By Cian O'Connell

Few are better placed than Brian Carroll to truly assess and appreciate hurling.

In recent weeks ‘A Hurler’s Life’ podcast has been started by the former Offaly forward with the results providing compelling and in-depth interviews.

John Mullane, Anthony Daly, and Jackie Tyrrell were the first three guests all supplying valuable nuggets and insights about sport and much deeper issues too.

“People are crying out for this kind of stuff,” Carroll says. “They like to reminisce and to hear stories, but I suppose mine is offering a little bit more than that.

“Even with the name: A Hurler’s Life. I wanted it to be more than just their success and results. That is important, but it is important to see what makes the person. That is probably from my teaching background, I realise there is a holistic approach to this.

“I've lived that life myself and I know there is more to your life than just hurling. You still have to hold down a career and you have other passions in life.

“Ultimately while we all take it extremely seriously it is still only a hobby. That is the overall approach to it and the name is quite apt from that perspective.”

Son of the totemic Offaly star Pat Carroll, who sadly passed away in 1986, he has found a way to extract information and thoughts from his interviewees, who’ve embraced the concept. “Definitely,” Carroll replies. “I think and I don't know is there an element that they know I'm not a journalist.

“That I have been there and walked the walk with them. Ultimately I'm not looking for a scoop or a big story and because of that they are nearly a lot more trusting from that perspective. I'd never ask them something that they aren't comfortable talking about.”

A secondary school teacher Carroll had initially hoped to commence the podcast as a hobby in the summer, but the Covid19 crisis meant an audience was ready and available.

“There definitely is and you even have people messaging me who have never listened to a podcast before,” Carroll admits.

“They are really enjoying them. It is different because people have a lot more time on their hands, doing odd jobs around their houses and going for walks, appreciating things that are good in life.

“This has given them an opportunity to listen to some of the people they have seen on the hurling field. I think it is a little bit more in depth than your normal run of the mill interviews too.”

Since retiring from Offaly duty Carroll has derived satisfaction from media work. It has helped the transition, but to deliver on the podcast idea has also brought fulfilment.

“I'm probably lucky from that perspective that I was a player and I've come up against all of these people,” Carroll adds.

“I have got to know them off the field, that certainly helps. When the people listen and realise I'm not out for a headline, this is only a hobby for me.

“Obviously I have an interest, I'm on RTE Radio doing analysis as a co-commentator and I do the podcast the GAA Hour with Colm Parkinson. It is totally different from my perspective in this because I'm now the interviewer

“That has taken a bit of thought and a bit of practice. It is something I'd like to think I will improve on over time too. Definitely I was nervous doing that the first time. It takes a little bit of getting used to, but I think the set structure of it appeals to listeners.

“You are listening to try to hear what the guests responses are to each of the questions. I particularly love them picking their best six, that is a big part of the appeal.”

Matches will always matter to Carroll, so to monitor high stakes encounters and offer an instant verdict is exciting.

“I particularly love going to the games doing co-commentary and analysis live at games where you are caught up in the buzz of it,” Carroll states.

“The crowd is there, you are really deeply analysing the games trying to get your point across on the radio. It is high pressure, but I really, really enjoy it. You could be exhausted after a game doing full co-commentary, but it is something I really, really enjoy.

“You like to think you are getting better at it, the more you do of it. I keep saying it I've no interest in headlines or trying to draw controversy.

“That is important because I have been that player and I know how hard people train and how much effort is put into it. Somedays it just doesn't run for you.”

A decade and a half spent in the Offaly jersey taught Carroll many lessons. The good days were cherished, but in the closing chapter of his inter-county career the Coolderry clubman accepted that fun had to be central to the approach.

“I think it is, finally when that penny dropped for me I had a totally different appreciation for the game and everything that we were doing,” Carroll reflects.

“I probably stopped putting that unnecessary pressure on myself, I probably wasn't enjoying the game as much as I should have been. Too much internal pressure to perform and win stuff.

“That was probably coming from my background with my dad after winning everything for Offaly and my own success growing up, competing with the best consistently.

“Then when you got that new fresh mindset, to enjoy it for what it was I put in a couple of my best years in an Offaly jersey towards the end of my career when I just was starting to enjoy the game and appreciate that success unfortunately wasn't going to happen.

“You can still enjoy it for the purity of the game and the challenge of the big days. That definitely helped. I was very lucky at the same time, I had been on successful teams, I got to play with Leinster and won four Railway Cups with all those Kilkenny and Wexford and Dublin players.

“I got on three trips with them to Rome in 2003, Boston in 2005, and Abu Dhabi in 2009. I got nominated for an All Star twice and got on two trips to Buenos Aires and Texas.

“When you stop to realise and analyse all of that you think Holy God I did have a helluva career, albeit I can't put it up there in terms of medals, but there were pretty good days as well. You have to appreciate that.”

During his teenage years Carroll attended St Kieran’s College. It supplied a perfect combination of sport and school.

“I loved every minute of it because it was brilliant,” Carroll recalls. “You were totally immersed in obviously the hurling culture and that mindset of being the best everyday you go out, even in training. It is also a very highly academic school, they definitely have the balance right in Kieran's.

“They have a lot of high achieving students that are very good hurlers. That is important. I loved it and it gave me an insight into how Kilkenny do their business.

“Obviously I hurled with some of the best that have ever played the game - Tommy Walsh, Jackie Tyrrell, Brian Hogan, Eoin Kelly was there too. It was a great time, you couldn't but look back on it fondly, they were the best few years I ever had hurling.

“It definitely gave me a chance to see what it was like playing with the best. It probably gave you that inner confidence in your own ability as I was growing up.”

Subsequently Carroll gleaned success and silverware with UL and Coolderry too. Medals and memories were collected. “I was very lucky, 2011 probably sticks out to me the most in my mind,” Carroll replies. “We won the Fitzgibbon with UL beating LIT. I was eight years in college at that stage after doing my PhD, it was my last roll of the dice and we won it with the last puck of the game.

“Tommy O'Brien got a goal to win it for us. That year we also won our second county final in a row, we went on to a Leinster Final against Oulart-the Ballagh. That was a really special year for me.

“I'm very lucky and blessed that I came from a very successful club in Coolderry. I've won five county finals, we have 31 in total. I always believe anytime that I put on a jersey with Coolderry that we would win. I've been lucky to play with a few teams like that - Kieran's, UL, Coolderry.”

There was a steely conviction about those teams. Tradition counted. “Any time you put on those jerseys you believed you were the best in the business,” Carroll acknowledges.

“It didn't always work out that way, but we certainly had that inner belief. Unfortunately for Offaly I came in at a time when we had one winning chance in 2004 in a Leinster final. We didn't take it.

“Wexford and particularly Damien Fitzhenry trumped us on the day. Unfortunately we just never seemed to be able to consistently put ourselves back in the frame to win anything of note. We had some good days certainly, but they were few and far between, and unfortunately as the years went on we just seemed to get worse and worse.”

Gradually there was a drift, but still in Offaly the feeling existed that a prized scalp or lengthy run could reignite the Faithful fire. Carroll subscribed to that theory. “Yeah in 2008 we beat Limerick, who were after being in the All Ireland in 2007,” Carroll replies.

“We beat them by 10 points down in the Gaelic Grounds. A week later we played Waterford and they beat us by two points and they went on to get to the All Ireland final against Kilkenny.

“It was probably at a stage when we came up against the greatest team of all time, they were also in our province. It was very hard for us to actually win anything, but from our perspective it was disappointing that we didn't get back into Leinster finals.

“I only played in one, that would probably be one of the things that would frustrate you a little, that we didn't consistently produce it in Leinster. We had good days, we beat Limerick in 2003, that got us to an All Ireland quarter final. We got to a Leinster final in 2004, we beat Wexford in 2012.

“There were some great days in an Offaly jersey, but it still wasn't at the level it was when I was growing up. In 2000 we won a Leinster minor, the Under 21s won Leinster, and the seniors played in the All Ireland.

“It looked like we were in a good frame to keep Offaly at the top level. Apart from the 2004 Leinster final we didn't do it.”

The verdict is given with crisp honesty, precisely how Carroll has sought to discuss games in his analyst role. In these distressing times Carroll’s A Hurler’s Life has been a most welcome addition to the rich Irish sporting media landscape.