Awakening of some note in the west

Half a glance at the match programme for West Kerry’s defeat of Austin Stacks in the Kerry SFC quarter-final confirmed one of the most remarkable resurgences of a small GAA club in recent times.

Three years ago the Gaeltacht club was 60 minutes from plummeting to Division 4 of the county league, a seemingly stunning fall from grace for a club that appeared in an All-Ireland senior club final in Croke Park only a decade previous.

But stunning only if one conveniently bypasses the logistical and societal issues it faces in its remoteness.