Trevor Welch now hosts Ireland's only Saturday Premier League commentary show 

The link up with UK station Talksport is available via the 96FM website and app

Trevor Welch of Cork's 96fm

There is now just one place to get live Premier League commentary in Ireland on Saturdays — the show is broadcast from 96fm HQ in Cork.

For many years, Today FM was the go-to destination for football fans on Saturdays. 

From the late Tom Tyrrell and legendary Ron Jones on commentary duty to the hugely popular post-match phone-in, Premier League Live was a fixture on Irish radio until its last broadcast in May 2019.

Thereafter, the Irish Saturday rights were picked up by Wireless, owners of UK giants Talksport as well as a host of Irish stations.

This season, Talksport commentary of all four live Premier League Saturday games is available in Ireland via the 96FM app or website, in a show hosted by long-serving Cork broadcaster and commentator Trevor Welch, who was tonight named Local/Regional Sports Broadcaster of the Year at the IMRO Radio Awards.

Former @Everton & @WestHam star @mark7ward talks about his life as a pro footballer, ending up in prison, witnessing 9/11 & more as my special guest on Premier League Live @talkSPORT Saturday from 12pm online @Corks96FM @C103Cork @LMFMRADIO @Live95Limerick @FM104 @Q102FeelGood pic.twitter.com/9UNqyF56Nj

— Trevor Welch (@TrevorWelch_1) October 2, 2020

"The Wireless Group owns six stations in Ireland," says Welch. "There's 96fm, C103, Live 95, FM104, Q102 and LMFM. They wanted to try out an anchor in Ireland. The show goes out on all their apps. All the stations would like to have done it, but the operation is coming out of Studio 2 in 96fm in Broadcasting House. So it’s great that Cork got it.

"Talksport have very good commentary teams. They've got Sam Matterface who is taking over from Clive Tyldesley as ITV number one. They've a great lineup. So it's great to have it available here, it provides an alternative if you’re out driving or whatever, or working, or just can't get to watch a game on TV."

Talksport provides interviews with managers to sit alongside the match commentaries, and from midday to after 7pm, Trevor fills in between the games with his own features and guests.

"I'm in the game so long I can draw on my contacts to get some guests.

"I’ve had guys I worked with in the past, Mark Lawrenson, Ray Houghton.

"Tony Cascarino, who does the Talksport Breakfast Show for them, he’ll come on occasionally.

"This week I have Gerry Armstong. And a big one this week with Mark Ward, the former West Ham star who went to prison for drug offences. 

"So he'll be talking about more than just football. Though his grandmother is from Cork so he could have played for Ireland under Jack Charlton.

"Last week we had Neville Southall, talking about his new book 'Mind Games', and how the goalkeeping position has changed. We had a lot of Everton fans on last week, and they were very positive about the show, very complimentary."

Still a regular Champions League and Europa League commentator himself with Virgin Media, Welch admits Covid-19 restrictions have made life difficult in the trade.

"We do them in booths in Dublin, and if you have a co-commentator with you he’s in another booth, You have a split-screen on the laptop so you can see each other. It’s not ideal but it works. Everything is cleaned and sterilised, you come in with your mask on, you’ve your own box with your own mics labelled in it.

"It’s different too with no crowds. It’s hard to get the feel of an occasion. It’s another test for a commentator these days. But you have all that experience behind you so you can adapt. And with a co- comm, you can bounce off each other."

Welch, who also hosts The Score Sunday sport show on 96FM, has now been in the broadcasting game for 36 years, having started out on pirate radio in Cork.

"I’m in broadcasting since 1984, since I was 18 on radio. ON TV, it was Cork Multichannel from '88 to '98, and then TV3 (now Virgin Media) from '98 to the current day.

"I've done 14 European finals, travelled around Europe, done FA Cup finals, which I'd have dreamed about as a kid."

Congratulations to Trevor Welch of @Corks96FM on winning Sports Broadcaster - Local/Regional #IMRO20 pic.twitter.com/IPBn0B7CL0

— IMRO Radio Awards (@IMRORadioAwards) October 2, 2020