A Golden Opportunity
Some events mark a point in time where things can change. This week is one of those times.
The Week
You probably won’t need reminding that I wrote about Kellie Harrington’s gold medal for Ireland earlier in the week.
I wrote that piece about nine hours into the flight from Tokyo to Warsaw as I tried to sum up my Olympic experience, and what it meant to see someone from my city win in that way.
It meant a lot more than I thought, but I’m conscious of the need for us all to take responsibility for what happens next, rather than foist it upon Kellie to continue leading the way.
We need to allow her the time and space to be herself and to be with her family. Something huge has happened to her and she needs that time to process it.
But what is unique about Harrington is her humility, her desire to include and to put everyone else first. It’s an admirable quality, but after winning this medal and giving us this joy, we should remember that she doesn’t owe us anything.
The truth is that very few of us can be the world-class athlete that she is, but we can all aspire to be the kind of person that she is - the kind of person that is proud of their community and that puts others first.
If that is the lesson of her gold medal, then we will have gained so much more than just a champion.
The Podcast
There were two this week - one I took part in, and one which I produced myself.
On Wednesday night I answered the call from the boys on the What’s The Story podcast, Graham Merrigan and Danny Murray.
These two lads from Ballybrack in South Dublin are among the best human beings you will ever come across, and talking to them on their podcast is always a joy.
They talked to me about Japan, the Olympics, the NBA basketball season, Kellie and all things in between.
I’m a good bit older than the two boys but there always seems to be a good connection between us - they are smart and thoughtful and not afraid to take discussions to places that sometimes we don’t always feel comfortable with. Give it a listen here.
On Friday I caught up with singer and songwriter Craig Walker. I’ve known Craig since we were teenagers in Dublin, playing the Underground and The Baggott Inn and hoping that one day we’d get to sign a huge record deal and become famous.
Just after his 18th birthday, Craig and his band Power Of Dreams did.
At that time he was a clear-eyed kid writing about the Ireland and the Dublin around us, and not afraid to have a pop at those in authority or the Catholic church.
Caught up in the whirlwind of a seminal debut album Immigrants, Emigrants And Me, Craig, his brother Keith, bass player Mick Lennox and Cork-born guitarist Ian Olney toured the world with some of the biggest bands of the time, but the business of music soon got in the way of the making of it, and the band fragmented in the mid-90s.
Two and a half decades later they are back with a new album Ausländer. I put it on when I was walking the streets of Tokyo recently - a place where the band was hugely popular in the 90s - and in a way it was like putting on an old jacket of yours that still hangs in your mother’s wardrobe.
We talked about music, creativity and being a stranger in a strange land - the full episode can be heard on SoundCloud.
Next week’s podcast looks like being a cracker and will hopefully take us inside one of the biggest sports stories of the summer - keep an ear out for it.
The Call For Suggestions
There’s been too many men on the podcast lately - I’m almost afraid to look back over the last few episodes to see when the last woman was on, but I’m guessing I’m well short of the 50/50 gender balance that I aim for.
If you have any suggestions for anyone, in Scandinavia or beyond, that I should talk to, please let me know in the comments. I have a few ideas myself but it’s always good to have more.
The Comedown
The worst part of covering any major event like the Olympics is the comedown afterwards. You go from not having to worry about anything other than producing work to everyday life. You’re not special any more, and there far less moments of jaw-dropping history to witness on a daily basis.
But without the everyday things, there would be no high to speak of when the big events take place, so it’s a case of getting used to it. Sleeping patterns are still messed up and the laundry is still not done, but I’ll get there. Next week I’ll be back filming for two days as the cycle begins again.
Roll on Beijing and the Winter Games in February…