You could say Donncha O'Callaghan is a master of reinvention. From his 20-year rugby career to co-presenting a morning breakfast radio show and becoming a podcaster, he really can do it all.
He's also an author with his first children's book Disaster Dad: Chicken Chaos flying off the shelves and he tells me, there are plenty more stories up his sleeves there.
As we are chatting as part of his new role as Tesco ambassador for its Stronger Starts Cooks campaign, a programme aimed at supporting children's health and well-being, can we add the title of dadfluencer to his very impressive CV too?
'Dadfluencer? I like that,' says the 46-year-old father of four, who is fiercely proud of his Corkonian roots (when asked if he is in Cork at the moment, his reply is unequivocal 'Thank God').
'My kids actually slag me and ask me: "Dad, what is it you exactly do?,"says Donncha with a smile, giving insight into the banter that goes on with his children Sophie, Anna, Robin and Jake in the O'Callaghan house.
‘They’ll say, we know you've been on the radio and you've done a bit of rugby. I tell them "I just do what whatever your mom says",' says Donncha of Jenny, his wife of 15 years, and who he insists keeps the whole show on the road, although the former lock for Ireland and Munster is no slacker when it comes to mucking in and pulling his weight.
'We sit down on a Thursday evening and we'll pretty much go: "Okay, you're dropping for hockey to Thurles and I'm going to Skibbereen for soccer, and it goes on like that for the week and then we'll see each other Sunday for dinner," he says, laughing at the hectic pace of modern parenting. 'But it's all about the team you have around you,' he says.
In many ways Donncha felt he had to recalibrate and learn how to live his life again when he called an end to his professional sporting career and he’s happy to see the attitudes around mental health and speaking up when you’re struggling changing in today’s game.
'I feel bad as there were times when teammates were reaching out and I was kind of like, well there's a big game this weekend, and I just wish I'd had the knowledge to catch them,' he says, adding that like all parents, when it comes to role models for his own kids, he's concerned with some of the 'manosphere' messaging such as what's been highlighted recently in the Netflix series Adolescence.
'So being a dad to both girls and a boy, I'm really zoning in on values and character,' he says. 'It's difficult as the focus can sometimes still be on looks and wealth and followers as opposed to the other much more important stuff,' he says, adding that he's 'terrified every day' when it comes to raising teenagers ? and he's only half joking.
'It can get a little overwhelming for sure but genuinely, I really think it takes a village,' he says. 'Having coaches, teachers, people that can genuinely help shape your kids and being grateful for the ones that actually do that, you know?
'I think that life guidance can carry more weight when it comes from other layers too, and in sport. I've seen that with Robin who plays soccer and their coach has been excellent in showing them values and standards,' he says, adding that Ireland has 'something quite unique' when it comes to raising our children.
'We still have that sense of looking out for each other, and we need to hold onto that,' he says, although don't get him started on skorts.
'Now that's just embarrassing to be honest. Skorts are not the issue, we should be chatting about increased numbers in gender based violence and the pay gap. We're losing so much time chatting about a piece of material. It's mad,' he says of the débâcle, insisting that it should never have been an issue in the first place.
'But on the positive side, we have so many brilliant role models in Ireland for our girls, you know Rhasidat (Adeleke) and women's rugby and soccer teams and Rachael Blackmore, who is simply the best jockey in the world.'
Speaking of inspirational women, Donncha encountered more than one during his five years in radio, with three of them as co-presenter on 2FM's Breakfast Show with Doireann Garrihy and Carl Mullan. Donncha left the role last June, following an exodus of big names such as his former co-host Doireann who has recently returned to the airwaves, Jennifer Zamparelli and the Two Johnnies.
'The producer Grace Callaghan was so tough on me, she made a Monday morning review in rugby seem simple,' he reflects. 'And it was great! She had high standards, and I had a massive gap in terms of coming up to them. I was totally out of my depth.
'But I was so blessed as well with Doireann and Carl, genuinely for having my back and helping me out and realising there are four kids down the road as well,' he says, of juggling work, including those insanely early breakfast radio hours, and raising a young family.
'When you have people around you who encourage you to back yourself it helps so much, and Doireann did that for me,' he says of Garrihy, who is currently expecting her first baby with husband Mark Mehigan. 'She told me I was going to f**k up and get things wrong but to keep going,' he says, adding that the trio are always 'tormenting' each other on WhatsApp.
'She's got good people around her, but she's a superstar. She really is. She's a hell of a great teammate, whatever about being talented, she's such a sound person to have your back. And there was so many times there where I was absolutely blagging it. Carl, of course, would have me make the error for the craic whereas she caught me every time.'
Donncha says he adored his time on the show, but getting up at 3am on weekdays were becoming tortuous.
'I was finding it a bit cruel in terms of the family dynamic,' he says. 'Can you believe that I fell asleep twice as the parent on deck in our local swimming club?' he admits, adding the fatigue and the heat resulted in him near drooling poolside. 'Disaster Dad is right,' he says, laughing.
'My kids got a right laugh out of it, but it did make me realise that I actually needed to be there now, present and awake. Our kids were getting older and I felt I needed to be there for the conversations that aren't even conversations, you know, the walking home school chat, that kind of "glue"stuff.'
That said, Donncha misses the buzz of radio and admits he'd love a chance to return to the airwaves at some point (perhaps on a different time slot).
Donncha O'Callaghan is campaign ambassador for Tesco Stronger Starts Cooks programme, a new, free six-week programme aimed at supporting children's health and wellbeing. To find out more visit tesco ireland.ie/strongerstartscooks.
