The magic of the wilderness

This time last year I was on the opposite end of the planet, studying abroad in Perth, Australia. I was packing a duffel bag consisting only of essentials in preparation for an 11 day camping trip into the heart of the Australian Outback.

 I didn’t know what to pack as I had no idea of what to expect, my sole nugget of knowledge regarding the outback stemmed from horror movie ‘Wolfcreek’ where a deranged farmer abducts four backpackers, tortures them and kills all but one who escaped to tell the tale. The fact the film is based on a true story and that the famer has never been caught did little to calm the nerves.

Looking back on the trip exactly one year on I can safely say it was the most enlightening experience of my life to date. Take 28 students, all aged in their early 20’s, cram them into two military grade ‘busses’ with no air conditioning and relieve them of EVERY form of technological communication for the bones of two weeks and it sounds like a recipe for disaster.

I cannot emphasise enough how far from the truth that presumption was, in fact it was the best thing that could have happened to us!

Cards became a currency on the trip

Without iPads, iPhones, laptops, tablets etc. everyone was left with no choice but to interact with each other, with people they had previously known and people they had never spoke to before.

When a group of people are taken out of their comfort zone and dropped into a situation like this  the outcome is incredible. Liberated from the constraints of our technological society it is almost like everyone received a new lease of life. In the absence of technology we were forced to revert to old methods of entertainment, games, quizzes, storytelling etc. This resulted in everyone becoming closer and forming a tight knit bond, copious amounts of cheap alcohol every night may have also contributed but you get the picture.

Travelling from campsite to campsite you could nearly see the spirit of the group grow as any lingering cobwebs of everyday life disappeared after two to three days. Small things like helping a neighbour erect their tent, or helping to prepare and cook dinner became important. Everyone was there for each other and willing to lend a helping hand.

One of many amazing pools-Karijini National Park

When a group of people form an exclusive group like this and travel in complete isolation for a lengthy period of time the bond that is formed is very hard to describe. Having no contact with anybody outside of the group, let alone the rest of the world was the most amazing thing that could ever happen. It forced everyone to come out of their shells and interact. It was as if, for those 11 days, we were living in a bubble and felt untouchable.

I have always been a keen travel enthusiast but this trip was special. Never before have I seen or met such an amazing group of people, whether that was down to the fact that nobody could really afford to isolate themselves from the group, or if it was all down to the fact we were 2,000 kilometres from any major city, I’m not sure. Perhaps the fact we got to visit some of the most scenic and beautiful places on the planet had something to do with it.

What I do know is that not one single person felt down or homesick on the trip, every second of it was cherished by all. It just goes to show what can happen when we take a step back from the monotonous daily routine of life and embark on an adventure outside of your comfort zone in the company of complete strangers.

Monkey Mia dolphin sactuary

Amazing views at Shark Bay

St. Patrick's Day celebrations!!!!

ATV biking through sand dunes

Just before our guide had to deal with a snake invasion!!

When are we going to be able sit in a waterfall again?

Experiencing some incredible terrain

Our shower for the day

The outback in all it's glory.

The customary campfire

Enjoying a natural waterslide!!!

The only stop for 450km!!!

FIFA-The not so beautiful game

FIFA and their head honcho Sepp Blatter are no strangers to controversy. Wherever Blatter raises his head trouble is always close by, be it homophobic comments, his controversial view on racial abuse or the countless accusations of bribery Blatter is never too far from the limelight.

His running of FIFA has transformed the organisation from an already untrustworthy organisation into a downright corrupt circus. As if their reputation had not been tarnished enough in recent years, the latest farce of awarding the staging of the 2022 World Cup Tournament to oil rich Qatar was the final straw for many people.

People may not be happy, but in time would come to understand, if the World Cup had been awarded to a developing country that is football mad. However to award the tournament to a country that boasts a national team that would struggle to compete in the league of Ireland and whose interest in football rivals the Irish publics in cricket is an absolute farce.

But wait, that’s not even the worst bit, FIFA have awarded the World Cup to a country who treats migrant workers, those constructing the stadiums for the tournament, like slaves, with reports of 18 hour shifts, the confiscation of passports, and worst of all, on site deaths due to lack of safety and extreme exhaustion. I’m sorry Mr Blatter and Co but the reek of bribery emanating from the sealing handshake could be smelt in every corner of the globe.

Qatar is having to build everything it needs for the tournament, from stadiums to hotels, from scratch and is spending $100bn on the project. The Guardian newspaper recently conducted a surveillance project in the region and uncovered evidence of forced labour and conditions amounting to slavery on the huge infrastructure project. "The overall picture is of one of the richest nations exploiting one of the poorest to get ready for the world's most popular sporting tournament," said the paper.

If you need more convincing all you need to do is take a look at the comments from Blatter himself in the wake of the announcement. From the second the announcement was made allegations of wrong-doing, bribes and backroom deals surfaced. A whistle-blower from within the Qatari bid team came forward with claims of corruption, but later recanted.

But three years after the vote Blatter himself, bizarrely revealed to a German magazine there had been "direct political influence" in the vote. Why? Because some countries had major economic interests in the country, he claimed.

The final concrete piece of evidence is the case of former FIFA board member Mohammed Bin Hammam. Within months of being awarded the 2022 World Cup, Qatar's representative on FIFA’s executive council, Bin Hammam, had been banned from the game for life in the wake of a huge corruption scandal revolving around the 2011 FIFA presidential elections.

Blatter is pictured here with the disgraced Mohammed Bin Hammam (right).

 Bin Hammam was the main challenger to Sepp Blatter, but his campaign came off the rails when he and several other high profile figures, including Jack Warner, president of the Caribbean Football Union were accused of trying to buy votes. Qatar insists Hammam was not involved in its World Cup bid, but his demise and more general allegations about how FIFA operates have done nothing to dispel the fog of suspicion around the decision.

Calls for the tournament to be boycotted will ultimately fall on deaf ears due to the amount of money at stake however isn’t it about time the respective FA’s of Europe at least hold Blatter and Co responsible for bringing the game into disrepute and effectively turning it into a corrupt business primarily concerned with profit?

The Resurgence of Irish Rugby-How Joe Schmidt has already overseen a mini revolution.

What a difference a couple of months can make in the world of sport, and rugby in particular. Just over twelve weeks ago the much discussed ‘resurgence’ of Irish rugby was viewed by many to be dead and buried before it had even begun. The appointment of former Leinster coach Joe Schmidt was supposed to be the first page in another illustrious, successful chapter of Irish rugby. Schmidt’s tactical prowess and attention to detail were heralded by many as the missing piece in the jigsaw, and his appointment was viewed as a signal of intent by the IRFU regarding the shifting emphasis of the game towards technical skill rather than brute force.

Preparations were put in place and the stage was set, but unfortunately for Schmidt, the leading actors failed to deliver and Ireland crumbled to a disappointing 32-15 defeat to Australia on November 16th. It was the first instalment of a high profile double header featuring the Wallabies and their Southern Hemisphere neighbours New Zealand. Tackle after tackle was missed in an error strewn display after which the team and management received heavy criticism, particularly after reports surfaced claiming a number of the Australian panel enjoyed an alcohol fuelled night on the tiles in Dublin only days before the game. The signs were ominous, predictions for the following week’s game against the Kiwi’s concerned only damage limitation, any talk of an upset was essentially non-existent.

The future of the provincial sides was also plunged into doubt. The French and English sides reignited their seemingly annual debate regarding their futures in the Heineken Cup, albeit with their latest threats to pull out of Europe’s premier club competition appearing slightly more credible. The state of the game took a further blow as rumours of an exodus of Irish stars tempted by the riches dangled in front of them by numerous Top 14 teams gathered momentum. Leinster stalwarts Sean O’ Brien and Jamie Heaslip were reported to be following Irish teammate Johnny Sexton to France, with Toulon and Clermont Auvergne waiting with open arms, and wallets. While scrum half Conor Murray was also stalling on over a new deal with the IRFU and Munster amid interest from Toulouse and Bayonne.

The culmination of below par performances, the precarious future of the Heineken cup and the possible departure of the country’s finest talents all contributed to an air of gloom and despair that surrounded Irish rugby. Such an attitude is, at any time, unwelcome, but on the eve of a clash with the powerhouse of world rugby bidding to become the first national side to go a calendar year unbeaten, timing could not have been worse. Surely a drubbing was the only potential outcome…

….We all know how that went….

That monumental effort against the All Blacks proved to be the springboard that has launched Irish rugby on an upward quest of redemption, and transformed them from the ‘nearly guys’ back to genuine silverware contenders. That performance seemed to instil a self-belief into the Irish players that they were indeed good enough to rub shoulders with the best, and come out on top. Almost immediately memories of previous sloppy displays were erased, Schmidt breathed a deep sigh of relief and Irish rugby was suddenly re-energised.

Two weeks later and round three of the Heineken Cup proved to be one of the most successful in recent memory for the four Irish provinces as all four produced scintillating displays. Munster, Leinster and Ulster all registered bonus point victories, and all had 30+ points to spare, against French, English and Italian opposition respectively. However, it was Connacht who stole the show as the Westerners recorded their finest hour in the South of France, toppling four time tournament winners Toulouse in their own backyard. The resurgence of the provinces continued to gather momentum and the best was saved for last. In a week which saw Munster and Ulster clinch home quarter final spots, and Leinster an away one, news broke that O’ Brien and Heaslip had not succumbed to the temptation of the Mediterranean and resigned with Leinster and the IRFU, while Murray committed his future to Munster. The perfect tonic in the lead up to the Six Nations.

The opening encounter with Scotland was as expected, gritty. Encouraging individual displays prevailed as Ireland slowly found their feet and pulled away from our Celtic neighbours. They did what was expected of them with minimal fuss and dispatched the Scots with relative ease, 1/1. While the performance did not hit the heights of the New Zealand game there was ample evidence of improvement and another was rung scaled in the ladder to perfection. Expectations were rising ahead of the encounter with Wales.

And what an encounter it was. Described by pundits as the best eighty minutes of Irish rugby in recent memory it represented a remarkable transformation and turnaround for Schmidt and his coaching team from the lacklustre display against game Australia. Ireland’s ‘Achilles heels’ of recent years, the scrum and lineout, were suddenly the platforms from which we generated numerous penetrative attacks. Indeed it was the maul that laid the foundation for both Chris Henry and Paddy Jackson’s touchdowns. The Welsh were simply choked and seemed to be devoid of ideas after a quarter of the game. The intensity the Irish brought to the breakdown was second to none as Wales struggled to retain possession on numerous occasions. A comprehensive win that not even the most fanatical Irish rugby fan could have predicted.

The circle is almost complete, just shy of three months to the day when ‘that game’ lifted the spirits of a whole nation.

Before that All Blacks game nobody had dared imagine we would be here today, a couple of hours before kick-off in Twickenham, two from two in the Six Nations, on the cusp of claiming Irelands first Triple Crown since 2009. The past three months have certainly seemed like somewhat of a rollercoaster but one thing is for certain; when this crop of Irish warriors appear to have run out of steam, when they find themselves in the face of adversity they somehow always manage to turn that adversity into opportunity and rise to the fore once again. Win lose or draw today the turnaround of the past three months is still an incredible achievement for Schmidt, his backroom team and obviously the players. But of course, it would be all the more sweeter to see Brian O’ Driscoll and Paul O’ Connell raise the Triple Crown high above their heads in the centre of Twickenham pitch this evening, after eighty blood, sweat and tear filled minutes of adrenaline and emotion we have become so accustomed to see this team display over the past decade. And maybe, just maybe, we can then start to dream about a Grand Slam