Mr. Worldwide.
Some man for one man, that’s all we can say. From the moment it was made known that Jonathan Glynn planned to rejoin the Galway hurling panel early this year, while remaining in America, there were lots of lads enquiring whether this lad had a few screws loose.
The truth is, the Ardrahan club man is a little bit mad for doing it, but that’s why Galway people, that’s why the people of Ireland love this man.
In fairness, it did sound fairly mad, to be commuting over and back for the odd training session, the odd match, but Glynn isn’t your ordinary young fella.
All his travels were justified, with a beautiful Celtic Cross now lining his back-pocket, and you can be guaranteed that the Galway man had a good one at the City West on Sunday night, and judging by his plans for the rest of the week, the party won’t stop.
The GAA Hour Hurling Show Host Colm Parkinson caught up with Glynn on Monday morning, and what transpired was a truly classic interview with the great man.
The Galway lads ended 29-years of hurt, and it’s no surprise that they let the hair down, with some of them, having to get tucked into the bed by their brother by the end of it all.
“Last night was some craic, yeah, it was great craic actually. It hasn’t sunk-in, yet. Give us a few days on the beer and it might sink in then,” he laughed.
Glynn plans to return to America later in the week, and the sesh will be in full swing out there, too.
“Whenever the hangover depression hits me. I’ll probably head back towards the end of the week, but when the drinking is done here, it’s only starting out there,” said a buzzing 24-year-old.
He was delighted for himself, for his friends, his family, his county.
“When the final whistle went, it was just class. The best thing was, you could see the amount of Galway people that were there, and just how happy everyone was.
“Winning is great, but that moment, when you see everyone, in maroon and white, and roaring and shouting down, delighted, that’s why you play hurling.”
Contrary to the popular opinion, travelling over and back wasn’t that much of a struggle, not for him anyway. He stayed committed, he kept himself in order, and in his own words, he wouldn’t be a lad for eating ‘a hape of shite.’
“I’d say if you had a look at my passport, there’d be a good few stamps on it. It worked out. People said it was going to be tough going, it’s not really.
“I trained away with teams, there was a lad there from Longford, we were on a team together, and he was always on to me and helping me out, Gerry Fox was his name.
“I’d never be a lad to eat a hape of shite, or a slob or anything like that. I was always doing that, and staying fit.”
Glynn didn’t get too much change of the Waterford defence on Sunday, as he was regularly double marked, with sweeper Tadhg De Búrca focusing on him, but he didn’t mind the rough-house tactics employed by the Waterford full back Barry Coughlan.
“A lot of lads don’t know, I’d love a bit of wrestling as well. I don’t mind it, it was the pure finest. If the full back wanted to go wrestling, I said ‘Sound, sure we’ll go wrestling for the day.’
“I said, whoever I’m on, I’m going to make life pure torture for him.
He ended the interview like he began.
“Regarding next year, I don’t know what’s going to happen, fucking next week, even,” he said to Parkinson.
What a man.
You can listen to the typically brilliant Jonathan Glynn, and Pádraic Mannion interviews here from 20″00′.
