ABU DHABI // Even as a boy in Ireland, Joe McGrath was obsessed with aircraft. The youngest of 15 siblings 10 sisters and four brothers he would stare at the sky in his hometown of Birr, County Offaly, in the hope of spotting a plane.
"Even though there were no planes for a million miles, I used to see the white lines of their trail and that brought me great joy," he said.
The family moved to England, and Mr McGrath began a journey that would see him become a master of ceremonies and commentator for the Red Bull Air Race - in which 15 daredevil pilots test the limits of human precision and state-of-the-art technology by navigating obstacle courses in their planes.
This year's championship takes off in Abu Dhabi next month.
In England, Mr McGrath studied mechanical engineering. In 1984, he was given a job working for an aircraft maintenance company. Then he got the opportunity to fly around London for a radio show on an occassional basis, updating listeners on the city's traffic.
When the chief traffic reporter quit, the station asked him if he wanted a shot at the job.
Two other candidates for the position travelling to the station for interviews got lost en route - just as London was experiencing a massive traffic jam that extended from Gatwick to Heathrow airports.
"It was a gridlock the distance from Abu Dhabi to Dubai and they said I had to go on air for an hour and a half of broadcasting," Mr McGrath recalled. "When I landed there was a phone call asking if I wanted to do it full-time. I asked them, 'Hang on, you are going to pay me to fly around?'."
He was, he quips, "in the right plane at the right time".
That led to more radio jobs, albeit on the ground, but Mr McGrath continued to look for an opportunity to get back into flying.
In 2001, he moved his family to Melbourne, Australia, where he worked for a consulting company. Travelling between London and Melbourne offered him the chance to visit his brother in Dubai during stopovers. He liked Dubai, and decided to relocate again.
In the UAE, Mr McGrath was hired as an operations manager for Atlas Television. Then the opportunity to join the Red Bull Air Race came up.
McGrath joined the race team in 2004, when it was in its second year. He replaced a Dutch commentator whose main experience was in windsurfing.
"They asked me to go down and tell him a little bit about planes," said Mr McGrath. "He was just going 'Wow, wow, wow'."
Since then, Mr McGrath has spent 80 days a year with the air race, flying more than 190,000 kilometres anually. He does not mind hanging around airports, having jetlag or eating bad airline food, because he loves planes.
The pilots compete for the fastest times in an eight-race series, which takes place in six cities. The championship finishes in Barcelona in October.
The job often sees Mr McGrath sharing the commentary platform with overseas counterparts. As the planes prepared to compete over the Douro river in Porto in last year's penultimate round, the Portuguese commentator asked Mr McGrath if he would like to own one of the magnificent flying machines.
He would love to, replied McGrath, but he was already married.
Spending much of the year criss-crossing the world and talking about planes non-stop, Mr McGrath has travelled a long way from County Offaly.
He has started his own company - in addition to the air race, he is the announcer at the Al Ain Air Show each January.
"Now I can go away when I want," said Mr McGrath. "And I can ride planes and talk about them all the time."
@Email:sbhattacharya@thenational.ae
Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%202-litre%20direct%20injection%20turbo%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%207-speed%20automatic%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20261hp%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20400Nm%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20From%20Dh134%2C999%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
The Gentlemen
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant
Three out of five stars
TALE OF THE TAPE
Manny Pacquiao
Record: 59-6-2 (38 KOs)
Age: 38
Weight: 146lbs
Height: 166cm
Reach: 170cm
Jeff Horn
Record: 16-0-1 (11 KOs)
Age: 29
Weight: 146.2lbs
Height: 175cm
Reach: 173cm
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Company: Libra Project
Based: Masdar City, ADGM, London and Delaware
Launch year: 2017
Size: A team of 12 with six employed full-time
Sector: Renewable energy
Funding: $500,000 in Series A funding from family and friends in 2018. A Series B round looking to raise $1.5m is now live.
Company profile
Company name: Nestrom
Started: 2017
Co-founders: Yousef Wadi, Kanaan Manasrah and Shadi Shalabi
Based: Jordan
Sector: Technology
Initial investment: Close to $100,000
Investors: Propeller, 500 Startups, Wamda Capital, Agrimatico, Techstars and some angel investors
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club race card
5pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic (PA) Prestige; Dh110,000; 1,400m
5.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic (PA) Prestige; Dh110,000; 1,400m
6pm: Maiden (PA); Dh80,000; 1,600m
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship (PA) Listed; Dh180,000; 1,600m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap; Dh70,000; 2,200m
7.30pm: Handicap (PA); Dh100,000; 2,400m
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
if you go
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm