SECONDS into our conversation, Brian O'Driscoll reminds me how quickly time moves.

It was a soft opener, to get us up and running: how much are you enjoying your football right now?

‘I suppose there’s a realisation that I’m 32, and it’s not going to go on forever, so I’m trying to make a conscious effort to enjoy it for whatever’s left – the next couple of years or whatever it is,’ he says.

‘Brian, how are you 32 already?’ was my bemused reply.

The Caheragh man just laughs.

‘The years fly by,’ he says.

‘I remember older fellas telling me when I was 16, 17, 18 that the career goes quickly, but at the time you think they’re maybe blowing it out of proportion. But yeah, when you get to this side of your career, you realise they were right.’

O’Driscoll has been one of the constant presences during my 14 years with this paper. He’s part of a select group: the day ones.

It doesn't seem that long ago that we were chatting about O'Driscoll being Cork U21 football captain in his fourth year at that grade.

In one interview in 2015 he spoke about hopefully getting his chance with the county seniors. Eleven years on, he is one of the first names on the team-sheet after a journey that hasn’t been linear.

We touch on a previous chat in November 2021 when O'Driscoll, then 27, opened up about his 'burning desire' to find a route back to the county panel after being dropped following the 2018 season.

There was a maturity to O’Driscoll in that conversation, a man who realised he hadn’t made the most of his talent.

But this is his journey, and it shaped the footballer who, now at 32, is one of Cork’s most important players.

He was the Rebels’ top performer in the Munster final, and again shone in the All-Ireland SFC Round 1 win against Meath. He’s a leader, a driving force, powered by the challenge to keep improving.

‘Looking back, I would’ve been disappointed in myself that I didn’t push on earlier in my career, but there were reasons for that that we’ve discussed before,’ he says, with no need to rake over old coals.

‘But I was always conscious I wanted to get back in, especially having spent time out. It makes you realise what you’re missing, or what you actually want out of your sporting career. So I identified that quite soon after being let go and started working towards it.

‘I mightn’t have been given that opportunity by other people, but I was lucky John came back in and gave me that chance. And since then, I haven’t really looked back.’

Brian O'Driscoll with his wife Tara and baby Tommy in Croke Park after the Division 2 league final.

That John is Cork manager John Cleary, who handed O’Driscoll an inter-county lifeline ahead of the 2023 season by drafting the West Cork man back into the panel.

Like he promised himself he would, O’Driscoll grabbed his chance.

‘John was manager for two of those years when I was a Cork U21, so that’s kind of where the relationship with John started. I’m just lucky really that he came in with the seniors when he did and gave me the chance,’ the Carrigaline footballer says, having transferred to the club in early 2024.

Off the field, his life entered a new chapter, too. He married his sweetheart Tara O’Connor in December 2024, and they welcomed baby Tommy into the world last year.

So, from talking football, this interview took a detour to dad talk, with Tommy moving closer to the walking stage.

‘Once they start moving, that’s when the fun starts,’ I offered, as the wise old sage who is a few phases further along.

‘Yeah, it’s been great. Busy, but great,’ O’Driscoll says.

‘It gives you perspective on sport and where it sits in the bigger picture. When you’re home you’ve nappies and all that goes with it, so you’re not obsessed with football 24/7 anymore.

‘You’re focused on it when you’re training and doing gym work, but at home you’ve other responsibilities, which is good. It gives you balance in life and perspective – you never get too high or too low.

‘You’ve other important parts of life as well, so it puts football in its place in one sense. It’s still a massive part of my life, but it gives you perspective.’

Tommy’s already a regular at Cork games, kitted out in his Cork jersey, though oblivious to what his daddy is doing. As soon as he can after a game, Brian scoops Tommy into his arms, a reminder that life moves on regardless of the result.

Next up for O’Driscoll is the long trip to Ballybofey as Cork take on Donegal in Round 2A of the All-Ireland series this Saturday – a long trip for the next challenge in his football story.

‘I’m not sure in sport you ever reach a destination,’ he muses.

‘It’s about the journey and continuous improvement – week to week or every couple of weeks, trying to learn from the last game and improve for the next one. It’s constantly evolving. I’m not sure you ever truly arrive anywhere.’

He’s still chasing that best version of himself on the football field. There’s a comfort and camaraderie in being surrounded by like-minded people who share the same mindset.

It’s why he worked so hard to reclaim his place in the Cork squad because this is what he wants to do. The constant challenge is part of the appeal.

‘Yeah, I suppose that’s the name of the game. If you’ve every fella trying to do that, the squad is in a good place,’ he adds.

‘It can be challenging at times because the season is so full-on now, games nearly every week or second week. It all rolls into the club again and back to the county. But that’s part of it – trying to keep improving is what it’s all about.’

There’s more to come, he insists.

He has a few more items to tick off the list before his boots are packed away.

Right now, O'Driscoll is making the most of life as a Cork footballer.

‘It’s a lot easier to enjoy it, I guess, when results are going your way. It’s exciting at the moment,’ he says, though not straying into reflective territory in the middle of the championship.

Winning promotion back to Division 1 for the first time in ten years is a step in the right direction, and the connection with fans is strengthening too. The constant hard work over the past few years is reaping rewards now, similar to the graft O’Driscoll put in to get back to this level.

At 32, he also knows the years move quickly. That's exactly why he's determined to make the most of whatever comes next.

Starting with Ballybofey on Saturday.