My Weekend: ‘GAA and tennis take me to my happy place’

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work:

I am Kevin O’Callaghan, living in a lovely, rural village in North Cork, called Glantane, where I was reared. I am married to Miriam and we have three mad children, Aoibhin, 8, Oran, 6, and Rian, 3, who our world revolves around, each and every day. Our village is a lovely place to rear children, as you have a lovely, small school and the GAA pitches are a two-minute walk from our house, so we tend to spend a lot of time there, which is the focal point of our community.

The GAA has been a massive part of my life. I grew up in a GAA-mad family and though I qualified as a secondary school teacher, I was lucky enough to stumble upon a full-time GAA coaching role in 2006 in East Cork. I coached in primary schools throughout the region and then Cork GAA were developing their coaching structures, around this time, and I ended up as the Cork GAA game development manager, from 2009 to 2022.

This was a very demanding role, with responsibility for the growth of Gaelic games in clubs, primary and post-primary schools, overseeing the Cúl Camp programme across the county and elite youth development academies. While it was demanding, it was also very rewarding and very enjoyable. I moved to MTU in October 2022 and now oversee the running of the student GAA club on campus. We have 13 teams in action throughout the winter period and I can’t wait to get started with training and matches now as the students return to campus.

There is a great family feel to the GAA club on campus and everyone looks out for each other and on the field everyone gives 100%. There is an understanding that students need to socialise and let the hair down a little, so we encourage that side of things as well. This is a particularly special year for the club as we celebrate 50 years of GAA activity on campus and we are currently organising a function for anyone connected with the club (past and present) on September 15 in MTU, where we will have panels of MTU GAA people telling stories of their experiences wearing the Cork RTC/CIT/MTU jersey over the years.

What is your ideal way to spend a Friday night?

Sport dominates my personal life and, usually, through the winter period I am out with teams in MTU from Monday to Thursday, so Fridays are usually spent volunteering in my local club or playing tennis with friends, both of which take me to my happy place and where I only think about the here and now, a really nice hour, free from pressure or stress. I try to bring the children with me to the GAA pitch, if heading there, and they always love coming with me, as they know most of the children there.

Lie-ins or up with the lark.. which is it for you?

Definitely not a morning person, I am often heading out for a walk or run after 10pm and often do my best work late at night. The mornings are definitely not my most productive time and, luckily, the job I do is very much evening based, which suits me.

Does work creep in to your weekend at all?

During the winter, it does. Our student GAA teams are very busy from Monday to Thursday and, sometimes, admin tasks spill over in to the weekend. This is OK during winter as weather is not as good, but, on the flip side, I am free at weekends through the summer, which suits with family time, so there is a nice balance.

If money were no object, where would you head to on a weekend city break? And who would you bring with you?

Dubai! I visited in 2012 and it has always been my ambition to get back there. The buildings, the marina, the hotels, the beaches are incredible and definitely on my bucket list.

Closer to home, is there some place you like to head to recharge the batteries?

During my childhood, every summer we headed to Galway for race week at the end of July. I have a connection with Salthill as a result. Any chance I get, I would head to the promenade in Salthill for a walk or run and there is a just a lovely vibe with the water beside you.

Do you like to catch up with family/friends at the weekend?

With life being so busy during the week, I would try to get more time with the children at weekends and we would always try to take them for a swim, to local pet farms or playgrounds, and visit cousins. The children are now busy with their own hobbies, and we have to plan around these activities, as we want them to experience as many sports and interests as possible in their early years.

Do you get to indulge any hobbies? Even as a spectator?

I have recently taken up tennis and have become a bit obsessed with that, which is very social and relaxing. I also love photography and like nothing more than to get out for a walk with the camera and I am also happy to bring the camera to GAA games.

Entertain or be entertained? If it’s the latter, do you have a signature dish?

Anyone who knows me would be writing in a letter of complaint if I said entertain, as they know that would not be my thing!!!! My entertaining skills would not stretch beyond a cup of tea and a sandwich, so definitely ‘entertained’ for me.

We have so many places to eat out in Cork — where are your go to spots for coffee/lunch/special meal?

If we are eating out as a family, it has to be quick and easy, as the children will not wait for food. The go-to places for us are the Arches Bar in Mallow and, in Cork, it will always be the Marina Market, where you have a great choice and it has loads of hustle and bustle to keep the children entertained.

Sunday night comes around too fast.. how do you normally spend it?

Sunday evenings are spent catching up with friends, playing pitch and putt, followed by tennis, which takes me up to about 10pm. It is a routine that is rarely broken and is good for the head.

What time does your alarm clock go off on Monday morning?

No need for an alarm clock, as any one of the three children will come calling before the time you wish to get up and they will not be concerned about your desire to sleep on. Typically, 7.15am to 7.30am is the go of it...some people tell me that is good compared to others, so we will take it.

Anything else you are up to right now...

I am heavily involved in planning for the 50-year celebration of the MTU GAA Club taking place on September 15 and if there are any former members of the club reading this, then please look at the club’s social-media channels to see how to register for what promises to be a super-fun event.