Month: September 2021

SAOIRSE NOONAN IS weighing up options outside Ireland following her exploits with Cork City during the 2020 season.

The 21-year-old played a pivotal role for her hometown club as they reached last month’s FAI Cup final, which ended in defeat to Peamount United at Tallaght Stadium.

She was named Women’s National League Player of the Month in September after contributing two important goals during a five-match win streak for the Leesiders.

Noonan’s performances saw her included in a provisional Republic of Ireland senior squad for the recent European Championship qualifier against Germany.

She’s now generating attention from beyond the domestic scene, with several clubs abroad registering their interest in a player who can operate in midfield and in attack.

Among them is Icelandic side Vikingur, whose head coach is fellow Cork native John Andrews, the former Coventry City, Mansfield Town and Cobh Ramblers defender.

Noonan has also been approached by English club Aston Villa, who are in a relegation battle in the Women’s Super League after being promoted last season.

Championship outfit London City Lionesses are another club that are understood to be keen on the talented youngster, who has had success in more than one code.

Were she to depart, Noonan’s loss would be keenly felt by Cork City. However, it would be a blow too for the Cork ladies’ football team, with whom she’s also a key player.

She enjoyed a particularly productive weekend in November – having scored the decisive goal to give Cork a winning start to their All-Ireland championship campaign at the expense of Kerry, she found the net twice 24 hours later against Treaty United to send Cork City into the FAI Cup final with a 2-0 victory. 

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DUBLIN ALL-IRELAND winner Paul Flynn is to step down later this year from his role as CEO of the Gaelic Players Association. 

Dublin All-Ireland winning footballer Paul Flynn.

Source: INPHO

The players’ body made the announcement this afternoon with Flynn set ‘to take on a new and exciting opportunity in another business sector’.

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The board of the GPA are set to now commence the identification of a successor with Flynn set to contribute to that process.

Flynn has been in the position since June 2018 when replaced the former CEO Dermot Earley. He previously served on the GPA National Executive and as a member of the Board of the GPA.

During his spell as CEO he was involved in the merger of the women’s and men’s players associations, the recently agreed deal with the GAA and a role in the restructuring of the fixtures calendar to the split season model.

GPA CEO Paul Flynn.

Source: Bryan Keane/INPHO

The Dublin forward enjoyed a glittering playing career, retiring in May 2019 after winning six All-Ireland senior football medals. His individual displays were highlighted by the four All-Star awards he collected between 2011 and 2014.

Flynn has been thanked by the GPA for ‘his immense contribution’ to their leadership with tributes paid by GPA chairman Brian Mac Craith and WGPA chairperson Maria Kinsella.

“I would like to thank the players, the internal team, the NEC and the board for always backing me through this thoroughly enjoyable tenure as GPA CEO,” said Flynn.

“I would also like to thank the GAA, Sport Ireland, the Government, our partners in the US and Ireland for their continued support throughout my term.

“I am very proud of what we have achieved together as a team and I look forward to seeing the newly combined players association grow and develop into the future.”

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DIARMUID LYNG IS thinking about a recent video on David McSavage’s Instagram page in which the comedian chastises those who claim to enjoy swimming in the Irish sea.

Diarmuid Lyng [file photo].

Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

Known for his caustic wit, McSavage is ripping through the philosophy that sea swimming on our shores is a natural cleanser for the mind. The reasons for his objection are obvious; the water is freezing and the weather is polar at the moment. 

Even a summer dip often leaves a cold snap on the skin. So, if it’s not your bag, the appeal is hard to find there.

One particular line in McSavage’s tirade stands out:

“When I look at the sea in Ireland, it’s looking back at me and it’s telling me to ‘fuck off.’ And d’you know what? I’m listening.”

Lyng laughed when he saw the video, and could accept the truth in it. And yet, he still finds himself squeezing into a wetsuit most mornings and racing out into the jaws of the Atlantic ocean to go for a surf or a swim.

Amazingly, he assures The42 that it’s the getting ready that is the worst part. The serenity flows once he’s in the water.

“Part me is like, ‘How am I persuading myself that this is a good thing?’” he explains, still sounding like he’s not quite sure of the rationale behind it.

“But then I’d say the same about going to training with Wexford in the winter months, and they’d be big physical sessions. You’d be dreading it but afterwards, you’d be just so high from having done it.

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A post shared by David McSavage (@therealdavidmcsavage)

“You’re out at sea looking back in at land. Often, I might get up at 7 [am] to be in the water for first light at quarter to eight and then be out at quarter past nine for breakfast with the lads. You’re getting the sunrises.

“You’re out in the cold, seeing the sun hit the mountain for the first time. You’re seeing different colours light up on the far side of the peninsula.”

Lyng is a recent convert to surfing, and in hurling language, he puts himself in the Junior C grade. Learning all the time.

He had his misconceptions about the sport before getting up on the board. He never took it for granted as being easy, but he didn’t anticipate the volume of challenges the early stages of learning would present.

But he knows now.

“Waves only break when they hit land and the vast majority of them are over reefs and rocks,” Lyng continues.

“You’ve to take off in front of reefs and rocks. If you get it wrong, you’re in more trouble than you would have realised. It’s quite a dangerous pastime when you don’t know what you’re doing.

“That adds to the experience and it adds to the respect you have for the fellas who are very good at it too.” 

Lyng and his family moved to Ventry last year, having previously lived in the Dingle Peninsula. From one part of rural Kerry to another. 

Given the events that have unfolded over the last year, that taste for that quiet life in a remote place gives them a unique advantage on the rest of us, particularly the urban dwellers with hectic lives.

The Covid-19 pandemic came as a major disruption to everyone.

Bringing the dial right back down to a more relaxed pace of life was a major — and in many cases — uncomfortable adjustment for people. The disruptions were numerous and the withdrawal symptoms didn’t take long to surface.

We weren’t used to this and we wanted what we had back.

But Lyng and his partner Siobhán were already living and loving this self-sufficient lifestyle along with their son Uisne, and new baby girl Éiriu. They grow food in their garden and have little need for much else from the material world.

And we were starting to see the appeal in that. Having spent most of our lives thinking that holidaying abroad was the only way to summer, we found ourselves rushing to places like Ventry. 

A boy or a child

Beannaithe idir mhná

A beautiful time to bring a child in to the world. pic.twitter.com/cnWRzC8plI

— Diarmuid Lyng (@diarmuidlyng) January 15, 2021

“I certainly realised a few years ago, that this place is a paradise. Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Cork, the western seaboard, the eastern seaboard, the ancient settlements in the middle of the country, the North.

“You can find paradise wherever you are. I find that very easy to find down here.

“I don’t know people who haven’t been to Kerry, Galway or the Western seaboard before,” says Lyng. “I think all Irish people went when they were young in the 80s or 90s. And it was a time when it was a well-worn path.

“The vast majority of people have been here before and maybe they were reminded of when they came down here, and the paradise that they live in.

“And it’s lovely for the people locally as well. There’s no doubt the tourism industry loves the Germans, French, Americans and the Chinese who come here and fill restaurants, and the boat tours.

“There’s always a lovely bohemian spirit down here that comes along with it. People come here, they stay and fall in love with the place, the people or whatever.

“But then for our own people to come down and look at Ventry Bay and say, ‘This is enough for me.’ That’s lovely to see, and to see them realise that maybe they don’t need Ibiza or the continent, or they don’t need a replacement as much as they thought.”

That’s not to suggest that life off the beaten track is without any stress. Ireland has reverted to a full-scale level 5 lockdown in recent weeks, with a 5km travel limit imposed across the country.

Anything beyond that distance needs to meet the criteria of an essential trip. But a 5km radius doesn’t quite cover all the basic requirements in a lot of rural spots.

“You wouldn’t get petrol within 5km or get any supplies,” says Lyng. “It isn’t real here and isn’t the rule because it can’t be the rule.

“You’d be wandering in the fields looking for food. You couldn’t do it.”

Lyng is closing in on 40 now but still has a great hunger for hurling. He played for his home club St Martin’s in Wexford last year, lining out for the junior side in an unprecedented season where the club game was prioritised in the GAA calendar.

He was able to fit in some family visits when travelling back up for games too, although there were some clashes with his media work for TG4′s GAA coverage. Two of his club games fell on the same day that he was on duty with the Irish language station.

Lyng ended up missing the club’s most important game of the year in order to work, a scenario he says he “felt shit about” as his team was beaten.

He has since transferred to Tralee Parnells, a relatively young club that touched base with the former Wexford captain to see if he would interested in joining.

The package they were offering was an attractive one for Lyng.

We are excited to announce that former Wexford captain @diarmuidlyng will be joining the club. The former St Martins club man hurled with his native Wexford from 2004 to 2013 and has been residing in the Annascual area for the last few years @Kerry_Official @radiokerrysport pic.twitter.com/DoKkE2azvL

— Tralee Parnells Hurling & Camogie Club (@TParnells) January 25, 2021

“The couple of fellas called me from there who are of a similar age and maybe a similar philosophy too, and that was the conversation [of] how we just wanted to play.”

Lyng was once considered to be one of the best emerging hurling talents in the country, and was a standout player in Wexford colours.

But a midweek puckabout is the pace he’s most comfortable with now. It fits in neatly with his life following the recent arrival of Éiriu, whose name was inspired by a figure of Irish mythology; an Irish goddess. 

Covid restrictions prohibit collective training at the moment but Lyng’s Kerry hurling career will be soon on the way.

“I won’t be spearheading any title challenges and that’s not I’m looking for at this time in my life.

“I’ve burnt myself out enough on that one before to know that it’s not something that particularly suits me. But the game does and playing does so I want to play so I can do that without going big distances, and just go for midweek puck arounds with a few lads in Tralee.

“That sounds glorious.”

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THERE WAS MIXED fortunes for the Irish players in action in today’s AFLW games on the opening weekend of the season in Australia.

Melbourne’s Sinead Goldrick and Adelaide Crows player Ailish Considine.

Adelaide Crows ran out comprehensive 56-18 winners over the West Coast Eagles with Clare’s Premiership victor Ailish Considine scored a goal as part of their success.

Ebony Marinoff also played for Adelaide Crows and scored a goal after her three-game suspension was overturned by the AFL appeals board this week after the challenge that left Cork’s Brid Stack with a neck fracture.

There were three Irish players in action for the defeated Eagles side in Mayo duo Niamh and Grace Kelly, and Tipperary’s Aisling McCarthy. Niamh Kelly registered a goal and a behind during this clash.

TG4 will provided deferred coverage later today at 5.10pm of this game.

West Coast Eagles player Ailsling McCarthy is an ambassador for Gym+Coffee, who sponsor the 2021 AFLW coverage on TG4.

Meanwhile Dublin’s Sinead Goldrick was in action for Melbourne Demons as they defeated Gold Coast Suns 56-35 as the All-Ireland winner had seven disposals and two marks during the game.

Her four-in-a-row ladies football winning team-mates Niamh McEvoy and Lauren Magee did not feature but the trio are expected to be slowly brought into action given they only emerged from their 14-day mandatory hotel quarantine last week.

A happy @Goldieface is pictured alongside her Melbourne team mates following their 21 point victory over the Suns. Well done girls!

Catch the highlights from all round one games this coming Monday on @SportTG4 at 8pm #TG4

Image credit @MelbourneAFLW pic.twitter.com/lUnCokCf3P

— DublinLGFA (@dublinladiesg) January 30, 2021

Tomorrow morning Mayo’s Aileen Gilroy is part of the North Melbourne ranks against Geelong, Tipperary dual star Orla Dwyer is involved with Brisbane Lions against Richmond while Cora Staunton starts her fourth season with Greater Western Sydney Giants on the road against Fremantle.

Results

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• Gold Coast 35-56 Melbourne
• West Coast Eagles 18-56 Adelaide Crows 56

THE CLOUD SWEPT in over them instantly, the silver lining would take some time before swinging into view.

In October 2019 the Rathmore club saw their senior membership end after 20 years, falling through the relegation trapdoor in Kerry club football.

It was a setback they had to absorb. Last year didn’t produce a quick rebound as they went no further than the intermediate group stages, but it did pave the way for something else.

Last Monday evening the Kerry county board rubber-stamped the selection of Paul Murphy as their senior football captain for 2021. After his role in East Kerry’s success last autumn, he was the divisional team’s choice when it came to nominations.

Congratulations to Paul Murphy wishing you the very best in the year ahead, fantastic achievement and a proud day for all here inRathmore G.A.A 💚💛💚💛💚💛💚💛 pic.twitter.com/YW5MmHpPaK

— Rathmore GAA (@rathmoregaa) January 25, 2021

On Wednesday afternoon the Kerry ladies football board announced a captaincy proposal that was cut from similar cloth. Aislinn Desmond will take on that mantle, a by-product of Rathmore’s ladies football title win last September.

Congratulations to @aislinndesmond on her selection as Kerry Senior Ladies captain. @kerryladiesfoot From everyone in Rathmore LGFA we wish you and the Kerry Ladies the very best of luck on the upcoming season. pic.twitter.com/gK7TrAupe0

— Rathmorelgfa (@Rathmorelgfa1) January 27, 2021

One club producing two captains for the flagship Kerry football teams for the year ahead.

In a January where there has been a dearth of good news, this raised a flare of joy in their community hard on the Cork-Kerry border.

“It’s massive news,” says Aidan O’Mahony, the serial Kerry All-Ireland winner and Rathmore natvie.

“With Paul and Aisling, it’s unique to have both from the same club. In the current lockdown, it was a big boost for the community having two of your own made captain.

“You couldn’t pick two better people as captains for the county teams, that are suited with their attitudes and personalities.

“It’s like the flip of a coin. Very disappointing for our club to lose our senior status but on the positive you’re seeing Paul Murphy captain Kerry seniors and a few of our lads won county senior championship medals last year. That was a great thing.”

The pair fitted the criteria due to their roles in 2020 victories on the local front. That relegation saw Murphy dragged into the East Kerry scene where he was part of a star-studded outfit, along with club-mates Brendan O’Keeffe and the Ryan brothers, Shane and Mark. Their glory made him eligible to become the first Rathmore man to be appointed Kerry senior captain.

If the decision captaincy is largely the preserve of managers around the country, the Kerry football and Kilkenny hurling way of doing things is greeted with puzzlement and attracts plenty attention from the outside.

It is a tradition embedded in the fabric of their club game and raise the stakes in these local matters. O’Mahony remembers a campaign 22 years ago when he was a teenager starting out on the football road. In the month leading up to Christmas, Rathmore met neighbours Glenflesk on three occasions, a series of battles for supremacy that were freighted with great importance.

He had been involved when East Kerry completed three-in-a-row in the county senior championship that year. It was left to the divisional December action to settle the debate over who would captain Páidí Ó Sé’s team for what transpired to be a Sam Maguire-winning season at the start of the millennium.

“What it used to come down to was the O’Donoghue Cup, the East Kerry championship, if the division had won. In ’99 we won the intermediate county with Rathmore and beat Glenflesk in the final. Then in the O’Donoghue Cup Glenflesk beat us after a replay in the final.

“So Seamus (Moynihan) then captained Kerry, it was between him and Declan (O’Keeffe). I think Declan did captain Kerry in the league one year. In 2016 I was captain during the league and Tom (O’Sullivan) I think did at some stage as well.

“I know myself, it’s nice for your family and your parents, just for that honour, I remember being above in Clones in 2016 leading out against Monaghan.”

Aidan O’Mahony in action for Kerry against Monaghan in 2016.

Source: Andrew Paton/INPHO

O’Mahony has different connections to Kerry’s new captains.

“I started out training with Paul’s Dad (Donal) in our club above in Rathbeg. Back then there were four cars at four corners of the pitch with the lights on for training to see your way around when you were doing laps.

“I played with his uncle Padraig as well then and his son Dan has been with Kerry minors in recent years. Then Aislinn’s father Denis would have trained me U21 and he trained us senior as well.”

Paul Murphy’s rise to be inaugurated as Kerry football leader was not well signposted. He strikingly did not make a South Kerry U16 team or the Kerry minor squad. When it came to the U21 grade he got pulled in for his last year in 2012, a run that ended in Munster final defeat after extra-time at the hands of Cork.

Yet there were ingredients to work with. His talent has flourished on the biggest stage despite that unheralded beginning and a diminutive presence.

“I do work with development squads through AOM Fitness,” says O’Mahony.

“Young people there would message me saying, ‘Look I didn’t play minor, I didn’t play U20, what hope is there for me?’

“Whether it’s club or county, here’s a typical example of a fella that hasn’t played minor. All of a sudden, 2021, he’s the Kerry captain. There’s always hope there if you put the head down and work hard. 

“That’s one of the main attributes of Paul. He works hard. You don’t know is he right-legged or left-legged because he works so hard on the skills of his game. He’s one of those versatile players, you could play him anywhere.

“And if there’s a 60-40 ball on the ground, he’ll put his head in there. A great reader of the game as well. A big heart and a big engine, they’re more important than size.”

Seven years ago O’Mahony saw his career intersect with Paul Murphy’s in a neat and heartwarming fashion for them. A pattern had developed in Rathmore over the years of man-of-the-match winners being churned out for Kerry on the biggest day in the Gaelic football calendar. 

Din Joe Crowley in 1969 against Offaly, O’Mahony in 2006 against Mayo and Tom O’Sullivan in 2009 against Cork. That trend was maintained by Murphy’s display in 2014 against Donegal, further personal recognition followed with an All-Star after a dream debut year.

Paul Murphy in action for Kerry against Donegal in the 2014 final.

Source: Cathal Noonan/INPHO

“Eamonn would have had him with the U21s,” recalls O’Mahony.

“I had the conversation with Eamonn when he rang me about coming back playing myself for the 2014 and we spoke about Paul. He was very consistent fo rRathmore underage and started improving when he came into the seniors, that was probably a shop window for him as well.

“Eamonn brought in the mantra if you played McGrath Cup or National League and you played well, you held onto the jersey. Paul was one of those guys that nailed down a jersey.”

The Rathmore pair roomed together, a partnership of experience and enthusiasm that left them settled off the pitch, translating to positive impacts on the pitch.

“When I came in first I had the likes of Seamus Moynihan, Declan O’Keeffe, Liam Hassett, Darragh Ó Sé and these guys, they were great to put the arm around you.

“When I started in 2003-04, I was rooming with Paul Galvin, we were two young, eager men that time to put on a Kerry jersey. 

“With Paul (Murphy) then in 2014, it was nice to have someone from your own club. For away games, you can talk about something outside the GAA from home. He was very driven from the start.

“It was great to share that journey with him, when I had done it with Tom before for years. That’s what you look back on, not about medals and stuff, you’ll think about the journeys you were on.”

Aidan O’Mahony and Paul Murphy celebrate Kerry’s win over Tyrone in 2015.

Source: Donall Farmer/INPHO

Desmond’s arrival at senior level with Kerry was not accompanied by such instant success. She made her debut for the Kingdom in 2009 but only graced Croke Park once in her first nine seasons when they reached the final in 2012. They lost that to Cork, in contrast to Murphy’s career path she has seen her team live in the shadow of their more dominant neighbours.

Disappointments against Dublin are a common experience, the Kerry ladies side knocked out by capital opponents three years on the bounce from 2017.

But a trio of Munster medals and an All-Star in 2015 have provided highlights for Desmond, and this latest responsibility is another milestone.

“Her father Denis rang me this year before the day of the senior ladies county final to go over and talk to them,” says O’Mahony.

“He was training them. Just a fantastic guy that’s been involved with all teams, both male and female, for the club. I sent him a message there the other day about Aislinn, I’d be delighted for him.

“They’re the people that should get rewarded for the hard work they put in. When we’re above in Croke Park playing, maybe they think we’ve forgotten about them, but we don’t. He’s put a lot of work into the club and it’s very fitting to see his daughter go out then and captain Kerry in 2021.

“She’s one of the most experienced players with Kerry. You see down through the years, she’s a go-to player for marking by any of the main forwards. I think she’ll be a great captain. It’s inherent in the family, very driven. They’ve Darragh Long and Declan Quill over them, and I think they’ve made great strides.”

Valerie Mulcahy and Aislinn Desmond in opposition in the 2012 All-Ireland final.

Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

Some years Kerry have had regulars in the captaincy role, other seasons it has been fringe operators. Murphy falls into the first category yet this role is unlikely to weigh down on him.

“I don’t think it’ll change anything, the mantra of captain has changed over the years,” says O’Mahony.

“Before there was maybe bigger responsibilities.  In 2014 we had Fionn (Fitzgerald) and Kieran O’Leary as joint captains, and you’d always have had someone in the dressing-room down through the years that’ll talk.

“Declan O’Sullivan was fantastic for it. Seamus as well before, they mightn’t have been captains but they had that captain material. When they spoke in the dressing-room, they always made sense.

“I don’t think it’s going to change Paul’s style. There’s some big leaders in that dressing-room, the likes of David Moran and these lads. So he won’t be on his own there.”

The contributions of Murphy and Desmond down throught the years at home will ensure they carry plenty support. In 2015 Rathmore won a ladies football senior title when they were joined up with the Spa club. Last September they succeeded on their own, capping a swift rise from the Junior B ranks. They lost a pair of consecutive senior deciders before their 2020 breakthrough, Desmond centre-back for that moment with Murphy’s sister Sarah team captain at full-back.

Aislinn Desmond in action against Cora Staunton in 2015.

If his profile has spiked with Kerry, Murphy has always understood what is valued in local currency. In 2014 he gave up the All-Stars tour to Boston to help Rathmore win the O’Donoghue Cup, a crown they had seized only once in the previous 30 years, in a final replay.

In 2015 they successfully retained it. For the semi-final victory, Murphy sat an accountancy exam on a Saturday morning in Bishopstown in Cork before jumping on a helicopter to make throw-in in Killarney, along with a club-mate Conor Jenkins who also had an academic test that morning. The current Kerry captain shot 1-3 from play, a valuable scoring return after his club’s investment in the travel arrangements.

The only downside to the week’s developments is it’s anybody’s guess in Rathmore when they’ll actually get to see their new captains leading out a team.

The GAA fixture uncertainty persists. O’Mahony turned 40 last summer but is intending to have another shot this year at club football. He is involved in the S&C work with the Kerry minors, working in tandem with Mark Evans from Dingle. They won Munster before Christmas with the date for their All-Ireland semi-final against Roscommon still unknown.

It all adds up to the waiting game being played in Kerry.

“We’d all love for it to go ahead sooner rather than later,” admits O’Mahony.

“But in the current climate, you just have to stick to the guidelines. You’d be hoping that April or May, there’ll be a call that we’ll start going back and might get to play a few league games, and then you’re into championship.

“No different to last year, from GAA point of view, then if it goes ahead, it’ll be fantastic and it’ll be great to support Paul and Aislinn.”

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A Knockaderry presentation to Tom Condon following his catch in the 2018 All-Ireland final.

ON THE SUNDAY after Limerick’s 2018 All-Ireland triumph, John Kiely’s squad were gathered in JP McManus’s €200 million Martinstown mansion for a celebratory dinner.

But two important members of the party were missing: Tom Condon and the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

40km west of Martinstown in Condon’s native Knockaderry, a small rural village of about 500 people, a slew of supporters had turned up to get a picture with a local hero and the most prized possession in hurling. 

Earlier in the day, Condon, Declan Hannon, Nickie Quaid and county chairman John Cregan were among a Limerick party that arrived in the parish to show off the silverware.

“You know long ago you’d hear about these political rallies drawing huge crowds in the church car park and people up on the back of a truck — it was like that,” Knockaderry chairman Richard Wall tells The42.

Hannon, Quaid and Cregan eventually made tracks to McManus’s home. Condon waited behind to fulfil the club’s request to get his picture taken with the throngs of fans in attendance. 

“Jesus, there were thousands there,” Wall laughs.

“We were adamant that we would try and get as many people as we could to get a photo with Tom and the Liam MacCarthy.

“We were flying through them. It was an orderly queue and we were getting through them as quick as we could. 

“I’ve no doubt he was late for JP’s house for that meal, but he stayed on until everyone had their photo got.”

It was big news in the locality. Condon had just become the first senior All-Ireland medallist from the club, who operate in Limerick intermediate ranks after years in the backwaters of junior hurling.

Decades ago, Knockaderry had players on Limerick junior sides that won All-Ireland titles. They had representatives on Limerick minor and U21 teams that reached finals over the years. But this was blockbuster stuff. Their night on broadway. 

“That was a very proud day: Liam MacCarthy coming into Knockaderry and a local man with an All-Ireland medal in his pocket.

“Back in 1973, people from Knockaderry would have had to travel down to Kilmallock to see the cup when it was going around that time. To get it into Knockaderry was huge.”

Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the tactics and puck-out strategies and drama that comes with All-Ireland final day. In the hype of it all, we often lose sight of the bigger picture.

Crowds gather outside Limerick Colbert railway station to welcome home the Limerick team in 2018.

Source: TommyDickson/INPHO

What shouldn’t be forgotten is what it means to a small, hurling obsessed community when one of their own conquers the summit. 

Not alone did the county end 45 years of hurt, but to have a native son involved made the thing all the more special. He learned his trade as a seven-year-old on the local GAA field and played a role in Limerick returning to the pinnacle of hurling — a sight many who were around in 1973 thought they wouldn’t see again in their lifetimes. 

No more than the beautiful image of Micheál Donoghue’s late father bursting with emotion when he was presented with the trophy a year earlier, there was an enormous sense of pride in Knockaderry when Condon and his team-mates arrived home with hurling’s biggest prize. 

Even before Limerick became the sport’s dominant force, there was a simple pleasure for Wall in heading to a game and opening up the match programme to see the club’s name proudly sitting underneath Condon’s.

“We’re a very small, rural parish where Newcastlewest is our nearest town,” he explains.

“We’d often have had lads on minor and U21 panels but not starting or being prominent like that. It’s 99% hurling in Knockaderry and there isn’t much else.”

He looks back fondly on the days after the 2018 triumph, in particular.

“On the Monday after then we had the cup again in the afternoon from lunchtime on. Tom went to the national school and all the kids got their photo taken with him and autographs. It was brilliant.

“Earlier that morning we had been below with the senior citizens group and they had their time with the cup. It was an incredible time and there wasn’t a whole pile [of work] done for the few days after the All-Ireland, you can imagine. 

Condon and David Rediy celebrate after the 2018 All-Ireland semi-final victory.

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

“Tom’s dad Sean is treasurer of the club and very involved. He’d always be involved with minor and U21 teams, even when Tom was gone well out of it. He’d always give a hand and his mom is a lovely woman.”

Condon announced his retirement from inter-county hurling on Thursday, bowing out of the game with two Celtic Crosses, three Munster titles and a pair of National Leagues. 

A competitive and unforgiving defender, Condon was a swashbuckling presence in the Treaty defence at his best. In the early days, a corner-back’s job was done when he cleared possession up the field. When Condon let fly, the crowd inevitably voiced their appreciation. 

His final season started out with rich promise. Condon impressed at corner-back during the early league games. Then came the shutdown and when things got going again, he was badly hampered by injury and he didn’t make the match-day panel for the All-Ireland final.

“He still got his second medal this year but obviously he’d have liked to have been on the field getting it, the same as everyone.

“But he’s had a huge career for Limerick,” continues Wall. “He never let us down. Every club game he played he always turned up. The rest of the lads looked to him, especially the younger lads. You can imagine.” 

He was first noticed by county selectors after a fine display in the 2004 junior county final marking Limerick senior Damien Reale. The introduction of divisional teams in the senior grade gave Condon further opportunities to catch the eye.

By 2005, he was part of the Treaty minor side that reached the All-Ireland final. They were beaten by a Galway outfit that featured Joe Canning and James Skehill. Condon was one of three Knockaderry youngsters on the team. “That was huge,” admits Wall.

Canning and Condon compete for a high ball during the 2005 All-Ireland minor decider.

Source: Lorraine O’Sullivan/INPHO

He hurled U21 with Limerick in 2007 and ’08. The same years he was also part of the intermediate county team, lining out at corner-back for their All-Ireland success in ’08. At full-back beside Condon in the final against Kilkenny was legendary figure Ciaran Carey.

“He would have got a good education from Ciaran,” adds the chairman.

Late last year, Condon married Carey’s daughter Sarah, who is a mainstay of the Limerick camogie side. 

In 2009, Justin McCarthy handed Condon his senior debut. That summer he made a few championship appearances off the bench, arriving onto the field to mark John Mullane in the Munster final loss to Waterford.

A disappointing season concluded with a heavy All-Ireland semi-final trimming by Tipperary.

Then McCarthy dropped 12 high-profile players off the panel in the winter. It sparked a chain of events that saw a host of regulars walk away from the squad in solidarity with their comrades, Condon among them. 

“You can imagine a young fella trying to get his leg in the door and trying to get on the team. You’re wondering is this going to count against me, I’m sure he was. There was a few that didn’t go on strike. He had to put a bit of thought into his next move.”

It was a big call by the defender to make after his rookie season on the panel. He spent the next summer in Chicago, unsure if the county would come calling again. 

But call they did and he was in the corner for the glorious Munster win in 2013 and the epic All-Ireland semi-final in the rain against Kilkenny the following year.

Condon sends Tipperary’s Eoin Kelly flying during the 2013 Munster championship.

Source: James Crombie/INPHO

However, an appearance on the first Sunday of September never materialised until a precocious crop of youngsters arrived on the scene and reinvigorated the panel.

Kiely took over, brought in Paul Kinnerk, Caroline Currid and others. A new system of play was developed.

As Condon hit 30 he hung on and brushed off thoughts of retiring, desperate to see what their talented squad could achieve. 

All the hard work over the years culminated in what’s known locally as ‘The Catch’.

By that stage a veteran, he started the 2018 All-Ireland final on the bench after serving a two-match ban earlier in the championship. A red card against Clare in Munster cost him valuable game-time during Limerick’s run to the final.

“At the time it was a bit raw,” he admitted later that year. “I wondered was that how I was going to bow out? But I let the emotion take over and I shouldn’t have.”

When Mike Casey went down injured 50 minutes into the final against Galway, Kiely told Condon and Richie McCarthy to warm-up.

The latter got the nod and Condon returned to his seat in the stand until he finally got his chance after McCarthy succumbed to an injury in the 71st minute.

By that stage, Limerick had batted down the hatches in the face of a Galway onslaught. The reigning champions had been poor for long spells but they were motoring now with the finish line in sight. 

Stationed in the full-back line, Condon and Limerick were subjected to an aerial bombardment as Galway rained ball on top of big Johnny Glynn. 

Canning hit the net and pointed a 65 to bring the Tribesmen back to within a point deep into stoppage-time.

Then the Portumna man stood over a free well inside his own half and the Limerick support held its breath. 

Sat together near the back of the Cusack Stand were Wall and former Knockaderry chairman Ted Danaher.

“We were all living on our nerves,” says Wall. “We were so far ahead, we should have beaten them out the gap. They were coming and coming at us.”

In the 77th minute, a score from that Canning free would have earned Galway a draw and a replay.  The last puck was marginally within his range, even if he was fatigued from the helter-skelter tussle.

Canning’s effort looked to be dropping into the square, hanging in the air for what seemed like an eternity. Now the supporters were fraught with the prospect of Galway coming up with the ball and dispatching a goal to win it.

Joe Canning’s late free falls short and is claimed by Limerick’s Tom Condon.

Source: James Crombie/INPHO

It was deeply concerning for a side who’d already conceded two goals in injury-time. Even more so for a county with the ’94 final collapse against Offaly still fresh in the memory banks.

Condon later admitted his mind wandered back to ’94, like just about every other Limerick person in the stadium.

There were 12 bodies converged in the square when the ball fell out of the sky and the possibility of someone coming up with clean possession looked unlikely. The sliotar bounced off a hurley and for a split second sat invitingly in the air.  

Then a strong paw rose from the forest of players and Condon, with his familiar helmet, could be seen bursting out with the ball. 

“Next thing we see the white helmet over on the far sideline. We turned to one another and said, ‘It’s Condon!” says Wall, shaking with emotion.

“It was just majestic. Tom catching that ball and the referee [blowing the final whistle].

“Typical of Tom, he had to level the Galway lad in front of him on the point the whistle was blown. It was huge.”

In that moment, all his years of sacrifice became worthwhile.

And for the people of Knockaderry, they had an All-Ireland champion in their midst.

Magic.

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FORMER MAYO PLAYER Michael Moyles has been appointed as the county’s new ladies football senior manager.

Moyles, who won an All-Ireland senior club title with his native Crossmolina Deel Rangers in 2001, was ratified at last night’s county board meeting and succeeds Peter Leahy in the role.

Leahy stepped down three weeks ago after being confirmed as part of the Meath U20 footballers star-studded backroom team.

The Westmeath native spent three years in charge, guiding the Green and Red to an All-Ireland semi-final appearance in 2019 where they narrowly lost out to Galway. That came after a turbulent 2018, in which 12 players and two members of the backroom team left the set-up.

Moyles, who has enjoyed a colourful coaching journey, will now steer the ship as Mayo look to bounce back from a disappointing 2020 championship exit at the hands of Armagh.

The Crossmolina native previously coached the side in 2015, was Mayo junior men’s manager in 2013 and has had various other posts in the men’s game within the county and further afield. 

Moyles coached Knockmore, reigning county senior champions, to the Division 1 title in 2019, while he was Crossmolina manager in 2012. He was also Leitrim senior coach in 2017 and 2018, involved with the U20s in ’18 and has spent a stint in charge of Sligo IT.

Mayo LGFA would like to congratulate Michael Moyles on being appointed as the Mayo Ladies Senior Manager, @mmoyles09 was ratified at tonight’s County Board meeting.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish Michael & his backroom team the best of luck for the 2021 season. pic.twitter.com/pyLNSWTQmu

— Mayo LGFA (@Mayo_LGFA) January 30, 2021

https://www.facebook.com/MayoLadiesGaelic/posts/4639926029458251

“Mayo LGFA would like to congratulate Michael Moyles on being appointed as the Mayo Ladies Senior Manager, Michael Moyles, was ratified at tonight’s County Board meeting,” a statement from the county reads.

“We would like to take this opportunity to wish Michael and his backroom team the best of luck for the 2021 season.”

Included in the backroom team are administrator and selector Aidan McLoughlin (Swinford), and team selectors Tom Carney (Ballinrobe), and Marita McDonald, (Castlebar Mitchel), with The Connacht Telegraph reporting that Terry Kennedy, Ger Cafferkey, Austin O’Malley, Paul Jennings, Evan Regan and Conor Finn are also on board.

“It’s always great when you get a new coach because when you get a new coach it puts everyone in the exact same position, everyone has to start from scratch and everyone ultimately has to impress,” as Mayo star Sarah Rowe, who’s currently at her Collingwood base for the AFLW season, recently told The42.

“It’s really good for team culture because it gets really competitive, even more so than it was before because you don’t live off what you did before. The starting line is the same for everyone so I just think that’s always really refreshing.”

2016 All-Star midfielder and Carnacon great Fiona McHale says she is open to a potential return to the panel under new management.

“If they [new management saw me being able to add something to the squad, and if they saw me as part of their plans, I’d be definitely willing to have a conversation or think about it for sure,” she told Midwest Radio last week.

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THERE ARE TWO things that make the month of February great.

One is that it’s no longer January, and the other is that it heralds the beginning of the Six Nations.

Membership of The42 will deliver for you again over the coming week, particularly if you’re eagerly awaiting the first round of fixtures in the biggest show in northern hemisphere rugby.

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Becoming a member gives you access to a host of exclusive podcasts, newsletters, prizes, insights and more. By doing so, you’ll also be supporting independent journalism and helping us to continue producing the kind of stuff that keeps you coming back.

Here are some of the fresh benefits that our members can avail of this week:

Our own Murray Kinsella will again be joined on Monday by leading analyst Eoin Toolan for Rugby Weekly Extra‘s big Six Nations preview.

Expect plenty of discussion of Ireland’s clash with Wales, as the lads examine where next Sunday’s game in Cardiff could be won and lost.

They’ll also take the time to field questions from the members’ WhatsApp group, which is populated by engaged and informed rugby fans from all over the country. Entry, which is part of the membership package, allows you to shape the show.

Tuesday is Behind The Lines day, which means Gavin Cooney will be bringing you another fascinating conversation with one of sportswriting’s finest purveyors.

This week’s guest is Australian journalist Anna Krien, who won the 2014 William Hill Sports Book of the Year award for ‘Night Games’, which delved into the macho sexual culture of Aussie Rules football while investigating one player’s trial for rape.

Having added another All-Ireland success to his rapidly-growing list of honours in December, Limerick’s Paul Kinnerk will tell Shane Keegan about his journey on Wednesday for the latest episode of the coaching podcast, How To Win At Dominoes. 

We’ll send Insider newsletters from our rugby, GAA and football staff, and our latest Bylines offering – ‘Who ever said football should be fair?’ by author Adrian Duncan – is also well worth setting time aside for.  

If you haven’t already done so, you can sign up for a €5 a month – or just €42 per year – by clicking here.

Thank you for your support – it’s never taken for granted, but especially so in the current climate.

TIPPERARY SENIOR FOOTBALLER Emmet Moloney has applied for a transfer to county club champions Clonmel Commercials.

Moloney is seeking to make the move from his home club Drom & Inch with the request having been received by the Tipperary county board.

The 23-year-old featured in all of Tipperary’s senior championship ties in 2020, a season when they claimed a historic Munster final win. He started in the semi-final win over Limerick while coming on as a substitute in the provincial games against Clare and Cork, and at half-time in the All-Ireland semi-final when they lost out to Mayo.

He is also a noted hurler, playing midfield for his club last year when they lost out in the Tipperary senior hurling semi-final to eventual champions Kiladangan, while he was full-back for the Tipperary minor team that contested the All-Ireland final in 2015.

Emmet Moloney in action for Drom & Inch last year against Kiladangan.

Source: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO

If the full transfer goes through, Moloney would be unable to still play hurling for Drom & Inch, as they do have an adult football side that competed at intermediate level last year despite being predominantly a hurling club. 

Clonmel Commercials won their fifth Tipperary senior football title in nine seasons last year. They supplied nine players to the squad that won Tipperary’s first Munster senior championship in 85 years with four starting in the triumph over Cork in Kevin Fahey, Michael Quinlivan and the Kennedy brothers, Conal and Colman.

Emmet Moloney (left) celebrates with Tipperary team-mates after Munster senior final win.

Source: James Crombie/INPHO

Their club’s cause has been further boosted by the return of Aldo Matassa to their ranks. Midfield for the 2015 Munster senior club final success over Nemo Rangers and a former provincial U21 winner with Tipperary, he rejoins the club from Scottish side Dunedin Connollys.

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THE GAA CHAMPIONSHIP draws — which were due to take place next week — have been postponed.

The42 understands that the draws for the six GAA senior provincial championship draws — four football, two hurling — have been postponed, and will not take place until after the return to collective inter-county team training.

The GAA do not wish to decide pairings given the uncertainty regarding training amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, so the draws might not take place for a number of weeks, at least.

The draws were originally due to take place next week, starting Monday, 8 February, across the week on RTÉ Radio One.

RTÉ are reporting that the Association’s Covid advisory group’s scheduled meeting for today has also been deferred, with the most recent development that GAA training was not allowed until February.

It’s understood that the National Leagues will not begin before the end of March, while the All-Ireland finals are more likely to take place in August rather than July, with the possibility of further delays.

– with reporting from Fintan O’Toole.

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