When the World Stops Watching

Book excerpt: As every sportsperson knows, the dream can’t go on forever. After years of dedication, sacrifice and single-minded obsession to get to the top, one day it all has to end. When the World Stops Watching tells the real inside stories of what happened next for sixteen Irish sports stars, as they faced the brand-new challenges of normal life. From the highs of Grand Slam rugby, World Cup football, the Olympic Games, European Tour golf and GAA stardom, these born competitors recount the seismic aftershocks of retirement and the effect it had on them, both physically and mentally. The lives of sporting icons can change overnight. This is a searingly honest and compelling account of what life is really like after the game. FEATURING TOMMY BOWE • PAUL CARBERRY • KEVIN DOYLE • PAUL FLYNN • TREVOR HOGAN • MARCUS HORAN • PAUL McGEE • GARY MURPHY • GRÁINNE MURPHY • DONNCHA O’CALLAGHAN • DARREN O’NEILL • SONIA O’SULLIVAN • LINDSAY PEAT • NIALL QUINN • SHANE SUPPLE • NIKKI SYMMONS