Kilkenny delighted to be back among friends
Yesterday, in the wind and rain of a January Sunday in Cork, the returned AFL export lined out for Castleknock in the All-Ireland Club JFC semi-final against Kerry and Munster champions Kenmare.
It was his first game of football since turning his back on a professional footy career with the mighty Hawthorn, one of the most famed outfits Down Under.
The venue of his return was literally half a world away from the sunshine and glamour of life as rookie recruit in Australian Rules. And for all that Ciarán Kilkenny couldn’t be happier.
“There is a lot of muck on me now,” laughed the 19-year-old. “But that is what you want, you want to be grinding out the hard games with your friends and with the people you grew up with. The way the whole community came out today was brilliant. It was just fantastic to see people from around the club who travelled so far to see our game. It shows how strong our community is and the passion and the love that they have for the GAA. I am just looking forward to the next day and hopefully it will be a good day then as well.”
Kilkenny cited his love of gaelic games and the Irish culture as his main reasons for not returning to Australia. And it was a theme he returned to yesterday.
“Last week I was on an ‘Oiche Comhrá’ with a few people from the club speaking Irish and you would just not get that homeliness and banter anywhere else but in Ireland.
“Those are the things that you would miss, and that is why I came home, for the passion and love of the GAA.”
Good news indeed for Dublin football and hurling fans. Although, he admits hurling is his first love.
“I will play (hurling) with the (county) under-21s and the club because hurling is always your first love. You can’t beat the game of hurling but I don’t know what will happen in the future, but at the moment I am going to concentrate on the U21 football and Castleknock.”
His decision to come back to Ireland was also welcomed by Castleknock boss Tom McCormack, as his charges endeavour to become the first Dublin team to get to an All-Ireland club JFC final.
“Ciarán would be a boost to any team and he is a big boost to us and we needed him there today. He has been in pressure positions before so he knows how to play it. His decision to come home was a bolt from the blue and no one saw that coming except himself. It was a great surprise and boost to the club.”
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