Damian Browne made history during the week, as the first person ever to complete the incredible rowing voyage from New York to Galway.
The former Connacht and Leinster player took off from Manhattan on June 14 and, 112 days later, arrived on the rocks at Furbo Beach just south of Galway in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Damian Browne received a hero's welcome on his return to Galway city, after his 3000+ mile journey - all in aid of the National Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation, Ability West, Madra and The Galway Simon Community for Project Empower 2022 (you can donate here).
Browne appeared on the Late Late Show on Friday night to discuss the epic voyage - and said that the mental challenges were far greater than the physical challenges posed on the Atlantic.
Damian Browne brilliantly tells tale of voyage across Atlantic
Damian Browne was one of Ryan Tubridy's guests on the Late Late Show this week, and Tubridy was keen to ask him how he coped with the mental challenges of such a long period spent at sea.
“You can never win the fight against it, you just survive it.”
What an inspiration you are @auld__stock 👏#LateLate pic.twitter.com/ZU7QJSidV2— The Late Late Show (@RTELateLateShow) October 7, 2022
Browne said that the trip from New York to Galway in a one-man rowing boat was a "daunting" experience, and said that he regularly suffered from setbacks along the way.
He said that mental and emotional strength was far more important, saying that one would "suffer" if they could not deal with the strain the voyage created. He said:
I was absolutely daunted by the body of work that lay ahead of me. To do it on your own...this part of this ocean is absolutely unforgiving in terms of the weather systems involved in it.
When there's two of us, the boat never stops moving. Constantly going forward. But, when there's only one of you...it'll go forward as long as you're rowing it, to a certain extent, but the minute I stop, I start going backwards. So, the distance becomes multiplied. It was 3000 nautical miles - it was actually a lot longer because I went back so many times, I reckon something like 500 or 600 miles backwards over time.
Psychologically, you can deal with that two, three, four days, it'll take its toll - but it will absolutely lead to moments of despair over 60-70 days.
It's a total psychological game out there, compared to the physical. Emotionally, too, it's very challenging. But mostly psychologically and mentally, because it's just this relentless beast. You can never win the fight against it, you can just survive it.
Damian Browne. Some man.
You can donate to Project Empower 2022 here.
SEE ALSO: A Forlorn Looking Graham Rowntree Blames Munster "Ill-Discipline" In Loss To Connacht
