Conor Gilsenan: ‘If I don't exercise for two or three days, I start getting really irritable’
Former rugby player Conor Gilsenan starred in ‘The Apprentice’ this year.
Irish viewers of were delighted to hear an Irish accent when the programme returned to our screens in January.
But former rugby player and tech sales executive Conor Gilsenan didn’t quite seal the deal, having been booted from the boardroom after just two episodes.
“I wasn’t there long enough to build up any rapport,” he laughs good-naturedly.
The 29-year-old, who has played with Connaught, Leinster and Premiership club London Irish, isn’t giving up on his business though, a mobile bar venture which he has started with ex-teammate Topsy Ojo.
“My dad is a publican, so I’ve always had an interest in hospitality,” he says.
Gilsenan knew there was an opportunity to capitalise on the matchday buzz. But, he was hesitant to commit to a traditional bricks-and-mortar bar near Brentford Community Stadium, where London Irish play.
So with that in mind, he set up the 301 Bar - a flexible mobile bar that can follow the crowds wherever they are, be that a rugby game, a foodie festival or a music festival.
“I've got a bit of a background in events,” he says, “I set up some brunch parties in Dublin, worked on a couple of Sevens festivals while I was over here in London… I get great energy out of them and they're great fun when you pull them off.”
I’m not in bad shape, but probably three or four kilos heavier than I’d like to be. I’ve lost about 15 kilos since I stopped playing rugby.
I am doing a lot of functional fitness classes at the moment, and I go to the gym as well. If I don't exercise for two or three days, I start getting really irritable. That's definitely a hangover from a sport where you're training at a really high intensity all the time. I try to exercise at least once a day and if I have a quiet day I might even exercise twice today.
I eat two big meals a day, with some snacks and a protein shake in between. I try to keep it low carb and source good fish and meat, with lots of salads and veg. I’m not regimented with my diet, if I am out with friends, I eat out.
I love McDonald’s - Big Mac meal, chicken nuggets, mozzarella sticks, the works.
If I have to work late on my screen or if I go for a nap during the day.
I find exercise very therapeutic, so I lean on that quite heavily. Also, spending time with my fiancée Megan Scanlan exploring London. We try to spend at least one day a week exploring parts of the city we haven't seen before, going to new restaurants.
I always looked up to Brian O’Driscoll, Paul O’Connell, Sean O’Brien, that generation of Irish rugby players. They’re really good men with good personalities, great work ethic and just incredible rugby payers.
When I got engaged at Christmas.
I get distracted quite easily. I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was younger, it probably holds me back a little bit. I am not as productive as I'd like to be, but at the same time, it's part of my personality. You've got to own it.
I'm an extrovert by nature and I get great energy from human interaction. Spending time with my fiancée, work colleagues, friends, typically gives me energy. So anything where I am engaging with people, that's what I feed off.
We're quite diligent with recycling in our household. That's something that I wouldn't have done in the past. I cycle, walk or get public transport to work. I am conscious of it, and I spend less time on the road, but that's probably more to do with just living in the city. I am sure if I lived in Mullingar, I'd be on the road all the time.
I’ve got great memories from the time I spent in Asia. Bali is like paradise. It has a much slower pace of life. It’s very affordable and the people are very friendly.
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