“She’s always stuck in there.”
Davy Fitzgerald says that Sharon O’Loughlin, his partner of 13 years, has “stuck in there” with him for over a decade amongst the inevitable “ups and downs” a couple will go through over such a long period of time.
To put the length of their relationship into context, it had been well established by the time Fitzgerald took his first steps in inter-county management with Waterford way back in 2008 and he’s lived what have seemed like lifetimes patrolling the sidelines ever since.
Speaking about his relationship with O’Loughlin, now his fiancée, on the latest episode of Ireland Unfiltered with Dion Fanning, Fitzgerald said:
“Sharon has been in my life a long time. Probably 13 years. There’ve been ups and downs with Sharon, we’ve had our good times, our bad times, so we did. She’s always stuck in there.”
As well as being a friend and confidante off the pitch, O’Loughlin, the sister of Clare hurling legend Ger ‘Sparrow’ O’Loughlin and a former player herself, isn’t afraid to venture her opinion when it comes to matter on the grass.
“The one thing about Sharon, she actually knows her hurling unreal,” Fitzgerald added.
“She played for a long time. I’ve known Sharon long before we went out together. She’s Ger O’Loughlin, Sparrow’s sister, who I played with, and I was in business with Ger for years as well. She comes from a real traditional hurling family.
“Is she afraid to speak her mind? No. She has a heart of gold but by God, she definitely is a strong opinionated lady which I totally, totally respect.”
During the course of the conversation, Fitzgerald also discussed how hurling was the only thing that kept him going through his teenage years and what he makes of the depiction of him by Conor Moore, whose sketches of the current Wexford manager have gone viral in recent times.
You can watch the full interview with Fitzgerald below.
Ireland Unfiltered, brought to you in partnership with Carlsberg Unfiltered, will be available everywhere you get your podcasts and on YouTube every Tuesday.
