 Now you're very welcome back to the program. We're joined on it now by Paul Diddler Dylan good morning to you Paul. Good morning Greg. How are you? I'm all right. How are you? Okay, people will know you as a former GA football player and coach you're battling motor neuron disease and you I mean must have been overwhelmed going back a couple of weeks or months now to the community reaction to your situation It's you know, you just wonder if anywhere else like Donagall could do something like that. It must have been just overwhelming, Paul It was accurate. It was unbelievable It was just overwhelming and it just give us a great love which we badly needed like at the time because Everything went on like as you know yourself to the community rallying round and then to get This news then like I just think it's total disgrace like on the GA like they even think like just a bit of common sense I feel I know rules are rules, but like just a wee bit of common sense you know It's it's Be a real shame if these players these senior players all of them in fact face this eight week ban I mean, it's it's not it hasn't been enforced. It hasn't been handed down It's been recommended the argument being caused the rules are rules foreign sports and all that shenanigans, but Given you know, I mean even more recently what the community has been through given the community reaction, Paul To to what you're going through if there any ever was a time to sort of say right We'll not pursue this. This is it. Is that how you feel? Yeah, I do I did nothing to do with the name of column kill club like at all like it was just a few lads that I run about with all my Life like just quite together on this day and just said they try and raise a few pound because I'm getting renovations done to my house to suit my mobility and Like we thought this would never come to us like it's just I think it's just ridiculous really, you know like much work that that community has put into your fundraising thing and Like they're brilliant. It's like for a little valley like me calling them Like we raised the 5000 for me. Like, you know, it's just on rail And for this to happen them like it's just a kick in the teeth really for our family and Maybe I don't know what I know that I don't know the ins and outs But maybe permission was asked for a non GA event and there's ways and means around and maybe at that time It could have the question could have been asked in a different way and People may have turned a blind eye, but we are where we are I mean, is it a case? Do you feel that that this was brought to the county board's attention? And they had no alternative then to investigate it or is this something that they decided to take upon themselves? No, I wore it to the county board like no to investigate it as far as I'm aware now they were writing letters under the county board some I don't know Somebody was writing letters to investigate this and I think that person needs to maybe have a look at themselves this morning and I'm not I wouldn't wish anyone anyone anyone anything bad because literally that would go against the whole spirit of this whole thing and none of us would but to put pen to paper metaphorically or literally and to sort of Bring this to attention and and to an extent sort of leave the county board in a position where they have to sort of Follow through on it and enforce the law you could argue in their defense, I suppose That person maybe needs to say, you know Maybe I did the wrong thing here and I shouldn't have done that Yeah rules like in the GA. Yeah, I understand that like the Something like this like, you know Like as I said if then people have a common see how I get through every day life at the minute They just might change their mind and then and how how how you pull in in in your battle with this awful awful disease I will have the great christmas like just put the diagnosis around christmas time. It's just a second of january, but I knew you kind of what was common and like you're worried over christmas and We had to stay strong for three years like, you know, and I just I think Spirited them on christmas morning Just got us through it for that day. But then after that, he just Kind of went down hell again, and you're just he didn't want to see nobody if you know what I mean 100% Yeah, and just me and my wife it was about a month before we came even came out of the house like the face people You know, he just didn't But then as I went on it got easier like, you know, I just said to myself, right I'm gotta get out here. I can't sit in the house all day feeling sorry for myself like no I need to get out there and meet the people that I know one But it was hard at the start. But once I got I went to my Local kernan zero spare where I worked there as a butchers for 10 years Like and some great friends there and still go to see them every day I go there for my lunch with the other butchers on tonight there every day. So I'm trying to keep positive Greg as much as I can And I was on a wheelchair or I'm on the wheelchair now at the moment A great help to me like no I can get out and about as before like we were just maybe me and My wife and the girls would go shop them. I would just have to sit in the car Was that a big sort of leap for you to sort of say, right? It's a wheelchair from now on if you know what I mean Yeah, it was great. I didn't really want to get undead because that was the next stage. I suppose in your mind, wasn't it? Yeah, I had always was common like it was common like I was on crutches before but I to be honest, I kept falling and I Fired and I was going to end up breaking something and put myself back. No But you kind of get the feeling once once I make this decision. That's me off the crutches and that's sort of Yeah, I guess it's a tough one Dread and go and meet the people on the wheelchair But once I got the same at first time like out and about and like everybody's just so good Yeah, of course The New Zealand Newtons just unbelievable further feel like no people has just helped and that It's just unbelievable or swans like and because you can feel very when you get bad news or bad diagnosis It's it's incredibly lonely, you know, and you feel like the only person I mean you're lucky to have a beautiful and supportive wife But it's it's a very lonely space, isn't it? Because you don't feel anyone can understand you, you know, that's right. Yeah, that's right. That's right. That's exactly because That's what my wife said like no nobody understands. Just no They'd need to be there in our house to see if we're going through every day, you know Like actually trying to get the bed upstairs like it was just a nightmare and I could I could left the sun room because it Took me 15 minutes to get the bed And it was just awful like it was a lot of stress on my wife too and Finally then we got our bed moved downstairs. So Good stuff Back in the wheelchair a couple of seconds during bed like no Just like you say to my wife I would be lost And I would say she'd say that I'd say she'd say this exact same thing back at your pool I ordered every time How are the renovations going now the renovations is going very well, right? They're just finishing the slips on the roof here now at the moment Just so we hope to be moved on by June I thought going to plan brilliant. Okay. That's fantastic and and it's it's important to get that background to Paul because The net one of the other stages of sort of, you know Process and all of this and getting out there and all of that and not feeling that isolation was this unbelievable response from from the community now and I can only imagine what that must have meant To to you and your family, you know that that it wasn't just you Five if you know what I mean, it was actually everybody and you must have got great comfort from that when it just was needed I think that's just what we needed really to get out like, you know I'd just give us a message if they get out there, right? No, these people's right behind us here They can just unbelievable like because we had a hell the 5k the hell the 5k for me like a 1300 people turned up That's unbelievable. Isn't it unbelievable like and this guy from Dublin came the whole way down from Dublin like I run along with him in the Dublin marathon for a while like and I don't even know him Like I just he just said that I run along with him in the Dublin marathon That was two years ago. Like and it's just unbelievable. He came down to the 5k as well like And no, it's just those things. Isn't it? Yeah, there's those things that mean so much Like a lot of the running games like everybody in that day turned up like people I never expected to see like no We just how was that though? I mean Were you able to handle that? I think I would be sort of like oh now listen, this isn't all for me lads come on Yeah, very emotional right. I don't imagine. Yeah, because I just said to my wife I should be up there at the start line with my watch like, you know No, but I was just emotional then I was coming through the crowd They moved back because I was starting the race and it clapped me the whole way through my crutches like and I just I was unbelievable and I will forget it like no, it's Just such a big crowd and I just like to thank everybody who turned up on that day. It was unbelievable Yeah, you'll never forget that Now just a then part of that as well Was a few players from from the local club where you were an underage coach They took part in a seven aside match on what is a former soccer pitch What is least to the gea as far as I'm aware? It's it's it's a community facility, I believe But they do use it for training. It was a once-off event One way or other the county board became aware of this and they've had to sort of follow the rule of the law If we've learned nothing from sort of the lee and miller situation We should learn from it and I think as you say when you've you've spoke so Passionately about the the community and these senior football players or amateurs. They're in the community They shouldn't have to and someone has to make the decision Don't they pull to make sure that these people do not suffer Any suspensions in doing what they love Yeah, definitely Greg like that Like it has to be like Sunday has to just get a bit of sense and just see They can get this overturned like it just Very my guy coached a lot of them guys and that senior team would you believe it under age like from under 12? That's just no And to see them going through all them years like and great players there like no And they were just painingly taught so you say like when I was Coaching them like what I enjoyed every month of it like and like I've had a lot of work under the GA myself like now I was 15 years like coaching and one thing and another I can It's just very sad just to see them players just No, I think someone needs to make a decision soon. No one wants this hanging over the community You know once your your situation the community the GA club You know under the national spotlight for all the wrong reasons. We should be talking about Everything that's why I wanted to spend so much time with you Paul talking about the fantastic stuff that happened because Not you know, I think you'll probably be on national stations later And they need to understand that not they need to understand but they won't get The absolute positivity of it. I'm sure you will say but you know where I'm coming from Paul Yeah, it shouldn't be taken away from from what was just the most amazing thing Paul. Listen. Thank you so much I'm our text machine is on fire with people Sending the best wishes telling you the whole community is behind you that none of this is your fault all of that stuff Paul All right, listen. Thanks very much You too great stuff. Thanks so much. That's paul diddler dill in there Um The man the fundraiser was in aid of and you've heard his story there and Everything they've been going through and those dark days not that long ago And it's still obviously a massive battle and a battle no better than diddler to take on But someone needs to make a decision and draw a line under this. I mean