End of Year Q&A with Ruairi Deane

Cork footballer Ruairi Deane from Bantry has big plans for 2018. He wants to learn to play the guitar and hang out with his real-life doppelganger, Gary O’Donovan (Ruairi seems to think they look alike...)

If you could relive one sporting moment from the past year, what would it be and why? 

The last game of the year with Cork, the Mayo qualifier game in Limerick. I would like to go back in time and give an easy hand pass to Tomás Clancy, who was through on goal, an inch or two lower for a simple tap-in which may have led to a win. Simple things... not that I remember messing it up or anything....

Picture this: Donald Trump has relocated to West Cork – fake tan, quiff and all – and he is interested in the local sports scene, what sport do you think would best suit the American President?  

I don’t know but if word got out at all that he was coming it wouldn’t be long before he was snapped up by a local team.

What will you miss most about 2017? 

Getting to go on holidays twice in the space of three weeks. I went away this year for a holiday for the first time since 2013 so I’m afraid that it will be a while before I’ll get away again.

Who do you think is West Cork’s biggest sports star? 

It has to be the man who did this interview last year, Ryan Price. He’s got it all going for him really. Tall, good looking, plays county, handy job, nice car, the works. Have you heard him on Red FM lately? Simply fantastic. We’re all in safe hands with Pricey around by all accounts. I should know!

Outside of your sport, what sporting moment from 2017 captured your imagination?  

The Tour de France. I don’t know what they’re taking but regardless it is a ridiculous three weeks of torture.

How do you usually spend New Year’s Eve? 

Normally, at home on the couch eating the leftover Roses. I used to work in a pub and after a few years of working on New Year’s Eve I don’t particularly like doing anything since then. This year will be slightly different as my sister is getting married so I suppose I’ll have to make an effort to make the afters of that.

If you could go for New Year’s Eve drinks with three sports people – local, national or international – who would you pick? 

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson would be my first pick. Conor McGregor would have to be there. Finally, I’ll go with Gary O’Donovan. Aside from him being a great laugh, some people seem to think we look alike. The plan would be to utilise his celebrity status and have a bit of fun with it.

What local sports star should we keep an eye on next year?  

Connor Ellis. He made great advances with Cork City and got some good game time during the year. He’s still very young and showed at times this year he has loads to offer the team. If I had to pick a close second it would be Don Davis. Rumour has it he is making a comeback to football in 2018.

Any advice to get over the January blues? 

Go out and get some exercise, anything at all. Nobody ever feels bad after exercising.

Finish the sentence: In 2018 I want to …. 

learn how to play the guitar (even though I can’t sing) and be able to hold a conversation in Irish again. I seem to have lost the ability to do so since my days in school.