Diary of a Dub
I dreamed a Dream…..
And so those inches were ours…
We dared to dream and those
dreams became our reality. Yours, and mine. And it literally was inches in the end.
More twists and turns than a
Curly Wurly on a rollercoaster. Nerves of steel and I don’t mean Dean Rock in
the 76th minute. Those of the fans. Call it Endurance, call it Survival,
surely to Hell and Back is a stroll in the park compared to a Dublin
All-Ireland final.
And yet, in all of this. We find our drug of
choice, Adrenalin. An Endorphin shock to the body. Take me to the edge and
back, but don’t let me go. Quite simply, 4 of 5 winning All-Ireland’s in 7
years have been by one point. ONE POINT. 3 of them against Mayo. None of them
the easy way. Every game tighter than a ducks arse in water. Is it any wonder
there was such an outburst of Eurphoria in Dublin afterwards on Sunday? This
Dublin team must be a publican’s dream, not only for the fact in that they keep
winning, but more for the effect they have on their fans. 82,400 people needed
several stiff drinks at 5.20pm on Sunday!
The question is. Would you change it? If you
had the chance. Would you rather win easily by a comfortable margin and feel no
rush, no thrill, no excitement, no Adrenalin? I don’t think so, if I am honest,
unless you have a dodgy ticker, you wouldn’t dare. Is there any better feeling
than the exhilaration of a game like that and coming out on the winning side?
The agony of the loser is the consequence, and yes, I will get to Mayo shortly,
we too been there before so we know it well.
And of the game itself. Things could have been
so different. A break of a ball, missed opportunities, posts struck, players in
a moment of madness. They are the ‘Woulda,
Coulda, Shoulda’ moments that only those of a Mayo disposition will ponder
for the next 12 months in another long winter of discontent. Of us. We saw some
qualities again in this team, those of which we have seen time and time again.
Composure, leadership, ruthless accuracy, focus, togetherness, adaptability,
determination, drive and a winning belief. No panic. At no stage. Leaders
emerged, yet again different ones step up when needed. This time, Diarmuid
Connolly, James McCarthy, Kevin Mc. 2 of them didn’t start the game, but made a
material difference in the winning of the game. And again, like once before, these Boys show us they can close out tight games.
Did your Rituals and Superstitions, Prayers and
Promises work? Guaranteed there was a lot of swearing by them on Sunday and
Monday in Dublin, for I am one of them, and yet another Jersey now to be
retired (just one of several superstitions!) These Dubs are costing me money
buying Jerseys but keep it up I say…..it seems we Dublin fans have our own form
of Witchcraft and trust me, no mention of the Mayo curse (promise).
History has been made. 3. In. A. Row. Just let
that sink in. Greatness is never granted
in the present. Future generations of us will look back in time and
remember a very special team and an incredibly special time in Dublin. How
fitting it is. Dublin is evolving, it’s culture, its pride, it’s acceptance of
everyone, no matter who you are, race or creed, faith or belief. An evolving
city with its own Football evolution. This team has raised the bar, shown
absolute excellence in everything it does and has set the standard for years to
come. But it has shown one quality above any other that for us their secret
sauce, their own ‘je ne sais quois’.
The word is ‘Humility’. It is at the center and in the cornerstones of
everything that this Dublin team stands for. It is the bedrock of belief in
every player. Speak no ill of anyone, do as you say, walk tall, but do so
with respect and without reputation. Show respect at all times. No I, no me.
Team first, you second. And in building this value at your center, you create a
team ethic. A code. A faith. And everyone who buys in, lives by this value. In
their Humility, they gain my respect and in time, others will follow. Times
have-a-changed, and it is the sum of its parts that makes a team, and not
anyone individual. It’s too early to call it, but this team has the potential to be
the greatest example of sport in Ireland of what truly ‘Team’ is about, and more importantly, how it is done.
And in their Humility
and achievements, I find Pride. I am overcome by it. Their achievements are
astonishing. Their behavior is inspiring. I felt that all Sunday evening. I
still feel it now. I have always been proud to be a Dub, but I cannot remember
ever being more proud to be one.
And so, no blog about
Sunday would be complete without a word for Mayo. I feel your pain, and I think
more of us do now, more than ever before. I didn’t before, but I absolutely do
now. A Girl who sat in front of me, kicked every ball, disputed every decision,
screamed for her team until she had no voice. Her passion was apparent. She
cried at the final whistle. And she was inconsolable. And she moved me. I gave
her a consoling hug and all I could say was ‘Never give up, never stop
believing in your team. It will come for you someday’. And it will. We had 17
years of that feeling, being close, but never as close as Mayo were. We knew
agony, we knew despair and we knew hurt, just like they do now. I saw genuine
passion for the love of her team on Sunday and from more like her. What she
said to me was remarkable as she fought back the tears….’you deserve it, you
are some team’. If that doesn’t teach us all how to bring humility into our
lives I don’t know what will. For people like that, they deserve to break this
run at some point, to feel what we did in 2011. To feel how we felt on Sunday.
We never gave up and I hope they don’t, for the sake of what this game means to
us all. We are a better game, a bigger family for the likes of Mayo and
supporters like that. Faith in humanity has been restored.
And of our own fans. As
I have always said. A special bunch. Of songs we sang, and beers we drank. Ours
was the moment, our own piece of History, of which we may never see again.
Outbreaks of Euphoria across all of Dublin but intensified in Dublin city
center. I can’t remember an atmosphere in town after a game like it. By far,
even better than 2011 or any other. Smiles on faces, joyous celebrations. We
knew we were there. We knew this moment could never be taken away. We witnessed
it. We lived it. We can tell others. I was there. I am Dub.
And to finish, and
square the circle on another incredible journey, I leave you with this quote,
it applies in equal measure to both Dublin and Mayo fans.
“The
harder you fall, the heavier your heart; the heavier your heart, the stronger
you climb; the stronger you climb, the higher your pedestal.”
For now, we will always have Sunday,
September 17th, 2017. The Day that……
We dreamed a
dream…..and that dream came true.
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