This is the incredible story of how the GAA and its people managed to weather the coronavirus pandemic and re-emerge to fight another day. On St Patrick's Day 2020, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced that Ireland was locking down. Our lives, purpose and favourite pastime as Irish people - meeting each other - stopped overnight. Throughout that dark time, the GAA was at the centre of the country's fightback against covid-19. From the start, thousands of volunteers delivered food and medicine to vulnerable neighbours and friends during lockdown. Croke Park and other major stadia transformed into testing centres; the Association went online to keep people connected and became a beacon of hope. As the Association itself faced financial ruin, its members had their own life and death struggles to contend with. Niall Murphy, of Antrim GAA, was in a coma for sixteen days fighting the virus, and camogie player Marianne Walsh spent her cancer recovery amid strict lockdowns, only dreaming of one day playing for her club again. Hurler Domhnall Nugent battled intense isolation as he recovered from addiction issues. And when championships were shut down after celebrations threatened the association's reputation, uncertainty hung in the air. But through it all, GAA people rallied. Their stories, and the story of the GAA itself, now need to be told.

This is the incredible story of how the GAA and its people weathered the coronavirus pandemic, and found the strength to survive. In the year 2020, our lives, purpose and favourite pastime as Irish people - meeting each other - stopped overnight. Throughout that dark time, the GAA was at the centre of the country's fight against COVID-19. From the start, thousands of volunteers delivered food and medicine to vulnerable neighbours and friends during lockdown and the association went online, keeping people connected and becoming a beacon of hope. As the association itself faced financial ruin, members had their own life and death struggles. Niall Murphy, of Antrim GAA, spent sixteen days in a coma, fighting the virus, as camogie player Marianne Walsh spent her cancer recovery amid strict lockdowns, dreaming of playing for her club once again. Hurler Domhnall Nugent battled intense isolation as he recovered from addiction. And when championships were shut down after celebrations threatened the association's reputation, uncertainty hung in the air. Through it all, GAA people rallied. Their stories, and the story of the GAA itself, needs to be told.

As every sportsperson knows, the dream can't go on forever. After years of dedication, sacrifice and single-minded obsession to get to the top, one day it all has to end. When the World Stops Watching tells the real inside stories of what happened next for sixteen Irish sports stars, as they faced the brand-new challenges of normal life. From the highs of Grand Slam rugby, World Cup football, the Olympic Games, European Tour golf and GAA stardom, these born competitors recount the seismic aftershocks of retirement and the effect it had on them, both physically and mentally. The lives of sporting icons can change overnight. This is a searingly honest and compelling account of what life is really like after the game. FEATURING TOMMY BOWE * PAUL CARBERRY * KEVIN DOYLE * PAUL FLYNN * TREVOR HOGAN * MARCUS HORAN * PAUL McGEE * GARY MURPHY * GRAINNE MURPHY * DONNCHA O'CALLAGHAN * DARREN O'NEILL * SONIA O'SULLIVAN * LINDSAY PEAT * NIALL QUINN * SHANE SUPPLE * NIKKI SYMMONS