Although being in the public eye is a double-edged sword at times, Davy Fitzgerald is incredibly proud of what Ireland's Fittest Family – a show he co-created – has achieved. He talks to Darragh McManus as the new series starts this week.
Davy Fitzgerald has a rule for life, a simple one, but one we could all benefit from.
"I hate pre-judging people," he says, "and I won’t ever judge anyone until I meet them and know them myself. I won’t take other people’s opinions or what I see of someone on television. I always ask myself, is that the real person? I’ve learned not to judge people until I really know the ins and outs of them."
Once, he was famous as a Clare hurling legend (player and manager). These days, Davy Fitz is better known as co-creator and coach on the long-running TV show, Ireland’s Fittest Family, now back for its 13th season.
Being in the public eye makes people feel they know someone and can, well, pass judgment on them. But what you see of Davy on TV or patrolling the sidelines as Antrim hurling boss, isn’t necessarily the full truth.
On his management style, for instance, Davy says, "A lot of people would think I just managed teams by roaring and shouting at them. That couldn’t be further from the truth. It wouldn’t work anyway, for one thing. No, I try my best to figure out the individual person and what they need from me as a coach, to get the best out of them. We’re not all the same and a coach has to recognise that."
The manager stereotype is also of a super-confident, even cocky person taking charge. In reality, Davy says, "I find it hard to watch myself on screen in anything. I’d be squirming a bit!"
As a kid at school, he remembers being "really, really shy, saying nothing. Didn’t want to be asked a question. Just get out of school and get home. I’d still be like that to some extent."
Nonetheless, he also describes himself as a scrapper who "would very much have always stood up for myself, and fight for everything I can. That’s just the way I am, and I don’t think I’ll change too much".
Davy is fiercely protective of his family.
"Me and my family go through the good and bad of life, same as anyone," he says. "Some of the stuff that would have happened in recent years with my dad (former Clare GAA Secretary, Pat Fitzgerald), abuse on social media, I found that very hard to take. Now I’ve grown better at letting it go – although it shouldn’t be acceptable either.
"Are we all perfect? No. Do we make mistakes? We do. Have I made mistakes? Have some of my family? 100%. But that’s life, and acceptance is part of it."
His son Colm (28) received a suspended sentence this summer for stealing from his employer to feed a gambling addiction*. Davy says now, "He made a mistake, and that was on him. But was it all magnified because he is my son? Yes. He had to deal with some extra stuff, and I felt that was my fault. He knows he made a mistake, but I’m still as proud as punch of him.
"I won’t be hiding away from it, and he won’t be hiding away. It’s common now; he got addicted to gambling, and certain things happened. It wasn’t easy; certain fellows were mad to abuse him, and I felt sorry for him because I know it was probably me they were after."
That was unfair, I suggest. "It is, but you’re going to have that when you’re in the public eye. People try to portray you in a certain way, and there’s nothing you can do about it. I don’t accept that you’re 'fair game’ or anything like that, but it’s there and you have to deal with it. No point crying about it. Once the people I know are healthy and happy, that’s the most important thing."
Let’s talk of happier things: specifically, the TV success of Ireland’s Fittest Family. Did he imagine that the show he co-created in 2011 with Shannon-based events professional James Sexton would still be going, with celebrity spin-offs and the format sold abroad?
He thinks back: "I remember meeting RTÉ to pitch it, being told beforehand we’d probably get 10 or 15 minutes. Myself and James were in there for two hours. The guy from RTÉ absolutely loved it. Though they did say at the start, ‘If you get one or two years out of this, you’ll be doing well’. We’re still here 12 years on and going strong.
"It makes me so proud. This is Irish, this is our own and it’s sold in different countries. I have to credit the production companies: they have been top class in how they treat everyone.
"Before, people knew me from hurling. Now 90% of people who’d come up to me would associate me with Fittest Family."
The show is filmed in the summer in an intense burst of activity. Davy talks with enthusiasm about being "up for half-six, on set for seven and you mightn’t get out of there before eight or nine in the evening. But I love it. The production team, camera people, sound people, runners, everyone working together – I love that. I look forward to making this show every year."
The 2025 iteration has some changes: alongside veteran coaches Davy, Anna Geary and Donncha O’Callaghan, there are three newbies challenging the big dogs: eight-time All-Ireland winner Michael Darragh MacAuley, swimmer Ellen Keane and ex-rugby pro Andrew Trimble.
Davy says, "I don’t know if we needed to change it up. What we were doing was going really well. It was more, ‘Can we go to another level here?’ The production team are always challenging themselves to be better. I think they achieved that with the new format, new coaches, new events.
"There’s more pressure on you as a coach. People watching at home might think that it’s just TV, a bit of craic, but it’s actually really competitive. If you’re a coach, you don’t want to be going out early. You want to be in as long as you can."
One of the best things about IFF is how it involves multiple generations. This was important to Davy from the show’s inception.
"That was massive for us. Young, middle-aged, older people: we wanted to incorporate the whole lot as competitors and viewers. I think that’s why the show works so well.
"How many programmes can everyone, from kids to elderly, sit down and watch together? We have people competing who’re in all age categories. I’ve seen mothers and fathers put themselves out there, they mightn’t be the fittest but want to do this for their kids so badly. I absolutely love that, it’s a special and unique thing."
He feels responsible for his IFF families, saying, "You’re trying to be the best you can for them. They’re putting themselves out there, going on national TV in a competition, which isn’t easy. But I think the families get a lot out of it, especially the time they spend together. Doing something with your mam or dad, or your kids, that doesn’t happen too often.
"And viewers are really going to relate to this year’s families. Some are great craic, some are quieter, but all there to do their best. This show puts people outside their comfort zone, and then they find out how they respond to adversity.
"I always say, don’t hide, be alive. The easy thing to do is not do it. But life is about going out there, taking risks. Failing is more important than succeeding sometimes. To fail and make mistakes, that’s part of life. None of us is perfect. Be it in GAA management or elsewhere, I’ve made mistakes big-time. But you try and learn from it and move on."
* If you have been affected by issues raised in this story, please visit: www.rte.ie/helplines.
