Brilliant Banner raising the standard

Croke Park, September 3, 1995: Clare 1-13 Offaly 2-8.

And lo, walls tumbled and the chimes of freedom rang out and the nation became honorary Banner folk for the day as history was made in the most dramatic circumstances imaginable. In the outpouring of joy that ensued, a couple of things were overlooked or — and rightly so because they were fantastically irrelevant — dismissed. It was neither a distinguished All-Ireland final nor a distinguished All-Ireland-winning performance, even if most of the Clare players hurled to form. Jamesie O’Connor, who failed to get to grips with the occasion, was one of two obvious exceptions. The other, of course, was Fergie Tuohy, who landed four points from play in the course of the kind of afternoon that drives people to write poems.

But so what? The country didn’t mind the quality, the country looked at the scoreline and the country rejoiced.