Richard Chambers: Without humour the last year or so would have swallowed me whole

'When younger journalists ask me for career advice, I always talk about the importance of vulnerability'

Richard Chambers photographed in the news room in Ballymount. Picture: Marc O'Sullivan

I was born in Belfast in '89 and moved to Lahinch when I was four. My dad was gone at a young age. It’s myself, my mam and my brother. The three of us are all we've ever needed, we've been through it all together. My older brother has been sick for a number of years with cancer and my mam has her own health issues as well. They've been worried sick through Covid and have been cocooning from the get go. It's been hard to keep the eye on the ball at work, while also being really worried about how it was affecting the family at home.

I saw them very, very little during the pandemic. One of the few times I did get to see them was over Christmas. I've never spent a Christmas away from my family. We had Christmas morning out the back in Rush, turkey sandwiches and exchanging presents with no hugs or anything. Then I jumped into the car for four hours down to Louise [O’Neill] and the new family in West Cork. In the ten months since then I could probably count on one hand the times I've seen my family. That's been really tough.