The biggest story of 2020 is almost certainly going to be the biggest story of 2021 too, says RTÉ News reporter Philip Bromwell
During a career spanning more than two decades in journalism, I have had some amazing assignments, all over Ireland and in various parts of the world. However, in 2020, one of my most impactful stories landed right on my doorstep.
We live in Rathfarnham and our next-door neighbours, Rob and Jen, are also very close friends. Our kids - we have two girls and they have three boys - have grown up side by side. As the first lockdown took hold, we would chat on our driveways, exchanging stories about the glorious weather, home-schooling and how everyone was getting on. However, the stark reality of the pandemic brought an abrupt end to those cheery, everyday catch-ups.
Their eldest son, Jack, who was seventeen, began to display symptoms of Covid-19 on 15 April. He had no underlying health conditions, but via Jen's increasingly anxious WhatsApp messages to my wife Tríona, it soon became clear that he wasn't at all well. He was admitted to Tallaght Hospital on 20 April and within hours of being hospitalised, he was on a ventilator fighting for his life. Over the next few weeks, our friends and neighbours experienced every possible emotion. We tried to offer love and support as best we could, scarcely believing that something so devastating had happened to someone so young.
At that time, the stories of coronavirus survivors were like beacons of light in a desperately bleak news cycle. Given his age, I knew that Jack had a unique tale to tell. However, it was his story and he had to decide when he was going to tell it. In the event, we didn't sit down to film something until late September. He spoke bravely and powerfully, urging other young people to take the disease seriously and "do the right thing." His words clearly struck a chord - the video has been viewed 3.5 million times on Facebook, making it one of the most watched RTÉ News stories of this remarkable, relentless news year.
My team and I were among the first journalists to start working from home at the beginning of March. I have only visited RTÉ once since then, in order to retrieve various pieces of equipment. We work differently to many of our colleagues, in that we film and edit all our stories ourselves on mobile devices (iPhones and iPads).
One of the advantages of mobile journalism, or "mojo" as it is called, has always been the autonomy and mobility it affords for storytelling. That flexibility has been crucial this year, as we have had to consistently find original and creative ways of telling stories. Despite the staggering toll of the pandemic, there have been tales of hope, positivity and human kindness. It has been really important, and often a privilege, to tell those stories too.
Our attic at home has become my "office". At first, I borrowed a desk from one of the girls' bedrooms, positioning it beneath a roof-light. While the desk has been upgraded since then, I still sit beneath the window. Even though I've often found myself working longer hours, it has been a great spot to enjoy some spectacular evening skies, particularly during the first lockdown.
Back then, Lily, aged twelve, and Edie, who is ten, used to bring up the occasional cup of tea and a biscuit to the attic, but that novelty soon wore off. Of course, like all kids, their worlds had changed too. Tríona took on the challenge of home-schooling, while I worked away upstairs. She has MS, so we really locked down as a family, cancelling a number of the supports she receives. We got through it, although as the weeks went by, we had to considerably "relax" our approach to screen time and bedtime. Both girls missed their friends and their various activities, Ballyboden St Enda's GAA in particular.
They persevered with Joe Wicks' workouts for a while, but it was no substitute for playing Football or Camogie with their mates. While once I may have complained about being the 'taxi-driver dad', I now also missed the structure that training sessions and matches bring to the week. It was a big relief when GAA activities resumed in the summer and we are very grateful to the coaches who managed to keep things going through the autumn.
Lockdown birthdays came and went. We celebrated Edie's tenth birthday with a visit to the house from an ice-cream van. A few of her friends from our estate gathered on the driveway for a socially-distanced treat, but it certainly wasn't the party that she would have hoped for. Likewise, there was no sleepover for Lily and friends when she turned twelve.
It was meant to be a big year of celebrations for my parents too. They live in the UK and celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary in February. However, the planned family reunion in Portugal in August had to be cancelled, much to everyone's disappointment. We haven’t seen my mum or dad for a year now. The Facebook Portals which my San Francisco-based brother bought for us all have been great, it’s not the same as meeting up in person.
Looking back though, the collective mood definitely lightened during the summer, as case numbers fell and it seemed like the virus was coming under control. In July, we headed to Liscannor in County Clare. We have been going there for years, although this year we felt especially lucky to escape from Dublin. The girls enjoyed the Cúl Camp at Liscannor GAA and dived into a week-long surf camp at Lahinch.
I was able to work remotely from there for the first couple of weeks, before taking the next fortnight as a holiday. It's a beautiful part of the world and I don't think I'll ever tire of the rocky beach at Clahane or the wild, windswept Cliffs of Moher.
Of course, one thing made this holiday even more memorable. Watching on an iPad in the house in Liscannor, I saw Liverpool FC finally end a thirty year-wait for the Premier League title. Finally, some good news in 2020!
Following the break in Clare, we headed back to Dublin ahead of the much anticipated return to school. I filmed a story featuring a number of kids who live in a flat complex in Ringsend. The children were amazing, articulating just how much change, stress and isolation they and so many others had experienced during five-and-a-half months away from the classroom. I had sought to capture a 'moment in time', but the story resonated far and wide, appearing as it did in the immediate aftermath of Golfgate.
Away from work, I have tried to go running two or three times a week. I generally turn left out of our estate and jog along a road that leads into the Dublin Mountains. You don't have to go too far to feel you have escaped suburbia and are in the countryside. It is great for headspace, as much as exercise.
Gardening also became a lockdown distraction. We, along with thousands of other families, ordered a raised vegetable bed kit in April. When it finally arrived, we had some success growing salad leaves, courgette and kale. Remarkably, we have just harvested the last of the cherry tomatoes, although that probably says more about climate change than my green fingers.
At the end of the day Tríona and I tend to collapse on the sofa, working our way through the latest must-watch series on Netflix. Money Heist, Schitt's Creek, Criminal UK, The Queen's Gambit and The Crown have all succeeded in stopping us getting to bed at a decent hour. The girls had us all glued to I'm a Celebrity...Yes, it's mindless entertainment, but it brings us all together in front of the fire, which has been lovely on these dark autumn evenings.
We are now all looking forward to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and after. The tree and the decorations went up ahead of The Toy Show. I can't remember us ever being this organised, but if ever there was a year to embrace the Christmas spirit early, 2020 is it. It has been a long and challenging twelve months, but I am thankful our families have stayed well and kept going.
I will enjoy some time off over the festive period, hopefully returning refreshed in the new year. All of us in the newsroom will have to come back ready 'to go again.' After all, the biggest story of 2020 is almost certainly going to be the biggest story of 2021 too.
