My Saturday with Dáithi Ó Sé: 'When you've nothing on your conscience, it's easy to sleep!'

Irish Examiner

a day ago

06.30
I get out of bed around 6.30 as my son Ógie comes bombing into the bedroom at that time.
There's usually one episode of Young Sheldon watched at that hour of the morning.
08.00
I'm in the gym for 8am. I'll exercise for about half an hour.
I'm hitting 50 next year. I made a conscious decision around Christmas that I needed to start minding myself. I got into a routine and it's not a bad one to be in at all.
Not only do I feel great but I can really feel the difference on the days I don't get to the gym so I try to get there most mornings, particularly on weekends.
I do 10 minutes on the crosstrainer, 10 minutes stretching, and any machine that's in front of me at 30kg weight.
My favourite part is going down to the sauna — I'll be looking at all the people going into the cold showers wondering, 'What is wrong with these people?'
Usually I start a fitness regime at the start of the summer, but because I started months ago, I'm under less pressure this year [for the Rose of Tralee].
The festival is always a bit of craic. The real work starts for us once we are in Tralee — there's at least a two-week build-up and I'll be away for about ten days.
Rita and Ógie will come down towards show time and this year I think Ógie will be in the Dome for the first time, so that's exciting.
09.00
Every Saturday morning myself and my son have the same discussion about how he doesn't want to go for breakfast because he is too tired.
Then two minutes down the road we are laughing and having the craic. We go to the Chef's Cafe in Craughwell — they do the finest omelettes in the world.
We then drive to the Grind Coffee and Food Hub in Briarhill for coffee and hot chocolate and we'll pick up whatever we need for dinner later that day.
12.30
We get home at around 12.30 and then I am left alone to have the nicest hour that I have all day when I fall asleep on the sofa for a nap.
My wife is a bit jealous of me — she'll tell me to go up to bed but going to bed would be a totally different thing altogether.
There's a lovely groove in the couch where I can lie on my left hand side and my left arse cheek is wedged in a bit.
I feel I deserve this nap — it's part of what the world gives me. When you've nothing on your conscience, it's easy to sleep!
Dáithí Ó Sé and Kathryn Thomas, pictured at the official launch of the Rose of Tralee International Festival 2024 in Airfield Estate. Picture Andres Poveda
14.30
At 2.30pm, fully refreshed, I start thinking about solving some problems for people in my Irish Examiner column.
This takes me up to about 5.30pm at which point I may go for a cycle if somebody will come with me.
17.30
Saturday evenings can vary and I'm willing to go along with anything the others want to do.
In the summer, if we are going for a cycle we'll take the back road to Gort which takes about 30 minutes and we'll get an ice cream and cycle back out again.
On darker evenings, we'll have the fire on and be watching something on TV together.
We rarely go out for dinner — when I am not on the road we like to stay at home together.
The barbecue is on 365 days a year. My wife Rita is an exceptional cook and an exceptional baker and I exploit that! I am spoiled rotten.
We might have family over from America or my brother and his family might stop in too — we are always out and about all week, between soccer and music and work, so at the weekend we like to stay at home.
19.00
Once a month I might go for a couple of pints — I'll be home by 9pm. I'll go to Mullins' in Gort or McCarthy's in Kilbeacanty or the Village Inn in Kilchreest.
Rita doesn't drink and I never drink at home — it has never appealed to me. If I am at home I'll have a cup of tea and we'll watch something on Netflix — at the moment it's Chicago P.D.
21.30
I go to bed at 9 or 9.30pm every night even at the weekends — I'll be falling asleep on the couch so as soon as I hit the pillow I'll be asleep. I have no problem sleeping through the night.
Dáithí Ó Sé hosts The Rose of Tralee with Kathryn Thomas.
Now in its 65th year, The Rose of Tralee will be available to watch for free, live and on-demand for audiences in Ireland and around the world at 8pm on Monday, August 17, and Tuesday, August 19, on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.