It was to have been a summer spent on sidelines, in the thick of championship action, says Clare MacNamara, until her best-laid plans fell by the wayside.
"It was to have been a summer spent on sidelines, in the thick of championship action, at GAA grounds around the country, and a few weeks in Tokyo at the 2020 Olympics. But this summer, like everything else, looks very different now.
"In some ways, my job hasn't changed hugely. Although there is almost no live sport, there are still plenty of sports stories. It was all about cancellations at the start of the restrictions as the sports calendar was wiped clean.
"Now it's a little more hopeful and the focus is on when the various sports might resume. I have been re-assigned to the RTÉ Newsdesk. I still work on a lot of sports-related stories, but have also gotten to cover other areas, which has been interesting and enjoyable. News never stops and I feel very lucky to have a job in these uncertain times.
"It's so tough on those who have lost jobs or have seen their businesses decimated. I've been working from home more over the last couple of months. My husband and I fight over the one decent laptop in the house. I go into the office too to edit, and get out and about to film and do interviews. You just have to go with the flow really.
"One of the upsides to our 'new normal' is that family life is a little less frantic. I have three daughters, Ellen, 15, Eve, 13 and Jane, 10. Normally there's a lot of rushing, racing and juggling with school, training, matches, play dates and parties.
"The slower pace has been welcome, for myself and my husband, if not for the girls.They've all coped well I think, adapting to school going on-line, but they're certainly missing their friends and their sport. We have had occasional emotional outbursts, but it's lovely to have more time to just chat with them, whenever I can prise them away from their devices, that is. (They not-so-politely declined to be photographed for this piece.)
"I joined a local running group about a year-and-a-half ago. I'm a plodder but I really love it, despite the pain. It's great for the head. I miss my running buddies and our great coach - the miles go by much quicker when you're having the chats. I picked up a knee injury, though, on one of my solo outings so I've been frustratingly limited to walking for now.
"I feel very fortunate to have a number of parks within 5km of where I live, including St. Enda's and the absolute treasure that is Marlay Park. We spend a lot of time in Marlay, but our usual activities there - the weekly Park Run, the girls' training sessions and matches with Ballinteer St Johns, are all on hold for now.
"It's a fabulous amenity, in full bloom at the moment and is a real tonic. A Dublin jewel. The city has been looking so well in the recent sunshine, you get to appreciate it more when the streets and roads are not so busy.
"That said, I'm really looking forward to getting back down home to Tipperary as soon as it's possible, to see my family, especially my mum. She's 84 and cocooning, and it can be tough and lonely. The gang at home in Ardfinnan are fantastic as always, and make sure she has everything she needs. We were all due to gather in April, to mark my dad, Noel's first anniversary.
"He'd have been fascinated by the current crisis and would have been keeping up with all the news. He was 87 when he died last year and lived through such interesting times and such profound change. We grew up on tales of his adventures as a young boy during the Second World War. We miss him so much, but are also thankful that we got to say goodbye to him and celebrate his wonderful life. It must be so heart-breaking for families who are bereaved at the moment, with all of the restrictions in place.
"As for the restrictions checklist, I haven't managed to tick too many boxes. I have made bread for the first time in my life. Not the ubiquitous banana variety but an oats/yogurt-based loaf that's ridiculously easy to make. And tasty. Who knew? I haven't learnt a new language and I feel like I'm the only person left on planet who hasn't taken part in a Zoom quiz.
"I loved Normal People, though. I was a huge fan of the book and the TV adapation is just so beautiful and faithful. I finally got around to reading Sally Rooney's first book, Conversations With Friends, too. She is such a talented writer.
"Our viewing, listening and reading at home is usually dominated by sport, news and current affairs. There's obviously a giant void in the schedules with no sport so we have been watching a lot more series and documentaries.
"We got through the seriously wacky Tiger King and the sadly intriguing Three Identical Strangers. I've just started The Last Dance, about the career of basketball star, Michael Jordan. The action and archive are great, but so far I'm not loving it as much as most others seem to be.
"I've also finally gotten around to developing a decent Spotify list and am re-discovering a lot of the Irish bands that I loved back in the 80's and 90's. I love getting lost in music on long walks.
"The Sports bulletins on TV News are returning shortly, so we're taking steps back towards 'the old normal'. On a purely vain note, I'm very much looking forward to the hairdressers opening up again. My roots are in a shocking state.
"I certainly think the crisis has taught us some valuable lessons and I hope that we'll be able to hold onto some of the positive aspects. It has certainly been an interesting year so far."
