Hehir ‘jealous’ of London adventure

Today at 3pm Paul Hehir will switch on the television in the Shawl pub in South Harrow and watch London play Cavan.

By his own admission he is “jealous as hell” over what the Exiles have achieved this summer and the publican is well placed to cast an envious eye.

In the late ’90s Hehir soldiered for London alongside his brother Senan. Both were raised in Swiss Cottage, North London and remarkably, both returned to Ireland in 1998 to play in the Munster SFC for Clare — the county of their parents.

There’s been talk all week about Lorcan Mulvey’s return to compete against his native Cavan in Croke Park, the conflict of interest all that entails but no one knows more about duel allegiance than the London Irish man.

Situated in a traditional Irish heartland his pub is a social hub for all things GAA Thames-side and he has been packed for the Exiles’ games.

Everywhere he’s gone the last month people have asked him about London and how they’ll go? But then Hehir is something of a rare breed in GAA circles because London is his primary county rather than his adopted team.

But there were days Paul Hehir returned to Clare to play against London so he knows the emotions involved.

“I always dreamed about it, wondered about it,” he says of the Exiles return to Croke Park. “And I’m as jealous as hell.

“You’d be a nervous wreck because you kind of have to prove yourself all over again and sure I was the London-born player.

“I played against Lorcan a couple of times here; he’s a big fella, just shrugs his shoulders and runs through guys. If there was one bit of advice then it would be to play the game and not the occasion.”

Mulvey has grown into the talisman of the Exiles this summer, mixing accurate score-taking with a physical stamp and London will need him at his stomping best if they are to return a victory this afternoon.

“You wear your heart on your sleeve in games like this,” says Hehir. “Your family and friends are there, you know all the players on the opposite team, this is all added pressure and you have to block it out.”

Hehir sees a bright future for London beyond this summer.

“There’s more respect for the jersey,” he says. “Playing for London has become fashionable. Noel Dunning [Paul Coggins’ predecessor] brought professionalism into London GAA. He brought things to the next level but the problem was there was no depth. London had good teams of 15 players, but there weren’t enough players of a certain standard who could come on and take their place. That’s the biggest difference with this team.

“There are English born players out there now too and you wonder whether they will be given an opportunity because the players with the reputations come from Ireland.”

So can London regroup and recover to deliver a match-winning performance today. “I don’t see why not?” he says. “There is no such thing as an upset now. Sure this is the Championship of 2013.”