Limerick shows some love for Greg O’Shea with person of the month award

IRELAND sevens rugby player and Love Island winner Greg O’Shea says he doesn’t really feel he has earned the honour of being named the latest Limerick Person of the Month.

Limerick-born Greg, 24, who entered the Love Island villa in mid-July split the £50,000 prize with Amber Gill after the pair were coupled up and voted as the overall winners by viewers of the popular ITV show.

The reality TV show attracted record audiences in the UK and was also hugely popular on Virgin Media Two in Ireland – with the final attracting more than 650,000 viewers across all platforms. 

Greg attended Scoil Ide, Corbally, in his youth before attending Crescent College Comprehensive. He played rugby in both schools and won all the Munster school medals with Crescent Comp.

His grandfather, Bill, and father, Niall – as well as several uncles – are Shannon RFC men through and through, while his first cousin, former Ireland U20 flanker Kelvin Brown, is playing with the nine-time AIL winners.

Greg who was welcomed home by hundreds of people at Shannon Airport after winning the reality TV show has had a busy few weeks – from his appearance on The Late Late Show and his visit to the National Ploughing Championships in County Carlow this week.

However, he says he was thrilled when he learned he had been selected as Limerick Person of the Month for July.

“It’s amazing to be recognised by your own county. I could have easily gone and moved away from home (after winning Love Island) and capitalised on everything in a different area but I wanted to come home and it’s great to be recognised and hopefully put Limerick on the map a bit,” he told the Limerick Leader after receiving his award which is supported by Southern and the Clayton Hotel.

“I am aware of the award. It’s great and some amazing people receive it and to be in contention to be Limerick Person of the Year is just amazing and such an honour. The weird thing for me is that I feel I just went on a two-week holiday that happened to be filmed and I didn’t earn it per se but I think Limerick people are just happy with the way I came across and put us on the map as great people and I’m very honoured,” he added saying he was bemused when his success was compared to the Limerick hurlers winning last year’s All-Ireland.

“I don’t know how you can put me in the same sentence as the hurlers, they are just ridiculous athletes and they put in so much work and effort – I obviously do that with my sevens team and train just as hard – but to get the award for Love Island is something kind of funny but it’s great and I’m delighted to receive it, it’s amazing.”

Greg  confirmed earlier this month that he has since split with Amber Gill who is based in the UK. Greg says he was anxious to remain in Ireland and has a target of making it to next year’s Olympics in Tokyo with the Ireland sevens team.

“The Olympics is a big target for me and my sevens team this year so I had to be part of it and we are back training three weeks and the running is very hard but it’s great and I’m just capitalising on everything,” he said adding he is also looking forward to entering the world of broadcasting next week.

From Monday, the 24-year-old is set to take over the reigns with Doireann Garrihy on the RTÉ 2FM breakfast show for nine weeks as regular presenter Eoghan McDermott has other commitments.

“I’ve to be in the RTÉ studios for half five and on the show for six and have fun with Doireann for three hours so it’s going to tough and it’s going to be fun but it’s going to be an incredible experience and hopefully I can do a good job,” he laughed when asked about his early starts.