00:00Well, welcome home. What a month, week, couple of weeks you've had.
00:06Yeah, it's been entertaining. My voice is gone because I was shouting for all my teammates.
00:11Yeah, phenomenal. You can't really, I haven't really sat down to appreciate it.
00:16We only got in last night and we're trying to inspire every Irish pub in Paris over the last eight or nine days.
00:22So I haven't really had too much time to really sit and process and think about it.
00:27So it'll be interesting and enjoyable over the next few days being able to do it.
00:31It seemed to be a great welcome. You just got back in Dublin as well yesterday. What was that like?
00:36Yeah, it was phenomenal. I've never seen so many people on Locano Street.
00:40And it was just like the amount of people who came out to support all the athletes.
00:44And it was kind of a Kelly Harrington farewell. You know, she's the key to the city and they love her down there.
00:51So she was getting great big cheers and phenomenal to be part of that.
00:55Obviously Dublin's not Banbridge and it's not home, but it was just phenomenal to be part of that Irish experience
01:00with everyone who came out to see us on a Monday afternoon.
01:04You know, it's not easy to get into the city centre, so it meant so much, the effort they went to.
01:09Well, we're home now. What is the welcome like here back in Banbridge?
01:14Quiet, yeah. Just a few friends and family, close friends who knew I'm home
01:19came up and threw balloons out the front of the house there and saying well done.
01:23And people bringing their grandkids to hold the medal and things.
01:26And went down to town to get an antibiotic because I wasn't feeling well.
01:29And got a few nods going down the street, people just saying congratulations.
01:33So it's nice that sort of lower key recognition of it almost means as much as a huge big parade.
01:40And the people who have always been giving me the head nods are the ones that mean the most, which is great.
01:45I'm sure everybody back here was roaring you on. I'm sure there was a big family get-together.
01:51What were the messages like coming through to you whenever you were in person?
01:54Too many, to be honest. It was phenomenal, the support.
01:58The messages, some of them I haven't even sat down to reply to because you just have to keep yourself in that focus.
02:04You really have to block out all the sound.
02:06And there's maybe only two or three people in the world that you'll ever respond to the night before an Olympic final.
02:10And the morning of the Olympic final there's only maybe one or two max.
02:14So you just have to keep that focus.
02:16And then you can reply to all the messages when you have the result.
02:19And hopefully you're saying thanks and they're saying congratulations.
02:21And this time it did work out, which was brilliant.
02:24But yeah, that last, that support.
02:26And to be honest, most of the family flew out when we started doing well.
02:29And most of them had planned to be there anyway.
02:31So probably the watch party was in the stands over in Verestermaren.
02:35So it was great to have them all there.
02:37Talk me through the day of the final. What was that like?
02:41Yeah, it was grand.
02:43We were in a lovely hotel near the course.
02:45You know, we've been in A finals a lot in the last two years, myself and Dara.
02:51So we're getting quite used to it.
02:53And I always thought I got a little bit nervous, to be honest.
02:56And I didn't realize I've never been nervous before until that morning.
02:59Because that was genuine nervousness.
03:01I pride myself on using nerves as positive energy and preach this nervous energy is energy.
03:08But that was proper nerves that time.
03:10And the breakfast was hard to keep down.
03:13I had to take the carbohydrates as a drink because the food wasn't really sitting.
03:17Like the breakfast I had the day before, which was lovely, all of a sudden tasted like puke.
03:21So I had to cut the cut the food and as much as I could,
03:25because you had to force some energy into the body.
03:27And then once I got over that, then we got into the routine with a very strict schedule.
03:32We go through on race day.
03:33You know, we do this at that time and this at that time.
03:36Get the slushie, get on the row machine, get out in the water.
03:38This many minutes, that many minutes.
03:40You know, it's all written down as a strict timetable.
03:42So you just go through the process step by step.
03:45And it's the same way, you know, if you're going up the stairs,
03:47you don't think, God, I have to go 40 meters up.
03:49You have to go one step, two steps, three steps, four steps.
03:52And you look up and you're at the top.
03:53So we always keep that mentality and that's just how we did it on the day.
03:57Got there in the end, whenever it was over.
04:00How did it feel to know you have a medal in your hand?
04:03Phenomenal.
04:05Usually, when I finish a race, I give a big whoop and slap the water and go nuts.
04:10And I did that after the semifinal.
04:13But when I did it and when it happened in the final,
04:15the reaction was just completely internal almost.
04:18I was watching the video back afterwards and my face is almost blank
04:22because I was counting the boats.
04:25I was like, there's three still going, which means we're in the top three.
04:29And then I knew the Dutch were beside us.
04:31And I was like, well, we'll be beaten by one.
04:33And I looked around and I saw the Romanians and I was like, bronze.
04:36I'll take bronze.
04:37An Olympic medal is just phenomenal.
04:41You've got bronze and you mentioned family and everybody out there.
04:45But I know you mentioned your dad afterwards and how you dedicated your medal to him.
04:49I'm sure he had a big influence on your life and your career.
04:52He had a massive influence on my life.
04:54Just the independence he sparked in me.
04:57Some people say it's one of my worst traits because I don't take help from people easily.
05:02I always have to go out alone and always have to do everything myself.
05:05So he promoted unbelievable problem solving and independence in me.
05:09We broke down a Citroen 2CV and the bits in the engine,
05:12rebuilt it completely in the garage.
05:15He's not a mechanic.
05:16He's just tinkers and he learned and he changed.
05:19And it's always something I'm proud of myself in,
05:21is being able to figure things out and be independent on my own.
05:24So I feel over the last few years,
05:26especially when I'm working full time and training on my own,
05:30that stick-to-itiveness and that comprehension of what I need to do
05:34and seeing the job through, it comes from him.
05:39So in terms of what happens next,
05:42how do you think having that medal on your neck will change things for you?
05:46To be honest, I hope it doesn't change too much.
05:49I hope it leaves a bit of a legacy for heavyweight male rowing in Ireland.
05:53It's the first ever medal that the heavyweight men's team has brought home.
05:59I hope it inspires more kids who don't have access to rowing clubs
06:03when they're young to get into it when they're older.
06:05I hope it inspires more sport, more funding into sport
06:09and more general guys just being healthier and happier in their life
06:13by keeping their bodies fitter and more active.
06:16Ultimately, I would love to leave that legacy
06:20of something positive in my wake
06:23and use it maybe as a platform in the future
06:25to improve public health in Northern Ireland and Ireland as a whole.
06:28But for me at the moment, personally,
06:31I hope it doesn't change too much
06:33because I was having a good time beforehand
06:35and I hope to have a good time afterwards.
06:37In terms of your other career,
06:39what are you going to do in terms of the medical profession?
06:42Well, I was filling out my licence application today
06:45so I had an Irish Medical Council licence
06:47for the last two years working down in Cork
06:49but I've moved home to Banbridge now
06:51and I'll get to work for a while,
06:53see how it goes and over the next few months
06:57I'll make a decision what to do with rowing going forward
07:00but I think the career needs to take the next step.
07:02So if I can go back to rowing
07:04a step further down my medical career
07:06then that'll give me a bit of experience both ways
07:08and help me down the line.
07:10So it's not off the cards yet?
07:12It's not off the cards, it's not on the cards.
07:14There's a few conversations that need to be had
07:16especially with loved ones because it's a lot of time away.
07:18You're living away from families and friends
07:20and you're missing stag do's and weddings
07:22and christenings and birthdays
07:24and I don't think I've been at home
07:26for my mother's birthday since she turned,
07:28a few years ago, I'll not put it out there
07:32but you miss those things
07:34and at the end of the day when you're sitting there
07:36in the house, those are the things that matter.
07:38The family are the ones who have to come first
07:40so the inspiration and the legacy,
07:42if it can come with it, then I'll take it along with me.
07:45Listen, congratulations and everybody in Banbridge
07:47is very proud of what you've achieved.
07:49Thanks very much.
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