Story of sporting success also captures pride of the parish
On a fundamental level, it chronicles the heroic tale of a football team that made history for the parish – but the story of An Cheathrú Rua’s All-Ireland triumph, as depicted in a new book launched to a packed house last weekend, is more than that.
Bliain an Ghaisce – the Year of the Hero - is also the history of the club, of the parish, its culture and its people.
The book – a glossy, coffee table, full colour hardback with photos by Seán Ó Mainnín augmented by words from Tomás Mac Con Iomaire – quite conceivably includes a photograph of everyone who lives with a ten-mile radius of the village.
But at its core it captures that epic football journey through Galway, Connacht and onto Croke Park in forensic detail.
Front and centre are the footballers who brought such glory to the parish on January 25 2025 – 24 hours after Storm Éowyn – and it chronicles their path in words and pictures from the early stages of the Galway County Junior Football Championship through to victory in the final over Killererin at a wet and windy Pearse Stadium.
It hits its height with victory over Donegal and Ulster champions Naomh Padraig when Fionan Ó Conghaile struck six minutes into stoppage time to give them a dramatic 0-9 to 0-8 win.
But that’s not the end because it culminates in the heroic homecoming followed by the visits to the schools – encapsulating what a win means to a community, but also to a club that enjoyed senior success in the past before the effects of emigration saw them go down through the ranks.
The book was launched by Galway All-Ireland winner Seán Óg de Paor in An Chistín, owned by the Ó Sé family – among their number Galway star of the eighties, Aodhan –with most of that All-Ireland winning team in attendance.
One who wasn’t there was Aodhan’s son Fergal, who left for Australia a day earlier – but not before picking up a copy of the newly-published book to take it to the other side of the world.
Those in attendance heard good luck messages from GAA President Jarlath Burns – a man who went to Irish College in the area in his youth – as well as former Kerry star Dara Ó Cinnéide, RTÉ Radio presenter Cormac Ó hEadhra and TG4 broadcaster Garry Mac Donncha.
Caption: Writer Tomás Mac Con Iomaire, photographer Seán Ó Mainnín and former Galway star Seán Óg de Paor who launched the book, "Bliain an Ghaisce" bat An Chistin pub, an Cheathrú Rua, last Saturday. Photo: Joe O'Shaughnessy.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie.