Feng Shui "guru" the key to Dublin success

[Sidney]

Feng Shui "guru" the key to Dublin success

by Whacker Keaveney, The Northside Shout, August 20th, 2014

It's generally accepted that the Dublin football team have taken preparation to a level unprecedented in GAA history, with fitness coaches, dietary experts, sports psychologists and an extensive team of statisticians all helping Jim Gavin's men achieve an optimum level of performance.

But what is perhaps less known is that Dublin have also been employing the services of world renowned Irish Feng Shui expert Dr. Diarmuid Couch. Better known for his work on BBC's "Changing Rooms", Couch is now revolutionising the area of pre-match preparation by literally changing Dublin's changing room. The Eastern philosophy of harmonisation of the body with the surrounding environment is being used by the men from the East as their secret weapon in their bid to retain the All-Ireland, and so far, it's working.

"I suppose it all began when my wife was hounding me to buy a new sofa for the sitting room and she made me watch "Changing Rooms", said manager Jim Gavin. "I was immediately impressed with Dr. Diarmuid's work. For us, it's about maximising our harmonisation in a balanced, holistic environment to achieve optimisation of resources within a framework of streamlined positivity, and Diarmuid is a key part of that."

"Diarmuid and myself have worked to translate the five elements of Feng Shui - metal, earth, fire, water and wood into a comprehensive philosophy that encompasses all elements of Gaelic football. Metal symbolises that we need to be hard. Earth tells us that we need to be grounded. Fire is what needs to be in our bellies going out onto the pitch. Water reminds us to always stay properly hydrated. Wood demonstrates, eh actually I'm not sure what that demonstrates, you'll have to ask him that."

Couch and his team move into the Croke Park changing rooms three days before each match to set it up exactly to his specifications. It's a logistical operation which is only slightly less complicated than that needed to set up the stage for large concerts at the venue.

"It's not cheap, but we believe it's absolutely worthwhile and all thanks to our sponsors AIG, Vodafone, Google, Microsoft, Shell Oil, Budweiser, Ford, Coca-Cola, and Paddy's Centra, Killester for making it possible", says Gavin.

Large framed prints of Dublin successes of yesteryear adorn the walls, which are painted in a pastel shade of blue with navy architraves and skirting, to match the Dublin colours. Each player is invited to bring an item from home, be it a cushion, a clock, or an ornament to make them feel comfortable - but each item must be below 50cm at its widest point so as to avoid clutter.

Couch's attention to detail shines through. "Everything has to be right, from the positioning of the pictures down to the position of the lampshades. Even though I like to use corner sofa units in my day to day work, I avoid this with Dublin, as we never want to be cornered. Each sofa the players sit on is made from the same material as an O'Neill's size 5. We want to feel comfortable with the ball, and the best way of promoting that is by feeling comfortable with the material its made from, even when not playing or training, and thanks to O'Neill's for letting us do that. Even the slightest misalignment of a picture frame can create negative energy. It's crucial to avoid that", says Couch, whose work has gained international acclaim.

"One is never more comfortable than when one is at home, and we want to literally create an atmosphere of home. This is Croke Park, this is our house, this is our territory. Although it's not our home venue obviously - that remains Parnell Park, despite us not playing a league or championship match there since 2010."

"We arrange the room slightly differently according to the opponent, but the players are always uppermost in our minds when we go about this. We encourage players to use the Feng Shui philosophy at home too, drawing up a tailored training plan for each squad member, according to each player's position. So for the match against Donegal, for example, we've encouraged Diamuid Connolly and Bernard Brogan to pile up 13 chairs in front of each door and try to get through the door without touching any of them. For Ger Brennan, we've just said "sit down and relax, as you're not going to be getting up off the bench for this match."

"We've had total buy in from the players", says Couch. "We took our lead from them in the development of the master plan for the room and they had some really interesting insights into how they thought it should be arranged. I see myself merely as a facilitator. What myself, Jim and the rest of the backroom team are very much about is a player-centric approach to Feng Shui. And I'd like to think we've achieved that. We have, I think."

The players certainly appear to be happy with the set up. "Yeah, they're lovely couches - very comfy", says midfielder Michael Darragh McAuley.

For Couch and Dublin, it's a case of sofa, so good.

[seafoid]

Has there been any use of mirrors to change the energy flow of the feng shui within the gaff , Sidney? If Tyrone were to be again in the dressing rooms they could also use them to have a good look at themselves.

[Sidney]

Has there been any use of mirrors to change the energy flow of the feng shui within the gaff , Sidney? If Tyrone were to be again in the dressing rooms they could also use them to have a good look at themselves.

Dr. Diarmuid encourages players to use mirrors at home as a means of introspection, but prefers them to be kept out of the dressing room as all energy is to be focussed on the opponent. Bernard Brogan has, however been given special dispensation to use a mirror to make sure his hair is in perfect condition for each match - it's a crucial part of his pre-match preparation.

[J70]

"I suppose it all began when my wife was hounding me to buy a new sofa for the sitting room and she made me watch "Changing Rooms", said manager Jim Gavin. "I was immediately impressed with Dr. Diarmuid's work. For us, it's about maximising our harmonisation in a balanced, holistic environment to achieve optimisation of resources within a framework of streamlined positivity, and Diarmuid is a key part of that."

"Diarmuid and myself have worked to translate the five elements of Feng Shui - metal, earth, fire, water and wood into a comprehensive philosophy that encompasses all elements of Gaelic football. Metal symbolises that we need to be hard. Earth tells us that we need to be grounded. Fire is what needs to be in our bellies going out onto the pitch. Water reminds us to always stay properly hydrated. Wood demonstrates, eh actually I'm not sure what that demonstrates, you'll have to ask him that."

[Eamonnca1]

it's about maximising our harmonisation in a balanced, holistic environment to achieve optimisation of resources within a framework of streamlined positivity

Jesus H Christ! Is this satire?

[seafoid]

One of Sidney's best. But I worry about the Feng Shui aspects of Hill 16. 

[BluestackBoy]

One of Sidney's best. But I worry about the Feng Shui aspects of Hill 16.

I can see it now, Hill 16 swaying gently as they sing Beach Boys songs & tambourines replacing bodhrans.

[Sidney]

it's about maximising our harmonisation in a balanced, holistic environment to achieve optimisation of resources within a framework of streamlined positivity

Jesus H Christ! Is this satire?

It's an adaptation of a reading from the Blue Book - Paul 20:08.

[seafoid]

Pat Spillane launched a blistering attack on the Dublin Feng Shui situation in his weekly column for the Sunday World. The former vice principal of Bandon community college who won the Superstars despite having a heavily bandaged knee in 1981 said the concept of Feng Shui was alien to the ethos of the GAA which was based on handpassing and quick balls into the full forward line and none of this spatial arrangement shiite. A representative of the Iraqi government condemned his comments as out of order to which Spillane replied – "sure they know nothing about football in Afghanistan. Or Kilkenny "

When 98FM contacted Eddie Keher for a comment he noted that Spillane's outburst was "unmanly" and that no Kilkenny hurler had ever been booked for anything , ever, unlike the Spillane brothers and that Gaelic football was a mongrel game that could have nothing to do with the pure energy released by an elite pursuit such as hurling or Feng Shui.

Spillane , contacted at his holiday home in Templenoe while was doing the Daily Star crossword ,  countered by saying Feng Shui was a fine dual player for Wexford but that he had no place in Croke Park.     
He was taken away by nurses shortly afterwards.

[Hardy]

Former Taoiseach and celebrity Manchester United fan B-B-B-Bertie Ahern has waded into the Feng Shui hullabaloo engulfing Dublin football. Invoking his role as an international consultant in conflict resolution and stadium development, the former Taoiseach was scathing in his criticism of Dr. Diarmuid Couch, Dublin's controversial Feng Shui consultant. Or perhaps not - we're not quite sure.

"I aah ... I aah ... everyone knew what I being a commitment to all my life was a Dub supporter of the ... aah, the ... aah D-D-D-Dublin f-f-f-football," said the former political bagman and News Of The World columnist.

"I do one ting I might to say either for whatever ... aaah  for M- M- M-Mister Crouch. Da Dubs will always y'know w-w-w-w-will never be dat no matter an'tin. And it is came as a not a little no surprise, as Tony used to ... aaah, used to ... aaah ye know used to s-s-s-say to me when I was at de y'know d-d-d-de P-Peace Process -  neither here nor anywhere in any way shape or form anyway."

[seafoid]

2016 very like 2014 with Dub mania over the top in July.
Of course it all went tits up in august 2014

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPiqcEqVu7g

[LeoMc]

I had been putting the Dublin success down to feng shui also, they are placing 6 forwards on the field, putting them in the right position and pointing them in the proper direction leading to their channeling the oul size 5 between the sticks. Ying to Donegals yang.

[sid waddell]

Might as well position this in its proper place:

Decluttering the room, decluttering the mind

Life coach, Feng Shui advisor to the All-Ireland-winning Dublin football team and face of the BBC TV show "Changing Rooms", Dr. Diarmuid Couch, and renowned sports psychologist and Thinkfulness™ expert Enda McNulty speak to the Northside Shout's Whacker Keaveney about CUSHION, the revolutionary new seven step feng shui programme for the brain which they have developed

A love of Gaelic football unites Dr. Diarmuid Couch and Enda McNulty. Both the Dublin football feng shui guru and the former Armagh corner back, Thinkfulness™ expert and sports psychologist have tasted All-Ireland success in their respective roles. Now they have teamed up to throw a CUSHION at us.

In the the two months since the CUSHION concept was launched, it has taken Ireland by storm. Celebrity advocates include Cork camogie captain Ashling Thompson, fitness guru Pat Divilly and former Blizzards frontman and mental health advocate "Bressie".

The initial idea came from McNulty as a complementary philosophy to his existing "Flying High" concept.

"I spoke to Jim Gavin a couple of years ago when we were watching the same Sigerson Cup match in UCD. At half-time I asked Jim about his job as an Air Corps pilot. It was at that point that the concept of "Flying High" entered my head, a concept I've since utilised to much success with clients.

"But, however much we'd like to, we can't fly high all the time. I needed a complementary philosophy for those more down to earth moments, for the everyday."

"When we fly high, we need to land safely. If we fall, we need something to cushion our fall. Failure is merely an opportunity to start again more intelligently. Thus the concept of CUSHION was born. Jim never stopped talking about Diarmuid and what a difference the introduction of feng shui principles had made to the Dublin team. Diarmuid was the obvious man to bounce my ideas off. He's an innovator. We've been exchanging ideas now for over a year and the programme came out of that."

Couch is currently basking in the afterglow of helping Dublin to another All-Ireland, His now famous pre-match speech was credited by several players for the victory.

"The best dreams happen when you're awake. I stood on the team bus and spoke from the heart. I told the lads "It's going to be wet out there today, very wet. What you must do is believe that the water that will pour from the sky today is with you. Water gives life. But in the wrong circumstances, water can also take away life. We must use it to our advantage and Kerry's disadvantage. As soon as we reach the dressing room, I want every member of this team to go straight to the showers, stand under one of them in the clothes you are wearing now, turn it on to full power, and wait until you are thoroughly soaked."

"I told them, "That shower you will stand under, think of it as a "shower of power", transmitting positive, life giving, life affirming positive energy to you.""

"They thought I was mad. I got some strange looks, alright, even from Jim Gavin", says Couch, grinning. "But each and every player did it. In fact, when all the players had returned to the main dressing room area and dried themselves off, several players said to me what a beneficial experience it had been for them in terms of clearing their heads for the task at hand. It was at that moment that I knew we were going to win the All-Ireland."

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

The CUSHION philosophy

CUSHION is based on seven key principles. These are
1. Competing
2. Understanding
3. Soldiering
4. Helping
5. Innovating
6. Optimising
7. Nourishing

"I see CUSHION as not just something that can benefit elite sportspeople, it's something that everybody can live by and benefit from", says Couch.

Principle 1: Competing:
Couch is clear that "We all compete, be it in the sporting arena or in the arena of everyday life. We compete for jobs, we compete in love, we compete in who can have the most expensive car, the nicest house or the most money. Competition is what drives us as humans. This is natural and as it should be. Principle 1 of CUSHION recognises this fact."

Principle 2: Understanding:
McNulty: "Understanding is key, as we recognise in Principle 2. Understanding ourselves, understanding our limits, understanding that the only limits are those we set ourselves, understanding that by understanding ourselves better there need be no limits to what we can all achieve."

Principle 3: Soldiering:
"Through all of this process we need to work, graft and fight. We call this "Soldiering"", says McNulty.

"Nothing worth having comes easy. By "soldiering", you commit to fight for the cause, whatever that cause may be. By committing to fight for whatever it is you want, you have already won. In the knowledge that you are already a winner, victory is inevitable."

Principle 4: Helping:
"We are a social species", says Couch. "We all need help. No man is an island. He must reach out. He must engage. Pooling our collective talents harmoniously to make a greater whole is what both football and life are about. We all have weaknesses. The night before Dublin's All-Ireland semi-final replay against Mayo, I got the whole team to gather around and listen to that great old classic by The Hollies, "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother". Although Alan and Bernard Brogan initially thought I was playing a joke on them, I assured them I wasn't, that this was for the whole team (although unfortunately Diarmuid Connolly, who was at that time at a DRA hearing, didn't hear it.). By the end of the song, they understood. They knew. They knew they were all brothers and that they were there to help each other on the pitch. And that's what they did."

Principle 5: Innovating
Always moving forward is very important for any person, says McNulty. "Innovation never sleeps. We're constantly moving forward. Steve Jobs knew the value of innovation, so did Alexander Graham Bell, so did Johan Sebastian Bach, so did the man who invented the concept of having a rubber on top of a pencil.

What worked today may not work tomorrow. I tell my clients to think of themselves as a shark. If you don't keep moving forward, you'll die. When you're finished changing, you're finished. Innovation never sleeps."

Principle 6: Optimising
"Optimising is may favourite word", says Couch. "It doesn't mean anything, and that's the beauty of it. It can mean whatever you want it to mean. You're the boss. You're in control. With control comes power, with power comes self-confidence. With self-confidence comes the flowering of the human ability to its fullest."

Principle 7: Nourishing
"Nouishing doesn't just refer to food, although obviously that's part of it too", says McNulty. "Nourishing your mind and your soul with positivity is even more important, though. They complement each other. Nourishing promotes growth. Growth in mind, spirit, body. I like to nourish my clients with positive motivational thoughts and memes at every oppurtunity, and as a public service I have made these powerful tools of the mind available to the general public on my Twitter page, @Enda_McNulty.

Dr. Diarmuid Couch and Enda McNulty will join Bressie for a nationwide tour of Thinkfulness™ workshops in February 2016, where they will speak about the CUSHION concept in practice.

Bookings available at www.cushionIRL.ie