Jack McCaffrey explains the picture of him that went viral after the All-Ireland

IN THE WAKE of last month’s All-Ireland final success, Dublin’s third in five years, a tweet from Paul Flynn started to gain traction online.

It showed Flynn’s team-mate — and Footballer of the Year nominee — Jack McCaffrey wandering the streets of Dublin with the Sam Maguire and looking more than a little lost, perhaps after enjoying the celebrations a little too much.

McCaffrey, however, offers a far  more innocent explanation of the image.

“We were in the Convention Centre with Sam and then we had to get out to Fingal Ravens. Paul did me a big favour and dropped me, nearly, to my Grandma’s house.

“I just cut through a lane and Paul, never one to pass up a good photo opportunity — and the chance to slate me on social media — he jumped on it.”

The Clontarf man clearly holds no grudges and while he admits he enjoyed celebrating his second All-Ireland title in three years, it hasn’t taken long for the realities of life after championship to kick in.

“We’d a league game [with Clontarf] last week and that was my first return to the club and then we’ve St. Anne’s in the Dublin Senior Football Championship quarter-final in Parnell Park so that’s pretty exciting as it’s not a place that we’ve been too often recently so I’m really looking forward to that.”

On top of club football, McCaffrey also has his studies to return to and the medical student knows he’s already catching up.

“I don’t know if I’ve a different workload than a lot of the lads but you do kind of lose touch with college naturally enough for a week or so after the game. You find yourself falling a little bit behind then maybe but I’ll get back into the library now and everyone in UCD has been very, very helpful so it should be fine.

“I guess I’ll just have to do a bit of work for once in my life,” he jokes.

His work-rate on the field has been rewarded with an a nomination for Footballer of the Year alongside team-mates Philly McMahon and Bernard Brogan. But how does he feel about individual honours?

“It’s very humbling really to be spoken of so highly but it’s all about the team and the only reason any of us are getting any personal praise is because of the hard work the 35 lads have put in all summer.

“While I do really enjoy the individual stuff, and it is a big honour, it’s all built on the team.

“Any one of the three of us could win it and I’d be delighted in Bernard or Philly did and, of course, I’d be delighted if I did too.

Jack McCaffrey was speaking at the launch of The Jonathan Ranson Trust Fashion Show which takes place at Hilton Hotel, Charlemont Place, Dublin 2 on Sunday, 18 October at 7pm. A small number of tickets are still available here. 

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