Kieran Shannon: A generation in Cork miss out on that winning feeling
MUCH TO PONDER: Cork manager John Cleary was left dejected after his side lost by a point against Clare. Cork has been crying out for men’s senior All-Ireland success in both codes. Pic: INPHO/Natasha Barton
Although we came out of Cusack Park thinking every generation needs the kind of win and moment that Clare football had just had, the sight of another spectator made me ponder just how different it must be to grow up in Cork these days compared to yesteryear.
Shortly after I’d taken up a spot in the main stand with my 11-year-old Clare-born son, I noticed that among the few hundred Cork supporters who had made the journey up to Ennis was Graham Canty and his family. He still looked characteristically lean and fit but the streaks of grey in his hair reminded us that while the image of him lifting Sam Maguire aloft will last forever, the moment itself is 12 and a half years ago now; already we’re at the halfway point from when that team of 2010 got over the line and when they’ll be rolled out to wave to the crowd at the 2035 All-Ireland final.
