Jacqui Hurley: I already know what the worst looks like because it’s happened to me 

Jacqui Hurley: "There’s nothing that will make you prouder than having children and watching them flourish." Pic: Andres Poveda

My childhood was full of happy memories outdoors with my brother and sister. Tríona is 15 months older than me and Seán was two years younger than me. Sadly, he passed away a couple of years ago.

We moved to Australia when I was three; I lived there for seven years. Like lots of people now, Mum and Dad were emigrating to get a better life for us.

Our dad was very good with his hands. He built obstacle courses for us, and made us a basketball court and a pool. My mum’s a nurse by trade. She was an amazing cook and baker, very creative in the kitchen.

I’m very lucky that there was no such thing as ‘no’. My parents were encouraging about whatever it was we wanted to do.

My sister is a pilot. My brother was about to become a semi-professional motorbike racer before he passed away — they’re not traditional jobs.

Grief is the hardest thing to come to terms with particularly in our family, when we lost the youngest person in the household — it’s not the way that life should be.

It’s about adjusting to that and trying to continue with life. My brother was only 25 when he died. There was a lot of life still to be lived.

I got married six months after he died so trying to do that without him [was difficult]. I’ve had children since then and he’s never met them.

Everybody gets perspective in different ways. It really made us want to live. People have this expression; ‘what’s the worst that could happen?’ Well, I already know what the worst looks like because it’s happened to me. I’m not going to let that faze me anymore.

There’s nothing that will make you prouder than having children and watching them flourish — seeing them become these tiny little people with their own personalities.

We have created two magnificent people — Luke is literally Shane and Lily, my five-year-old is the cut of me.

Jacqui Hurley: "Not everybody gets to achieve their dream career and I’m very aware that I am in a rare, privileged position." Pic: Andres Poveda

Not everybody gets to achieve their dream career and I’m very aware that I am in a rare, privileged position.

It took an awful lot of people believing in me for this thing to work out from small steps to presenting the rugby and The Sunday Game. If you’d told me even five years ago that I’d be doing what I’m doing, I probably wouldn’t have believed you.

I’m a good friend and a good listener. I’m quite like my mum like that.

Shane is the person I turn to first. We’ve been together since I was 21. 18 years with a person; we’ve chased our dreams together.

When I went into RTÉ in the first place, Ryle Nugent who was deputy head of sport at the time said; ‘Look, you’re going to need to be patient because right now it’s about 70% timing and 30% ability. Those two things are going to flip.’

I was as patient as I possibly could be but it takes a very long time to make it in this industry. There were lots of times when I didn’t get the gig. You have to keep plugging away, knowing that your time is going to come.

If I could bring my brother back, I’d give back every day that I could get just to have another few days with him. That would be just amazing, but sadly, I can’t do that.

I’d be slow enough to have regrets because I do genuinely think I’m where I’m meant to be.

When you’re raising children, you’re aware of small things that can make a difference — like making sure they know where to dispose of their rubbish.

The kids ask interesting questions about the environment. They’re going to be running the world; I want them to feel like they have the autonomy to change it.

I’m a good communicator. I have the ability to turn information around, be calm under pressure, and deliver whatever it is that needs to be done.

The fact that I’ve been able to make a career out of [that skill] is quite spectacular because when I was in school, I was a bit of a messer. I was known as the class clown. There’s so much chaos out there. It’s the way people react to it probably surprises you in ways that you don’t expect.

Myself and Shane were at the beach a few years ago and this giant pigeon came flying near me. Shane knew I was getting really antsy and could see the bird was coming closer. He got up and went to draw a kick at the bird — just to scare it. The bird never moved and he connected with it. I was like, ‘people must think you’re an absolute animal.’ 

My brother and I were walking to school one day and he got pecked [by a magpie] and split his head open. That’s where it all goes back to; it’s not some random fear out of nowhere.

When I started out in my production career, I cut up teasers and closers where you’d be matching action shots to music. If I had a go at it again, I’d love to have something to do within the music industry.

• Jacqui Hurley presents Up for the Match with Des Cahill due to air on RTÉ One Television and RTÉ Player July 22 for the All-Ireland hurling final and July 29 for the All-Ireland football final.