A day in the life: Seamus O'Carroll
June 27, 2013
Limerick's Seamus O'Carroll. INPHO
Like so many Irish in the current economic climate, O'Carroll has been forced to seek work abroad, where he has made London his new home. The Exiles may not be going well in the Gaelic Football world at present, but it hasn't stopped O'Carroll's longing to line out in the green of Limerick however, the 23-year old going that extra mile to hold his place on the Shannonsiders panel.
"It's difficult, but I love playing football for Limerick. I wouldn't change it, I wouldn't think about transferring to London, no matter how good they do in the Connacht Championship. I love going home and playing for them. I know it hasn't been going well. Fair enough we won Division 4 of the league, but we didn't put up a good enough performance against Cork," he told hoganstand.com in London.
Having graduated with an honours degree in Civil Engineering from Limerick IT in May last year, O'Carroll struggled to find work, and in February, after putting in 70 minutes on the pitch for Limerick as they successfully negotiated a round 1 league tie against Leitrim, he headed for the English capital.
In the almost five months that have passed, there's been a lot of travelling over and back for games, and he hasn't missed one since.
It hasn't been easy, in a life that sees early work starts and often a rush to make flights to get to games, as was the case for the Round 3 league tie against Waterford in Dungarvan but he managed to play the full game that Saturday evening in Fraher Field.
"It was kind of difficult, because you would have to leave work on a Friday evening to get through traffic and get to Stansted. Then travelling home on maybe on a Friday night.
"For one of the league games I didn't actually get home until Saturday. I think I actually flew into Cork for 5pm and the game was in Waterford at 7.30pm that night. I had to fly back again 12 hours later. During the league it was difficult, because you are no sooner home than you are back again.
"You have no time to relax after a week's work. You are up early every morning, 5.30/6am to get to work and then if you go training in the evening you might not get home until 11. You are going from bed to work to bed. "
Sports mad in his youth, where soccer and athletics were his first interests, it was in Handball where O'Carroll would carve out a name for himself initially.
"All I knew when growing up as a youngster was playing sport the whole time. Literally sport came first, school came second at times. The same with work, even at home and over here you are coming to work and get experience. Trying to put that first is a big change in life really. It's all part of growing up I suppose. Sport is a way out for me.
"Even over here you would have the pressure of work and the stress of travelling over here. It never stops, it's always all go over here. It's grand to meet up with lads, Irish guys for training. I get on with the group of 30 lads and go training with them and having the craic then at the weekends and playing matches and stuff. It's a good social aspect playing GAA over here, because you get to meet 30 young fellas that you never knew before you came over.
"Whereas if you came over and weren't playing any sport you are just another number trying to find your feet. Over in London it's a massive place to try and do that."
O'Carroll's name has been in lights in Handball of late, with World and National titles under his belt, including a 23 and Under doubles title with fellow Limerick man CJ Fitzpatrick at the World Championships in Citywest last October.
It's a real disappointment that he is missing his first full year on the Handball courts in 2013.
"Since we were under 14's we (Fitzpatrick and himself) have been together and this is the first time we haven't actually played a Championship together. 40x20 maybe one of us might have been injured, but we wouldn't have missed a whole year out. Especially, after the World Championships last year where we won the 23 and under doubles we were hoping to maybe make a good go of it this year in the Senior 40x20 and we couldn't do that.
"In the 60x30 this year, the All-Ireland Senior Final is in Broadford, CJ's home club, just down the road from us. So it would have been extra nice to have been able to play in that together and maybe make a home final of it. That was the plan, but he has a business now to take over at home.
"The way the economic climate is at home that comes first and you have to understand that as well. The way things are, fellas work comes first and that's the reason I am over here as well. If there was work at home in the morning I would be gone home. I'd go home and try and tip away at something just so that I would be at home for sports more than anything really.
"Like I said that's all that me and CJ ever knew growing up really - Handball and that. When you have to put that in the back seat and work comes first it is difficult to get used too. You just have to get on with it really."
A long term goal is to follow in Cavan man Paul Brady's footsteps and take a World Singles Senior title.
"I want to try and push for the World Championships in Calgary in 2015 and the Mens Open. I know Paul Brady is going to be there, but he is going to have to be beaten sometime. The man is like a machine at the moment. There is nobody who can beat him. At the same time it would be nice to see that when he does hopefully at some stage decide to retire that another Irishman can fill his boots. They are big boots to fill, but hopefully I can take up the mantle and win the World's and keep it in Ireland for 12 years at that stage.
"That's the bigger picture. I'd like to be playing in the All-Ireland Championships back at home in the 40x20 and 60x30 as well. It's the first time I've missed the Championships for a full year. It's frustrating really when you are over here and you know what you are missing out on back home. You try not to think about it too much, because you would drive yourself mad otherwise. It is difficult, but at the same time sport doesn't pay the bills, sport doesn't get you experience regarding work or anything like that. After going to college for five years you want to be able to get something out of it."
O'Carroll's handball experience has kept him disciplined, a non-drinker and non-smoker, he's fully motivated to train away on his own, to help further his goals on the football side.
He trains two nights a week with the Parnells club in London and another night doing his own fitness programme, put together by Limerick physical trainer Andy O'Neill.
"For handball, being such an individual sport you have to have your own motivation to get up and do stuff. Over here when you are on your own doing the training and that, it's the same principle really. You are on your own doing your own training and trying to do a bit to keep yourself fit and all of that. The handball has helped train me that way for inter-county football, but it's different then when you are integrating with another 14-30 lads. A team event. It's great, because you have the banter.
"Handball is a very individual sport, although still with CJ you have the doubles. But we still have to do our own individual stuff regardless. It's nice to be able to go there and have the craic with the lads and do the training session where you actually have another lad alongside you pushing you to push yourself more and push yourself hard and get an extra 10 percent out of each training session. You can still do that when you are doing individual training. It makes it a lot easier when you have other lads there training with you doing it."
With Handball on hold for now, it's a full focus for O'Carroll on the Limerick Seniors. A regular starter for two and a half years, he's lost his starting berth of late, but has been working hard to cement his place in the Limerick attack once again.
O'Carroll's quest to initially gain a place on the Limerick Senior panel hasn't had the most traditional of routes. A Junior club player with Cappagh, one of the smallest parishes in Limerick, he had to work extra-hard. From 2003-2006 they got to two Limerick JFC finals and a county semi-final, but defeat was their lot.
He says that the locals are hugely proud to have 'one of their own' in action for the county team.
"It was a huge honour for the club, because to have a player from such a small area and such a mad football area as well, to have a player play in the likes of Croke Park and Pairc Ui Chaoimh, Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney - that they can actually go and support a team, knowing that they have somebody to support as well is great. I owe a lot to the club because from underage up they always encouraged me.
"No matter what, we were always given the best training that we could get and looked after the best way we could. Like everybody else, club is number one and without the club you wouldn't be playing inter-county. We have been struggling recently, because it's such a small parish we have lost so many good people and so many good players abroad to Australia and places looking for work.
"We have had to amalgamate with Kilcornan as well. Another small parish near us, who would be a Junior B club. It's very difficult to just keep things going and keep things afloat, because you don't have the players in the clubs anymore."
The banter will be flowing across the Irish Sea this week in the lead up to the game through social media channels, but the technology has also become hugely important for O'Carroll in keeping in touch with the Limerick camp.
'What's App' has become 'What's up?' for O'Carroll and his colleagues, as they keep in regular contact through the smartphone App, while Facebook and Twitter also help to keep him abreast of happenings on Shannonside.
"It has actually been good, because Maurice (Horan) has kept in contact with me on the phone and through text messages to see how I have been getting on. What I'm doing and seeing if I have been following the programme that Andy O'Neill, our physical trainer has set out for me. Even the lads through social media - Facebook, Twitter and What's App and everything it's easy for the lads to keep in touch. I chat to them whatever and ask them what's the story?
"What's App is very handy. We have our own group on it and we can chat on that. I keep in contact with what is going on back home and how the lads are keeping, how training is going - all of that type of stuff. That's important as well, because when you are over here you do feel out of the loop really. When you are just going back at weekends you are missing training sessions during the week.
"When you go home for games, you want to know what's happening without having the manager say it to you 'look this is what we have been doing, and this is what the story is'. That way then you are on the same page when you are at home. It's been good. In fairness I can't say enough about Maurice. He has been good to me since I came over. He has looked after me and has kept tabs on me to make sure that I am following the programme, and I am doing what I'm supposed to be doing over here, so when I do go back home I am ready, so that whatever part I want to play I am ready to do it."
On this weekend's match, O'Carroll is hoping to add another win to the 1-21 to 1-15 extra-time victory over Longford at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park last year.
"We played Longford last year and we know how difficult it was down there, playing them it took us extra-time to get over them.
"It's not an easy place to go and win and to play down there. Longford didn't produce what they know they are capable of against Wicklow either in the Championship and they are going to be out to set that record straight. There's going to be two teams who are going to be out to prove a point." Tweet
