Meet the good Samaritan who gave Ireland's Olympians a lift home to Cork

DROPPING Olympic gold-medallists home upon returning to Ireland after their triumphant victory in Paris, is not what one  expects to be doing on a Tuesday in August.

Limerick native Kieran Duggan did just that for Olympic-gold rowers Fintan McCarthy and Paul O'Donovan, as well as female Olympic rower Natalie Long.

Paul and Fintan claimed gold medals in the men's lightweight double sculls and returned home to Dublin Airport to a jubilant homecoming welcome by Team Ireland fans on Tuesday, August 6.

They did not think to sort a lift home from Dublin to Cork, however, which is where Rathkeale man Kieran stepped in.

It was either that or leave the the newly-crowned Olympic champions travel from the capital to what Corkonians refer to as 'The Real Capital', on the bus. 

Kieran watched the pair win gold on TV on Friday, August 2, before he flew to France with a group of friends for the equestrian events in Versailles. 

It wasn’t until he was flying back to Dublin on Tuesday, August 6, when the champion rowers crossed his mind again as they were welcomed with a round of applause at the departure gate in Paris. 

“When we got onto the plane, Paul was in row three so we said congratulations. We were in row six and, low and behold, Fintan was row six on the outside seat across the aisle from me. 

“We shook hands with him and closed our eyes for an hour. When we landed, we were getting our bags down and one of the guys in our group asked Fintan how they were getting to Cork. 

“He said ‘we are hoping to get the air coach if it’s not fully booked’ and we all looked at each other as if to say, ‘did he just say that?’ 

“I told him I had room in my car and he said ‘I might take you up on that’.”

Kieran now lives in Mallow, Co Cork, while all three rowers were travelling to the outskirts of Cork city. Fintan and Paul are originally from Skibbereen. 

Kieran said: “For me, it was just a case of driving to Cork from Dublin and then back to Mallow. If they had been living in Skibbereen, of course I would have dropped them there as well.”

Paul, Fintan and Natalie, who competed in the women’s fours rowing in the Olympics, were among other Team Ireland athletes on the same plane as Kieran and his friends.

Upon landing, they quickly built a friendly rapport, as someone mentioned needing a lift home to Cork and that Kieran was driving alone. The rest is history. 

“They got their bags and got off the plane first. I had offered them a lift, and we were stunned that they were actually considering it,” Kieran said.

“I asked one of my friends if I should hang on. He said definitely as Fintan sounded genuine about taking the lift. I waited for about 20 minutes, thinking they would have been looked after, but I caught Fintan’s eye and went over to ask if he still needed a lift. 

“He just said 'yeah, that would be great'.”

It took them nearly 15 minutes to squeeze the three rowers and all their luggage into Kieran’s Audi A4. Paul and Natalie in the back seat had a wall of luggage wedged between them. 

There was no shortage of Olympic chat, but Kieran said he was “conscious not to be asking them too many questions”. He also said it was a “very chilled and relaxed” car journey home and that “what you see is what you get” with all three athletes. 

Kieran is a salesman and coaches the under 13s ladies gaelic football in Mallow, who are in the county A final at the end of August. He has been involved in the club for the last seven years, but never forgets Limerick, wishing to give a shout out to his family in Rathkeale.