Clare star David Tubridy had to fight Covid and the rumour mill

Clare football star had to battle social media rumours as well as coronavirus 

Clare's David Tubridy in action against Kildare  Picture: Eamon Ward

David Tubridy volunteers the information midway through our conversation.

“I got Covid four weeks ago, so I know the ins and outs of it,” says the long-serving Clare footballer when asked if he has reservations about continuing to lace up amid a second national lockdown.

Having spent the early part of our chat discussing the many permutations at play in Division 2 of the Allianz League this afternoon, including the very live possibility that Clare could end up in any one of the top three divisions come 4pm, we quickly change tack following Tubridy’s admirably honest Covid admission.

His parents, Tommy and Bridget, had been away for a couple of days last month and upon returning home to Doonbeg, Tommy began to display symptoms compatible with the virus.

A test was organised, with all three family members restricting their movements while the result was pending. And when Tommy’s swab came back positive, tests were arranged for mother and son. Two further positive results were delivered.

The Clare forward has read and heard plenty about how young, healthy people are deemed low risk, how they are unlikely to experience much beyond a mild dose of the virus.

That does not tally with his own Covid episode.

“I put down a very rough two or three days. It really knocked the stuffing out of me, the same with the parents. It really hit them. They are still feeling the effects of it, in terms of their breathing when they go out for walks.” 

Tubridy reckons he lost three or four kilograms in weight.

“I didn’t eat for three days. It was just drinking water and stuff, trying to eat something, but with no joy. Those few days were tough.

"I had a high temperature and sore throat. But the parents had it worse than me, they had headaches and colds, coughing and whatnot.

The first night I went back in training, I was only in the warm-up kicking around and my legs were like jelly. It really knocked me. We have all got over it, thankfully.

The Tubridy family run a bar and restaurant in Doonbeg and put out a post on social media following Tommy’s positive result, which included news of Tommy being a confirmed case, to say the doors of their business were closing for the time being.

The post drew hundreds of well-wishes, many from far beyond West Clare, but their honesty and openness also gave rise to a vicious rumour mill in the days that followed.

As well as the virus, David found himself fighting social media. There were concocted stories the family could have done without.

“For me, trying to stay away from social media was a big thing. You'd be reading comments there, you could read them all night. People would be putting you down, making up comments, and kinda putting out rumours. Social media would just really put you down.

“Going back to my parents when we tested positive, there were rumours going around the place that my father was brought into ICU in Cork. I was meant to be in a bad way, and all this kind of stuff. It is just frustrating to hear them kind of things, that people would be making up rumours.

“We put up a Facebook post to say dad has tested positive. We had something like 14-15,000 views on the post. We put up a second post [two weeks later] saying everyone was okay and in the clear, and there were only half the people that looked at the second post, so it just shows bad news travels quicker.” 

With the country having moved to Level 3 of Covid restrictions in early October, limiting pubs and restaurants to outdoor seating and a maximum of 15 customers, the Tubridys decided not to reopen when emerging from their period of self-isolation. This week’s upgrade to Level 5 means it could well be 2021 before the key is again turned in the pub.

David is just thankful to still have the opportunity to head into training twice weekly.

“With the bar closed here at home, it is just huge to get to meet up with people, talk to people, and get out of the house for a while.

“Working in the bar, I'd be talking to people all the time. You open up the bar everyday and you always have people coming in, you just love to talk to people. 

You miss that interaction, and I suppose you get that interaction when you go training. Meeting up with the boys and having the craic, that is a huge boost, not alone for me, but for the rest of the players.

“Hopefully, it continues in the weeks ahead.”