THE NEW SEASON of Laochra Gael has been a hit with viewers so far and next week’s episode featuring Dublin legend Kieran Duff is set to be another cracking instalment of the series.
Duff became a controversial GAA figure during his career, and was hit with a 12-month suspension when he was sent off in the 1983 All-Ireland final for allegedly kicking Galway’s Pat O’Neill in the face.
The programme reviews an infamous moment in the Leinster final earlier that year when Dublin came up against reigning All-Ireland champions Offaly, who were seeking their fourth consecutive provincial title.
Dublin stunned the Midlanders that day, but Duff was the victim of a terrible two-footed tackle from Offaly defender Mick Fitzgerald towards the end of the tie.
“The ball was played out to Offaly’s wing-back so I go over to tackle him,” the All-Ireland winner explains in his Laochra Gael episode.
“All I see is two feet coming to my face and this fella launching a kamikaze… he poleaxed me basically.”
His wife Mags — who also features in the episode — was among the crowd in Croke Park that day.
She recalls one particular fan whose reaction to Fitzgerald’s foul prompted her to interfere and defend her husband, who she affectionately refers to as ‘Dully.’
“You know when you’re watching something and it’s like watching it in slow motion. Dully dropped like a stone, he didn’t get up and that frightened the life out of me.
“I was trying to see him and saying ‘get up Dully, get up.’
This fella in front of me was saying, I hope his head is gone, I hope he’s dead. I hope this, I hope that.’
“And I lost it. I grabbed him by the back of his jacket and I walloped him with my umbrella and said, ‘that’s my husband,”‘ she laughs.
The Laochra Gael episode subsequently shows footage from The Sunday Game programme at the time, where it was revealed that the incident was being investigated by Fitzgibbon Street Garda Station.
While Duff’s programme looks at the dark times in his football career, it also explores his family life and the caring aspect of his character.
His daughter Ciara has special needs but both Duff and his wife Mags have created a loving home for her.
“Ciara is amazing, she is our daughter,” says Mags.
“She was very hard got. We were 10 years married before I finally got pregnant. I had a difficult pregnancy and I was losing her from when I was 13 weeks and five days but she’s a little fighter.”
Duff goes onto explain how complications at birth left an impact on Ciara.
“I wouldn’t be an emotional sort of fella but certainly when we got word that day, tears did come to my eyes when you were told that she was going to have x, y and z.
“There’s a lot of things she cannot have in life and won’t ever do so the little things she does do and look for, we’d always make sure she gets it.
Her disability is obviously always going to be there and has its challenges. It has challenged us over the years but you’d go to the end of the earth for her.”
Kieran Duff – Don’t Judge Me will be aired next Wednesday 13 March on TG4 at 9.30pm.
Rena Buckley – The Best Person in the World? will hit TV screens this evening at 9.30pm.
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