Westmeath’s Connaughton rules out moving abroad for work

ALL STAR goalkeeper Gary Connaughton may be struggling for work but he’s ruled out emigration because playing for Westmeath means too much to him.

“I am in the construction industry and the last couple of months, there would be days when I wouldn’t be working at all because there’s just no work on. You would be worried about it all right,” Connaughton revealed.

Connaughton admits that thoughts of emigration have entered his mind but the lure of playing Gaelic football for the Lake County has been too strong to turn his back on.

“Sometimes you would be tempted to look abroad. But, for me, I love county football, love playing county football and I would rather be on the dole at home playing county football than out abroad, playing for a club.

“I love county football and I love playing for Westmeath. That’s the big thing that’s keeping me in Ireland. If I was told I wasn’t on the county panel anymore, I would probably go abroad because there is very little work at the moment.”

The 29-year old revealed that most days he is playing the waiting game hoping that work will come his way.

“There’s a day when you have plenty of work on and other days, there would be very little work on at all.”

He added: “Every morning, you are just waiting for the phone to ring. Some days, you would be hanging around for three or four hours with nothing to do.”

But Connaughton affirmed his commitment to Westmeath, at least until his Gaelic football career comes to a natural end.

“I am definitely going to stay in Ireland. I am not going to move. I will go on the dole if I have to go on the dole. I am hitting 30 this year now, so I haven’t got too many years left in me.

“If I wasn’t playing for Westmeath, I would definitely be abroad, somewhere in America or Australia looking for work because there’s very little work in Ireland at the moment.”