GAA talking points: Senan Kilbride's remarkable journey gives him chance to join elite crew 

Kilbride is now trying to do something that only Shane Curran has managed, certainly in the last 40 years – win an All-Ireland club medal on the field of play over the age of 40.

Senan Kilbride made an unexpected return to the St Brigid's senior panel. Pic: ©INPHO/Dan Clohessy

In June 2010, Shane Curran had an operation to remove a bulging disc in his back. It would be another year before Curran could even contemplate going back playing football. By that stage anyway, his body was a wreck. Curran was 40. St Brigid’s won that year’s Connacht title and subsequently reached the All-Ireland final. They had moved on without Curran.

His football career looked done and dusted but Curran refused to believe that it was. He went back training with Brigid’s in the summer of 2011 but his only involvement with the senior team was as goalkeeping coach. Curran was asked to sit on the bench for the Connacht semi-final against Tourlestrane that November but he refused because he didn’t want to undermine the players he was coaching.