When I look back to the start of the year, my first dealings with what we now know as Covid-19 happened on January 18, says RTÉ reporter Fergal O'Brien
I was tasked with compiling a report about the latest on what was being described as "a mysterious virus" in China.
On that day, there were questions being raised about how many cases of the new respiratory illness there actually were. While officially 45 cases had been recorded in the city of Wuhan, as well as two cases in Thailand and one in Japan, scientists from London's Imperial College were concerned that the number was far greater and could even have been as high as 1,700.
To think that since then, the number of cases globally has grown to over 77 million, with more than 1.6 million deaths. And what was initially a virus on the other side of the world, few of us were aware of last January, has had a huge and lasting impact on all of our lives.
As it happened, I attended the press conference on the night of Saturday, February 29, when the first case of coronavirus in Ireland was confirmed. While it was well flagged by public health officials that such a scenario would arise, there was nonetheless a lot of shock and concern at the development.
In early March, I was among a number of my colleagues in the RTÉ newsroom assigned to cover the virus, but I don’t think any of us could have imagined back then, just how long Covid would end up dominating the news agenda. It’s now nine months on and counting.
Unlike many of my colleagues, who had to adapt to working from home or remotely, I have been based at the RTÉ campus throughout the pandemic, working with a great team during what have been some incredibly difficult times for the country.
It has been a very different working environment though to normal times, with far fewer people around the office, social-distancing, plexiglass screens and other measures in line with the public health guidelines. But we have all still managed to keep each other’s spirits high and keep the show on the road.
Thankfully for me, it has meant some sense of normality, with a daily routine. But as we all know, this has been a year far from normal.
Of the many, many exceptional days, one in particular stands out for me. It was Sunday, May 10. I was in Dublin city centre to film a piece to camera for a TV report. We were at the top of Grafton Street. It was 7.30pm.
A time when the area would usually be a hive of activity, with all the hustle and bustle of people wandering around on a sunny Sunday evening and the nearby traffic. But instead, it was a surreal scene. There was nobody to be seen aside from myself and cameraman Magnus Kelly.
It felt like the city was deserted. In fact, the eerily empty streets I drove along during the first lockdown travelling to and from work, was something I never really got used to seeing.
Over the last nine months, I’ve really missed the simple things that we took for granted. Meeting up with friends face-to-face for brunch or a coffee, travelling at home and abroad, live performances, the spontaneous nights out and most especially seeing my family and getting down home. I’m from Cong in Co Mayo. I have only been back to see my parents a couple of times so far this year.
My brother and his family live in Galway city. I have really missed spending time with my niece and two nephews, but at least FaceTime and WhatsApp video calls have been great for getting to see them all. We didn’t go down the family Zoom quiz route, well not yet anyway.
And while we’ve all become used to a much slower pace of life, I have found that strangely enough the time has flown by this year.
Of course, it hasn’t been all work over the last nine months and it has been important to get some downtime with all that has been happening. One of the positive consequences of the pandemic, was the opportunity to explore our own country more, in the absence of foreign travel. When the restrictions were eased during the summer, everyone made a break for some part of the country or other.
I managed to get away to Roundstone in Co Galway and to Westport and Achill in Co Mayo with some friends. The white sandy beaches and turquoise water in Connemara are world class, in my humble opinion. It felt like being a world away from life in lockdown. Inch Strand in Co Kerry was another spectacular location I got to visit for the first time this year during another staycation. I feel I have a new appreciation for the places on our doorstep and what they have to offer.
I live in Ashtown in Dublin, beside the Royal Canal and right next door to the Phoenix Park. It may be one of the largest city parks in Europe, but at this stage I feel like I have covered every inch of it. I’m not complaining though. It has been a saving grace. I’m an active person and really enjoy getting outdoors, so the park has been my go-to place for walks and runs.
I also rediscovered my bike, which to my shame had gone unused for many years. Walks in the Dublin and Wicklow mountains, when I could travel that far, have also been great for blowing away the cobwebs. Boxsets have been great for unwinding too. Succession was among my favourites lately for some good escapism. I have been working on developing some new skills at home. Although my adventurous side hasn’t yet extended to the banana bread or sourdough baking, but there is still time.
All in all, I think it’s fair to say 2020 will be a year we will never forget, mostly for all the wrong reasons. And while I doubt many people will look back on it with any huge fondness, it has also been a year where the best in people has shone through and I hope we have learned a new appreciation for what we have and those around us. There may still be a lot of uncertainty about the weeks and months ahead, but here’s to a more hopeful 2021 and lots of catching up to do.
