Every so often something happens to lift the spirit in times of misery .And God knows we need these uplifts to sustain the spirit.This Summer League Final played in Dunderry last Monday evening defied the elements in that it was a stray day borrowed from a real summer and it helped dispel the eerie silence and despair that is strangling "Tumbleweed Ireland" as I write.Don't mind the pet journalists ,economic commentators and spin merchants ,fir breaga all,Ireland is spiralling rapidly to the point of no return.
It is only the community spirit and stoic stubborness of the Fior Volunteers in the GAA that is keeping the show on the road in rural Ireland.
On Monday the pride of Dunderry,Robins town and Kilbride took on their counterparts from Drumbaragh and Kilmainham,under the banner of Round Towers.Rural parishes all and you would know it.The only nasties I heard were from people whose accents and sentiments betrayed their non rural roots.Thankfully they were lone voices in a sea of appreciation.
This Dunderry team had the worst of bad starts to the season ,conceding a walk over in the championship and being expelled as a result.Just didn't work on the day for mentors Jim Mitchell and Darren Yourell.The latter is new to the GAA scene and has had a baptism of fire.Jim is an older hand and at the start of the year was looking forward to a well earned sabbatical.Some chance.
I stuck my oar in after the championship debacle and am trying to impart some of the lifetime experience into the gosoons.
Its a quare set up but it works.
We won out in the Shield ,are qualified for the final stages of the sevens and last Monday Round Towers stood in our way.They had beaten the Pats the only team to beat us,so we knew we were up against it.But then so were they.
Both teams were well supported in our Pitch for the battle.
Like all small villages we never have a team on the cusp of the age.Our players ranged in size from the tiny to the tall and all stages in between.We don't do fear ,ever ,and even the smallest don't have it.The bigger lads are maelstroms of raging hormones and like all lads of that age ever born ,know everything.Well seemingly so.Takes a firm hand and loads of diplomacy for which I would be renowned!!I'd say Jim and Darren would be better equipped in this area.
We were without the services of Danny Morris ,one of the better players in the county.A surfeit of hormones recently.He was there cheering on ,as you would expect.
Dunderry team ;-
Ronan Brady
Mark Lynch Jamie (Timber ) Leavy
Shane (Gunner) Gartland Tomas O Conaire Calvin Coffey
Alexandros (Ali) Mairtinas Conor (Tipp ) Mc Kenna
Oisin Martin Jamie Darcy Kevin Clynch
Diarmuid O Ciorrain Eoin Smyth
Subs used.ShamusO Neill, Liam Lenin O Ciorrain,Adam Keenan.
Older readers will recognise some names who here for generations.Ronan is a son of John and grandson of Seamus,the third generation to play for the Club.Jamie's father Tommy and grandfather Paddy Kavanagh played also.Shane Gartland is Kevin' Brady's son son and his father and uncle Tommy played in the Parish.I think his grandfather Tommy did as well.Tomas is Tommy's son from Lambay also a fine footballer in his day and a first cousin of the Curran's through his mother.Calvin is Colin's son and a grandson of the legendary Tim.Ali is a recent arrival,of south African descent I think.He has it in spades as does Mark Lynch ,a quiet man and good footballer ,who gets on with the job with a minimum of fuss.Conor also excels at the garrison game and premiership trials beckon.Oisin 's father Gerry excelled with Slane and Meath and the son is following in his footsteps.Jamie is following in the footsteps of his grandfather Billy and uncles Paddy and Brian and has already wore the county colours in the small ball game.Kevin's family have been at the heart of sport here since the time of his grandfather Billy and Eoin is following in the sporting footsteps of his mother Trish and her sisters and brothers .flange is bursting with pride and the Lord mayor and Rose are delighted.Diarmuid and Liam are sons of Colm and a good Galway woman and are good footballers,no surprise as I hear their father showed great promise but preferred the sales ring in Trim Mart,alas.Shamus has a heart of a Lion and even if a bit small at the moment has all the attributes needed .His Daddy Donal is a big man and I would say Seamus has some sprouting to do Adam is a son of Tommy and Breda Gough and the genes for greatness are there.
These guys are a work in progress.They have made rapid advances this year,playing with courage,conviction and no little skill.They now totally get the team ethic and back each other up.We have worked on free taking and would expect 100% accuracy within 35 yards and the odd fifty to be pointed.They get the necessity of back tracking when beaten and the craic of placing hands on hips when beaten is now defunct.They play an intelligent brand of football.With only one solo and one hop allowed on a full sized pitch in this competition they realise that giving the ball away is a no-no.They don't give up.
A young lad refereed the match.He did good enough.Certainly wasn't biased.He drew the ire of both sets of supporters only occasionally .Good enough for a tight well contested match ,which this was.
The teams were evenly matched in both skills,commitment and tenacity.Good hard honest football with few mistakes.They opened with a bang,two goals and a point up before we knew where we were.Our boys didn't panic and clawed our way back by half time.We probably shaded the second half but lost concentration half way through.and it took a supreme effort to kick the equalising point on the cusp of the final whistle.Either side could rue the draw as both had missed scorable chances.The attendance was enraptured.encouragement all round.Both sides were tired after a huge effort.
We marshalled our forces for the two ten minute periods of extra time.
Like a cobra we struck.Three goals and two points in the first ten minutes.Shock and awe.Half way there.
While we conceded a goal in the second period they had no way back.
Finished on a scoreline of 5-11 to 4-6.
Great day at the office.Hard luck Round Towers.
Personally I was totally enraptured ,a fact that didn't escape our Paudi ,who at four years of age shouted his heart out for Dunderry and met the teasing of our Carina and her opposition buddies with the dirtiest looks a imaginable.Takes after his Tipp Granny.
Take a well earned bow all involved.
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