LONDON EYE
Gavaghan an ‘Exile’ who can lay genuine claim on being right at home in Ruislip
LIAM GAVAGHAN’S boss still doesn’t get it when he tells him he can’t work Sunday nights. The London captain is one of a handful of players now on the team that make a lie of their ‘Exiles’ nickname. His father, Liam, may be from Tourlestrane and his mother, Margaret, from Swinford, but the 25-year-old is London born and bred. That’s his home county. “They went over in 1988,” he explains. “They had three kids here, upped sticks and went for work. “They planned to go for a year and they are still there. I was born in 1992 with my twin sister. There are five kids, that’s their home now really. “I was born there, grew up there and played underage there and pushed through to play senior so, yeah, it is my county.” Gavaghan works as an underground engineer, which mainly entails night shifts. With the Emerald Grounds in Ruislip undergoing redevelopment work ahead of Sunday’s Connacht Championship clash against Leitrim, London had to travel to Ireland for each of their League games this year. It meant getting back late on Sunday nights and telling his boss he couldn’t work if required. “He doesn’t really understand it or get it and he might be asking me to work on a Sunday night but I can’t because I’m in Ireland so he doesn’t get it. “I think he thinks I’m crazy. He knows how dedicated I am to it and the sacrifices you have to make to play at this level, so he knows about that. “A lot of people say, ‘How can you do night shifts?’ It actually does benefit you in certain aspects. “I might be able to get more sleep in to improve your training and stuff like that so there is positives, it’s not all doom and gloom.” Although Gavaghan says he holds no great affinity for the Mayo and Sligo county teams, there was one particular source of inspiration from his mother’s native county when he was growing up. “I remember Ciaran Mcdonald (below) from Mayo. Watching him play was great, he was different class. “You see him and you want to emulate him and you go out and try and do it. He would probably be the standout for me.” The Tir Chonaill Gaels clubman first joined the panel in 2011 as an 18-year-old but had stepped back by the time they enjoyed their best ever year in 2013, reaching the Connacht final. “What they did that year was great. Talking to lads like Phil Butler, he was involved, and it gave me an itch to come back, what they created that year the team environment and team bond was great and we are trying to emulate that. “Watching that on TV I was itching to get back involved.”