“It’s a bleak, cold, grey Sunday in March. March 24th 1985 to be precise. A small town in North Kerry is empty. You can almost see the straw blowing on its wide main street. There isn’t a sinner to be seen. Flags hang from every shop front, pole, and house in this town – their blue and white boxes wrestling with the swirling wind.”
So goes the RTÉ Radio One Documentary on One blurb for Dan Kearney’s debut documentary which is due to be aired on Saturday, August 22 at 1pm and repeated on Sunday evening at 7pm.
This represents a huge and applaudable achievement for Dan as it is his idea from the start. He is generous and liberal in his praise for John Herlihy of Radio Kerry and Liam O’Brien of RTÉ Radio One in helping him get that idea over such a significant line.
“This town is a town called Castleisland in Co. Kerry. Today, March 24th 1985, every man, woman and child has travelled 75 miles up the road to Tipperary Town. Castleisland Desmonds are in the Senior Football Club All Ireland Final. It’s their first – and only winning appearance at a Senior Club Football All Ireland Final.
“Desmonds face the city slickers from Dublin, St. Vincents. St Vincents have all the swagger of a city team, the long hair and confidence of growing up in the capital. They have the players, all stars like Brian Mullins, Tommy Conroy and Pat Canavan. Desmonds are men of the countryside, summers of their youth spent in bogs and meadows. City v countryside. Big club v small club.” Listen to the Doc on One on Saturday afternoon at 1pm.
In the meantime take a look at the Doc one One site with a click here: http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/2015/0814/721209-once-were-champions/
