Dedication - The Commute

Croí na hÉireann · October 27, 2011, 12:43:51 PM

Fair play Brian, some dedication, looking forward to The Commute now. Amazing the lengths some lads go to to keep the link going with their club at home.

http://www.hoganstand.com/Westmeath/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=157145&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

Westmeath captain to feature in RTE documentary

Westmeath hurling captain Brian Smyth will feature in a new television documentary entitled 'The Commute', which will be screened on RTE1 next Monday at 9.30pm.

A son of former Westmeath and The Downs football star Donie Smyth, Brian has been commuting from London, where he works as a teacher, on an almost weekly basis over the past year to captain his county and to also represent his clubs Raharney (hurling) and Killucan (football). On hearing of his remarkable dedication to the GAA, the documentary makers selected him as one of five long-distance commuters who will feature on the hour-long show.

"The cameras were with me constantly for four days," Smyth says in this week's Westmeath Topic.

"They followed me around to see what my average weekly schedule is like. They came to my rented accommodation in South London and talked to my flat-mates, who also happen to be Irish. They then came with me to school on Friday and followed my commute, which every week starts on a Friday at 3.15pm as soon as the school bell goes.

"I grab a train to the airport, fly to Dublin and travel home to go straight to training usually, and on that Friday, the crew came with me on the flight and accompanied me to St. Loman's grounds, and from there they followed me home to my family home in Killucan."

The cameras continued to roll until 6am the following Monday - just a matter of hours after Brian played a starring role for Westmeath in their Leinster SHC first round victory over Carlow in Dr Cullen Park.

RedandGreenSniper · October 27, 2011, 01:51:07 PM

That's a very worthy programme. There are a lot of GAA players who put in a serious effort to play with their native clubs. Knockmore and Mayo legend Kevin O'Neill was best man at a wedding in north Sweden on a Saturday. Knockmore were playing championship on the Sunday. O'Neill left the wedding around midnight, got to Stockholm for a 8am flight, landed at Dublin and then drove from there to Knockmore. He arrived at the game just as the team were finishing their warm-up at 3.50pm. He came on at half-time and helped to turn the game for Knockmore. Pity it was my club that was on the receiving end but it was remarkable dedication.
There's hundreds of club footballers in Mayo that make the commute every weekend from Dublin too. It is not a massive imposition some might say but when it involves most weekends in the summer for lads in their 20s, try fitting a social life into that.

haze · October 27, 2011, 02:02:07 PM

Quote from: Croí na hÉireann on October 27, 2011, 12:43:51 PM
Fair play Brian, some dedication, looking forward to The Commute now. Amazing the lengths some lads go to to keep the link going with their club at home.

http://www.hoganstand.com/Westmeath/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=157145&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

Westmeath captain to feature in RTE documentary

Westmeath hurling captain Brian Smyth will feature in a new television documentary entitled 'The Commute', which will be screened on RTE1 next Monday at 9.30pm.

A son of former Westmeath and The Downs football star Donie Smyth, Brian has been commuting from London, where he works as a teacher, on an almost weekly basis over the past year to captain his county and to also represent his clubs Raharney (hurling) and Killucan (football). On hearing of his remarkable dedication to the GAA, the documentary makers selected him as one of five long-distance commuters who will feature on the hour-long show.

"The cameras were with me constantly for four days," Smyth says in this week's Westmeath Topic.

"They followed me around to see what my average weekly schedule is like. They came to my rented accommodation in South London and talked to my flat-mates, who also happen to be Irish. They then came with me to school on Friday and followed my commute, which every week starts on a Friday at 3.15pm as soon as the school bell goes.

"I grab a train to the airport, fly to Dublin and travel home to go straight to training usually, and on that Friday, the crew came with me on the flight and accompanied me to St. Loman's grounds, and from there they followed me home to my family home in Killucan."

The cameras continued to roll until 6am the following Monday - just a matter of hours after Brian played a starring role for Westmeath in their Leinster SHC first round victory over Carlow in Dr Cullen Park.

Big sense of deja vu reading this... Did Brian Smyth not feature in some other GAA documentary or segment before where the cameras followed him on his commute?

Cahir Healy commutted from England last year and is now working as a teacher in London. I think he has commited to do it again. Its hard to out do Ciaran McManus' dedication to Offaly though - at different times throughout his career he has commuted from Germany, Sweden and Southampton

tommysmith · October 27, 2011, 02:22:09 PM

Quote from: RedandGreenSniper on October 27, 2011, 01:51:07 PM
That's a very worthy programme. There are a lot of GAA players who put in a serious effort to play with their native clubs. Knockmore and Mayo legend Kevin O'Neill was best man at a wedding in north Sweden on a Saturday. Knockmore were playing championship on the Sunday. O'Neill left the wedding around midnight, got to Stockholm for a 8am flight, landed at Dublin and then drove from there to Knockmore. He arrived at the game just as the team were finishing their warm-up at 3.50pm. He came on at half-time and helped to turn the game for Knockmore. Pity it was my club that was on the receiving end but it was remarkable dedication.
There's hundreds of club footballers in Mayo that make the commute every weekend from Dublin too. It is not a massive imposition some might say but when it involves most weekends in the summer for lads in their 20s, try fitting a social life into that.

Fair dues to them lads but at least they are in the same country.

brokencrossbar1 · October 27, 2011, 02:30:36 PM

Its great committment and all that but is it really any different from what loys of people do week in week out. When I played with Cross and lived in Belfast I made the 120 mile round trip 3-4 times weekly, many times with my young son in the car as my wife worked nights. I did it on my own some nights and with team mates others. Time wise it was 6pm to 11pm 3 nights a week and all day Sunday. I did that for 10 years. Others across Ireland make the same sacrifices.

blanketattack · October 27, 2011, 02:38:00 PM

One of our senior players make it home from San Francisco for the semi-final and final of a divisional championship, twice in the space of a fortnight, and it was all at his own expense as well.

thebandit · October 27, 2011, 05:17:12 PM

Is he a brother of John Smyth the footballer?

Bingo · October 27, 2011, 06:07:38 PM

Its hard at times to get some fellas from the couch/high stool to the field never mind commute

brokencrossbar1 · October 27, 2011, 06:16:33 PM

Quote from: Bingo on October 27, 2011, 06:07:38 PM
Its hard at times to get some fellas from the couch/high stool to the field never mind commute

The legend of Peter Duffy! I reckon Lievremont modelled himself on the bould Peter

Croí na hÉireann · October 27, 2011, 10:55:51 PM

Quote from: thebandit on October 27, 2011, 05:17:12 PM
Is he a brother of John Smyth the footballer?

Cousin I think, shark will be able to confirm I'd say.

Milltown Row2 · October 27, 2011, 11:15:02 PM

Quote from: brokencrossbar1 on October 27, 2011, 02:30:36 PM
Its great committment and all that but is it really any different from what loys of people do week in week out. When I played with Cross and lived in Belfast I made the 120 mile round trip 3-4 times weekly, many times with my young son in the car as my wife worked nights. I did it on my own some nights and with team mates others. Time wise it was 6pm to 11pm 3 nights a week and all day Sunday. I did that for 10 years. Others across Ireland make the same sacrifices.

Would you have made it if ya's were winning fcuk all?

Minder · October 27, 2011, 11:24:52 PM

We have had a fair few fellas over the years that would have travelled to training from Belfadt and back up that night, 100 mile round trip, and as Milltown just put it, we were winning fcuk all !

Milltown Row2 · October 27, 2011, 11:28:36 PM

Quote from: Minder on October 27, 2011, 11:24:52 PM
We have had a fair few fellas over the years that would have travelled to training from Belfadt and back up that night, 100 mile round trip, and as Milltown just put it, we were winning fcuk all !

They wouldn't have got on any Belfast teams

Stevie g 8 · October 30, 2011, 11:35:08 AM

i used to travel 2 hours home to training and then back on the same night every tuesday and thursday ,then a game at the weekend.i never minded one bit

Gold · October 30, 2011, 12:09:33 PM

Its the shit that many of those go through that isnt always appreciated--things like coming into work an hour or 2 early, working through lunch, being in the awkward position of having to ask the boss to let you leave half an hour or an hour early, or taking a half day's holiday. Others in your work think your skiving--they dont understand you getting out early to kick a ball about.

Only the minority are high profile like B Brogan or K Donaghy- i'd say their bosses dont mind them leavin early due to their profiles but for the rest of us it's a nightmare.

There's no doubt your work suffers as a result of it--knackered after hours of driving the night before, your never gonna work as efficiently the day after.

I couldnt do it anymore, playing football doesnt pay the bills