Kieran Shannon: The hurlers who talked the talk as well as they walked the walk

Players who shared insights with Kieran Shannon include Cork’s Brian Corcoran with whom he teamed up to write ‘Every Single Ball: The Brian Corcoran Story’, and Kilkenny’s Eddie Brennan whose interview signalled his later success. Picture: Sam Barnes

THE simple pleasures we took for granted. Like hopping into a car and travelling more than 2km and meeting up with some athlete or coach, past or present, in some café, hotel — or even their living room or garden patio — and hearing their stories of triumph and struggle, public and private, many of them previously untold.

And then, after we’d pressed stop on the old tape recorder or the phone voice memo device, and perhaps lingered and chatted some more in a hotel lobby, car park, or front drive, we’d shake hands, often parting with a laugh, particularly if they were old and mellow enough to have finished up playing the game that once consumed them. No social distancing, no Zoom, no Skype. All in person. In the flesh.