"I'm happy to do it and that's it." So says Denis O'Sullivan about his collection of GAA memorabilia which he exhibits all over Cork each year.
The ardent GAA fan has built the collection up over the past 25 years, focusing largely on hurling legend Christy Ring. Denis has the packing and unpacking of his mobile exhibition down to a fine art. He's done it so often that he doesn't find it a chore. "That's the easy part," he says of transporting it about. Laying it out takes an hour.
The part he loves most though is chatting to people who visit his exhibitions. They're staged mostly in libraries as they have the space that's needed to lay it all out properly. He has also staged his exhibition in GAA halls and in other venues that have sufficient room.
Denis especially enjoys when visitors discover a photo of or write up about a family member or friend and they get into a discussion about it. He is, of course, extremely knowledgeable about all of the subject matter.
It all started when Denis was a soldier stationed at Collins Barracks in Cork. He was reading a book about Christy Ring one day when he was approached by Jackie Farmer who suggested he start a scrapbook about the legendary player. Denis asked him how he might go about it and Jackie, in the days following, brought him old newspapers containing articles about Ring.
Thus begun the collection that now numbers hundreds of items, including posters, programmes and photographs, audio recordings of hurling and camogie matches and DVDs.
Christy Ring's son, Christy Junior, has visited the exhibition twice and the grandchildren of the man described as 'the greatest hurler Ireland has ever seen' have also viewed it.
The time Denis has devoted to the exhibition is immeasurable, between cataloguing it, travelling about with it, setting up, displaying and talking to people about it and packing it all up again and taking it home to Ballynoe where it takes up 80 feet of storage space.
He exhibited 13 times this year alone, his schedule made busier by Gathering events. He is already booked to take his exhibition back to Glen Rovers premises in Blackpool next year and he has a booking for the Bealtaine festival in May.
One of the most time-consuming tasks he undertook was to index his audio tapes in such a way that they can be tuned into within 30 seconds of big scores, giving listeners unparalleled access to some of the most exciting moments in GAA history.
Denis enjoys finding new places and venues at which to exhibit, allowing him to bring his collection to new audiences. He's often invited back to places he's visited and, if he wants to show his collection at a particular place, he tries to find a way to.
The enjoyment of those who come to view his collection is reward enough for the self-effacing Denis who sometimes has his travel expenses covered, sometimes not. Instead he's anxious to thank others who've helped him along the way; Jackie Farmer who started him off, another great Cork hurler, John Fenton, who gave him his first exhibition, Tom Morrison from Shanagarry, Dan Beary from Pallasgreen in east Limerick and Dan McCarthy of Newtown, Ballynoe whom he says has assisted him greatly. Another supporter is John Cashman of C103 who has publicised Denis's many exhibitions.
Denis never got to meet his hero in person but he has most certainly honoured his memory with his remarkable collection.
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