Former Senator’s 1,000 phone calls for lockdown
A retired teacher and former politician of 28 years standing decided to do something different, while isolating during lockdown – he got out his trusty contacts book and started renewing old acquaintances.
There were over 2,000 names in Jarlath McDonagh’s ‘blue book’ – with phone numbers for over a thousand of them.
And that, says the Turloughmore man who also has a long-serving association with the GAA and the world of horse racing, sparked an idea – why not ring those 1,000 people for a few minutes’ chat?
“Many of them I had not met for ten years; more for 20 years; more for 30 – even 40 and a few for 50 long years!” he says.
“I decided I’d ring ten people a day, allowing myself three hours per day to make the contacts.”
He underestimated the commitment, because his plan for three-minute calls proved woefully short of the reality; to date he has worked his way through 650 old friends, and he’s determined to do the rest.
“Even if I don’t get to the other 350 – as I’ll have to resume having the daily bet and watching hurling on TV – this way of spending my idle time has rekindled a lot of memories for me, memories to keep for the rest of my life,” he says.
Read Jarlath’s story in his own words in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now. Or you can download our digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie