McCarthy: 'Everyone gets involved in some way or the other on county final week'

Castlehaven's manager James McCarthy predicted that their little pocket of West Cork would go a “bit loopy” on the run-in to the big day.

FINAL READY: James McCarthy, manager of Castlehaven who will play Nemo Rangers in the Bon Secours Cork Premier SFC final. Picture; Eddie O'Hare

Wed, 25 Oct, 2023 - 07:28

Eoghan Cormican

Speaking after Castlehaven’s semi-final win three weeks ago, manager James McCarthy predicted that their little pocket of West Cork would go a “bit loopy” on the run-in to the big day.

It’s a prediction, to absolutely no surprise at all, that has proven on the money.

Football, you see, is life down around Union Hall and Tragumna and Castletownshend. It’s football they think about when lifting their head off the pillow in the morning and football they think about when laying it back down that night.

And even when you depart for pastures bigger and brighter, Castlehaven and football come with you. As McCarthy explained, there’ll be plenty of planes landing into Cork airport between now and Sunday morning carrying home emigrated Haven folk. Home they’ve come for football. Home they’ve come for an audience with the Andy Scannell Cup.

For those not able to make the transatlantic journey or those not able to make it up the road, there’ll be no shortage of relatives, friends, and neighbours keeping them up to speed.

McCarthy’s mother Kathleen is of good age. Her phone was hopping after the semi-final win such were the many who wanted to pass on the news that the Barrs had finally been beaten.

“My mother is still alive, God bless her, and the amount of calls she would be getting from people after matches and they are screaming down the phone and so excited. It is just bringing a bit of life to their part of the world,” McCarthy began.

“We live and breathe it down here. Everyone gets involved in some way or the other on county final week. You'll see cars painted. Anything could happen. All good fun. It breaks up the winter.

“Covid brought a lot of things back, especially when you don’t have these things and they are taken away from you. The importance of football to our community and the community spirit it lends itself to was one of those things.

“People that went to America years ago still have that community spirit. You never lose it if you are from here. I don't know what it is or what draws them back here. But that is where we get our energy from - all these people that we know and what it means to them.”

It was one returning Haven man 20 years ago who began McCarthy’s journey in the local hotseat.

Bernie Collins was coming home from Australia to play in the 2003 Cork senior football championship. From the far side of the world the foundations were laid. Before ever setting foot on a plane to get himself back to the field in Moneyvollahane, Collins had a sideline ticket sorted.

He rang McCarthy to know if he’d be interested in managing the team. He told McCarthy he was bringing with him from Australia a chap by the name of Darren Fitzpatrick to do the physical training.

McCarthy was reticent. Reluctant to take charge. He was only 36. Niall Cahalane, who was still playing, was four years his senior.

He’d been involved in a county U21 winning team. But this was senior. And he’d no experience of any sort on a senior sideline.

In short, he didn’t think he was the right fit.

“I was petrified taking it on,” McCarthy recalls of his first stint as senior boss.

“Niall guided me along the way, even though he was still playing. Padraig Burke, God rest him, was another to guide me. He was my eyes and ears on the sideline.

“Fitzpatrick was an Aussie. But he bought into the passion of Castlehaven and gave us two brilliant years training the physical side of things.”

2003 brought county glory. He led another in 2012. Finbarr Santry succeeded him the following season and ensured successful retention. But nothing since.

“The 10 years go by fast,” continued McCarthy, now in the fourth year of his latest stint and assisted on the line by the aforementioned Collins.

“Look, in an average 10-year cycle in Cork, Nemo will win five or six, the Barrs will win a couple, and usually a country team will pick up the other one.

“Ross (Carbery Rangers) are the last country team to win one in 2016. Ballincollig got one in 14 and we were there in 2013 and 12, but there ain't too many winners otherwise.

“I remember my first county final was 79 against the Barrs in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. I was watching Jimmy Barry Murphy and all these great players. The Barrs beat us.

“We were coming from a country background. We were told, ‘ye had yere day in the sun, ye won't be back again’. But whatever we are doing right down here, we pop up our head every five or six years and we are there or thereabouts.”

Should they successfully pop up their heads on Sunday, this pocket of West Cork will remain a “bit loopy” well into the winter.