Cavan could have been forgiven for turning their noses up at the Tailteann Cup. Instead, they've fully embraced it

A second-tier competition or not, Mickey Graham's team are 70 minutes from a final in Croker.

Sat, 18 Jun, 2022 - 06:00

Paul Fitzpatrick

They came from all over Ulster and Ireland to St Mary’s Church in Ballyhaise yesterday to pay their final respects to Enda McGowan, one of the great Cavan defenders, who passed away in mid-week.

McGowan made his championship debut in the 1967 All-Ireland semi-final against Cork and went on to win another Ulster title two years later and play in the finals of 1976 and ’78, the latter as captain.

Old-timers in Cavan have been known to observe that the county’s storied history was built primarily around three great teams. The county flowered for a decade from the late 1920s on and again from the early ’40s to the early ‘50s and throughout the 1960s.

After that, came oppression, the odd uprising generally quashed ruthlessly by the new regime up north.

When McGowan came of age, Cavan were still a powerhouse but as the years have fallen by, the legends who built that legacy have dwindled in number. There is now one living All-Ireland winner, Paddy Carolan, and while many of the 1960s side who won four Ulster titles and vied with the best were in attendance in Ballyhaise, their number is dwindling, too.

Cavan’s sudden decline is one of the great footballing mysteries yet the achievements of those mid-century idols still tower over the footballing culture in the county, creating a sense of exceptionalism, a typically ‘old money’ feeling that Cavan should be inherently superior to their peers. It is a culture arguably unique in Gaelic games and the unrealistic level of expectation it has engendered has probably been an impediment to success in recent decades.

Judged in that context – and throw in the fact that their team were in two of the last four Ulster SFC finals, winning one – and Cavan folk, more than any of the other 16 counties who took their place at the start line, could have been forgiven for turning their noses up at the Tailteann Cup. And yet, the pre-competition favourites have embraced it.

A curious crowd of 3,660 turned up for the opening round against Down in Kingspan Breffni and when captain Raymond Galligan twice saved a penalty from Barry O’Hagan – ref David Gough had ordered it be retaken – and Cavan scrambled to clear the rebound just before the short whistle, the old stadium was rocking and rolling. It may as well have been the Ulster Championship itself.

If the Tailteann Cup could be distilled to one moment, that was it. In the next round, another large Cavan crowd made the trip to Enniskillen to witness another one-sided win.

And now, it’s off to Croke Park again. Cavan’s win there on April 2 in the Division 4 league decider was the county’s first final success in the famous ground since the All-Ireland in ’52.

It may have been ‘only’ Division 4 but it was another box ticked in the development of this side, who have claimed the scalps of several of the Sam Maguire last 12 on the recent challenge match circuit.

As part of Active Schools Week, manager Mickey Graham visited some schools recently and took the temperature.

“Being around a few schools in Cavan this week, the kids were talking about coming up to Croke Park,” he said at Thursday’s launch at HQ. “Being up here and them coming to watch it is inspiring the next generation, they are saying ‘I want to play with Cavan, I want to be in Croke Park’ and that in itself is a success I think, if it’s going to encourage more children to play football in the years ahead.”

Graham has a full squad to choose from. One of those who broke into the side for his starting debut the last day was Niall Carolan, captain of the U20 team who lost the Ulster final by a point to eventual All-Ireland champions Tyrone in the spring. Carolan is a grandson of the aforementioned Paddy; the links to the glory days endure.

A second-tier competition or not, his team are 70 minutes from a final in Croker. “It’s a stepping stone,” said Graham.

So far, so good – for the Tailteann Cup and for Cavan.