All-Ireland Sunday
Sunday, July 30, 2023. The day of the Men’s All-Ireland Football Final. It used to be played on the third Sunday in September. A holy day for those of us who worship at the altar of Gaelic Football. I’ve always found sporting arenas more accommodating than churches. This is where I go to pray, to forget everything in the outside world for a couple of hours. I dive head-first into the tension and allow it to overwhelm me. The nervous tide slowly rises until it’s almost unbearable as a gigantic tussle reaches towards its end game.
This year it’s Dublin versus Kerry. Again. Already they have met in 17 All-Ireland finals with Kerry, on 8 wins, and Dublin on 7, with one draw. The two most decorated teams and two of the greatest rivals in the history of the game. This Kerry side are the new boys on the block. Reigning champions. In contrast, Dublin is trying to get back to the top of the mountain with the sweet success of an unprecedented six-in-a-row still ringing in their ears. Kerry led 38-30 in All-Ireland titles, Dublin’s decade-long burst narrowing the still considerable gap somewhat. If Kerry wins today it will widen still further and Kerry's confidence will continue to grow. Lose and this will be the end for this Dublin team.
Two weeks earlier I had picked my friend Duff up from Heuston Train Station. Working my way through the traffic in driving rain on the way into the semi-final against Monaghan I was telling him how I was much calmer about matches now, that the six-in-a-row had possibly taken the edge off winning, or the disappointment that comes with losing more like. Whilst I had found the defeat to Mayo and Kerry in successive semi-finals frustrating, it no longer felt like the end of the world. Fast forward to ten minutes left in the semi and the tension is almost unbearable. Monaghan and Dublin are level and the boys in blue are struggling to put the Drumlin county away. It feels as if I am going to have to go for a walk. If Monaghan gets ahead, Dublin will be in big trouble. I say as much to Duff, and the worried look on his face gives way to his inner feelings. Three semi-final defeats in a row is unthinkable. So much for all the talk of being more relaxed. Thankfully Dublin managed to pull themselves together enough to make the final. A day later Kerry edged their way past Derry in another tight semi.
The battle lines are drawn in the two weeks that follow. Both sides are quiet. Kerry, quietly confident. Dublin, quietly determined. In the previous twelve years, Dublin has played in 8 finals, and won them all, a couple after replays. But for some reason, this isn’t mentioned in the build-up. When push comes to shove, Dublin knows how to get across the line. Many times they have been behind going into the last ten, but somehow they always find a way to win. Memories of the semi-final the year before get more of a reference, a game Kerry snatched at the death, even if they were the better side for most of the game, until a late Dublin push brought them level. It was clear Dublin were not themselves. This year they have only shown their hand in the second half of the quarter-final against Mayo. I have been asking myself for the last two weeks which Dublin will turn up, if they play well I am confident they can win.
It’s been pissing down all of July. Today is no different. A mist hangs over Croker as we make our way to the ground. We collect our tickets from PO’s brother and make our way down towards the Hogan. Here we go our separate ways. PO with his granddaughter. His brother with his son. Niall is sitting on his own. I’m with Jim. Jim is calm personified on the outside. He’s so good at it that I haven’t a clue what’s going on inside. He likes to think before he speaks. He is easy company on a day like this when the anxiety is ramped up to nuclear levels. There’s no escaping it, no amount of meditation that can counter the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach and the raging thoughts rushing through my head. I let them have their way. There’s no point in fighting them. They’re going to do their thing anyway. We find our seats down at the front of the Hogan, amongst a mix of Kerry and Dublin supporters, and the neutrals who inhabit All-Ireland Day in the hope of watching other’s suffering, especially if it’s us Dubs doing the suffering. There are no neutrals, apart from maybe the odd person from Cork, the ground is split straight down Jackeen Culchie lines. Everyone from Dublin is shouting for the Boys in Blue, and everyone else is hoping for a Kerry win.
Suddenly the tension is broken by the haunting sound of Nothing Compares to You drifting through the mist, accompanied by the video on the big screen. Everyone stops, watches, and listens. The sadness is palpable as we take in Sinéad O’Connor’s passing in what turns out to be a simple, but extremely poignant, tribute. We have lost one of our own. Someone and something precious gone. The GAA may mess up from time to time, but they, do the simple things well, and often they have their finger on the emotional pulse. I have struggled with my Irishness in the past, but here in Croke Park is where I can feel my sense of place, the ghosts of the past rising up to meet us halfway. The National Anthem is another moment when we get to pause, to remember those who have passed. Amhrán na bhFiann always sends tingles through me on the biggest of days when Dublin plays, and Croker is bursting at the seams, with the Hill all blue except for the odd islands of opposition shirts dotted across the famous old terrace.
Both sides step into a game of cat and mouse trading points until a late Kerry goal in first-half injury time edges The Kingdom ahead. I meet an old friend Tom at half-time and he’s not too perturbed, confident that Dublin will win. It’s the solace I need. Early in the second half, Kerry stretched their lead to three, before Dublin struck a crucial blow with a Paddy Small goal. Still, Kerry refused to fade away and respond by regaining their three-point lead. We didn’t know it at the time, but the effort expended in doing so proved to be their downfall. Dublin scored 7 points to Kerry’s 2 to close out the game. In the end, I let it all out. Jim is still being Jim, but the biggest of smiles shows that he too is happy. I scream. I jump for joy. One of the best of them all. Up there with 1983. 2011 and 2019, the day we sealed five-in-a-row. I leave the ground replenished.
As the Dublin players bring Sam down to Hill 16 Sinéad O’Connor’s rendering of Molly Malone captures the moment perfectly.
These are the days I live and die for.
