Tommy Bowe says early starts on Ireland AM mean more 'quality time' with family

The former Irish rugby star has woken up at the crack of dawn to get to the Virgin Media studio Monday through Thursday since August 2020.

Despite this, he believes that the 4am starts are worth it because he can then spend his afternoons at home with his wife Lucy and their two children, Emma and Jamie.

“It’s funny old hours with this show, but it means I am home in the afternoon and the evening,” he told RSVP Live.

“That’s the beauty of the show. Yes, I’m up extremely early, but I'm home in the afternoon to pick up my kids. I can bring my daughter or my son to their swimming lessons.

“That means I can spend quality time with my wife and my kids as well,” he added.

The Monaghan native revealed that his evenings are usually pretty busy, however, as he and his fellow Ireland AM presenters Muireann O’Connell and Alan Hughes get sent their notes after dinnertime.

“We get all our notes sent to us the night before around 6pm or 7pm,” he explained.

“The two kids are in the bath and I'm trying not to let them drown while I read my notes.

“My daughter would like to play with me and I'm telling her that I'm doing my homework like the reading I was trying to get her to do earlier.”

Tommy said that the early starts usually mean that he can’t stay up too late, meaning that he sometimes falls asleep before his 4-year-old daughter.

He recalled: “Over Halloween, we were at a party at a friend’s house. She was having the time of her life with all the next-door neighbours and her pals.

“It got to 8:30pm and I had to take her home. Not for her, but because I had to work in the morning. It’s pretty sad when you have to take your four-year-old home because you need to get into bed, it’s desperate!”