We sat down with Tommy Bowe to catch up with the man himself…
Tommy, how are you keeping?!
I’m good! I’m just at home now, then I’ll be hitting the road, heading into work.
We all enjoy watching you on Ireland AM each morning, but what are you watching on telly right now?
Slow Horses on Apple TV. Muireann (O’Connell) told me about it so I’ve just finished season one. I also just recently watched The Morning Show too.
Who do you look up to in the broadcasting world?
Being a former sports person before getting into broadcasting was obviously a bit of a jump so to see someone like Gary Lineker do it
was really impressive. Whenever I was finishing up with the rugby, he was someone I’d have looked up to.
What are you reading?
I’m stuck into an autobiography about snooker player, Ronnie O’Sullivan. It’s good and an easy read. The problem with me is that I’m up so early in the morning that I generally only get two or three pages into a book before falling asleep. It takes me a long time to get to the end.
Are you listening to anything in particular at the moment?
I spend so much time on the road that I devour podcasts and my Spotify numbers were huge last year. I love sporting and political podcasts, health ones as well. My wife is always giving me a hard time cause I’m clogging up the feed.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Sad music! Maybe even a bit of Taylor Swift. My six-year-old daughter loves her. I’m more than happy to stick it on in the car and sing away.
Tell us Tommy, what are you most thankful for in life?
I got to live out my biggest dream, representing my country, playing a sport I love. Of course the two kids and my wife too, that goes without saying. I’m a very lucky guy!
What have you learned over the last few years?
That I need to slow down sometimes and say no to things. It’s very easy to say yes, yes, yes and keep yourself busy but I need to prioritise my time a little better and spend more time with the people who mean most to me.
What scares you?
Lots of things scare me, whether it’s something that might happen to my family or just in general, the unknown and not being aware of what might be coming down the road terrifies me.
What’s your standout childhood memory?
We live in the middle of nowhere in Monaghan so growing up there, my earliest memories would be going through the forest with my mates, chasing each other. We didn’t have iPads, iPhones or distractions back then. They were some of the best times.
Who’s made the biggest impact on your life?
My parents in the early days. They were unbelievable guides for me in everything. My wife is my rock now. When things are going great and I’m flying, she’ll keep my feet on the ground and when things are crumbling and going bad, she lifts me up.
Shop Tommy’s clothing brand XV Kings in select stores nationwide and online and catch him on Ireland AM, weekdays on Virgin Media
