Declan Hannon: Staying active and getting out and going for a walk is so important

Declan Hannon: 'I’m not fantastic in the kitchen so I try to keep it fairly simple.' Picture: Diarmuid Greene/Sportsfile

Limerick GAA star Declan Hannon has recently marked a milestone birthday, turning 30 at the end of last year.

The Adare native works in recruitment in Limerick city and when we chatted over Zoom was “flat out” and in the middle of a busy period, though he insists it is a good complaint.

Work aside, the All-Ireland winning captain is — usurpingly — a keen advocate for staying active but even when life gets hectic, he reckons there is nothing a bit of movement and fresh air can’t help.

Getting out for fresh air is really important, he says, and it is something he does often.

“It’s a good stress reliever as well. You don’t have to be going out and running a marathon or anything like that, just get out for 20 minutes and go for a walk,” he says.

“I don’t think there’s anything better than getting that fresh air into the lungs.”

•  All-Ireland winning captain, Declan Hannon of Limerick, spoke to us following the unveiling of eir as a new official sponsor of the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship.

How do you keep fit?

In the off-season, I try to get out for walks and do a couple of jogs and sea swimming. When the [Covid-19] restrictions were lifted and you could travel outside your county, we tended to do a lot of swimming. It was great for the head just to get out of the house. I love it. It’s a great cure for everything.

Do you have a morning routine?

I’m living in Limerick city and the office is a three-minute walk from my house which is very handy. I walk into work and along the way call into a café Waffe or Habit

What are your healthiest eating habits?

I’m quite boring. I eat a lot of chicken and fish with rice and veg. I’m not fantastic in the kitchen so I try to keep it fairly simple. But it’s important to find a routine of having a good breakfast, lunch and dinner and drinking plenty of water.

It’s about getting into that routine of cooking, and it takes me so long to cook, it wrecks my head, but you just have to do it and try and enjoy it as best you can.

What are your guiltiest pleasures?

I’d be a fan of a curry cheese chip. It’s not even a once-a-month thing, to be honest it’s sporadic enough but at times I have to let loose a small bit. It’s not the worst thing you could be doing.

What keeps you awake at night?

Sometimes work. You would have one hundred things going on in your head… but I’m quite good at nighttime. I listen to podcasts as they help me sleep.

I’m listening to the Tommy, Hector and Laurita Podcast now.

Who are your sporting heroes?

Former hurler Anthony Daly from Clare and Tony McCoy. He was a jockey for many years, he was fantastic. I admire them.

What is your favourite smell?

Freshly cut grass is a good one. Weirdly, I like the smell of some of the hand sanitisers over the last number of years.

When was the last time you cried?

We had a sad funeral in my home parish of Adare. Our neighbour passed away during Covid, he was only 21. He had cystic fibrosis.

What is the best health advice you’ve ever been given?

Stay active. Getting out and going for a walk or doing anything to get a bit of fresh air. I think it’s really important, especially for young kids and teenagers.

What traits do you least like about yourself?

Indecision at times. If I was getting a takeaway now, it could take me three days to decide what I was getting.

Do you pray?

I do. It would be sporadically though. If there is someone sick or if someone has an exam coming up — things like that I pray for alright, but I should probably do more of it.

What cheers you up if you’re having a bad day?

Listening to the Tommy, Hector and Laurita Podcast. I think it’s absolutely gas, so I’d probably just throw that on and have a bit of a laugh and forget about the world for a while.

What quote inspires you most and why?

It’s an Irish one — an rud is annamh is iontach. It means what’s seldom is wonderful.

Where is your favourite place in the world?

Kerry and Barbados — they’re polar opposites.