

His family - five boys - are scattered in England, Abu Dhabi and Ireland - Adrian in England, outside Liverpool; Conor in Dublin; Shane in Ardara; Fergus in Abu Dhabi and Ronan in Dublin.

His involvement with the Ardara club stretches back to when his oldest Adrian started at underage.  “I remember starting with the U-10s and was involved at various age groups through the years.”

John was Reserve team manager for three years  and was club treasurer in 2011. More recently he also served as club chairman.

He has also been a lifelong supporter of Donegal. “I really enjoyed going to games, especially when Michael Murphy came on the scene. I think we should have won the All-Ireland in 2014 as well; I think we were a bit cocky that day and I thought Patrick McBrearty should have started in that game.

“We haven’t got to an All-Ireland semi-final since and that is disappointing.”

One of his big interests over the years was being involved in quizzes and he took part in Know Your Sport around 1987 or 1988. “All I remember is that I should have waited a few years and I would have got to know the format better.”

His sporting knowledge has now been put to good use with the Owenea FM Sports Programme.

“The station got the first full licence in 2013 and the broadcast studio was in the Old Laundry, on the road down to the football pitch,” said John, who mentioned John Molloy as one of the main men behind the venture.

“The Sports Show is a mixture of sport and music. James McBrearty joined me first then Connie  (Doherty) and more recently Martin (Doherty).

“They have a great knowledge of different sports. James and Martin would be very up to date on what is happening with ladies football and Connie can cover anything about referees.

“Pauric Gallagher would have been the man who first got me on to the radio. We moved to our new base in the Community Centre in 2021 and it is a lot more modern and up to date.

“But we could do with more presenters. It is all voluntary and it is not rocket science,” says McBrearty.

“In the sports show we try to cover all sports, especially what is happening locally. We hope it is of interest to people, especially those away from home. The sport we cover mostly involved those locally, especially the Naomh Conaill and Ardara GAA clubs.

“But we try to cover all sports. We did a special feature on Fintan Dewhurst of Glenties who did well in athletics recently and Sean Molloy in Loughros Point Rowing Club, who are going well.

“We covered the launch of Jim McGuinness’s book and when Naomh Conaill were in finals, we try to get interviews.

“During lockdown, which coincided with the Centenary Year of both Ardara and  Naomh Conaill, we had people on from both clubs, the likes of Edward Molloy, Bart Whelan and Anthony Harkin from Ardara and Daniel McGeehin, Connie Doherty and Brendan McDyer from Naomh Conaill.

“It was a difficult time for both clubs and sad that they weren’t able to celebrate Centenary Year properly. Ardara GAA club did something with interviews on Facebook.”

The show just doesn’t happen on a Sunday night as John has to get all the results and have them compiled. “Sometimes I can speak too much and maybe some of my opinions, they would be left. But I wouldn’t like to be too critical.

“The music I would like would come from the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80, but I also like some of the modern music.

“The Station is going well at the moment,” said McBrearty, who remembered the late Bosco McGill as one of great men behind the scenes for a long time.

“Our current licence will expire shortly and we will probably be off the air for a few weeks in May, but hopefully, it will be renewed. That’s the way it works.”

Asked to name his greatest sportsmen of all time, he says Cassius Clay would be his favourite.

And for the best Irish sportsmen, his list would be long and varied.

“In soccer, I would have to say that Liam Brady was the most skilful ever to play for the country. I would also have to mention Northern Ireland’s George Best.

“In Gaelic football, I would have to go for one of our own, Michael (Murphy) would be up there. If he were playing with the likes of Dublin, he would be classed one of the greatest players ever to play the game.”

In other sports he lists Sonia O’Sullivan for athletics; Katie Taylor winning the Olympic medal as a boxing highlight.

“In cycling I thought Sam Bennett should have won an RTE Sports Star of the Year a few years ago and you have Stephen Roche winning the Tour de France and Sean Kelly.

“In rugby it would be Brian O’Driscoll while in golf, you have to pick the Major winners from Fred Daly through to the present four Major winners Rory McIlroy, Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell and Shane Lowry.

He also lists the O’Donovans for making their mark in rowing and Rachael Blackmore for her breakthrough in horse racing in recent times.

“There is so much sport nowadays. When we were young, there was nothing on the television but showjumping.”

The programme which John presents is more akin to four friends sitting down in front of the fire on a Sunday night and having a chat. It is relaxed and off the cuff. But it is also unique and in John McBrearty, it has a driving force which works.