'It's kind of funny the way it turned out' said Gary O'Donovan on RTÉ's Sports Awards show on Saturday night. 'We've been going to regattas all our lives and racing all our lives, it just happened that RTÉ turned up to this regatta and put cameras in front of us,' he added.
The brothers from Lisheen had just been named RTÉ Team of the Year, an award decided by public vote on the night. In winning the award, Garry and Paul beat some stiff competition - the Irish rugby team, Connacht, the Irish football team and Dundalk among others.
Their interview with Darragh Maloney afterwards reflected part of the reason why the public voted for them. Of course, they are elite athletes - Olympic silver medalists - but also, hugely likeable.
'You're massively ambitious. There's a big 2017 coming for the O'Donovans,' said Darragh Maloney. 'Oh yeah,' replied to duo in unison.
In the end, it was all for their grandmother.
'Nan is going to love this one. She's got loads of trophies at home in the cupboard. This is massive. She's going to be delighted.'
The O'Donovan brothers named the RTÉ Sport Team of the Year https://t.co/arWphRIW8E
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) December 17, 2016
