TOMORROW AFTERNOON, NA Fianna line out in the Dublin senior football final for the first time in 17 years. They are bidding to lift their first title since 2001.
As the 1990s ran into the 2000s, the Glasnevin outfit were the dominant side in the capital.
They possessed homegrown stars Dessie Farrell and Jason Sherlock, who were joined by cross-city transfers Mick Galvin and Senan Connell.
Then they were boosted by the arrival of Armagh players Kieran McGeeney and Des Mackin.
The club had been knocking on the door for a number of years prior to that, having been beaten by Kilmacud Crokes in the 1998 decider.
Both living in Dublin a number of years by then, McGeeney and Mackin decided to transfer their club allegiances.
Armagh’s failure to advance from Ulster and the lack of a backdoor meant their campaigns were short.
“By 98 we felt we needed more football,” Mackin tells The42.
They met a number of clubs “for a chat to see what their long term and short term goals were.”
“After one particular meeting with a northside team they referred to Na Fianna as the yellowbellies which sort of got me and Kieran going because I think there’s a bit of an underdog in south Armagh people. That we like to prove people wrong for some some reason.
“So the decision was made within about three seconds of that statement coming out. We had met Na Fianna a good few times and we felt the hunger was in them as well. They were close. They were missing probably two boys like us up the middle…”
It turned out to be a wise move. McGeeney and Mackin added some steel and quality to an already stacked team. The transfers were somewhat controversial at the time, but the pair fit in with the group well.
“It was very easy because a lot of that stuff would bounce off you in terms of x, y and z being said. Secondly, Na Fianna even though it’s a Dublin club is integrated with so many country people.
“There’s so many country people integrated in all the Dublin clubs. We were very much welcomed. And we fitted it in very well. That’s probably the sorry part of GAA in Ireland, that a lot of Gaelic players move up to Dublin for work, then the commute home for a lot of them is just impossible.
“The Dublin club scene is so strong. It’s probably inter-county standard, seven or eight club teams would probably be as good as some county teams.
“Probably having success in the first year was an extra bonus and getting to the All-Ireland final. I do think some of the fruits of that three in a row are probably coming up this last few years.
“For me personally, Kieran probably got this as well, it actually bought a little bit of pressure to actually hold to make sure you caught that ball, got that kick pass in or took the score.
“I think we added to them boys as well, the quality of the training sessions were amazing, right up to the games. We played very well in most of them apart from the final. So I think the quality of the player would actually increase the quality of the training session.
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Dessie Farrell in action. Tom Honan / INPHO
Tom Honan / INPHO / INPHO
“I think any good sports person wants to play with somebody equal if not better than them so they can actually improve and improve. I think that’s something that we brought to Na Fianna. There were some quality club players there as well.”
Under future Dublin boss Pillar Caffrey in 1999, Na Fianna landed their first county title in 20 years. Having set-up Jason Sherlock for a goal in the semi-final, Mackin punched in a crucial second-half goal in the final after a long ball inside from Farrell.
“Dessie reckons that was the pass, but it was definitely a shot,” laughs Mackin.
“The relief of the local people that needed a county (title). I think everybody needs a success in the club to appreciate the volunteer work that a lot of people do.
“I remember meeting Bertie Aherne in the club house that night and I was introduced to him as the fella who scored the goal.”
Na Fianna went on a roll. Their journey brought them to the Leinster final, where they saw off Sarsfields. After beating Crossmolina in the All-Ireland semi-final, they faced Orchard kingpins Crossmaglen in the decider.
It was a strange experience for Na Fianna’s Armagh duo to face many of their county team-mates in Croke Park.
“Cullyhanna and Crossmaglen would have would have a strong rivalry but at the same time a lot of us are well connected as friends, socialise together and go to the same clubs. A lot of people are friends and family.
“I grew up knowing the likes of Cathal Short, Oisin (McConville), Anthony Cunningham…Gavin Cumiskey is a distant cousin of mine, he played on the Cullyhanna St Patrick’s primary school team that won an Ulster in ’86.
“We would first of all be friends and funny enough we were thrown into an All-Ireland final against each other. Even myself and John Donaldson were teammates probably eight, 10 years before that on St Pat’s. So it was definitely was a strange one.
“The game sort of ran away from us. In fairness to Cross they had the experience of winning maybe two before that. They knew how to hold the ball up, they had big men across the middle to nullify our big players in the forward line and they deservedly won it on the day.
“They were just quicker, nippier and probably at the end of the day just a little bit more hungry for it. Cross had something special. That team won for 20 years had something special which nobody can take away from them at all.”
Na Fianna added two further county titles over the next couple of seasons, yet it wasn’t all plain sailing. Defeats in successive provincial finals to O’Hanrahan’s and Rathnew meant they didn’t get a chance to avenge their St Patrick’s Day loss.
Na Fianna celebrate their 2000 success. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
“The year after we won the county, the next year (end of 2000), Pillar Caffrey stepped down. He felt he probably had run his course. Probably the messages weren’t being listened to as the years previous to, where we felt he went a year too early as players.
“That probably upset the applecart a little bit. The panel we had was strong enough for the county championship. But we just ran run adrift into the two Leinster finals that followed.”
A number of the current team grew up idolising that 1999-2001 crew.
Wing-back Ali Fitzgerald has vivid memories as an awestruck six-year-old meeting his heroes in the Mobhi Road club house after the 2001 victory.
“Meeting players like Geezer, and Dessie, and Jayo – club icons, national icons,” he recalls.
“You always think back to those days when you’re in the nursery, coming up through the ages, or even at senior level. That was always the Na Fianna team that you want to be like – you wanted to have something like that for your own team, for yourself.
“You think back on their stories, and hope that in 20 years time, that there will be somebody else sitting up here talking about our team.”
Mackin sat out most of the county championship in 2001 after suffering bad neck injury in the opening round.
“That was another Dessie Farrell pass,” he quips.
“I went down to scoop it up but the keeper came out and absolutely polaxed me.”
He was stretchered off with a hairline fracture to his neck, which also meant he missed Armagh’s run to the All-Ireland quarter-final that summer. When Joe Kernan took over as manager, Mackin was left off the panel.
Armagh lifted the Sam Maguire for the first time in their history the following year, and Mackin watched on from the stands.
“It’s still something I ponder,” he admits. “I have made peace with it because whenever I look back at that…first of all you have to look at it as a team effort. Then you obviously look at as an individual, what you get out of it.
Mackin lining out for Armagh. Tom Honan / INPHO
Tom Honan / INPHO / INPHO
“Armagh won the All-Ireland, one of the best days in a lot of people’s lives, some people will bring that day to their grave in a sense. So for me, up in the crowd, seeing my mates, my comrades in the sense, winning was absolutely hysterical.
“After that myself and guy called Paul O’Reilly made our way down to the players’ lounge. I went around to all the lads, so when I look back I was proud of myself to do that instead of what a lot of fellas probably would do is just storm off, go home and sit in the house. But I actually stayed with them, celebrated with them and congratulated them.”
He made it back onto the Armagh panel in 2003, when Tyrone defeated them in the All-Ireland final.
“I’d love to have the gold winning medal instead of the silver one from 2003,” says Mackin.
“But yeah I’ve made peace with that. Whenever I do meet up with the lads, it’s funny how some of them actually talk about the ones that they actually missed, like 2005, instead of actually appreciating what you actually have.
“It’s mad, maybe it’s just elite sports people’s mindset that they ponder on what they missed over the ones they got.
“I always look at what I have. Be that my life, family, friends, health, work etc. It’s amazing what you can actually appreciate whenever you do actually sit down and analyse it.”
Mackin, who now lives in Barcelona with his family, looks back on his time with Na Fianna fondly.
“My abiding memories of Na Fianna was fun, laughter and a couple of pints here and there. It was a really nice experience for me in those six or seven years.”
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'We felt the hunger was in them' - joining forces with McGeeney at Na Fianna
TOMORROW AFTERNOON, NA Fianna line out in the Dublin senior football final for the first time in 17 years. They are bidding to lift their first title since 2001.
As the 1990s ran into the 2000s, the Glasnevin outfit were the dominant side in the capital.
They possessed homegrown stars Dessie Farrell and Jason Sherlock, who were joined by cross-city transfers Mick Galvin and Senan Connell.
Then they were boosted by the arrival of Armagh players Kieran McGeeney and Des Mackin.
The club had been knocking on the door for a number of years prior to that, having been beaten by Kilmacud Crokes in the 1998 decider.
Both living in Dublin a number of years by then, McGeeney and Mackin decided to transfer their club allegiances.
Armagh’s failure to advance from Ulster and the lack of a backdoor meant their campaigns were short.
“By 98 we felt we needed more football,” Mackin tells The42.
They met a number of clubs “for a chat to see what their long term and short term goals were.”
“After one particular meeting with a northside team they referred to Na Fianna as the yellowbellies which sort of got me and Kieran going because I think there’s a bit of an underdog in south Armagh people. That we like to prove people wrong for some some reason.
“So the decision was made within about three seconds of that statement coming out. We had met Na Fianna a good few times and we felt the hunger was in them as well. They were close. They were missing probably two boys like us up the middle…”
It turned out to be a wise move. McGeeney and Mackin added some steel and quality to an already stacked team. The transfers were somewhat controversial at the time, but the pair fit in with the group well.
“It was very easy because a lot of that stuff would bounce off you in terms of x, y and z being said. Secondly, Na Fianna even though it’s a Dublin club is integrated with so many country people.
“There’s so many country people integrated in all the Dublin clubs. We were very much welcomed. And we fitted it in very well. That’s probably the sorry part of GAA in Ireland, that a lot of Gaelic players move up to Dublin for work, then the commute home for a lot of them is just impossible.
“The Dublin club scene is so strong. It’s probably inter-county standard, seven or eight club teams would probably be as good as some county teams.
“Probably having success in the first year was an extra bonus and getting to the All-Ireland final. I do think some of the fruits of that three in a row are probably coming up this last few years.
“For me personally, Kieran probably got this as well, it actually bought a little bit of pressure to actually hold to make sure you caught that ball, got that kick pass in or took the score.
“I think we added to them boys as well, the quality of the training sessions were amazing, right up to the games. We played very well in most of them apart from the final. So I think the quality of the player would actually increase the quality of the training session.
“I think any good sports person wants to play with somebody equal if not better than them so they can actually improve and improve. I think that’s something that we brought to Na Fianna. There were some quality club players there as well.”
Under future Dublin boss Pillar Caffrey in 1999, Na Fianna landed their first county title in 20 years. Having set-up Jason Sherlock for a goal in the semi-final, Mackin punched in a crucial second-half goal in the final after a long ball inside from Farrell.
“Dessie reckons that was the pass, but it was definitely a shot,” laughs Mackin.
“The relief of the local people that needed a county (title). I think everybody needs a success in the club to appreciate the volunteer work that a lot of people do.
“I remember meeting Bertie Aherne in the club house that night and I was introduced to him as the fella who scored the goal.”
Na Fianna went on a roll. Their journey brought them to the Leinster final, where they saw off Sarsfields. After beating Crossmolina in the All-Ireland semi-final, they faced Orchard kingpins Crossmaglen in the decider.
It was a strange experience for Na Fianna’s Armagh duo to face many of their county team-mates in Croke Park.
“Cullyhanna and Crossmaglen would have would have a strong rivalry but at the same time a lot of us are well connected as friends, socialise together and go to the same clubs. A lot of people are friends and family.
“I grew up knowing the likes of Cathal Short, Oisin (McConville), Anthony Cunningham…Gavin Cumiskey is a distant cousin of mine, he played on the Cullyhanna St Patrick’s primary school team that won an Ulster in ’86.
“We would first of all be friends and funny enough we were thrown into an All-Ireland final against each other. Even myself and John Donaldson were teammates probably eight, 10 years before that on St Pat’s. So it was definitely was a strange one.
“The game sort of ran away from us. In fairness to Cross they had the experience of winning maybe two before that. They knew how to hold the ball up, they had big men across the middle to nullify our big players in the forward line and they deservedly won it on the day.
“They were just quicker, nippier and probably at the end of the day just a little bit more hungry for it. Cross had something special. That team won for 20 years had something special which nobody can take away from them at all.”
Na Fianna added two further county titles over the next couple of seasons, yet it wasn’t all plain sailing. Defeats in successive provincial finals to O’Hanrahan’s and Rathnew meant they didn’t get a chance to avenge their St Patrick’s Day loss.
“The year after we won the county, the next year (end of 2000), Pillar Caffrey stepped down. He felt he probably had run his course. Probably the messages weren’t being listened to as the years previous to, where we felt he went a year too early as players.
“That probably upset the applecart a little bit. The panel we had was strong enough for the county championship. But we just ran run adrift into the two Leinster finals that followed.”
A number of the current team grew up idolising that 1999-2001 crew.
Wing-back Ali Fitzgerald has vivid memories as an awestruck six-year-old meeting his heroes in the Mobhi Road club house after the 2001 victory.
“Meeting players like Geezer, and Dessie, and Jayo – club icons, national icons,” he recalls.
“You always think back to those days when you’re in the nursery, coming up through the ages, or even at senior level. That was always the Na Fianna team that you want to be like – you wanted to have something like that for your own team, for yourself.
“You think back on their stories, and hope that in 20 years time, that there will be somebody else sitting up here talking about our team.”
Mackin sat out most of the county championship in 2001 after suffering bad neck injury in the opening round.
“That was another Dessie Farrell pass,” he quips.
“I went down to scoop it up but the keeper came out and absolutely polaxed me.”
He was stretchered off with a hairline fracture to his neck, which also meant he missed Armagh’s run to the All-Ireland quarter-final that summer. When Joe Kernan took over as manager, Mackin was left off the panel.
Armagh lifted the Sam Maguire for the first time in their history the following year, and Mackin watched on from the stands.
“It’s still something I ponder,” he admits. “I have made peace with it because whenever I look back at that…first of all you have to look at it as a team effort. Then you obviously look at as an individual, what you get out of it.
“Armagh won the All-Ireland, one of the best days in a lot of people’s lives, some people will bring that day to their grave in a sense. So for me, up in the crowd, seeing my mates, my comrades in the sense, winning was absolutely hysterical.
“After that myself and guy called Paul O’Reilly made our way down to the players’ lounge. I went around to all the lads, so when I look back I was proud of myself to do that instead of what a lot of fellas probably would do is just storm off, go home and sit in the house. But I actually stayed with them, celebrated with them and congratulated them.”
He made it back onto the Armagh panel in 2003, when Tyrone defeated them in the All-Ireland final.
“I’d love to have the gold winning medal instead of the silver one from 2003,” says Mackin.
“But yeah I’ve made peace with that. Whenever I do meet up with the lads, it’s funny how some of them actually talk about the ones that they actually missed, like 2005, instead of actually appreciating what you actually have.
“It’s mad, maybe it’s just elite sports people’s mindset that they ponder on what they missed over the ones they got.
“I always look at what I have. Be that my life, family, friends, health, work etc. It’s amazing what you can actually appreciate whenever you do actually sit down and analyse it.”
Mackin, who now lives in Barcelona with his family, looks back on his time with Na Fianna fondly.
“My abiding memories of Na Fianna was fun, laughter and a couple of pints here and there. It was a really nice experience for me in those six or seven years.”
*****
Visit Des and his family business where they pair cupcakes and bubbles to give the ultimate experience in Barcelona at La Cava Cakery (locations at Pg. d Sant Joan or L’illa diagonal shopping centre. Follow them on Instagram and Tik Tok: @lacavacakery
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