When you think of a hurler, you probably think of big, strong, strapping men moulded for their sport, but would you think they would be any good at dancing? Aidan Fogarty is showing us that they can be as he consistently performs every Sunday night on Dancing with the Stars. His ability to dance can be put down to the few components that both dancers and hurlers share. You have to be dedicated, fit and have some movement according to Aidan.
When you think of a hurler, you probably think of big, strong, strapping men moulded for their sport, but would you think they would be any good at dancing? Aidan Fogarty is showing us that they can be as he consistently performs every Sunday night on Dancing with the Stars.
His ability to dance can be put down to the few components that both dancers and hurlers share. You have to be dedicated, fit and have some movement according to Aidan.
“Some sports people are built for hurling or football. They’re a big build and they’re rigid. I think Emily was a bit surprised when I had a little bit more flexibility than others. I think that’s the side that people are shocked at.”
Aidan Fogarty and his dance partner Emily are currently competing on Dancing with the Stars 2020. \ CJ Nash
You may think that is where the comparisons stop, but Aidan still treats the show every Sunday like any of the big matches he has played in his career.
“I would be gearing my week up for it. I would nearly have the same nerves for the dancing as I would for the throw-in before the game starts.”
But Aidan had never properly danced before agreeing to do the show.
“The only bit of dancing I had done was at a wedding, like every other Joe Soap at 12am. There’s no one judging me at 12am, I can guarantee you that.”
Home
Hailing from a dairy farm near Urlingford, Co Kilkenny, the community has rallied around him.
“Apparently there’s a heap of posters up. The motorway cuts through our farm and my brother has a poster up on a trailer. It’s a real country kind of thing. The support I’m getting at home is fantastic.”
Aidan’s brother Philip is working the home farm now but Aidan helped out on the farm when he was younger.
Aidan grew up helping out on his family's dairy farm near Urlingford, Co Kilkenny. \ CJ Nash
“As tradition goes, the older son gets the farm so I was born a bit too late unfortunately so I had to go off and look for a job. My brother Philip is really busy farming at home and I help out whenever he wants. Our father is still there, he’s doing his little bit.”
We all know about inter-county rivalry between Tipperary and Kilkenny, but did you know that Aidan went to school in Thurles?
“It was gas they would say in school, ‘Jaysus you were born on the wrong side’, but I would say I was born on the right side of the border.
“We have land in Kilkenny and land in Tipperary, so I’d always say it was boggy land in Tipp and the good land in Kilkenny.
“We’re 15 minutes to Thurles and half an hour to Kilkenny, so I’m actually closer to Thurles than I am to Kilkenny.”
Work
Aidan works as a service engineer covering the southeast of Ireland for Irish company CBE, but he asked for some time off for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which they thankfully accommodated.
Before he started training, the only bit of dancing Aidan had done was at weddings. \ CJ Nash
“I worked in December and did this (dancing). I wouldn’t have been able to keep it up I think. I was up at 6am, doing my jobs until 3pm or 4pm, then I was tearing up to Dublin, doing training, back down to be home at 12am.”
So Aidan decided to email his bosses to see if he could get January off because he wasn’t sure how he would get on.
“January then was coming to an end, so I emailed them and said, ‘Look lads it seems to be going OK for me, can we just say I’ll come back after I’m knocked out’. They rowed in behind me and said, ‘Absolutely, no problem’. That took massive pressure off me, it’s super.”
Hand behind your back
If you were to watch Aidan closely, you might notice that he has developed a new habit. He now puts his hand behind his back whenever it’s not in use. This was Emily’s influence.
“Whenever I have a hand that’s doing nothing, I just leave it by my side but Emily’s like, ‘What’s your hand doing? It doesn’t look right’. The new thing for me now is that I put my hand behind my back.
Aidan Fogarty, former Kilkenny hurler is showing he can bust some moves on Dancing with the Stars. \ CJ Nash
“It’s kind of a running theme, Emily is kind of laughing like, ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe you keep doing that’. But sure she told me to do it.”
Reactions
When it was first announced that Aidan would be going on Dancing with the Stars, he endured light-hearted slagging from his friends.
Now, attitude has been changing to respect and the occasional, “Can you get us tickets?”
“It’s kind of gone full circle. When it came out there was no dancing, but a lot of photoshoots, I was wearing pink pants and had fake tan on and the boys just thought this was the best craic ever.
“When the show started they were all like jeanie right, fair play to you and it’s a tough thing you’re doing. You’d be very surprised actually; a lot of them are asking for tickets and are mad to go to the show.”
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