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GEORGE HOOK HAS been speaking today about how his media work ‘saved his life’.
The notoriously contrary rugby pundit and media personality was Brendan O’Connor’s guest of honour on the John Murray show this morning on RTE radio following his retirement from rugby punditry after Ireland’s Six-Nations victory on Saturday.
When asked by O’Connor about whether he felt his TV work had been the turning point for him, the 73-year-old replied, “Of course, it saved my life.”
Hook came to the media quite late (in his early fifties) having been a businessman for many years, and not always a successful one (O’Connor went so far as to describe him as being ‘a waster’ for the first two thirds of his life).
When I got a call from RTE 20 years ago to do a match, the only other phone calls I was getting at the time were Irish Permanent wanting me in the High Court. My wife didn’t want me back any more, I had 11 banks daily saying ‘what about the money you owe us’.
But if I’m proud of one thing I’m proud I took the opportunity RTE gave me, and my kids are proud too. I never thought I’d have a pension, paying for groceries would be the maximum, so the prospect of a pension is extraordinary.
When asked about the low-key nature of his retirement, Cork native Hook was at pains to play down the significance of his leaving.
“At the end of the day it’s a TV guy going, not the Taoiseach,” he said.
I had Mark McKenna (RTE producer) put up against a wall and said ‘if there’s a big fandango your head is coming off’.
Hook maintains that his decision won’t be reversed. Although gone from our rugby screens, he’ll continue on his Newstalk radio show The Right Hook for the immediate future.
If you take a decision to retire and then you don’t, well then that’s some bad decision.
I worked it out two years ago and I’m utterly happy about it. I told my son George Jr., I’ll be really pissed off if I die before my new life plan has a chance to take place.
When asked what his plans are he said he wanted ‘to give something back to young people’s rugby’.
My wife has told me though, if I think I’m coming home for lunch I’m very much mistaken.
But look life in the media is very rewarding, it’s well paid, you have a public image, but it’s terribly demanding.
I’ve been working seven days a week for the last 20 years, now it’s time for a break.
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Lets start the PR campaign for increased premiums for this year. Insurance industry do you job and stop moaning.
Every time there’s a natural disaster somewhere around the world we’re asked to dig into our pockets and help out. While I’m not comparing this to the loss of life or devastation of some of these disasters to this series of storms I can’t help wondering if anyone around the world will give a damn about us or put their hands in their pockets for our communites wiped out by these storms. I doubt it. We’ll be left to fend for ourselves and raise more levies to pay for the repairs. No happy endings here.
Despite our current troubles, we aren’t a third world country.
No children will starve because of this storm.
Your comparing apples and oranges.
Actually I stressed that I wasn’t trying to compare our current troubles, as you choose to describe them, to anyone else’s. What I said was that when others had disasters far worse than what we’re currently experiencing we have consistently put our hands in our pockets to help them out, I’m simply ask for a little quid pro quo.
This need not necessarily come from those third world countries you describe but, just as we helped other countries on the other side of the world, there are plenty of wealthy countries on the other side of the planet who we have helped out in the past when they weren’t so well off.
I bet they are rubbing their hands together saying what ever we spend we will triple it next year by raising rates
Presumably all these premium increases will be reversed once the profit margins reach previous levels.
I thought insurance companies didn’t cover damage by acts or nature or acts of God?!
Can they prove that god exists, that it was an act of god? Tot so
I’m covered so, as an athiest.
If they’re going to claim it’s an act of God, then prove God exists.
You prove he exists iv things to do today il give ye a hand tomorrow
They can’t make up the cost because their too busy making up increase in premiums first.
This will be covered by the wet storm and flood peril operative on all standard home insurance policies.
They’ll pull some excuse out of their holes not to pay out for damages. Insurance companies are nothing but thiefs.
Like “sorry but we don’t cover flood damage cos you…… Em live on a fookin island” or something. Storm damaged roof recently wasn’t covered and excuse given was bad workmanship when the house was built…… 12 years ago, if the workmanship was that bad surely one of the storms over the last 12 years would have exposed it.
What gets me is if you have a claim they increase your insurance on renewal,but if you have no claim during the term of your policy they don’t do likewise and decrease it,no it always goes up for some reason or another,then they take away flood cover,now this is like 50%,of your policy,now does your policy go down 50%,no it dissent,its time to tink outside the box on other ways of protecting your property like some kind of co,op and get rid of these insurance parasites.
The majority of affected properties damaged will not be covered for flooding due to the exclusions in their policies as all the areas are have flooded before and once their is a claim for flood in the area all properties in the area are designated as a flood area. So all they will pay for is a few slates
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