I am at heart an uncomplicated man. I hold an utter conviction that all the best things in life are actually free. A tree swaying with the gentle breeze is as spiritually nourishing to me as the words of a hundred philosophers. An unfettered smile opens my heart with the dexterity of a skilled surgeon and I exude completely in the companionship of genuine people.
I accept totally and uncomplainingly that I am not in any way unique in this respect. Irish people in particular have the gift of understanding that the life within the life is where the real happiness resides. However, just like you I sometimes need the gentle reminder that, despite the gathering gloom, all is well. Almost always, it is the simple things that re-affirm.
Sport is free and is one of the great gifts of life. It produces many things for many people but one of the most advantageous aspects of sport is that it illuminates the journey of life.
I think most Irish people fully understand the importance of sport. The fundamental impact of sport on society can never really be understated and especially so in a country like Ireland where such a large percentage of the populace is quite young.
Sport by its very nature seeks discipline and commitment but to achieve success, consistent success, sport demands every part of you.
An individual discovering and progressing a talent will usually become dedicated to the outlet for that talent and consequently sport, like all aspects of the arts, has a propensity to exert enormous influence on the life of a performer.
While in many ways this is one of the most wonderful attractions of sport, there is also the other side of the coin. When an individual really begins to become "special" in his or her sport, quite naturally the performer will want to at least attempt to take this talent as far as it is humanly possible.
Up to a decade or do ago this progression was difficult to organise. Individuals, clubs and even associations struggled to find the finance and the facilities to propel the players or the athletes to the next level.
Unless the individual possessed extraordinary ability, or in the case of football, the adjacency of England and its immense tradition in the professional game, the rise to the top of ones chosen sport could be extremely difficult and frustrating. But how things have changed.
The availability of grants and sponsorships due to our booming economy has over recent years provided enormous assistance to all sports and the individuals therein. The further consequence of this has been the amazing rise in the performance levels of those involved both in national and international competition.
There is no doubt whatsoever that the performance level and the visual attraction of each and every sport is better now than at any time in the past.
I accept that there will be some who will disagree with that last statement. Sport in days of yore was played at a slower pace and there was more time for the performer and the spectator to indulge in and appreciate some of the finer points of each particular game.
People like John Giles, Christy Ring and Mike Gibson appeared, and were, majestic in the manner of their performance but as sport modernised fitness and mobility became as important as ability, and the demands of sport are now based on all these components plus of course the most important issue of professional sport, winning.
So while some may hanker for those long gone and golden days, the reality of the situation is that those days are indeed gone and we must all live in the present moment.
Hence the performer of today must comply with all of the above tenets of modern sport. This means of course that with the meteoric rise in fitness levels all those involved, whether they be amateur or professional, not only have to increase their dedication and application to compete at the highest level, they will, even more importantly, have a great desire to supply the quite prodigious input needed to elevate their talent to its highest degree.
This in effect is the very essence of sport. The desire to seek the very best from your ability allied to the fitness and confidence to perform it on the best stage available. In my profession the arrival of full-time football in the eircom League has allowed myself and many others to set sail on a wonderful voyage of discovery.
Professional footballers can now stay in Ireland and make a very good living improving and prospering their talents.
Rugby has followed a similar pattern and the benefits are there to be seen and enjoyed. But the input from these performers is massive and a staggering amount of dedication is now the demand rather than the requirement. In GAA too at the highest level, the input and discipline necessary to reach the top compares favourably to that of the professional performers.
It is not just the training, practising and travelling that exerts huge demands on the modern performer, but also the discipline to eat well, socialise less and possess a discipline in your life that underwrites the progression of your career.
This involves the whole family almost as much as it does the individual. And once one is bitten by the bug there are no half measures. It is all or nothing.
The players are the most important people in any sport. It is players who inveigle spectators through the turnstiles and induce the television audience to press the button on the remote. The true performers, those who love their talent and their particular sport, want more than anything to transport their innate talent and ability to the highest state of its potential.
Spectators want the same. It is the every nature of sport. It is the very nature of life. It cannot be denied. If it ever is then sport becomes a contradiction of itself. Sport is free, but it comes with a price. The more you want the more you have to give. The more you give the more it gives back. It is an uncomplicated arrangement.
