Kerry seek divine inspiration for success

THEY’RE prepared to go to any heights to win an All-Ireland football final.

Novenas are made, rosaries recited and Masses sometimes said for the men in green and gold, but now some supporters are going back to the 7th century for divine inspiration.

The spirits of monks that once occupied the Great Skellig — a pinnacle of rock that rises 700 feet out of the Atlantic — are being invoked to help the Kingdom defeat Mayo, on Sunday.

Kerry team manager Jack O’Connor teaches inColáiste na Sceilige, Caherciveen, where students and staff are, yet again, engaged in artistic ways of creating a pre-match atmosphere.

Last year, their artistic endeavours portrayed O’Connor as a warrior, but this year they’ve opted for a religious theme.

Coxwain Pádraig O’Shea, of the local rowing club, has dressed up in a friar’s brown habit and taken his pivotal position in a golden boat in Caherciveen estuary.

His crew comprises four Coláiste na Sceilige students who recently won an All-Ireland under-18 coastal rowing championships.

However, if Kerry fans and the bookmakers have it right, the Sam Maguire cup will be returning to the Kingdom, without divine assistance.

Paddy Power, for example, has installed Kerry as raging hot 1/3 favourites, with Mayo at 5/2 and 10/1 a draw The build-up in Kerry has, so far, been low-key and an air of confidence pervades the county.

Most observers had predicted a Kerry v Dublin final — a dream fixture that would have rekindled old rivalries and set off a mad scramble for tickets.

But Mayo upset the best-laid plans by defeating Dublin in the semi-final.

For that reason, the final is not generating the frenzy that would have resulted had the Dubs been providing the opposition.

Because the Kerry minors are also contesting the All-Ireland final (against Roscommon), the county has a bigger ticket allocation than usual.

According to Kerry GAA board secretary Eamon O’Sullivan, they expect a total of 14,000 tickets, including 8,000 for the stands and 6,000 for terraces.

This is a bigger allocation than Kerry received in 2004 when the minors were also involved in the final.