I love the perspective you get a few days out from something. At a time when the emotion has dissipated, the becalmed excitement allows you to think freely, having cast away any conscious bias.
Every detail has been pored over, every decision analysed, every ‘what if’ exhausted, and we walk away with pride at the performance and the disappointment that it did not yield more. But there will be other days.
There is no doubt that Padraig Joyce and his team of players and backroom staff and their stirring performance last Sunday has rekindled a serious pride in the city and county, but it is not just for Sunday that they should be honoured, but for the entire season and for the manner in which they held themselves while representing us all.
And so too, our wonderful senior camogie team who lost narrowly last weekend; Cathal Murray’s side has given us many great days in the past few years, and will again soon. It is from setbacks the greatest learnings come.
Over the past 72 hours, much has been written and said about the shortening of the GAA season and the impact this will have on the attention span of the average sports fan.
And while I am sure there will be some small amendments to this in the seasons ahead, let us not forget that life does not begin and end with the intercounty scene.
For the casual supporter, perhaps it does, but this year, why not fill the gaps in your schedule by trotting down to support your nearest club, because this is where you will truly see the groundwork that is eventually fine tuned in arenas like Croke Park.
Week in, week out, it is the hard work of voluntary coaches and managers who create the environment that enables the players to discover the first connection between enjoyment and and the honour of representing a place, a community, a town, a village. It is there the initial link comes through.
There, the first steps are taken into shaping the people of the future by showing them what is important in the present, because of what happened in the past.
And so to all our Galway teams, in all codes, a hearty well done for what you have set out to do and what you have inspired. The teams you have assembled are role models for those following through. You have planted the trees, under which the shade of, you may never sit.
By inspiring young people to wear the colours with pride, you have assumed the responsibility of leadership and have become an architect of their future.
For all the efforts you have expended in the cause of maroon and white, we thank you — and we wish all of you well for the rest of the season.
For the club players, this is your moment. The time you have been waiting for. I hope that everyone who fought hard to get a ticket for last Sunday shows equal determination to get to their club games in the coming weeks and months.
Most club grounds have created a new matchday experience, with coffees and refreshments on sale. By supporting your local clubs through the purchase of merchandise and food, you are enabling them to continue being the fulcrum of your community.
Drive on....
