If you were at the National Ploughing Championships last week, you'd have spotted a pulsing crowd around one tent in particular.
A blue marquee read 'Ireland's Fittest Farmer' drew dozens of onlookers, and shielded from view for everyone except for those who are vertically blessed was a beaming Davy Fitzgerald, cheering on the brave fans who tried their hand at Hang Tough, an infamous challenge lifted from the Ireland's Fittest Family playbook.
As it turns out, it was the GAA legend and Ireland's Fittest Family coach's first time at the famous festival, and he was still emphatic about it a week later, when we caught up.
"We went from seeing nobody [during the pandemic], then move into that madness", he laughs. "I did not get as much as two seconds to myself. It was flat to the map for three days. And again. it all came back to Ireland's Fittest Family."
Community is central to Ireland's Fittest Family, from each year's batch of hopeful contestants to the coaches themselves and their intense – but friendly – competition. The beloved show is set to return to our screens this Sunday for its 10th season, bringing with it plenty of changes and tweaks to the gruelling course.
A huge change has been moving the location for the heats to Rathbeggan Lakes in Co. Meath, where families were challenged on water. New challenge High and Dry keeps the families on their toes, too. For Davy, however, it all comes back to the teams themselves.
After 10 years of Ireland's Fittest Family pushing and inspiring families to become fitter and more daring, you'd assume the standard has kept rising when it comes to the teams that apply. Davy says that's definitely the case, but his focus is always on the ones who aren't extremely fit but give it their all anyway.
"I still think we have families who come out of their comfort zone. We have mums that do it just for their family, just because they know their sons or daughters really want to do it and they mightn't be as fit as they like but they do it.
"The most important thing in life to me is my family and the time I can get with them. We spend 13 hours a day to 14 on set. The stories we hear and the craic we have with them, I wouldn't swap it for anything. What we see on telly is brilliant but what we actually get off telly with the families, I love it. I absolutely love it."
With new coach, legendary jockey and former Dancing With the Stars champion Nina Carberry who took over from Derval O'Rourke, the trio of coaches got another challenge. "I have to say, yeah, we definitely missed Derv", Davy laughs.
"Nina coming in is unreal. Her character is incredible. You have to love Nina Carberry. She is feisty. She is a fighter. She is smart. It didn't take Nina long time to find our feet, I'll put it to you like that.
"Her team's well-coached but there's three other coaches that are just as competitive. Anna Geary's the reigning champion. Our job is to try and get rid of Anna after four and she's three one. Donncha is the smiley happy-go-lucky [one] but when he has to turn the switch, Donncha turns that switch like you would not believe.
"And then I'm the quietest of them all."
Ask any fan of the show which coach they'd most like to have, and their answer will tell you everything about them. What is it that he thinks draws certain contestants and viewers to his style of coaching?
"Many people would look at me and think, oh, he's going to roar me, he's going to go mad at me. And I will only if certain family members want me to", he says.
"I will actually sit down and talk to my family and I say, which Davy do you actually want? Do you want a fellow that's going to get every last inch over you and is nearly going to frighten you into it, or do you want a davy that's going to talk to you?"
He recalls some mammies on the show in particular who needed a more gentle approach, which he pinpointed and gave. "They're putting themselves on the line doing this TV show and putting themselves out there. I have to be very careful that I know exactly what I'm dealing with and who I'm dealing with."
Ask anyone why they admire Davy and they'll tell you it's his tenacity. It's a quality the coach is well aware of in himself: "I believe anything is possible. I don't believe life stops at 30 or 40 or 50 or 60. I believe we can do stuff, I believe we can push ourselves. I think people see that in me, that I will find a way to get it done.
Ireland's Fittest Family is BACK this Sunday at 6.30 - which judge are you gonna be shouting for this year? 💪🏋️♀️🤸♀️#IrelandsFittestFamily @annagcork | @docallaghan4 | @ninacarberry | @maireadronan | #davyfitz pic.twitter.com/7BncuAUIXl
— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) September 27, 2022
"I will go to the end of the earth to get the best information, to find the best way. I'm not saying I'll always get it right but I will work extremely hard to get some people to achieve things they don't think they can do.
"I hate seeing people get tense or get worried because life is so difficult as it is and there's so much illness out there the only thing we really have to worry about is that illness or that stuff as well. We don't need to worry about sport or competition. We need to just be the best we can be.
"Life is there to embrace it and enjoy it and absolutely just go at it."
Ireland's Fittest Family returns Sunday at 6:30pm on RTÉ One.
