Aidan O’Shea on lockdown life, learning how to switch off and using the mute button

"When you’re on a football pitch with the team, the motivation is collective; training by yourself is difficult and requires a lot of self-motivation."

Sun, 08 Aug, 2021 - 12:50

Nollaig O'Connor

Adjusting to life over the last eighteen months was a strange experience for me. I spent more time on social media (some would say my Tik Tok dancing skills are still in development) and started to read more. People might think that I enjoy running in my spare time, but I do enough of that on the pitch - I’m much more likely to watch Netflix or sea swimming in the beach behind my local golf club.

In March I suffered a major mishap when I was out swimming. I went out into the water and forgot that I had my phone in my pocket, so it broke.

I was worried about how long it was going to take to get it fixed but a friend told me about PAIR Mobile, a great family-run business, and they got it back to me like new within 24 hours.

My social media following has grown a lot over the last few months For me, it’s not about the number of followers I have, but an audience who enjoy following me and are interested in my day-to-day life. In many ways, social media began to fill the social void created by lockdown.

It's a powerful tool but needs to be used in the right way. As a fan, getting to see what your favourite players are doing is great – I’m a Liverpool supporter and big into golf so I enjoy getting to see what my favourite players post. But as a sportsperson, the negative aspects are obvious, like the racist remarks that English players received after losing the European Championship final. It was awful but not surprising.

My teammates and I pay no heed to negativity, but there are times when you need to isolate yourself from it. I’ve done some blackouts where I’ve logged off social media for months, but it’s not something that instantly makes life better. Things will come up on your feed but learning how to handle it is part of the process. It’s important to switch off – the mute button is good for that.

Staying fit for the GAA season during restrictions and lockdowns was a challenge for me. When you’re on a football pitch with the team, the motivation is collective; training by yourself is difficult and requires a lot of self-motivation. Whatever weights you have in the house will have to do!

Some of the lads have an impressive amount of equipment in their houses now. Still, you’d miss the craic with each other on a Tuesday or a Friday training. We’d have Zoom meetings every week to check on fitness, but you knew fairly quickly who had been doing the work once we when we were back on the field.

Aidan O'Shea: hits the mute button when socials get a bit too much. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

I love playing and getting into training with the lads; it’s a massive buzz that you can’t replace. For as long I can physically do it and continue to contribute to the team, I’m there. We have a young squad and, as captain, I feel like my role has matured into a mentoring one. I provide advice and things I’ve learned during my time through the inter-county scene to help them develop. Ultimately, they’ll be around longer than me, so anything I pass onto them can only be helpful.

Some of my earliest childhood memories involve me following my older brother Seamie and my Dad around the football pitch. I was probably the really annoying child who wanted to go everywhere with them. There are very few pitches left in the country that me and my Dad haven’t been to watch a game; he has been my greatest mentor.

For me, sport is about bringing the family together and we cherish the chance to generate those opportunities. Playing with my brothers for Mayo was really special. We have a big extended family, located in different parts of the country. On big days in Croke Park, many of them would travel up for the occasion. If we didn’t have football, that wouldn’t happen.

Both of my parents are from Kerry, and we’d holiday there a lot when I was younger. I have the uncles there who give me grief – they’d say I might have a few more medals if I had played for Kerry! It’s funny, but I’m very happy with my lot and obviously extremely proud of playing for Mayo.

People sometimes ask if it is hard to return to the pitch following defeats in big finals. To be honest, it isn’t hard at all. When you have a chance to be playing in a Connaught final or an All-Ireland final, it’s very easy to get back up again. You get better and improve and see where it takes you. That is what sport is about. If you don’t have that motivation, you would not get too far.