Diary of a Dub One A week of Groundhog days is almost over. A week from eternity mercilessly gifted to us by the sporting gods. A life in slow motion. Sure we know no better. Every week running into a game feels like a century. Not for the faint hearted. Driven to distraction, some to drink and the devil, some to window licking. No matter how busy you are or not, time doth move itself ever so slowly, obeying not one wish of a lifetime wished away by not one, not one hundred, but scores of Dubliners the length and breadth of the country and beyond.   But it is here. This fateful day is almost upon us. We’ve arrived at our point of departure. Ready or not, this is the serious end of the championship. Time to get your superstition on. Wash the jersey 312 times, search high and low for your lucky socks, jocks and the likes. Be nicer to people, pay it forward. Off to confession, cleanse the soul, light the candles, or if you’re a Mayo fan, throw out the Child of Prague. A steady dose of Luke, the Dubliners, Oasis et al, you’re marching to your own beat now. Talk of soakage, the meet up’s, the Sesh, the banter and the merriment at the heart of your ultimate preparation. As much as your week has been lived in super-slow-mo, you really wouldn’t have it any other way, would you?   And of course it is Mayo. Who else would it be? Our gallant struggles continue. One more tango we shall have. It’s been a constant since 2012, almost. Mayo have beaten us in 2012, in an All-Ireland Semi- final, we have beaten Mayo by 1point in the 2013 final, we took a break from each other in 2014, in 2015 it took us 2 games to get the better of Mayo in the Semi-final, and another 2 games in 2016, this time in the final, where again we come out the right side of a One point winning margin. And fittingly in 2017, one more herculean battle saw us emerge again by One single solitary point. Since 2012, there have been 7 games between us, with the average winning Margin of One point. 2 draws, 1 Mayo win and 4 Dublin wins. Dublin have 5 All Ireland titles in that time, Mayo, not one. These are the finest of margins. What is undisputable is that this Mayo team has dragged Dublin to the brink every single time, no easy wins, a supersizing of drama, and a good auld Cardio workout for both sets of fans. Tears and snots may be those of the green and gold variety, but you cannot argue that this Mayo team has been one of the best teams in the land this decade, and respect should be served where it due. And it’s oft said, an Old Dog still carries a bite, so be wary and get carried away you should not. Statistics are just that for a reason, and over 8 years, one point is one point, in my world and any others for that matter.   But statistics tell much of the past and little of the future. We may still be scarred by 16 years of hurt, and those of us around long enough, know better than to let the giddiness of a runaway train get the better of us. Law of averages they say…but do they though?. It that just a convenient coincidence? This game tomorrow will come down to the finest of margins, many of which are equalized between these two warriors. Desire – neither team will lack for either, both chasing a history of their own, one to break a legacy of 68 years, the other to do something not ever done. Expect neither team to be lacking in either desire or Intensity. Also known as Hunger. Luck – show your distain at your peril. Every winning team enjoys more than its fair share of this particular bounty. Appreciate what luck comes your way and curse not that which does not. Can also display itself as Karma. Fortune – favours the brave. Think 2017. That substitution. Dermo. Long live the king, he came on, game in the balance, scores an outrageous point, and wins us the free that wins us a 3 in a row. Calms a team down, shows compsure and the rest is Deano’s forever. Tactical masterclass from Jim and fortune will favour the brave tomorrow again. Also know as Ballsy. I’ve talked of 2006 before and the lasting effect it has left on us all. Those scars never leave. They drive us on. Of all that we left behind. That day haunts Dublin fans as much as any of the defeats Mayo have had. It simply wasn’t meant to be. Something that wasn’t for us and therefore passed us by. I still remember it vividly and I always will I guess. Even in victory since then, it is impossible to banish the past. You carry it. Your pain may ease but you never forget.   And whilst we think only of tomorrow, we must think too of others. It’s a week when my Ma celebrated her birthday, it’s been the same for every year, but I’ve not taken the time to acknowledge it here, in 12 years of writing this. Long overdue you might say, but timing is everything. Save it for when its most relevant. You only get to call it out this way once.  My words may let me down here, but here is a woman who has walked the walk with us for more than 40 years, been every step of the way with us so to speak, kicked every ball, prayed every prayer, and wished every wish. She’s a part of our fabric, our Dublin family. She may not go to games anymore, but she goes with us. She watches and wishes. She wants nothing but for a Dublin win for her sons. Our happiness is her happiness. Doesn’t matter if it’s midnight or 2 am, a welcome home is always there. A legend in her day for a sandwich to wash down the bottles of harp another legend may have brought to the hill, or a bag of Tayto, and don’t forget your 2 Mars bar’s for a pound, and don’t maul them if you don’t want them. Our Dublin History is her Dublin history. We forgive you for your soft spot for any county west of the Shannon, family or not, but we know you were always true to your boys in blue. Happy Birthday Ma! And of this family, my Dublin Family, this is what it is all about. Dublin Football brings us together. Binds us. Makes us stronger. We are Dublin. We know where we are from and we are proud. We share that pride with each other. We have had our tears of heartbreak and joy, but we are on this journey for 40 years and we are not done by a long shot. We, like this Dublin team, have our mantra, our ethos, our belief and our hope. You can never kill hope no matter how hard you try. Once more tomorrow we will go again into the breach dear friends. I think some famous Dublin musicians described us better, We’re one, but we’re not the same, we get to carry each other, we get to carry each other. One love, One blood, One life you’ve got to do what you should. One life, with each other, sisters, brothers. One life, but were not the same, we get to carry each other, carry each other……. One….

COYBIB.