Aidan O’Shea is one of the most recognised athletes in the GAA, captaining the club and county teams, he is widely regarded as one of the country’s top footballers and has been at the heart of his county team for over a decade. While we all know him as a GAA Star, over the past few years Aidan has recently had to get used to being called a ‘Social Media Star’ as well, now boasting over 110,000 followers on Instagram and Twitter alone. Making Aidan one of Ireland’s most followed sports stars. This prominent social media presence has led to Aidan now being consistently booked for social content jobs for many of the world’s best-known brands.
Three magic social-media-loving elements have all aligned to secure Aidan’s place as one of Ireland’s most followed men: his soaring talent on the GAA field, his funny, cheeky and playful personality, as well as his standout good looks. Something that lends particularly well to Instagram.
It was all of the additional time forced upon us by lockdown that initially turned Aidan to become more reliant on his phone for social engagement and connectivity throughout that tough time, saying he was:
“Never really like that before, but when you have more time, you slowly become more obsessed, and social media began to fill that void in my life created by lockdown. For me it’s not about the number of followers, but an audience who enjoy following me, my lifestyle and are interested in my day-to-day life. Which is usually around training, work and my social life. During this time, I had to learn how to maximise social media, why and when to engage and what content I liked to post about. I don’t resent it, but I have learned to moderate my usage and enjoy it when I do post.”
However, it was lockdown and our enforced separation from our loved ones that reshaped Aidan’s relationship with his most cherished device, his iPhone, which had just started to sour.
Aidan adds:
“Before the pandemic hit, I was really feeling the pressure of needing to come up with ‘good’ social media content, not something that comes completely naturally to me, so I was genuinely starting to resent my phone. But then we were right in the peak of the longest lockdown back in March, when I broke my phone during a sea swim at my local beach in Carrowniskey, Co. Mayo and I very quickly realised how lost I was without it. It was the only thing keeping me connected to my friends and family throughout that isolated time, who I missed so much”.
Aidan knew to only trust the repair of his damaged smartphone with Ireland’s most trustworthy device repair group, PAIR Mobile, stating:
“I knew to go straight to PAIR Mobile, as they are Ireland’s most trustworthy repair group. An Irish, family run company, they only use the best possible device parts anyone can source and have the strictest global repair standards with all of their repair jobs, whether it is your phone, your laptop or your tablet. Most people don’t realise there are a lot of less reputable shops out there using unreliable, cheaper parts and substandard practices for a quick fix”.
“At that point in March when I broke my phone, I was relying on it for a big part of my social life and connection to loved ones, so I was worried about how long it was going to take to get it fixed, if it could be at all! But PAIR Mobile reassured me they have the quickest turnaround times and I got it back from them, good as new, within 24 hours, which was just incredible! They have walk-in stores in Dublin, Cork and Limerick but take posted devices from anywhere in the country and usually get it back to you within 3 working days. They are also an Irish, family run business and I love championing green whenever I can”.
“So I was back on Facetime with my family and chatting about strategy and the season ahead with the lads by the following evening! It was amazing. I think everyone thinks a lot of the latest smartphones are waterproof, but I only actually learned from the guys in PAIR Mobile that they’re only water resistant and not salt water protected at all! Which I don’t think anyone knows!”
PAIR Mobile offers smartphone, tablet and laptop repairs from as little as €25. They offer 12-month warranty on all Apple & Samsung repairs. They only use genuine Samsung screens. They are a 100% Irish family-owned business. PAIR Mobile are celebrating 10 years championing the right to repair and offer superior customer service 7 days a week.
