“I’d have been hitting the ball off the wall and I wouldn’t find a reason to go drink”

Cian Lynch doesn't drink.

It wasn't something he was told to abstain from, he just never saw the point in it himself. While his teammates and classmates were tasting their first drink at 16, 17 or 18 years of age, it just wasn't something he was tempted by. He'd spend his evenings training away with Patrickswell underage teams. He played soccer too and when he wasn't pucking balls off the wall at home, he was meeting up with the lads for a few kicks. He didn't have the time to think he was missing out on anything. 18 turned to 22 in four quick years and when he didn't drink back in the day, he sees no point in starting now. It's normality for him, it's not any sort of moral code.

“I never got into the whole thing," he said to us a Bord Bia event recently. "When I was 15/16 and other lads were testing it, I would have been playing soccer or hurling...I’d have been hitting the ball off the wall and I wouldn’t find a reason to go have a drink...I’d always go for a puck, and meet the lads down the road and hit a few balls. It’s what you’re introduced to or what you choose - It was my own choice, nobody ever told me not to drink, I just never got into it, it could have been a different story if I got into it, it’s just different paths in life."

Cian Lynch is his own man. Peer pressure isn't something that affects him and that's why he's able to deal with the slagging that comes with a sober life. He's great craic anyway, he up for a laugh and he's one of those lads who's able to take a joke at his own expense well. He loves those late nights out as much as anybody else and he'd be one of the last lads to leave the night club. The only difference is he'd be driving home and he benefits from not being shook the next morning. Obviously, that has a positive impact on his lifestyle and on his hurling.

"I still go out, Jesus, I go out as much as anyone, I’d stay out till all hours of the night but I think it’s ideal to be able to hop into the car then and drive home."

He admits that he can feel a bit of a black sheep at times, but that doesn't bother him enough to start.

“It is hard in that sense, nobody would ever text you saying, ‘would you come down for a pint?’ The black sheep.  “I’d be letting on I don’t have the car. It is hard at times, you’re in a pub all day, and the lads are all drinking - it is hard to try and stay there and stay a part of the craic, but sure when lads are drunk they don’t know what’s going on so you can do whatever you want…

Lynch's individuality stretches far beyond his attitude towards alcohol, however. On Sunday mornings, it's 10.00 mass in Ballybrown or 11.30 mass in Patrickswell depending on what time he's training at.

"It goes back to family again. There are six of us in my family, my father and mother brought us to mass every Sunday. If it was a feast day, we’d be in mass to celebrate it or we might say a few prayers...But every Sunday, I’d be down for mass. If it’s down to Ballybrown for 10.00 mass or Patrickswell for 11.30 mass, I’d be there."

We're all creatures of habit. Cian Lynch just seems to have better habits than most of us.

"For me, it’s a bit of a structure in my life...When you’re on massive highs from winning or when you’re on a massive low, I say a few prayers or go to mass and it kind of brings me to level ground...I suppose it makes me prepared for the highs and lows that come with the game and mentally I think it’s great to be able to offload and that safeguard too."

That lifestyle is certainly serving him well at the moment. Cian Lynch, Roz Purcell and Nikki Evans have partnered with Bord Bia to celebrate World Egg Day as part of the Quality Assured Eggs Campaign.