QUICKFIRE
ON PLAYERS’ MENTAL HEALTH DURING LOCKDOWN
It’s probably different for everybody. For me, it’s been a time to appreciate what’s really important in life. I can understand why people might be thinking too much, or over-analysing everything. But it doesn’t matter how rich or powerful you are. Life is short. I realise that with my mother. Everybody wants to get back to a normal life, but that’s not possible at the moment. It’s a weird time to be alive. I’m missing football, but football will be there in six or seven months’ time. I just want to be in the best possible shape when that day comes.
ON EUROPEAN FOOTBALL
I’ve been lucky enough to play seven times already in the Europa League, four games with UCD, and three last season with Shamrock Rovers. I just signed for Rovers, and we were travelling to Norway, I missed out playing that day, but it was my first trip with the lads. I loved it. European football suits my style of play and the way that we want to play at Shamrock Rovers. The manager has a very European philosophy of playing, he certainly will never be telling us to just lump the ball forward. It’s brilliant, so different to the League of Ireland, and it’s something I look forward to now every year. My first goal for Rovers actually came in the second leg in Tallaght against SK Brann. There haven’t been many!
ON A POTENTIAL ALL-ISLAND LEAGUE
From what I have read so far, it seems a very decent proposal. I remember when we won the First Division title with UCD in 2018, the prize-money was next to nothing. Indeed in the whole league, it is nothing to get excited about. But there seems to be a very good incentive with this proposed All-Island League. Five or six times more money than what’s on offer in the Airtricity League, with good TV deals as well. The Irish League doesn’t appear to be too keen on it. Now I haven’t dived into the full details or anything, but it looks to be a good idea. There’s certainly a lot of pluses with it that we don’t have at the moment.
PLAYING FOR IRELAND IN THE FUTURE
Ah look, it’s very hard for me to say that it might be possible. It’s something that I would love to do, of course. That goes without saying. But there’s a whole different kettle of fish that you have to take into account. I wouldn’t want to be too naïve about it. There are some young lads playing in my position that Stephen Kenny has had with the under-21s. He will be keeping an eye on Jack Byrne at our games and, if you’re playing well for your club in the Airtricity League, Stephen Kenny will not turn his nose up at you. It’s a dream of mine, maybe one day it might happen, but I won’t get my hopes up too much.
POTENTIAL RETURN TO ENGLISH FOOTBALL
(Gary was on the books of Wolves (youth level), Port Vale, Southport (loan) and Hereford FC before joining UCD in 2015) – I will put this in black and white. I have no intention whatsoever of going back. I’m very happy where I am right now. I have my family in Tralee and I’m in a nice house in Dublin. It is not something that appeals to me. Now, if Leeds or Celtic came in for me, with money that would change your life, then I would be foolish to say no! But I see a lot of lads going over to lower division Scottish teams, or League Two in England, and everybody is different, but I would have no interest in doing that ever again.