Despite already knowing that our lads had won…we found ourselves roaring at the telly, and giving out about the referee!
It’s Saturday evening in this very strange world we’re living in, and my son rings me to tell me that the Connacht rugby win over Leinster in the 2016 Pro 12 final in is being shown on TG4. He says he feels it would be worth looking at again – if only to relive the extraordinary scenes that the victory for the Cinderella province sparked over in Murrayfield, Edinburgh.
However the funny thing is, as a result of my working life in the retail world at that time (and working Saturdays), I had not seen the original game at all. So, despite the fact that I do not usually watch sporting re-runs and have not looked at any of the many games that TV producers keep digging up from the archives, I settled in, put the feet up, and watched what was undoubtedly one of the greatest sporting occasions for those from the West of Ireland.
As it happened, my wife Carol had also missed the actual game, and so she too decided to have a look. In the end, it was not so much the match itself, but rather our behaviour during it that was the most surprising; despite already knowing that our lads had won – and in the process had played some of the best rugby ever seen at any stage – we found ourselves roaring at the telly, and giving out about the referee! We were quite literally on the edge of our seats when the game entered the final heart-stopping minutes. When the final whistle went, we were as excited and delighted as if it had just happened, and when we settled down, we felt a bit foolish that a game more than four years old and already won could have had such an effect on two supposedly sensible and mature people.
I wonder if it’s a reaction to our isolation that anything worthwhile is a bonus, but whatever the reason, we thoroughly enjoyed reliving what was a great time for Connacht rugby. It also showed once again what a wonderfully entertaining, talented team Pat Lam had assembled at that time. Will it ever happen again? Who knows, but for John Muldoon and his merry men, immortality came on that Saturday in Murrayfield, and I can finally say I saw it all, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Well done Kevin!
Last week I told you about 89-year-old Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh and his inspiring (for some) fitness video aimed at helping the older person to keep fit. I said it wasn’t for me, and that I wouldn’t be watching any more such videos – I was lying to you because as long as I live I will continue to watch the recent video posted by former Cork hurling star Kevin Cummins.
He is, amongst other things, a successful business person (being managing director of Cummins Sports Ltd.), a former school teacher, brother of Brendan and Ray Cummins (each of whom have won All-Ireland Hurling medals, while Ray also won a football one), a winning All-Ireland minor hurling captain, and up to now a man, despite all his successes, that I had never ever heard of.
However, at the age of 74, he put his own fitness video on social media and in my opinion, it is one of the funniest things that I have ever seen. If you haven’t seen it yet, look it up under Kevin Cummins fitness video, and you will nearly die laughing. It sums up the way we older folk should look at fitness regimes, and all I can say is it’s much closer to my own level than that of Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh. Good man Kevin, there’s hope for us all.
And finally…
Finally for this week, in this time of global disaster, it’s amazing and heartwarming how so many heroes, in every shape and form, have emerged from everywhere to do extraordinary things. Over in Bedford, England, 100-year-old Tom Moore has captured the hearts and minds of the world by doing laps of his Bedfordshire garden and in the process he has raised more than £29million for the NHS.
Captain Tom, as he is now known, has received more than 125,000 birthday cards already – so I’m sure his local postman must be absolutely delighted! But even if the poor ol’ postie’s back is broke, it’s a great story, and well done and happy birthday to Captain Tom!
