2
AMSTELGOLD RACE
His work
Friendly
AMSTEL BIER
MAN
Tom O'Reilly rushed in to see
us. It was only nine in the
morning. He'd already done a
lot that day, but there was still much
more work ahead for him. He's a
representative at Murphy's Brewery in
Cork (Ireland).
He's been working for the brewery for
30 years, 20 of which as salesman. But
he's got quite a few other things on his
mind as wellFirsthe's a married man
Then he's got five daughters, the eldest
being 17, and one son. His wife is a
writer and already has many articles to
her name. Two of her novels have been
published. A third is almost ready.
Tom's wife writes under the pen-name
of Clodagh Francis. Her two published
novels are: 'Love's Dark Illusion' and
'The Bardi Engagement'. The third,
'Passionate Journey', will come out
shortly.
When Tom's not working he puts his
free time to good use. One of his
hobbies is keeping beautiful birds. He
owns about a hundred pheasants in all
sorts of colours and the most superb
ducks. He is master of the local pack of
hounds. That's why he keeps eighteen
dogs at home. He used to go in for
sport. You don't need to ask him which
sport. His slightly flattened nose spells
out boxing. He doesn't put on the
gloves any more but is still on the
committee of his boxing clubHe's also
a referee for the Irish Amateur Boxing
Association.
Before going to the office in the
morning he's already taken care of the
animals. In the evening he has to do the
same again.
He sells Murphy's and Heineken beer
in the northern part of Cork city. That's
not all that easy, as our Irish customers
can stock any beer they want. They are
not tied at all. We know full well how
much an Irishman likes to drink his
'own' brand of beer. If a publican has
had a difference of opinion with a
brewery representative, then all the
landlord needs to do is to make a
slighting remark about that man's beer
having tasted a bit 'offish' of late and
that brand's sales will slump. So it's
very important for Tom to maintain
excellent relations with his customers.
Particularly as he also has to collect
Tom O'Reilly, representative at Murphy's
in Cork (Ireland).
payments from a great many of them.
At the end of the month Tom O'Reilly
turns into a true diplomatHe has to if
he wants to arrive back at his work with
the money!
He has to sponsor all types of small
events in the pubs, like darts matches
or sing-along evenings. He has to be
pleasant to the staff in the bars and
pubs, for they too might allege that the
quality of our beer was not as good as it
used to be. And when he doesn't get his
money immediately, he still has to stay
friendly. In actual facthe has to have a
friendly word for all the local people in
his area, as he knows almost all of
them. Only a man with inborn
friendliness can take on a job like this.
As master of the hunt, Tom O'Reilly also
has to look after his dogs.
And he has to be very sociable as well,
as that's the atmosphere that the Irish
look for in their pubs. Tom O'Reilly
certainly is sociable. He also has to be
able to say 'no' in a very special way.
Like when the landlord shouts out:
"There'sTom. He'll surely buy us all a
round". A straight refusal is
impossible. So what's the solution?
What answer does he give? "Of
course, but you're the one who's
running the whole place, so why don't
you buy the first round and then the
second one's on me". In that way the
round is almost always forgotten
What a pity for the Irish Republic.
Tom O'Reilly would probably have
made an extremely good, official
ambassador for his country.
At work in "The Chimes" pub, with Marie Bowen and husband.
The Amstel Gold Race is an
international race for professional
cyclistsThis year was the 20th time it's
been held. Each year more than 100
racing cyclists take part, including the
well-known cracks. On the small photo
you can see the start in front of the City
Theatre House in Heerlen, in the
South of Holland. This year's winner
was Gerrie Knetemann, pictured here
crossing the finishing line.