How agreeable are you?
I would say that my default position is that when a point of view is put to me, I probably try to look at it from the opposite perspective. To the frustration of some people, I would try and find a hole in the argument, which can sometimes lead to robust discussions at home or in conversations with friends or with work colleagues. Does that make me disagreeable? I hope not.
What’s your middle name and what do you think of it?
My middle name is John. I’m named after my dad, the first, middle and last names. He played hurling for Cork and won an All-Ireland medal in 1966, and then in 1984 he went on to manage Cork to an All-Ireland win.
I played a bit of hurling myself up to the age of about 21, so having the same name as my dad was great because it instantly made connections with people. However, when you’re a journeyman hurler, and you take to the field with the same name as the person who has won All-Ireland medals, you quickly realise it’s much harder to meet people’s expectations when they already have a label attached to you.
Where is your favourite place in Ireland?
That’s a toss-up between my mother’s kitchen in Cork after she’s made a fresh batch of scones, and the top of Three Rock Mountain in Dublin, which is near where I live. I love going up the Dublin Mountains, and especially during the summer, it’s a great place for clearing the head, keeping fit and checking out the spectacular views from the top. You always come back from those walks in good form.
RM Block
Describe yourself in three words.
I would say logical, sceptical, creative.
In college, I studied computer science, maths, English and sociology, so they gave both sides of the brain a workout.
When did you last get angry?
I probably get annoyed more than angry. Doing the work I do, I find it intensely frustrating at times that there seems to be a can’t-do attitude to some of the big problems we have in the country. Whether that is the health service, the housing crisis, mental health services for young people, facilities for children in care, infrastructure, or any of those kinds of things.
What I find in recent years is that the solutions to the problems have been replaced by an explanation as to why the problems exist and why they’re too difficult to solve.
I find that sometimes when you talk to policymakers about these problems, there’s a stunning lack of ambition to meaningfully address them. That then leads to public apathy, which feeds intolerance of people who are perceived to be a drain on these services and a drain on the system.
If you look at other countries, I wonder if this kind of thing happens. For example, the fire in Notre Dame Cathedral in 2019, in Paris. Within five years, it was rebuilt and restored, and you’d wonder if that would be possible in this country.
What have you lost that you would like to have back?
I’m 48 now, and my physical and athletic abilities are definitely not what they used to be. I took up running about six or seven years ago, and that’s been great for keeping me fit.
I was once invited to take part in a dads-and-lads hurling team. I’ve heard some stories about men going back to hurling in their late 40s and 50s, ending up in Santry’s Sports Surgery Clinic with meniscus injuries or dislocated shoulders, and so I had to pass on that one. I’ve now joined the great tradition of hurlers on the ditch, and I’m living my hurling days vicariously through my children.
What is your strongest childhood memory?
It’s travelling around the country with my dad. He was, as I mentioned, a hurling manager, and he coached teams all over the country – Cork, Clare, Tipperary, Antrim - and I usually would have gone with him to keep him company.
Sometimes those training sessions would be midweek, so I’d try and get my homework done at school during the lunch break, so that I could be at home in time for when he’d arrive home to get into the car, and then we’d head off. I remember those road journeys and connecting with him, and also getting to know every part of the country, all the teams.
Where do you come in your family’s birth order and has this defined you?
I’m the third child of four. I have two older brothers and one younger sister, so I’m the second youngest. Having two older brothers, you definitely learn a bit of toughness and resilience, which is not a bad thing. And I get on very well with my younger sister; I think she had it the toughest of all of us because she was the only girl in the family.
It was no surprise she would become a school teacher, keeping a classroom of students in line after having three older brothers.
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What do you expect to happen when you die?
It’s not something I have given any thought to. I prefer to think about and focus on the here and now, and on making this life better rather than hoping there’s something better in the next one. If there is a next one.
When were you happiest?
I’m normally happy and content. In general terms, I’m happiest at the end of a long, productive day when the kids are tucked up safely in bed, and I don’t have to get up at 3.40am. I’m on a fairly even keel, so I don’t get overexcited about things, and I don’t get overly stressed about things, either.
My dad always says that when you find your feet, hold onto your head. He has another one, too: A pat on the back is only six inches away from a kick on the arse.
Which actor would play you in a biopic about your life?
Purely for visuals alone, and for no other reason, I’m going to go with Stanley Tucci because he’s bald, has glasses, and he likes his grub.
What is your biggest career/personal regret?
I have been extremely lucky in my career. Before I finished my finals, I was working part-time in journalism in a radio newsroom at Cork’s 96FM. The day I finished my finals, I was offered a full-time job there, so I’ve been very, very lucky throughout my career.
In terms of the big picture, I don’t have any career regrets at all. I think if you work hard and just keep at it, the breaks will come. They have for me, anyway.
Have you any psychological quirks?
I’m usually early for everything. I’ll arrive at something half an hour before I really need to for most things. I find it stressful being late.
In conversation with Tony Clayton-Lea
