‘There's more to life' – Jason Foley finds meaning beyond football after Kerry's Meath meltdown

The Irish Sun

13 hours ago

THIS time six weeks ago, Kerry football folk feared that the sky was falling in.
A projected routine
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Jason Foley of Kerry in action against Meath during their shock loss earlier this season
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Foley is looking at the bigger picture as Kerry head into today's All-Ireland final against Donegal
In a county where football flows through the blood of the natives, it was a doomsday defeat.
But for Jason Foley, life's bigger picture made its way back into his line of vision as soon as he returned to the workplace.
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Although it is a career that he considers his true vocation, he admits there are some days which are more challenging than others — such as the Monday following the 1-22 to 0-16 loss to the Royals.
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He recalled: 'I went into work that morning and I was covering someone else — another SNA — who wasn't in work that day.
'It was like a sign that was given to me to just get on with it. There's more to life.
'It was the one day that I had to cover someone else and it was the most perspective I've had in a long time. It's great that way.'
Through good times and bad, perspective can be an elusive commodity for supporters and players alike.
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For contrasting reasons, and quite understandably, the people of Tipperary and Cork in Croke Park may have struggled to accept that hurling is only a game at 5pm last Sunday.
Kerry and Donegal battle for Sam Maguire in GAA All-Ireland football final
Ever since he left behind a promising athletics career at the age of 17 to focus on football with Ballydonoghue and Kerry, Foley has emptied himself in the pursuit of success.
That is verified by his winning of an All-Ireland medal and an All-Star award in 2022.
And having emerged on the losing side in two of his three previous appearances in the Sam Maguire showpiece, he is sure to be crushed if today belongs to Donegal.
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But his vocation has helped the 27-year-old to trust that the world will keep spinning nonetheless.
Foley, who represented Ireland as a sprint hurdler at schools level, works mostly to aid children with autism spectrum disorder.
He said: 'That's the thing about working with children with special needs or ASD in general — I suppose you don't know what way they're going to come in every morning and you just have to roll with the punches and make their life as great as possible for that day. So I love it.'
A former University College Cork student, Foley inherited his passion for working with children from his mother Noelle and his Cork-based maternal grandmother Anna O'Donovan.
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He explained: 'My grandmother, she would have fostered a lot of children. I would have gone down to visit her often.
"Mom would have told me all the stories about her fostering children and how hard she worked, so it was kind of a natural progression really.
'I kind of wanted to do teaching initially and then kind of fell into Early Years and Childhood Studies in UCC and really enjoyed it.
'I was advised to go into it. I was told that I was compassionate towards children with special needs on placements and stuff like that and really enjoyed it.
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"I really enjoyed helping children develop, I suppose, and I'm very, very lucky to be involved in it.
'I think it puts great perspective on things when I go into work on a Monday morning and see what struggles children have or what struggles parents have.
'I might have struggled at the weekend — my man might have kicked a few points off me.
'I'm coming into work on a Monday morning with a sour head on me but then quickly realising that there's more to life than that.'
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Just like the children that Foley works with in Milltown, near Killarney, the Kerry defence has been in safe hands since he made his Championship debut in 2018.
Michael Murphy will put him to the test if their anticipated match-up materialises. But this is a man not known for shirking challenges in any area of his life.
FAMILY LIFE
On his profession, Foley continued: 'My mother would have been a childcare nurse and when she came to Kerry, she would have been looking after a lot of children.
"She would have done a lot of child-minding and stuff like that.
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'We would have been surrounded by children when we were growing up and when I was a teenager. We'd be out kicking ball with kids and we'd have been surrounded by cousins and stuff the whole time.
'I don't know, I just kind of fell into it. But it's kind of funny how things work out really.
'As I said, I genuinely love it. I love going into work every morning and there's a good camaraderie between the SNAs and the teachers.'
For Foley, one of the perks of the job is the opportunity to briefly shed his skin as an inter-county footballer.
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He said: 'The nice thing most of the time is that the children I'd be working with would nearly be totally oblivious to the fact that I am who I am, or I play with Kerry, or football in general, which is kind of nice.
'It's kind of endearing in a way. I can kind of go in and do a jigsaw puzzle or help them with their work.
"It's just a completely different life. I suppose, in a way, I can switch off from it too because when you're surrounded by adults the whole time or staff members or different kids, it can be all questions about the game.
'Sometimes it can be a breath of fresh air when you're surrounded by children who are oblivious to that.'
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Putting another Celtic Cross in his pocket will not alter how Foley is viewed by the children who depend on him.
Ultimately, his scope to improve their lives will be unaffected by the outcome of the 2025 All-Ireland SFC final.
And when all is said and done, no victory that is attainable on the field can measure up to the ones being achieved by Foley in the classrooms.