Fallon's Town Talk: Ladies’ victory sparks debate about theme song

After the final whistle went in the All-Ireland senior camogie final last Sunday, the familiar strains of ‘The Banks of My Own Lovely Lee’ wafted across Croke Park. ‘The Banks’ marked a comeback for the traditional songs that were a staple of big match days in Croke Park in the 20th century and early years of the 21st.

I had expected to hear either ‘Killeagh’ by Kingfishr or ‘After All’ by The Frank and Walters. In fairness, ‘Killeagh’ has become so ubiquitous that it’s no longer just associated with Cork, but ‘After All’ has been played after big wins by The Rebels in recent years. Maybe the Croke Park DJ played those more modern tunes later in the celebrations but ‘The Banks’ was the first choice.

The songs that boom across Jones Road after All-Ireland finals have happily become a topic of good-humoured conversation following the marvellous victory of the Roscommon ladies footballers in the All-Ireland final. RTÉ’s Des Cahill tweeted straight after the final whistle, wondering what song would honour the ladies’ triumph.

Obviously, Cahill realised that ‘Men of Roscommon’ is this county’s big match tune and, incongruously enough, that is what was played. Herald columnist Michael Finneran also mentioned the song conundrum in last week’s issue.

As Michael pointed out, it’s great to be debating what song to play after a Roscommon victory in a major match in Croke Park. He suggested ‘Rose of Castlerea’ or a modern version of ‘Men of Roscommon’ as some of the alternatives.

My memory of ‘Men of Roscommon’ is that it was written for the 1980 All-Ireland men’s football final. I remember trying to learn the words in school in the build-up to the match, back in the era when the All-Irelands were played in September. The release of ‘Men of Roscommon’ was all part of the frenzied excitement which gripped the county in the build-up to that final.

Unfortunately, Roscommon victories in Croke Park in the intervening 46 years have been sparse, with St. Brigid's men, the ladies footballers and hurlers providing sporadic outpourings of delight over the years. I can't recall what song, if any, was played after last year’s Rackard Cup final success. The famous 2006 All-Ireland minor win came in a replay in Ennis after a draw in Croker.

In truth, post-match tunes weren't a big thing 20 years ago.

The playing of ‘Molly Malone’ came into vogue when the Dublin men’s and women’s footballers began racking up All-Irelands, but the county I most associate with the rise of the post-match tune is the all-conquering Limerick hurlers. ‘Dreams’ by Dolores O’Riordan and The Cranberries became as integral to the post-match celebrations as the presentation of the MacCarthy Cup.

The Cranberries also marked another departure. Until 2018, Limerick’s song was ‘Limerick You’re a Lady’, another tune that got widespread airplay in 1980 when the Treaty County reached the hurling final. It was the type of ballad that was part of the tapestry of big match days of yore – ‘The Rose of Tralee’, ‘The Rose of Mooncoin’ and ‘The Banks’ were classics of the genre.

Among the many reasons it would be good if Wexford staged a hurling revival is that the best GAA song of them all, ‘Dancing At the Crossroads’, would get an airing.

Since Limerick became great, other counties have moved away from the mid-20th century standards. When Galway ladies won last week, everyone knew ‘N17’ would be belting around Croker. ‘Galway Bay’ doesn’t really get a look-in these days.

The Sawdoctors have had a bonanza month, with another of their hits, ‘The Green and Red of Mayo’, soaring to the top of the charts in the wake of Mayo men’s All-Ireland win. ‘Moonlight in Mayo’ has been consigned to history.

It’s a pity the Tuam band were never moved to write a similar tribute to another neighbouring county, especially when John Donnelly from Roscommon Town was their drummer when The Sawdoctors hit the big-time in the early 1990s.

Back in the day, ‘The West’s Awake’ was the signature tune of Roscommon’s legendary All-Ireland-winning captain, Jimmy Murray. It was the soundtrack for Connacht teams in Croke Park for decades. In fairness, ‘The West’s Awake’ holds up better than many of its contemporaries.

Perhaps some talented Roscommon musician will be inspired by the feats of the ladies and men’s teams this year to create a memorable, catchy track that becomes instantly synonymous with the county – the musical equivalent of the nickname ‘The Rossies’. And hopefully, the song they pen gets plenty of airplay in Croke Park.