That was an incredible rugby weekend, with the nerve-shredding rollercoaster of the Six Nations finale on Saturday followed by Ireland’s women lifting their own Six Nations trophy on Sunday after a display of great verve and skill.
I find big rugby occasions like these very emotional now, as does Pauline. Tears, at times, are not far away. We think of Sean – a huge rugby fan – and how he would have loved to share these moments: and how, on some level, he may still be sharing them. He would have been so proud of Ireland.
Sport matters. On some levels it doesn’t matter at all (I have written before of how we operate on different levels); on others it matters a great deal. It can be an arena of moral and physical courage, excitement and skill; the identification it engenders can be uplifting and life-enhancing. At is best, it makes tribalism and/or nationalism joyful and sublime.
People who don’t ‘get’ sport are missing out, in my opinion. It doesn’t matter, yet it can matter so much.
The road to God knows where ... Brendan O'Brien 
Hi Brendan
I like your views and your optimism; it must be good to be Irish right now.
Sport in our country has been taken over by the politicians and has become a dividing factor rather than a uniting one. We are in a mess; frankly I donât know whether we will ever recover but it has brought our families closer, which is good.
IkeJ
On 3/24/15, The road to God knows where … Brendan O’Brien
Thanks, Ike. Most bad situations have a good side of some sort, I think: for example, the recession here caused a lot of people to get more involved in their community. I hope you and your family are well.