All roads from Kerry head up to Croke Park on Sunday – and back.
Demand for tickets for the All-Ireland senior football final against Galway is huge but with accommodation in the capital scarce and expensive, the scramble for coaches and trains is also unmatched. The travelling to and from Dublin on this July Sunday will not have been experienced in recent decades.
Kenmare is at the centre of attention in this year’s final, with the parish fielding six senior players including on-field captain Sean O’Shea along with Stephen O’Brien Adrian and Killian Spillane, Tadhg Morley and Gavin Crowley. Also there is neighbour Donal O’Sullivan from Kilgarvan.
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The area has more Kerry stars this year than large towns like Tralee or Killarney.
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“To what may this be attributed?” the Irish Times asks local Mickey Ned O’Sullivan, former Kerry footballer, later manager, who played 10 seasons during the golden years 1971-1980.
“It’s unique, This only happens once in a lifetime,” he says of Kenmare’s contribution to the 2022 final.
It is a reflection of the work done by the clubs and the locality with the players over a long period of time, O’Sullivan says.
Not least is the influence of Kenmare secondary school Pobalscoil Inbhear Scéine , the region’s only school, where all seven players attended. It has played a “pivotal role” O’Sullivan says.
After-school training by former Kerry selector Tom O’Connor of Gortamullen began 11 years ago. Now in his 80s, O’ Connor is still centrally involved, O’Sullivan says.
As for Sunday, O’Sullivan is under no illusion about the enduring rivalry between Galway and Kerry. Kerry suffered badly in the 60s with two final defeats inflicted by the Tribesmen.
However, he is very positive and says there are “three stages” in any team – growth, performance and decline.
“Kerry have gone through the growth stage and learned from their defeats. Galway are still at the growth stage. Everything is ideal for Kerry. They have experience. They have been there before. They have learned lessons from previous games. And they have an amazing captain.”
Dermot Healy, principal of the Pobalscoil, said the excitement could be felt everywhere in Kenmare.
“You can feel it in the school, even though the school is empty,” he said.
Martin Leane of The Kerry Supporters Club said there is “unprecedented” demand for tickets. It is the height of the tourist season and an exceptionally busy time in the Kingdom. Kerry are “not normally” in an All-Ireland in July.
But it is eight years since they won the Sam Maguire and buses are being diverted from the tourists and special trains sold out within minutes. The Kerry-Dublin flight is long booked out.
Those at home are being catered for with big screens showing the final going up at Ballybunion beach, Pearse Park in Tralee and The Killarney Race Course, to name a few venues. They are expecting huge crowds “down” for the match.
Some 250km up the Atlantic coast, the fevered excitement is also building but the sea of gold and green is replaced by maroon and white as the Galway men bid to lift the Sam Maguire for the first time in 21 years .
“It’s the regrets that sometimes eats into you a bit more than the successes,” says former Galway and Corofin captain, Ray Silke, as he looks ahead to Sunday’s final.
Silke captained the team to success in 1998 and was a stalwart in the county’s 2001 triumph alongside Galway manager Pádraic Joyce. He is hoping his nephew, Liam Silke, can help to bring the Sam Maguire cup west of the River Shannon for the first time since that latter triumph.
Silke outlines the importance of taking your chances.
“You don’t want regrets. Like, we all have regrets. I regret when Kerry beat us in 2000 and when we played a county final against Tuam in 1994 when they beat us 0-07 – 0-06 and our free-taker missed four or five frees.”
Silke knew his former team-mate was destined for management.
“There are certain people you could imagine doing it and Pádraic and lord rest his dad, Paddy Joyce, were steeped in Gaelic football. Pádraic takes his football very, very seriously. He was a stunning Gaelic footballer with a fantastic pedigree.
“He has rock solid self-belief, and he was wise and prudent enough to look outside and get Cian O’Neill involved. I think that’s a great sign of management that you’re prepared to put your hand up and say `look, I’m going to need a bit of help here’ and Cian O’Neill has added an awful lot. He’s a former Kildare manager and was involved with Kerry. So, he brought a phenomenal amount of experience.”
Silke fears the 2022 final might be this crop of Galway stars’ last opportunity to win the Sam Maguire as a team. He believes Galway must produce a performance that they can be “proud of”.
“I’d say Pádraic is telling them ‘let’s make the best of this Sunday and produce a performance that you can be really, really proud of; and if that’s good enough to win, fair enough, or we will deal with the defeat.’
“Once you go out on All-Ireland final day, give it everything you have and work as hard as you can; nobody can expect any more than that.’”
