‘You are learning every day’
Claire lets opinions flow in her native tongue on TG4
IT’S EASY for us as viewers to form an opinion on how well Ursula Jacob has taken to the role of TV analyst.
Featured last week on these pages, the Oulart-The Ballagh clubwoman became a mainstay on RTE last season and impressed with her range of knowledge and research.
However, for most of us, it’s a little tougher to critique the work done by the O’Connor sisters, Aoife and Claire, on TG4. Of course, the simple reason is because many of us don’t have the capabilities in Irish to keep up with the conversations and discussions.
But what makes it so different for us as viewers, also has an impact for those involved. The Rathnure duo are better equipped than most with the native tongue – Aoife is an Irish teacher in Good Counsel, and Claire’s a ‘múinteoir’ in Gaelscoil Inis Córthaidh – but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
‘I found that it was more nerve-wracking for me getting the Irish grammar right,’ Claire explained, ‘because you’re more comfortable talking about hurling and camogie.
‘You are aware that the people who are listening to what you are actually saying are gaeilgeóirí.’
While she has had plenty of practice with the language over the years, in a smorgasbord of situations, the move to live television is a relatively new one for the second eldest of the five sisters. Claire started to make a name for herself on Seo Sport on TG4 with Dara Ó Cinnéide.
‘We used to preview games that were coming up between hurling and camogie, probably mostly camogie first, but that was all “as Gaeilge” over in Galway,’ Claire said.
‘It was a bit of a roadtrip to even do it but I felt at the time, and still feel, it was a privilege to be asked and if there’s not a very big reason not to do it, I’ll always oblige whenever I can.
‘It is actually very enjoyable to go and talk camogie about the new young guns and how things are changing and evolving. It also keeps you in touch with the next decade of the sport that you have loved all your life really.’
Having obviously impressed, from there it was just a small leap to Raidió na Gaeltachta for Claire in 2015. Again it started with bits and bobs on camogie, but she progressed to live co-commentary and it’s something O’Connor really enjoyed.
‘The radio day is far easier [than TV],’ Claire explained. ‘You sit down, you put on your earphones and away you go. Whether it’s a full live coverage or interjections from the sports news, it’s just far easier, far more comfortable.
‘I think you get a better chance to observe the camogie and make your analysis because you have had a full hour of looking at the game or a full 30 minutes, and half time you can gather your thoughts, write your notes.
‘I find the radio much easier to master the game, or manage I suppose, because you’ve only got one thing to focus on.’
That didn’t stop her venturing into the holy grail of broadcast media - live television. Much like with RTE, TG4 was looking to broaden their base of female representation and called on her eldest sister in 2019.
Claire said: ‘In fairness, it was Aoife who was asked to do GAA Beo on TG4. Obviously enough there are not that many Irish speakers, and it’s changing times and they are looking for more women in media, so if it wasn’t for her absence I probably wouldn’t have been doing it.
‘She was away on a holiday or something and they asked would I fill in for her.
‘It was only our second year doing it but it was still really enjoyable. It’s hard work, but it keeps you in touch and you learn something new every day about media and you learn something every day about hurling and players, styles and different opinions.
‘It’s hard to make a mistake because you are kicking yourself and giving out to yourself because, “oh God, I said that,” or “I shouldn’t have said that”, or “I needed to say that but I didn’t get it in”.
‘There’s all those kind of things as well, you are learning every day. It’s humbling to be asked but I would say there’s not that many former camogie players that have Irish. I suppose that was definitely to our advantage to have that.’
Now married with two young children and a full-time job, one of the most difficult tasks for O’Connor is to fit in the much-needed preparation time during the week, however, she gets it done, knowing the results otherwise.
‘It’s really only wherever you can find time,’ she explained. ‘For me, that may involve an hour at night, or two hours. Obviously I’d love to have five hours but it doesn’t happen that way, you’ll kind of be asked to focus on a particular team.
‘You want to get your facts right, that’s the first thing, to get your facts right, then you have to get the Irish right, then you have to put in a bit about your own thoughts on it.
‘You might be nervous about saying because you know the hurling world is strong-minded about things and you know people will one hundred percent disagree with what you are saying sometimes and one hundred percent agree other times.’
The day itself can be long and tiring, with arduous trips west often on the agenda. O’Connor explained that a typical day is similar to that of Jacob at RTE, with a few subtle differences.
‘[If] I was due to be there at half eleven, it would be heading off at eight o’clock on a Sunday morning, arriving down for half eleven.
‘You could have your dinner at half eleven, easily, then they would call a meeting for half twelve. The boys would say you might not be hungry but get your dinner into you ‘cause your not going to see anything now til half four!
‘There’s a lot to do in the meantime, you’ll go into the truck and they’ll have a meeting and they will go through the plan of the day, the order of the day, discuss if they want to have meetings with bainisteóirí.
‘They will say, “well, we’d like to discuss a couple of points”, and you’ll have to correlate a plan then if you are focusing on Tipperary, or if you are focusing on Galway or whoever, on what you’d like to say.
‘Then you have to remember all the stats you’d seen during the week! Once it kicks off, once it goes live, there’s no sitting on your laurels. You’re live from 1:30 when the game starts at two, [and] you might have to do your pre-analysis.
‘Then you are observing the game and if you are observing from the truck you are looking for first-half analysis to discuss at halftime, and if you are on the sideline you’re looking for an interview with somebody you might think would have an interesting angle on how the game is going.
‘Then there’s the post-match analysis, which means you have to gather your thoughts on the entire game or get an interview on the pitch with a player. Then there’s the player of the match decisions to make.
‘There might be analysis on other games to follow, then usually around four o’clock or shortly after it they kind of wrap it up. Something else is coming on, delayed coverage of something, then that’s the road home, you’d probably get home around eight o’clock.’
Through the connection with TG4, more television opportunities have come for Claire and the O’Connors.
The whole family was involved in ‘Ár gClub 2020’ which was filmed during the Rathnure 2019 season and focused heavily on Claire’s return to playing after having her second child.
Then Hollywood came calling. Well, maybe not quite Hollywood, but who knows?
‘I did an Irish film in Dungarvan, it’s called Mo Ghrá Buan, it was supposed to be released but because of Covid-19 it mightn’t have been released. That was through Irish as well, it was interesting.
‘It was hardly typecast as well, I was a teacher who was coach of the school hurling team! I’d say that came from TG4.
‘I did have to ask the same question: is there a very big reason why I shouldn’t do this, and I gave it my best shot. I don’t know how it went, I haven’t seen or heard anything about it since. That was actually a really enjoyable experience.’
Away from television, radio and the big screen, it has been eight years since Claire won the last of her four All-Ireland titles with Wexford. Like Ursula Jacob, it’s something she has had some time to reflect on recently without delving deep into the past.
‘I think I’m only starting to reflect now because those three games came up on RTE Player and there was a little bit of chatter about it. I haven’t looked at any of those games, I haven’t even looked at 2007 if I’m being really honest,’ Claire said.
‘I think maybe in another ten years’ time I might. Other things in life kind of took over, I went and did a bit of travelling for a year with my husband and worked abroad, had family, there was a lot of changes for us personally in that time.
‘Then there was always trying to play a bit for your club which was also taxing, ‘cause you are coming back after having children, that is definitely the hardest thing to do.
‘Only when you have children yourself do you admire all the mothers who are trying to do it and trying to play.
‘I reflect on it in such a positive way, the Wexford thing, because we had such fine players. I was looking at the Intermediate team from 2010 and they are all Senior standard players, they were great Senior standard players but there 0was such a good crop at the time.
‘It’s only when you see that and realise, “oh my god, those training sessions were unbelievable, they were just top class”.
‘It’s only as time went on I realised how top class our management and training and set-up was, and how good the County Board was to us.
‘We did train hard but, you know, there was nothing that wasn’t catered for either. I think I really appreciate that when I came through the ‘90s and you couldn’t even get a pair of socks, you had to fundraise to get a pair of socks and a jumper for the All-Ireland club final in ‘95.
‘The difference in that kind of stuff I really appreciate, and now that in 2020 things have come on so much again, rules are being adjusted, there’s WGPA and all that stuff that wouldn’t have existed, even in 2010 that didn’t exist. I do reflect on good times.’
Having seen everything change for the better in 2007, Claire is in a great position to foresee another rise in standard. Indeed, she is probably in a better position than most, given that youngest sister Eimear started Wexford’s only game of the 2020 season against Kerry.
‘I think there was a lot of different facets to the demise of the inter-county situation. I suppose there was a whole change in the County Board, the management and players, I think it’s very hard to maintain a standard.
‘It’s just a pity that the standard wasn’t maintained a little better. You can’t point fingers at anyone, it was an unfortunate situation that it moved to such a low level. I do think that it’s rebuilding at the moment.
‘Eimear was in with the county situation before [the break] and it was all positive feedback and the effort and attention to detail this year in comparison to the previous couple of years, the respect for the players.
‘You’d have to really commend the new management and the County Board for trying to at least manifest a better scenario for the players, even if it is only building from week to week. I do think it’s hugely improved this year.
‘I do pity players, there was years when we went out, it wasn’t anyone’s fault but we just weren’t up to the standard and we were hammered too.
‘I do think you can plateau and you have to fall before there is a rise again.
‘Wexford has suffered badly on the dip but they will come again. Look, the Martin’s were in the All-Ireland final two years ago, there’s lots of young girls coming, they just need to be nurtured and given all the different components that are needed in the modern game, strength and conditioning, physicality, fitness and maybe a bit of food after training.
‘It’s not a big deal and it doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does show respect for the players and management and everyone just doing their best, will try their best when treated fairly.
‘We were treated really, really well in those years that we won lots, we worked hard but we were treated really well.’