Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Time: Midnight
Sean O'Brien the current colossus of world rugby, the man who has made Chuck Norris redundant and the first man in history to whom "Twitter" has "joined" rather than the other way round! is currently taking the rugby world cup by storm and in doing so is putting my home county of Carlow firmly on the map.
Whether its the now infamous "#seanobrienfacts" or the "Tullow Tank" winning the the Player of pool C award, the Carlow man is all the talk at the moment even in an Auckland pub last night when a Cork chap says to me "ye must be delighted about Sean O'Brien - finally something good to have come out of Carlow!!!" To which I replied "sure were all as awesome as him in Carlow - Sean is just the first Carlow man to play in the rugby world cup!" and we all had a laugh and and a joke and drank our beers.... but it got me thinking...... Do people really think us Carlow people had nothing to be proud of before Sean O'Brien????
Yes we may be known as the "scallion eaters" and granted we might not find ourselves in Croke park in September very often but I for one am a very proud Carlow man and have made it my mission to show my county pride everywhere I have traveled around the world in the last 21 months.. My Carlow jersey is my most prized clothing possession and I have enjoyed being photographed in it at many many world sites - my photo album is a testament to that! At all the Irish world cup games here in New Zealand I have proudly worm my Irish jersey but underneath has always been my Carlow jersey - closest to my heart! Pulling a jersey over my head is easy however, anybody could do that so let me explain exactly why I have pride in my home county.
Co Carlow is chiseled into formation by the natural boundaries of the Blackstairs mountains to the east and the Barrow river to the west, between them lies a patchwork quilt of picturesque fertile farm land which all combined make Co. Carlow a landscape of undeniable beauty. Ive climbed Macchu Picchu and it was breath taking, and climbed in the Rockies & the Andes but give me Mt Leinster with its summit view any day! Ive had the privilege to swim in great rivers like the Amazon, the Mississippi and the Hudson and while all great experiences, none were superior to jumping in the Barrow in Clashganny, St Mullins or Leighlin bridge! I do believe we often forget the beauty that lies on our own door step and while personally I am currently traveling and seeing the world and loving every minute of it, the reality is there is nowhere like home and I view the world while traveling as though I have already come from the best part (Carlow) .... and thus far im not wrong!
While the landscape makes the countryside ascetically pleasing its real achievement is in being the foundation upon which the real treasure of Carlow - its People - have been shaped. Carlow people (even pre Sean O'Brien) are made of stern stuff and always have been. Patrick Reid the first and only man to lead a successful escape from Nazi Colditz prison was Carlow man, another, Arthur McMurragh Kavanagh was a famous politian, horseman and sailer despite having no arms or legs!
Carlow people have historically been at the fore-front of science and innovation, men like Willian Dargan the "Father of Irish railways" and John Tyndal the man who explained to the world why the sky is blue were both proud Carlow men. Pierce Butler, one of the founding fathers of the USA was also a Carlow man having been born in Carlow in 1744. He went on to be a representitive for South Carolina in the US Senate.
Carlow people are are no strangers to the arts and entertainment world either with academy award nominee Saoirse Ronan, kathryn Thomas and the infamous Richie Kavanagh all proud to call themselves Carlovians! Even Michael Flatly has an ancestry link to Carlow in that his mother hailed from St Mullins and indeed the only man to win both a Nobel prize and an Academy award - George Bernard Shaw, was a property owner in Carlow and now has a theater named in his honor in Carlow town center.
Now of course added to the list of famous Carlow people we have Mr Sean O'Brien! Named as the "Player of Pool C ahead of some big name stalwarts like Sergio Pieriso and David Pocoke, Sean O'Brien has launched himself into the spotlight of world rugby and yet off the field remains the cool, calm, collective and modest farmers son that he is and was reared to be. Being a Carlow man myself listening to him being interviewed in his Carlow accent is welcoming on the ears but watching him being interviewed is painful as I can see in his eyes what he really wants to say but which he knows he cant because the world simply would not understand... for Sean O'Brien wants to tell the world is that the reason he is so awesome is because he is a Carlow man!
Sean O'Brien's character epitomizes the people of Carlow with his grit and determination, his work effort and his never say die attitude. He wears his pride on his sleeve for all to see - except of course when its hidden by the rugby ball tucked tightly in his arm as he goes on another line breaking run! Sean O'Brien has made us all proud to be Irish and has reminded us Carlow folk of the pride there is in being from Irelands second smallest county, and Sean we thank you for it.
The rugby world cup has given us a local super star but it has also answered a 5000 year old question as to how they managed to put the capstone (which is Europe's largest at 100 tones) on top of Carlow's famous Brownshill Dolman........................ It was Sean O'Brien of course!!!
Sean, your doing your country and your county proud....... from one proud Carlow man to another - keep it up son!
