Artane Band typifies the sound of the summer

Jimmy Deenihan had developed a grá for the Artane Boys Band long before he set eyes on the red and blue uniform.

Deenihan’s childhood memories of the GAA, akin to countless others in rural Ireland, centred around the family wireless on a Sunday afternoon, the soft tones of Mícheál O’Hehir and that momentary pause. A sporting nation drew collective breadth. Cue a chorus of wind and horn instruments; trumpets, flutes and clarinets working in perfect synchrony, accentuated by the beat of the four drummers... the arrival of the Artane Boys Band.

Star of the County Down, Molly Malone and Scarborough Fair into every sitting room in the country and for those fortunate enough to be present in Croke Park, taking in the spectacle was as important as the game itself.