Special group forges a connection for life

From his celestial perch, Johnny Flynn is probably exuding a wry smile. No doubt, there was a witty comment to greet Castlerea St. Kevin’s latest milestone, following hot on the heels of the club’s county final triumph, not to mention his former club, St. Michael’s, being crowned Junior A football champions for the first time in 30 years.

On a cool dry Saturday afternoon in Tuam Stadium — the scene of numerous ambushes from Roscommon teams over the years — Danny Burke looks primed to dance a jig of delight that wouldn’t look out of place on Strictly Come Dancing. John Murphy’s handshake would do justice to the late Dermot Earley, while the smiles etched across the faces of Brian Stenson and Eamon Campion stir the soul.

One can understand the pride and emotion. From the senior championship successes of 2008 and 2009, the sleeping giants of Roscommon club football subsequently went back into hibernation. But on a grey, dry afternoon in the spiritual home of Galway football, Castlerea St. Kevin’s supporters are radiant again, feeding off the energy from a young team that have delivered ahead of their time.

After the county final, manager Dara Bruen took a back seat as the joyful chaos unfolded around him. But he wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass without immersing himself in the celebrations.

His grey beard would give Roy Keane a run for his money. But that’s where the similarities with the former Republic of Ireland and Manchester United captain ends. There’s a warmth and openness to the Castlerea St. Kevin’s manager that’s infectious. It’s easy to understand why players will run through a brick wall for him.

The journey has been beyond his wildest dreams. One by one, the boxes have been ticked off — promotion to the O’Rourke Cup, an intermediate football championship triumph, and, now, at the last dance in the “hayshed”, a Connacht title.

“Leaving the Hyde (after the county final), I didn’t even know that it would be the Sligo champions (Easkey) we’d be playing. But the boys wanted to have a crack at it and see where it brought them. We always felt that once we decided that we were going to have a go at it, that our style of football would suit playing at this time of the year.

“If you look back at games, particularly here in Tuam, at this time of the year, games are low-scoring. We felt that we’d stay in a game against most teams. It comes down to a bit of luck after that. To see a Castlerea man on those steps in Tuam lifting a Connacht trophy, albeit an intermediate one, is just massive for all involved,” he reflected.

“Once we started to get rolling, the support has been unbelievable. The 2003 team (county senior champions) are here today. They were supposed to have a weekend away for their 20-year anniversary this weekend, but they changed their plans. The town will be busy tonight,” he smiled.

Once again, Castlerea’s rearguard action won many admirers. To score only 2-4 and still win a provincial title was a ringing endorsement for the winners’ Herculean defensive effort.

“There’s a structure. Lads have the liberty to do their own thing to a degree, as long as they have cover. Everyone knows their role. They know that if they end up in the left-corner back position, they know what to do. You could be wearing number 15, but if you finish up there you know what you’re supposed to be doing.

“There was a lot of learning. We fired a serious amount of information at these boys that, at the start, we didn’t think they’d be able for. We thought that it would take two or three years for it to soak in. But there’s a lot of football intelligence in that group,” he highlighted.

Eoghan O’Connell’s early goal handed Castlerea a cushion they would never surrender. Just when the Galway side appeared to be building some momentum early in the second half, Nathan Bligh’s three-pointer took the wind from their sails.

“Monivea didn’t settle. They’re a good side but they didn’t get into their rhythm early in the game. They were just about to do that, but Eoghan got the goal. That knocked them back again. That left us there and we stayed in the game. That’s what works, and hopefully when you come down the stretch, you get the breaks and that bit of luck. And we did today. Davy Farrell made an unbelievable save.

“We played the games in blocks this year, in the league, in the championship and the Connacht championship. This was a block of two games. Today was game two of two. We talked last night about two things — chasing the feeling that we got after the final whistle in the county final, and chasing the history.

“We had a big massive photograph inside the dressing room of the ’68 team (that won the Connacht club senior football championship). We used that to chase the history. In 20 years’ time, these lads will be the ’03 team meeting tonight with something. They have a connection for life.

“There are people off the 1968 team here today. More importantly, the U-6s are here. They’ll be inspired by what those lads have achieved today,” he explained.

After Christmas, there will be another big day out. It’s an occasion that Castlerea will embrace, although Bruen remains committed to the bigger picture.

“We hadn’t looked beyond today. But we’ll sit down, as we do, and have a chat, and we’ll see what the players want to do. The biggest problem for me is how it will fit into pre-season. For me, the O’Rourke Cup will be the most important competition that we’ll go and play in 2024. We’ll be at the pin of our collar to stay up in the O’Rourke Cup, and to make progress we’re going to have to stay in the O’Rourke Cup.

“It will be a step-up in class. But, when I go into the dressing room, I’ll be saying to the lads if the Galway champions were going to play the Munster champions, they’d be given a chance.” 

When the celebrations die down, no doubt that message will be received loud and clear.