Sid = Cancie Picklington
Anyone hear about some Tyrone player in video?
[B]Picklington reveals council on Local Election plans as he celebrates eighth League medal
Babs Keats, South Kilkenny Standard (incorporating the Mullinavat Bugle), May 5th, 2014
[/B]
Legendary Kilkenny hurling stalwart Canice Picklington was the surprise name on the Fianna Fail ticket for the upcoming Local Elections, as the deadline for nominations passed last Friday.
The nine-times All-Ireland medallist has put his name forward for election to Kilkenny County Council in the Thomastown ward. The surprise move comes with less than three weeks to go before the election on Friday May 23rd, but in the words of local political observers, âhas blown the race wide open.â
Picklington was in the news yeasterday amid more familiar surroundings as he played a key part in Kilkennyâs third NHL title in a row, as the Cats prevailed over old rivals Tipperary by just a point after extra-time in a Thurles thriller. Asked last night for his thoughts on his upcoming election battle, he explained how the nomination came about.
âI was never that much of a political animal in the past, I suppose, although I was approached by both Fianna Fail and Fine Gael about running, not just in the Local Elections but in the General Election, but I didnât feel the time was right and it wasnât something I wanted to do at that point. However I got involved in the âYesâ campaign for the last European referendum after being asked by my local TDs Phil Hogan and John McGuinness and I found that very enjoyable, I must say. Myself and Brian Cody worked together on that campaign and I suppose we would have had some very interesting discussions about politics at that time, and he encouraged me to throw my name into the political ring at some point in the future, so it was always there at the back of my mind after that.â
Asked for why the time was now right, Picklington had a simple answer. âWhy not?â
But why Fianna Fail? âWhy not? Although I wasnât a party member or anything like that I would have always had great respect for the likes of my friend John McGuinness and Bob Aylward, who are both great hurling men, although of course Iâd also have great respect for Phil Hogan as well. I suppose it would have been 50-50 between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael as to which Iâd represent if I ever did decide to stand. But Fianna Fail asked me this time and I decided to go for it.â
Picklington was coy when asked if his late parachuting into the race had caused any disquiet among the already established party grass roots. âAh no, I donât think so. John and Bob told me that my name recognition factor would be a help in getting out the vote for the party as a whole and make the ticket stronger as a whole. Iâve spoken to our other candidates and they seem to be grand with it. Iâm told itâs not uncommon for candidates to be parachuted late into election races and I suppose itâs appropriate as my favourite album is âParachutesâ by Coldplayâ (laughs).
The sixteen year Kilkenny inter-county veteran was clear about his manifesto. âIâd like to think that Iâm not just another celebrity candidate. We need change, I suppose. People out there on the ground are finding it very difficult and I want to improve their lot. We need to get Ireland back to work and Kilkenny back to work. We need to send a firm message to the rest of Ireland and to Europe that Kilkenny is open for business. Weâve some great companies down here like Glanbia, who Iâm lucky enough to work for myself, and great people. I suppose Iâm probably biased here but I look at Kilkenny and I wouldnât want to live anywhere else. We have great tourist potential, I mean look at the Cat Laughs festival and the Kilkenomics festival. I donât much about comedy or economics but theyâre great for the area, I suppose, and they bring a real buzz.â
The election campaign comes at a time when Picklington finds himself extremely busy with hurling commitments, in fact as I talk to him heâs celebrating his eighth National Hurling League medal after yesterdayâs win over Tipperary. âYeah, it was great to get the win. Itâs always nice going to Thurles and every trophy means a lot to us. I wouldnât say it was a classic hurling-wise but we feel weâve still room for improvement. Weâll have a small bit of a celebration tonight but itâll be back to serious business this week as we prepare for Offaly inside in the Park on June 7th. Thatâll be a very tough match and we know the type of performance we put in yesterday wonât be enough to win that. Weâd always have great respect for Offaly hurling and theyâll be a very dangerous opponent - we were very lucky to get out of Tullamore with a win last year. Weâre treating it as a 50-50 match. So thereâs a lot of work ahead of us.â
And on the doorsteps as well, obviously, over the coming weeks? âDefinitely. Iâm looking forward to getting out and meeting everybody. Thatâs part of it, I suppose. Iâm always willing to listen to what people have to say and I hope theyâll like what I have to say. Itâs going to be a big challenge, but Iâve never shirked away from a challenge in my life on a hurling pitch and Iâve no plans to shirk away from a challenge in politics.â
[QUOTE=âSidney, post: 940672, member: 183â][B]Picklington reveals council on Local Election plans as he celebrates eighth League medal
Babs Keats, South Kilkenny Standard (incorporating the Mullinavat Bugle), May 5th, 2014
[/B]
Legendary Kilkenny hurling stalwart Canice Picklington was the surprise name on the Fianna Fail ticket for the upcoming Local Elections, as the deadline for nominations passed last Friday.
The nine-times All-Ireland medallist has put his name forward for election to Kilkenny County Council in the Thomastown ward. The surprise move comes with less than three weeks to go before the election on Friday May 23rd, but in the words of local political observers, âhas blown the race wide open.â
Picklington was in the news yeasterday amid more familiar surroundings as he played a key part in Kilkennyâs third NHL title in a row, as the Cats prevailed over old rivals Tipperary by just a point after extra-time in a Thurles thriller. Asked last night for his thoughts on his upcoming election battle, he explained how the nomination came about.
âI was never that much of a political animal in the past, I suppose, although I was approached by both Fianna Fail and Fine Gael about running, not just in the Local Elections but in the General Election, but I didnât feel the time was right and it wasnât something I wanted to do at that point. However I got involved in the âYesâ campaign for the last European referendum after being asked by my local TDs Phil Hogan and John McGuinness and I found that very enjoyable, I must say. Myself and Brian Cody worked together on that campaign and I suppose we would have had some very interesting discussions about politics at that time, and he encouraged me to throw my name into the political ring at some point in the future, so it was always there at the back of my mind after that.â
Asked for why the time was now right, Picklington had a simple answer. âWhy not?â
But why Fianna Fail? âWhy not? Although I wasnât a party member or anything like that I would have always had great respect for the likes of my friend John McGuinness and Bob Aylward, who are both great hurling men, although of course Iâd also have great respect for Phil Hogan as well. I suppose it would have been 50-50 between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael as to which Iâd represent if I ever did decide to stand. But Fianna Fail asked me this time and I decided to go for it.â
Picklington was coy when asked if his late parachuting into the race had caused any disquiet among the already established party grass roots. âAh no, I donât think so. John and Bob told me that my name recognition factor would be a help in getting out the vote for the party as a whole and make the ticket stronger as a whole. Iâve spoken to our other candidates and they seem to be grand with it. Iâm told itâs not uncommon for candidates to be parachuted late into election races and I suppose itâs appropriate as my favourite album is âParachutesâ by Coldplayâ (laughs).
The sixteen year Kilkenny inter-county veteran was clear about his manifesto. âIâd like to think that Iâm not just another celebrity candidate. We need change, I suppose. People out there on the ground are finding it very difficult and I want to improve their lot. We need to get Ireland back to work and Kilkenny back to work. We need to send a firm message to the rest of Ireland and to Europe that Kilkenny is open for business. Weâve some great companies down here like Glanbia, who Iâm lucky enough to work for myself, and great people. I suppose Iâm probably biased here but I look at Kilkenny and I wouldnât want to live anywhere else. We have great tourist potential, I mean look at the Cat Laughs festival and the Kilkenomics festival. I donât much about comedy or economics but theyâre great for the area, I suppose, and they bring a real buzz.â
The election campaign comes at a time when Picklington finds himself extremely busy with hurling commitments, in fact as I talk to him heâs celebrating his eighth National Hurling League medal after yesterdayâs win over Tipperary. âYeah, it was great to get the win. Itâs always nice going to Thurles and every trophy means a lot to us. I wouldnât say it was a classic hurling-wise but we feel weâve still room for improvement. Weâll have a small bit of a celebration tonight but itâll be back to serious business this week as we prepare for Offaly inside in the Park on June 7th. Thatâll be a very tough match and we know the type of performance we put in yesterday wonât be enough to win that. Weâd always have great respect for Offaly hurling and theyâll be a very dangerous opponent - we were very lucky to get out of Tullamore with a win last year. Weâre treating it as a 50-50 match. So thereâs a lot of work ahead of us.â
And on the doorsteps as well, obviously, over the coming weeks? âDefinitely. Iâm looking forward to getting out and meeting everybody. Thatâs part of it, I suppose. Iâm always willing to listen to what people have to say and I hope theyâll like what I have to say. Itâs going to be a big challenge, but Iâve never shirked away from a challenge in my life on a hurling pitch and Iâve no plans to shirk away from a challenge in politics.â[/QUOTE]
You must have some time on your hands. Tell me, is it meant to be funny or amusing in some way?
We canât all be as busy as Canice. Nevertheless, a spare 45 minutes does it - in fact it practically writes itself, really. Takes nearly as long to iron out the spelling mistakes, which I now notice I didnât entirely do.
Picklington wins seat in Local Elections
Maura Gonne-Goyra, Sunday Cat, May 25, 2014
Kilkenny legend Canice Picklington has proved equally as successful in his suprise foray into politics as he is on the hurling pitch, winning a seat on Kilkenny County Council in the Local Elections at his first attempt. The star forward topped the poll for Fianna Fail in the Thomastown ward, just three weeks after he was unveiled as a candidate.
Amid incredible scenes at the Springhill Hotel in Kilkenny, Picklington was chaired high on the shoulders of members of his campaign team as he exceeded the quota on the first count.
âIâm humbled, I supposeâ, was Picklingtonâs initial reaction. âIâm humbled that the people of my area have placed their confidence in me, and I can assure them that I intend to repay itâ, he continued. âThe campaign was a real rollercoaster ride. But I thoroughly enjoyed it. I enjoyed getting out there and meeting all the great people in my area. All that canvassing was very tiring but itâs like training for an All-Ireland, I suppose - no pain, no gain.â
Veteran Kilkenny political commentator JJ De Buitlear says the overwhelming nature of Picklingtonâs election was a surprise, but not unforeseeable. âI suppose Canice would have great name recognition in the area, and what heâs been part of on the hurling pitch has been a great source of pride to people here. Heâs been a very visible presence on the ground over the last three weeks, and people have seen the effort heâs put in. All that allied to his humble nature made for a winning package with the voters. Heâs transfer-friendly, although I suppose Canice would argue that in the best GAA tradition, he never had any interest in transfers as heâs always been a one-club man.â
Picklingtonâs presence on the ticket in Kilkenny helped Fianna Fail to achieve its highest vote percentage of any county in Ireland - 34%. Picklington was modest when it was put to him that heâd been a major factor in this success. âIâm only a very small part of it, to be honest. Weâve great people all across the county, theyâre out every day on the doorsteps canvassing, theyâre there every day organising, and theyâre the ones who deserve the credit as far as Iâm concerned, and Iâd just like to take this oppurtunity to pay tribute to them - I couldnât have done this without them.â
It was a colourful day all round at the count, as proceedings were bizarrely interrupted by a hen party which was staying at the Springhill Hotel. âIâve never seen anything like itâ, said Picklington. âWe were waiting around trying to get word of the tallies, and waiting for the boxes to be opened, when a load of young ones charged in in their costumes, blow up dolls and all. We thought at first it was some kind of protest, but then we quickly realised that it was a hen party. I suppose it made the day all the more special in the end. A few of them wanted to get their photograph taken with me, and I was happy to oblige, as itâs always nice to help out - I made sure to avoid being pictured with the dolls, though. We had a bit of laugh about the L plates some of them had pinned to their costumes - I joked that perhaps I should have had one pinned to my suit, as itâs my first time contesting an electionâ (laughs).
Picklington is by far the most successful of the celebrity candidates to run in the Local, European or by-elections which took place on Friday. At the time of writing, Fine Gaelâs Kenneth Egan, an Olympic boxing silver medallist in 2008, faced a close fight for a seat in Dublinâs Clondalkin ward, while former middle-distance runner Eamonn Coghlan, also of Fine Gael, lost his race for the Dail seat in the Dublin West by-election.
âAs I said when I was unveiled a few weeks back, I didnât want to think of myself as just another celebrity candidateâ, says Picklington. âIn Fianna Fail we like to leave that kind of thing to Fine Gael, although I suppose if circumstances were diffferent I could have ended up on the Fine Gael team.â
Asked how realistic a possibility it was that he could have stood for Fine Gael, Picklington was honest. âAh, I suppose it was realistic enough at one stage. It was pretty much 50-50 to be honest, but Iâm glad I joined Fianna Fail. People say that Fianna Fail and Fine Gael are very similar policy-wise, but I can tell you now thatâs not the case. They voted for the Treaty, whereas we didnât.â
âBut look it, Iâd have great respect for both Kenny, sorry Kenneth, and for Eamonn. Myself and Kenneth would know each other fairly well from the RTE Sports Awards in 2008 when we were both nominated for Sports Personality of the Year. Heâs a good lad and of course he has family roots here n Kilkenny too. We had a good night in Coppers after those awards - Eamon Dunphy tagged along with us. I remember I would have been winding up Eamon the whole night about him arguing on the panel that I should have won the award - but I think Kenny was far more deserving in fairness. Kenny is some man, Iâll tell you that - you should have seen him pressing the flesh in Copperâs that night, and to be honest Iâm surprised heâs not won a seat more easily considering his skills at going up and chatting to people, particularly pretty young girls.â
Reflecting on his success, Picklington is proud, but typically modest. âI suppose Iâm just delighted to be part of the strongest Fianna Fail vote in the country here in Kilkenny. The people have spoken clearly and the message is that they want change, and we aim to bring that change to them.â
:rolleyes:
What a waste of time
When youâre as gifted a writer as I am, it doesnât waste much. Waste not, want not, as Canice would say (on both the issues of recycling and good shooting oppurtunities).
Picklington on the brink of history after epic semi-final win
Norman English-Welsh, South Kilkenny Standard (incorporating the Mullinavat Bugle), August 12th, 2014
As I caught up with Kilkenny veteran Canice Picklington in the bowels of Croke Park after Sundayâs thrilling All-Ireland hurling semi-final win over Limerick, I thought I saw a tear roll down his cheek, after what had been a hugely emotional afternoon. But I was wrong.
âAh no, that was only the rain. Itâs still coming down out of my hair. Iâve never been wetter than that. 'Twas unbelieveable, like. Iâve never played in anything like it. We wouldnât get much of that kind of thing down in the sunny south-east, so it made life difficult for us, I suppose.â
As for the match itself, Kilkenny encountered their toughest test of the year so far (with apologies to Galway), and Picklington knew heâd been in a battle and a half afterwards.
âTwas very tough, like. Limerick were ferocious in their intensity. They were manly. We were just glad to get out of it with the win, and I suppose thatâs the ultimate tribute to Limerickâs performance. The rain probably helped them, but they made full use of the conditions to turn the game to their advantage for a while. I suppose people would say that both teams were in the same boat as far as the conditions were concerned, but when the rain eased off a bit we steadied the ship.â
I presume those puns were intended, Canice (laughs)?
âNot at all. I donât joke about hurling, especially about as important a match as this.â
After Kilkenny being the victim of such injustice last year, Picklington was surprisingly more conciliatory about the controversial decision from referee James McGrath not to send off the already yellow carded Donal OâGrady for a trip on Richie Power as he bore down on goal inside the last ten minutes.
"Ah, I think it was fair enough, like. The people moaning about these tackles have never played the game. We donât have cynicism in hurling the way you have in football. The tackles by JJ (in the first half on Shane Dowling) and Donal OâGrady were honest, manly attempts to play the ball. They were fouls and no more. "
Picklington described the feeling in the Kilkenny camp was now that they are into the final.
âAh yeah, 'tis great to be into another final. I suppose it would have been what weâve been building towards all year. We always felt that we were unfairly victimised last year and thatâs driven us on this year. We always believed in ourselves, I suppose.â
Picklington and Henry Shefflin now stand on the brink of history, with both men now just one game away from a historic tenth All-Ireland medal. But he wonât be letting that cloud his thoughts too much ahead the All-Ireland final.
âAh yeah, I suppose we would be aware of the significance of it, but at the same time weâll be treating it as just another match. Weâll be treating it like weâd treat a Welsh Cup match in January. But then again we treat the first round of the Welsh Cup like you would an All-Ireland, because every match is very important to us.â
Shefflin was the crucial to the win, according to his long-time friend and colleague.
âHenry always gives us a lift when he comes on. People might say he did nothing when he came on but thatâs not how we see it at all - he was crucial to the win - in fact Iâd say he was the key factor, but then again he always is. Thatâs Henry for you.â
Sunday September 7th promises to be a big day all round for Kilkenny hurling, with the minor team reaching the decider for the first time since 2010.
"Itâs nice to see the minors get into the final as well. That way we know the future of Kilkenny hurling is secure. The likes of myself, Henry, JJ and Jackie would be very aware that weâre only passing through and keeping the jersey warm for somebody else, and if our success has inspired the young lads in the county, thatâs the most important thing as far as weâre concerned, I suppose. The jerseys today werenât too warm, mind. Youâd have caught pneumonia out there if you didnât take them off straight after the final whistle (laughs). "
The All-Ireland final will be a traditional affair regardless of the result of the second semi-final and Picklington knows that the winner will be a huge barrier in his quest for history.
âAh yeah, Cork or Tipp, whoever comes through, I suppose, will be a huge test. I suppose I donât really mind what the result is either way, to be honest, I suppose weâve no control over it so thereâs no point worrying about it. Whoever comes through, we know weâre going to be in for a huge test. Cork are Cork, and Tipp are Tipp, like. I think, though, the fact that us, Cork and Tipp are the last three counties left this year shows that the standard has been very high this year. Itâs always good for hurling to see the traditional counties do well - thatâs what the public want.â
Picklington will have plenty to keep himself occupied with before the final. As well as his duties on Kilkenny County Council following his election in Mayâs local elections, heâs helping out at home.
"Yeah, Iâd be helping out at my father TJâs farm at the moment as itâs a very busy time for him, so itâs nice to be able to give him a hand. Every little helps, as they say, I suppose. "
But there has been one big disappointment for the nine-times All-Ireland medallist in this summer of redemption for the Cats - the cancellation of the five Garth Brooks concerts at Croke Park.
âI suppose I would have been very disappointed at the concerts being cancelled. Myself and Rachel were all set for the Monday show. Itâs not often I get out socialising these days and I would have been hugely looking forward to it, especially because itâs not often I get to relax at Croke Park. I had the stetsons bought for the day and all in preparation. Now I wonât get to use them until the clubâs annual country music night before Christmas, which is a pity, although Iâm sure Iâll be looking forward to that when the time comes.â
One game away from the history Brooks, the whole of Kilkenny hopes that Canice and friends are not in low places comes the evening of September 7th.
Canice Picklington is an alright sort
Jaysus the KK lads canât take any joke at all. Angry as fuck over a little article.
I see former Laois footballer Michael Lawlor came on for Emo at half time in the Laois SFC 1st Round last weekend. He must be 42 or 43 at this stage. They trailed Killeshin by 4 points at the time, he orchestrated a second half comeback, kicking a point and setting up numerous more, and a last minute penalty from Darren Strong, his second of the half, won the game for Emo. Lawlorâs had problems in both knees for as long as I can remember, the man owes his Club nothing at this stage, but there he is, still at it.
Lunacy some might say, but fair fucks to him all the same.
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=3]An exclusive sneak preview of Sundayâs BIG INTERVIEW.
[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=4]Canice Picklington talks to Paul Kimmage: Hunger, legal battles, retirement and depression[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia]Learning to tackle the demons in his head - Canice Picklington revisits an eventful year with Paul Kimmage[/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia]Sunday Independent, March 8th, 2015[/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia]On the morning of my interview with Canice Picklington, I open a YouTube video of the Fitzgibbon Cup final between Waterford Institute of Technology and the University of Limerick which has taken place a few nights previously. Itâs a cold, wet, windy night in the Gaelic Grounds. It might be the dying hours of February but itâs clear that winterâs grip is still firm. The stadium is empty. On the pitch some of hurlingâs finest young talent fight it out in a competition that astute observers consider second only to the All-Ireland in quality. Young, skilful, vigorous and full of energy, they seem to confirm the accepted wisdom that these days, hurling is no country for old men. And yet the pivotal figure for Waterford IT is a 36 year old veteran who according to all medical logic should barely be able to walk.
For those of us not fluent in our native tongue, one word and one name stands out above all others in the TG4 commentary. âPicklingtonâ.
Why is a man who should by rights be at home with his feet up by the fire watching Ant and Decâs Saturday Night Takeaway or Winning Streak, putting his body on the line for team mates who are barely half his age?[/FONT]
CP: âAh, I just love playing, I suppose. Sure Iâll be long enough retired.â
PK: âIâm not buying that. Kilkenny hurlers always come out with these standard cliche answers. There has to be more to it than that.â
CP: âAh, not really. Itâs just what Iâve always done, you know. I donât know anything else.â
PK: âBut why, when youâve won ten All-Irelands, are you busting a gut in front of 200 people in a competition that the general public clearly has no interest in?â
CP: âIâd disagree with you there. Thereâs great interest in it. Itâs a competition taken very seriously by players. To me itâs second only to the club championship, the All-Ireland, and the Railway Cup. The standard of hurling is very good and itâs always great to test yourself against top players, I suppose.â
PK: âAh, come off it. Thereâs no interest.â
CP: âAh, Iâd have to disagree with you there now, Paul.â
PK: âAlright. But why are you doing it? There has to be some inner self-doubt, a nagging at your soul and your mind that eats away at you, thatâs making you do all this?â
CP: âAh no. I donât think so anyway. I suppose Iâm just happy to help out the college in any way I can given that Iâm enrolled on a part-time evening diploma studying Agricultural Financial Management.â
PK: âRight. Thatâs interesting. You said âI donât think soâ. So what I gather from that is that youâre not sure what it is thatâs driving you. And to me, thatâs very interesting.â
CP: âWell my wife Rachel gives me a lift sometimes after a match.â
PK: âYouâve some dry sense of humour, Iâll give you that.â
CP: âNo, that wasnât a joke.â
PK: âVery funny.â
Right. I know Kilkenny hurlers have a reputation for not giving away much but Iâm really not getting very far here. My digging is barely breaking the surface. I need to throw in a grenade.
PK: âOf course you know you shouldnât have been playing at all, donât you? You werenât eligible.â
CP: âAh, well, thatâs the Fitzgibbon Cup for you. Nobody really knows whoâs eligible or not. Itâs all opinions, I suppose. But I was definitely eligible.â
PK: âHow many teams were thrown out of the Fitzgibbon Cup and reinstated this year?â
CP: âMost of the teams, Iâd say. Thatâs nearly part of the charm of the competition. You never know what to expect. But I wasnât playing illegally.â
PK: âBut fielding illegal players is cheating. Itâs like doping. Illegal players are a cancer in this competition. Waterford IT were thrown out because you were deemed to not be a full-time student. They only got back in after effectively blackmailing the GAA by threatening to take them to the High Court.â
CP: âWell we have very good Law lecturers in Waterford IT, I suppose.â
PK: âLike every other team in the competition, it seems.â
CP: âWell, look it, you know what they say, you make your own luck.â
PK: âYou seem to have made a lot.â
CP: âWell, no one else is going to make it for you.â
[FONT=Georgia]Itâs nearly six months since Canice Picklington became the first man to win ten All-Ireland senior hurling medals. Apart from the fact that somebody else in the same team did exactly the same thing at exactly the same time.[/FONT]
PK: âTell us about your relationship with Henry Shefflin.â
CP: âAh, weâre great friends, like. Weâd have very similar personalities.â
PK: âAre you rivals?â
CP: âAh not at all. Weâd play against each other at club level, like, and weâve knocked lumps out of each other loads of times in club matches and at county training, but weâve great respect for each other.â
PK: âWere you jealous that he had an oversized novelty head made for him at the Kilkenny homecoming last year and you didnât?â
CP: âAh no. They actually did make one for me but I didnât want it to be shown in public. Thatâs not my style, really. Iâd get a bit embarrassed by that sort of thing. Iâd probably start blushing,â
PK: âI find that hard to believe and again I find that extremely interesting. Why would you get embarrassed by something so small?â
CP: âAh it wasnât small now, 'twas huge. I wouldnât want to be seen as a bighead.â
PK: âHas that humility always been a part of your character?â
CP: âAh, I suppose so. Even though I was brought up in the Church of Ireland I still feel Catholic guilt.â
PK: âWhat do you put that down to?â
CP: âBrian Cody, Iâd say.â
[FONT=Georgia]Last year Picklington released his autobiography, ghost written with RTE GAA commentator Brian Carthy. It detailed his financial difficulties after a failed property development deal. What it didnât go into, and what Picklington says he now regrets not revealing, was his battle with depression. [/FONT]
PK: âWhen did you first start feeling depressed?â
CP: âYears ago. I suppose Iâve always had a bit of an air of sadness over me without me realising it. Like, in my younger days people would think I was the life and soul of the party but Iâd wake up the next morning scuttered. I think I first noticed it the morning after a night out in Vegas.â
PK: âLas Vegas must be a strange place to realise youâre depressed.â
CP: âNo, not Las Vegas, Mullinavat. Thatâs what itâs called in Kilkenny. Vegas.â
PK: âRight, Iâm not sure I should ask. I doubt itâs because thereâs casinos and hookers there.â
CP: âWell not those kind of hookers. But theyâd certainly hook you on the hurling pitch though if you swung too wide, which is probably why John Mulhall never plays well against them.â
PK: âWhatâs living with depression like for you?â
CP: âitâs not very nice, I suppose. You feel down. You feel like your world is collapsing. You feel like not getting up in the morning. Little things can make you feel like thereâs no hope.â
PK: âSuch as?â
CP: "Well, l remember Biddy got killed in Glenroe and I missed training with the club the next night because I felt down about it. Mad stuff, really, looking back.
But that kind if thing stayed with me as I got older. I remember one incident when Rachel was shopping for groceries inside in the city and Iâd told her to get wholemeal bread because itâs healthier than white bread, but she came back with white bread. I was initially a bit annoyed with her, but then calmed down. Then I went to get a knife to spread butter on my sandwich, and I realised Iâd told her to get a low fat spread as well instead of the butter. The mistakes sheâd made over the butter and the white bread set me off and I tried to cut myself with the knife - Iâd certainly never think of using it on her, only on myself. Luckily though, the blade wasnât very sharp on it. But I ended up with three scars on my arm. The next time I went to training, I had to say that Iâd had an accident doing some carpentry in the shed. I didnât like being dishonest in front of the rest of the team but I had no choice. That made me feel a bit guilty and made my depression worse."
PK: "You see thatâs incredibly interesting to me. That a mistake your wife made about buying the wrong type of bread and butter set you off like that? That to me goes right to the heart of why youâve been so successful for so long. There clearly is a nagging doubt there, a relentless inner drive for perfection, to be the best.
Would you think Henry Shefflin would cut himself over his wife buying the wrong type of bread?"
CP: âNo. Probably not.â
PK: âWhat made you decide to speak out about your depression?â
CP: âWell, I was very impressed by what Conor Cusack said. Then other people in the public eye started talking about their depression, people Iâd really respect, like Brent Pope, I wouldnât be an expert on rugby now but I like when he talks about the breakdown, people like the Bressies, the Elaine Crowleys, the John Murrays, the Marian Keyeses, people like that.â
PK: âThe way youâre phrasing it makes them sound like schizophrenics!â
CP: âGod, no, thatâs not what I meant at all.â
PK: âI knew that.â
CP: âVery good!â
PK: âBut youâve been in touch with Bressie to promote mental health awareness?â
CP: âYes, I have. Heâs somebody Iâd really respect and have a lot of time for. Lar Corbett actually put me in touch with him. I already was a big fan of his music, but he has a lot of good things to say and itâs nice to be able to help him out in some small way with the great work heâs doing for mental health awareness. I suppose the key aim from the whole thing is to make people aware of mental health, and thatâs very important.â
[FONT=Georgia]Ten All-Ireland medals seems, symmetrically speaking, to be a natural end. Several Kilkenny veterans will not be playing inter-county hurling in 2015. Tommy Walsh, JJ Delaney, Brian Hogan, Aidan Fogarty and David Herity have all retired following last Septemberâs replay triumph over Tipperary.
Canice Picklington and Henry Shefflin are glaring by their absence from that list, at least so far. [/FONT]
PK: âTen All-Ireland medals seems a nice round number on which to finish.â
CP: âWell, I suppose itâs nice to go up to ten, but why not go up to eleven?â
PK: âNow youâre getting greedy.â
CP: âAh no, sure look it, Iâve a big decision to make, like, whether to carry on or not. I wouldnât be under any illusions, like, about how difficult itâd be to get my place back this year. Thereâs class hurlers everywhere in Kilkenny.â
PK: âWhen are you going to decide whether or not to carry on?â
CP: âWell, I told Brian Cody that Iâd put off any decision until after the Fitzgibbon final and maybe make a decision then. But the Fitzgibbon final obviously went to a replay so Iâve put back my decision again.â
PK: âWhat if it goes to another replay?â
CP: âWell Henry Shefflin said he wouldnât make a decison until Ballyhale were finished with the All-Ireland club championship on St. Patrickâs Day, so maybe I might get to put if off longer than that.â
PK: âYouâre waiting for him to announce his decision first?â
CP: âAh no. Well, maybeâŚâ
PK: âAh, so thereâs definitely a rivalry there.â
CP: âWell, like he got ten minutes in the drawn All-Ireland final and I only got six, but I got longer than him in the replay.â
PK: âI knew it. Even with your team-mates, youâre a competitor to your fingertips.â
CP: âJesus, theyâre nearly worn away now at this stage.â
[FONT=Georgia]Canice Picklington was in conversation with Paul Kimmage[/FONT]
One of your better ones @Sidney - so much so that I burst out laughing at one of the lines during a meeting earlier to strange looks from the rest of the people in the room
Youâre really not supposed to make noise when youâre wheeling in tea and coffee to the meeting room @Mac.
Very droll pal
safe to say, the recent TFK debates were a great source of inspiration to that piece!