Ballydonoghue strike early and often

Ballydonoghue 5-9 St Senan’s 0-8: Before the start of yesterday’s North Kerry SFC final, Raymond McGibney of the Irish Defence Forces stood underneath the tricolour and read out the 1916 proclamation. The Ballydonoghue rising, joint-manager Denis Lynch would tell us afterwards, was five years in the making and ended with a first divisional title in almost a quarter of a century.

Ballydonoghue’s tyros laid siege on the St Senan’s goal from as early as the 25th second – Eamon Walsh flung over the game’s opening score - and when the smoke from half an hour of consistent shelling had abated, Lynch’s troops were 11-points clear.

The interval scoreline of 4-4 to 0-5 just about did them justice and even though they were nowhere near as dominant in the second period – the winners did not add to their tally between the 24th and 48th minute – the footballers from Ballydonoghue had 16 points to spare at the finish.