'It was difficult but what doesn't kill you hardens you... Meath football legend O'Rourke on financial losses and the pressures on young people

NOELLE FINEGAN

Former Meath footballer and manager and retired secondary school principal Colm O'Rourke speaks about his financial losses during the economic crash in a wide ranging interview on broadcaster Sean O'Rourke's RTE podcast 'Insights' out this week.

During the 40-minute interview, Sean O'Rourke speaks to Colm about his career as a footballer and football manager and as principal of St Patrick's Classical School in Navan but also chats to him about the impact of the financial hit he took when a property venture he was involved with three others failed.

Colm said it went back to 2008/2009 and added that all his financial affairs had been sorted for six, seven or eight years at this stage but that once it appears online it "lives on in the public domain forever".

When asked if it a difficult time on a personal and family level, Colm replied: "It was a very difficult time because I had been involved in projects before that which were quite successful so to get involved in another which came one at the wrong time, it was a difficult time.

"The thing went wrong as it did for the vast majority of people who had been involved in projects and the crash came so I had to deal with it. It was difficult for myself, It was difficult for my family but again what doesn't kill you hardens you."

Regarding the banks, Colm felt they treated people with profile more severely and the idea was "these people had to be shown that they were going to be dealt severely with so nobody else could think they were going to get off easier."

"It was protracted thing, it went on for years. It was tough going," said Colm adding that it probably more difficult for his wife Patricia as he went off to school every day and had those human contacts with students to keep him sane.

He revealed that the losses were "a good bit more" than the €850,000 reported in the papers when the figure was put to him by Sean O'Rourke but added "it's all sorted" and it had taken until now to continue paying back what he lost.

"That's finance. I was fit and healthy and well, others suffered much worse than I did from the whole thing."

When asked if he was tempted to dip his toe again where property is concerned, he said he had "done his time" and would leave it at that.

Sean O'Rourke chats with Colm about his time as principal of St Patrick's Classical School in Navan and how the school environment has changed so much over the years from the rise in social media and how young people are "generally miles in front of even the most tech savy parents" in terms of what is going on.

In this far-reaching conversation, Colm opens up about what has brought him the greatest joy and explains why it was not his sporting prowess. He discusses the biggest frustrations he experienced during his time as a secondary school principal and why he feels his time as at the head of Meath football was cut short prematurely.

The Insights Podcast with Sean O'Rourke is available at www.rte.ie/radio/podcasts/