The big interview: The price of being Derek McGrath

Teacher. Husband. Father. Manager. Derek McGrath accepts he could be better in every role, but he tries. God, damn it, he tries. In typically candid fashion, he spoke exclusively to the Irish Examiner ahead of tomorrow’s All-Ireland final about failing to strike a balance in his life and the contradictions that both define and fuel his life and management.

“So, rumble, young musicians, rumble. Open your ears and open your hearts. Don’t take yourself too seriously, and take yourself as seriously as death itself. Don’t worry. Worry your ass off. Have ironclad confidence, but doubt — it keeps you awake and alert. Believe you are the baddest ass in town, and, you suck! It keeps you honest. It keeps you honest. Be able to keep two completely contradictory ideas alive and well inside of your heart and head at all times. If it doesn’t drive you crazy, it will make you strong. And stay hard, stay hungry, and stay alive. And when you walk onstage on tonight to bring the noise, treat it like it’s all we have.”

Bruce Springsteen, SXSW keynote address, 2012.