Blog Archives - Johnny Bowe Broadcaster Radio & TV

Johnny Bowe Broadcaster Radio & TV

Cavan Murders & What Needs To Be Done Now #cavan

8/31/2016

.. Since the year 2000, 27 murder suicides have occurred in Ireland. Not only has someone taken there own life but they have taken the lives of innocent people with them. When the news broke regarding this tragedy in Cavan my heart sank. A tear came to my eye as the realisation of what had happened in that house in Ballyjamesduff. I am aware that Gardai investigations are ongoing and no motive has yet been made public. I had initially thought that it was a spur of the moment attack and that not much planning had gone into it but having heard that the attacker left a note or possibly two I am beginning to think that the person who carried out these horrendous murders had been thinking about it for some time. In fact while I write this the Gardai have said that the Father left a second note detailing why he killed his wife and three young sons.

We have heard much about the Father & how he was a pillar of the community. Well he wasn't much of a pillar when he decided to go on a murder spree amongst his whole family. Joe O'Reilly murdered his wife Rachel over 15 years ago and was described as an evil monster and rightly so but this man who murders his three sons and wife is described as a lovely fella and a pillar of the community. Can somebody please justify this? So because he killed himself we are to be somehow more remorseful? Something seriously wrong here folks. We have not heard much about the mother. The woman who gave birth to three beautiful boys and who nourished them through youth and did everything for them. It took a few days to see her photo. Let us please put this crime into perspective. Yes of course it's a tragedy, of course it's very sad, but it has to be said that a person with serious issues destroyed his whole family. Because life was unbearable for him and his thoughts that life would be miserable for his family gave him no right to do what he did. He murdered four people for his own reasons. This term ''Murder Suicide'' seems to be a more acceptable way of putting ''Murderer'' down in print.

Every time a serious crime is committed we are told by the media that ''Mental Health Issues'' were to blame. It is so disrespectful to the thousands of Irish people who deal with Mental Health issues on a daily basis. If Mr Hawe was so unhappy why did he have to take his three kids and wife away from this world. I can't accept that. I can somehow understand somebody taking there own life but to take somebody else's with you is going to another level and is so not right.

I hope that people who are not feeling good or feeling down would talk to someone. Start with your GP & go from there. There is no shame or stigma attached to feeling low inside or being anxious. If you were my friend I would be happy to help you if you were feeling down inside and would point you in the right direction. It must be pointed out though that this type of behaviour of murdering innocent people because you have issues is not acceptable in society. 27 Murder Suicides in 16 years is a big concern. The government need to investigate this further and come up with a plan.

My thought's and prayer's are with everyone affected by this terrible crime.

Samaritans - Ph 116 123 or Website www.samaritans.org

Changing My Style Of Play from Defence to Attack

8/2/2016

One of the toughest challenge's in my Table Tennis career was at the age of 17 debating on whether to change my style of play from defence to all round attack. I started Table Tennis in 1986 as a defence player as I had showed signs that my style was heading in that direction. I displayed characteristics of other defensive player's by retreating back from that table and the coach decided that he would mould me in that fashion and also thinking that the other players would benefit from playing against my awkward style.

I suppose looking back I had no choice in becoming a defensive player. The coach made that decision and stuck by it. I have no regrets about this and only look at the positive's of what was to come.

It was in 1991 that I asked my Father to help me change my style. The reason I wanted to change is because the attacking player's were using Tip Top speed glue (banned now). The power of the drive topspin was too much for me to handle and I feel now that back then I had no coach who was able to take me to that next level of defence. We had very few coaches back then with the expertise that some have now.

So Dad had absolutely no Table Tennis experience. Never played and never coached. It was a recipe for disaster I thought. I couldn't have been further from the truth. Dad went into Eason's on O'Connell St and bought ''Lentec'' Table Tennis Equipment manual and he bought David Fairholm's Table Tennis Tactics. Two books I still have on the book shelf right behind me as I am writing this. He read them inside out and started to get a grasp for task that was ahead of us.

Anyone who has been coached by a parent will know how up and down the experience can be. If you have a disagreement then you both take that home together. When you have a disagreement with a coach, the coach goes home to his or her home and has a cooling off period. With a parent and son or daughter then this can't happen. You live and breath the game and the pressure can become too much. We had our differences but our love for what we were trying to achieve conquered the doubt.

The first thing Dad did, was invest in a table tennis robot by a company called Newgy. It was an amazing device and fired balls with four different spins using it's oscillator to move the balls in the different locations on the table. This played a huge part in my change of style. Then we invested in TSP Spin Pips which was a short pimple rubber. I would use this on the backhand with the idea that I would drive through opponents spin. Dad also kept telling me that in the manuals the authors would talk about a new technique for coaches and player's called ''Multi-Ball''. I didn't know what it was and so we started to mirror the pictures in the manual's.

Soon we are on our way to me finally having a backhand drive and backhand loop. For two years I played with the pips and then finally moved onto live tacky rubber on both sides. It was an extremely difficult process. I remember I played in a competition with the new pips on the BH. It was one set all up to 21 points and 20-20 in the final game. It was last 8 of some event. I started to revert back to my old style of defence because I was not comfortable and ''Feared'' I had not got the courage to go for it. I actually doubted my change and ultimately lost the match.

I had learned that style of defence from day one and it was in my head that this is the way to play. That was all I knew. 5 years after that, I played that same opponent in a final and beat him with the live rubbers on both sides. After that I never reverted back from the table unless I was forced back to lob by my opponents but the negative style thought's had faded and that feeling of conquering my fear was gone.

I represented Ireland in 1988 and 1989 as a defensive player at the European Youth Championships and I would later represent Ireland in the senior European Championships as an attacking player in 2002. How many player's have done this? not many have represented there country as both a defensive and attacking player. Anyone who has knows the sacrifice.

Nothing is impossible. Go for it! Thank you Dad and thank you Tadashi Hiraga for helping me like you did. I couldn't have achieved it without you both.

Yours in Sport

JB