Wheel of life keeps turning for Connacht’s Buckley

It’s almost a quarter of a century since Denis Buckley ran out at the Sportsground for the first time.

Denis Buckley of Connacht at Dexcom Stadium,. Pic: ©INPHO/Tom Maher

The wheel has almost turned full circle for Denis Buckley. It’s almost a quarter of a century since he ran out at the Sportsground for the first time, holding Eric Elwood’s hand as a mascot for a preseason game against Bristol Shoguns which was watched by less than 200 people.

There will be 12,500 packed into the redeveloped College Road venue this afternoon when Buckley, now 35 and with 272 Connacht appearances under his belt, runs out for the unveiling of the €40m Dexcom Stadium for a URC showdown with Leinster.

Buckley had turned 12 earlier in the week of his mascot appearance for Connacht. Back then sponsors Bank of Ireland used to present each mascot with a bank account with €100 in it. The late Tom Forde, whose son Cathal is now an established centre with Connacht, made the presentation afterwards to Buckley.

Six years after that Roscommon native Buckley, who came through the underage section at Creggs RFC before boarding at Blackrock College, played for Connacht A as an 18-year-old and three years later, in 2011, Elwood, now the head coach, gave the loosehead prop his senior competitive debut.

Buckley has seen it all with Connacht. The day he ran out as mascot against Bristol in 2002 there was nothing on the side of the pitch where the new Clan Stand and the High Performance Centre now stand. The dressing rooms were tucked in on the side where the greyhound board had built a stand.

The original Clan Stad, a covered terrace, was opened in 2011 when he made his senior debut.

“That was big when they brought the Clan Stand in at the time. And what they’ve done now dwarves that. It’s a little bit surreal and even as you’re on the pitch – and it’s not that long ago the pitch was resurfaced – and you’re there every day, you don’t really notice that it gets slightly bigger each day.

“The lads coming through now, especially lads that are in their first year, they just have no idea. The lads who arrived this year didn’t even have to deal with the portable buildings which were here last year. The portable buildings were probably an upgrade on the previous changing rooms, because they were just freezing.

“It’s funny, the lads coming through now just think it’s all indoor pitches and saunas and ice baths in the changing rooms and the works.” 

He can’t wait for the URC clash with Leinster but the massive developments he’s seen in recent years have already been matched by his native club Creggs.

The junior club on the Roscommon-Galway border marked its 50th anniversary last year by completing an astonishing development with a 4G pitch, a stand, three grass pitches, a gym and walkway, and a clubhouse with accessible and inclusive facilities such as a sensory room.

“It almost begs belief and especially if you saw what was there before,” added Buckley. “Up until this year, when we got the HPC open, Creggs definitely had much better facilities than we had last year here.

“It’s a very proud club and a proud area and some great people that are behind all that,” said Buckley.

He’s heading down the latter stages of a brilliant Connacht career where only John Muldoon has played more matches, so might he have a final twist with Creggs before hanging up the boots?

“We’ll see,” he added.