Kieran Duggan, a resident of Mallow in north Cork, experienced an unexpected thrill this week. He managed to give a ride home to two gold-winning Olympians, Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy, from the Olympics to Co Cork. Originally from Limerick, Kieran had been glued to the television the Friday previous, watching as the duo clinched victory in Men’s lightweight double sculls.
He had made a trip to Paris with some of his mates to enjoy the equestrian events at Versailles only a couple of days later. On his return journey on Tuesday, he was quite surprised to find himself sharing the flight with McCarthy. Kieran noted that there was a significantly large contingent of Irish Olympians aboard the plane, all uniformly donned in Team Ireland attire. However, it was the presence of Paul and Fintan that caused a flurry of congratulatory messages.
Upon landing at Dublin airport, Kieran found out from Fintan that they intended to journey back to Cork using the Aircoach, provided it wasn’t fully booked. One of his companions casually suggested that Kieran take them back to Cork since he had plenty of space. Luckily for Kieran, Fintan was open to the idea. There was a small delay at the baggage carousel, but Kieran was more than happy to wait to give the honourable guests a ride back home.
Kieran humorously recollected how it took almost a quarter of an hour to fit the three rowers and their copious luggage into his car, with the trunk filled to its maximum capacity. The backseat was so crammed that Paul and Natalie Long, who was also part of the women’s fours and had hitched a ride, barely had any room to see each other.
During the lengthy three-hour drive home to Cork, the conversation topics were diverse. Kieran says they discussed an assortment of topics – from the athletes’ younger days, their team sports experiences, to the political complexities in America involving Trump and Kamala Harris.
It’s apparent that they are authentic, down-to-earth individuals, possessing a humbleness unique to them. Even when we reached Cork, they were prepared to pay for my fuel. Not to mention, their notable intelligence and incredible tenacity shone through.
Still, I find myself in disbelief since I was almost about to reschedule my flight in order to watch Kellie Harrington’s match. However, I didn’t and ended up being at the right spot at the apt time. Giving two Olympian champions a ride home is simply extraordinary – an experience that’s beyond amazing.
The welcoming celebration for the Olympic victors in Skibbereen will be postponed until the World Championships in Canada, commencing on 18th of August, are over.