WORKING IN SPORTS journalism, you get to witness a lot of very special moments. Some, inevitably, are more special than others.
I’m not going to spoof and claim to be a die-hard St Vincent’s clubman. The only Gaelic football I ever played was for a couple of years in primary school; soccer was always my first love growing up.
But it is an inescapable truth that Irish communities revolve around “The Club”. If you doubt that, get to a bookshop and buy as many copies of Christy O’Connor’s brilliant book of the same title as they have (keep one, give the rest of them away as presents and make a few friends for life.)
Advertisement
Even in Dublin, where the variety of sports competing for attention has traditionally been much greater than in the rural heartland, the gravitational pull is still there. Especially in Marino. You can try to escape it, to live a life completely untouched by the blue and white and all that it represents, but few do.
Those who embrace it, whatever the level of involvement, are fiercely proud of the parish’s footballing heritage: of Heffo and his gift to Gaelic football, of the clubmen who formed the backbone of the great teams in the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.
And now, down around Griffith Avenue and the Malahide Road, we have a new generation of heroes.
The All-Ireland club championships are special because no matter who wins, you know how much it means to the victors: either you know exactly what you’d give to be in their position or, if you’re lucky, you remember exactly how it felt.
It’s different when it’s your own, when you know the sacrifices that have been made each and every year because you’ve seen them first-hand.
And nothing can match the pride you feel, even if it’s only through the tangential association of seeing a friend raise a green flag at the Hill 16 end on the biggest day of his club career.
The biggest day to date, at least. Because this Vincent’s golden generation is on the march again — back-to-back Dublin champions, back-to-back Leinster champions, and now bidding to become only the fourth side to defend the All-Ireland crown.
There’s a long, long way still to go. And while the men who hold their destiny in their own hands give everything of themselves to make it happen, the rest of us can dream.
My sporting wish for 2015: Another All-Ireland for the club
WORKING IN SPORTS journalism, you get to witness a lot of very special moments. Some, inevitably, are more special than others.
I’m not going to spoof and claim to be a die-hard St Vincent’s clubman. The only Gaelic football I ever played was for a couple of years in primary school; soccer was always my first love growing up.
But it is an inescapable truth that Irish communities revolve around “The Club”. If you doubt that, get to a bookshop and buy as many copies of Christy O’Connor’s brilliant book of the same title as they have (keep one, give the rest of them away as presents and make a few friends for life.)
Even in Dublin, where the variety of sports competing for attention has traditionally been much greater than in the rural heartland, the gravitational pull is still there. Especially in Marino. You can try to escape it, to live a life completely untouched by the blue and white and all that it represents, but few do.
Those who embrace it, whatever the level of involvement, are fiercely proud of the parish’s footballing heritage: of Heffo and his gift to Gaelic football, of the clubmen who formed the backbone of the great teams in the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.
And now, down around Griffith Avenue and the Malahide Road, we have a new generation of heroes.
The All-Ireland club championships are special because no matter who wins, you know how much it means to the victors: either you know exactly what you’d give to be in their position or, if you’re lucky, you remember exactly how it felt.
It’s different when it’s your own, when you know the sacrifices that have been made each and every year because you’ve seen them first-hand.
And nothing can match the pride you feel, even if it’s only through the tangential association of seeing a friend raise a green flag at the Hill 16 end on the biggest day of his club career.
The biggest day to date, at least. Because this Vincent’s golden generation is on the march again — back-to-back Dublin champions, back-to-back Leinster champions, and now bidding to become only the fourth side to defend the All-Ireland crown.
There’s a long, long way still to go. And while the men who hold their destiny in their own hands give everything of themselves to make it happen, the rest of us can dream.
My sporting wish for 2015: Sepp Blatter to step down as FIFA President
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
GAA GAA 2015 I Wish... Sport Preview 2015 St Vincent's GAA