Friendship takes back seat as An Ghaeltacht and Na Gaeil fight for Kerry senior survival
An Ghaeltacht chairman Dara Ó Cinnéide said the club championship will be more important to his side this year than the county championship. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Not a lot of people, even within the Kingdom, would be fully aware of the deep connection and fond friendship between the GAA clubs of An Ghaeltacht and Na Gaeil.
However, come 4pm on Sunday afternoon, at a newly redeveloped Gallarus, all of that will go out the window for 60 minutes as Fergal Ó Sé and Donal Rooney’s charges fight for their lives in the Kerry senior club football championship.
This final round Group 3 encounter has everything riding on it – as a passage to the knock-out stages, or the dreaded relegation play-offs.
Indeed, if the visitors were to emerge victorious by exactly three points, all three teams (including Milltown/Castlemaine) would be level on points and scoring difference.
For An Ghaeltacht club chairman Dara Ó Cinnéide, the bond between the West Kerry men and their Tralee colleagues means a lot.
“We’re ready for our first senior home game, and Na Gaeil are a club that we have huge affinity and respect for,” he said.
“It was An Ghaeltacht people who founded them in Tralee a long time ago. Seamus MacGearailt, who coached us to win our first ever county title 25 years ago, was a founding member of Na Gaeil GAA club. My own uncle and first cousin were former chairmen of the club, Tim Lynch senior and junior.
“Colm Ó Suilleabháin is their chairman of Bord na nÓg. Micí Ó Grifín, our county board delegate, is a member of Na Gaeil. Dara Ó Grifín, who is our analyst, is a member of Na Gaeil and An Ghaeltacht, and his brother is playing with Na Gaeil.
“Both clubs have a huge connection and a huge mutual respect. Na Gaeil are a very Irish language-speaking club. They won a Joe McDonagh award for their use of the Irish language in their club. There really is a genuine connection between the two clubs.”
A fortnight ago, just seven months after winning the All-Ireland intermediate club title, An Ghaeltacht travelled to Milltown, and pipped the locals by a goal (1-11 to 0-11). That’s certainly a better start than their last outing at the senior grade.
“We’re kind of wary, because eight years ago we had a disaster at senior level. It was a different structure. We wanted to win the All-Ireland intermediate back then, and got caught in the semi-final in injury-time, and we had an awful hangover after it,” added Ó Cinnéide.
“A couple of weeks later we were playing the All-Ireland senior club champions in the first round of the senior club championship. We were ten points down to Dr Crokes at half-time and playing against the wind in the second half.
“It went downhill from there. We got beaten by (Austin) Stacks, got beaten by (Kerins) O’Rahillys by a point, and then got beaten by Kenmare in October to keep our senior status. We went back down intermediate.
“There was a possibility, had Na Gaeil won last week, that we would have been out of danger, but we’re back to square one, and we have to do it all over again.”
Na Gaeil’s home defeat last Saturday to Milltown/Castlemaine (1-13 to 1-10), after being five points clear at half-time, has really put the cat among the pigeons in this group. With every outcome possible, the An Ghaeltacht man knows how special an occasion Sunday promises to be.
“It’s nice, we have the place painted, we have the grounds done up, there are a few finishing touches to be put to it. We have as much done as we can do, but it’s what happens between 4pm and half five that we’re thinking of,” he stressed.
“We should be finding it hard. We found it very hard to get over Milltown, and that should be the case. Milltown had a couple of years at senior level, we didn’t. Na Gaeil reached the club final last year, so we should be finding it very hard on Sunday.
“We’re going to try and put our best foot forward, and we’re looking forward to the game. We’re getting there, that kind of way, and I hope it just doesn’t come too soon. We’ve had a block now of maybe three weeks with our lads for the first time all year.
“We’re looking at how Dingle approached the club championship last year. They didn’t really stretch themselves, but they then got their five-week block in. They had different fish to fry.
“We’re probably in a different boat, this year anyway, where the club championship is probably more important than the county championship for us.”
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