Those who embraced it and lived through it won’t forget the sheer and infectious excitement which gripped the summer and autumn of 2010 in Castleisland.
Back then the phenomenon known as Celebrity Bainisteoir was the talk of the parish from the very moment it was mentioned that a senior men’s team from Castleisland Desmonds GAA Club was chosen to participate.
There was a military-like secrecy surrounding the identity of the ‘Bainisteóir’ and when the day of revelations finally arrived and Derek Burke walked into the Moanmore, Limerick Road pitch it became quickly obvious that this would be no ordinary journey.
A Very Welcoming Guard of Honour
His walk from the Limerick Road gate to the entrance to the dressing rooms was flanked by a kind of informal and very welcoming guard of honour – and it only got better.
On entering the dressing room, where the panel of players was gathered in wait and suspense, he immediately did one of his trademark dances and it was game on with fun – layers of fun.
He was caught / tackled and lifted shoulder high by the enthusiasm of the players led by Pa Fitzgerald and John McGaley.
The Late Liam Kerins
The late, Tralee native and former Kerry player Liam Kearns was appointed as his training coach with Niall Mitchell as team captain and they struck up a formidable training and playing relationship.
School Visits and Training
The whirl of serious footballing and training action spanned from early July to the end of October. Extra curricular activities included visits to all the schools.
On each and all of these visits Derek was called on for one of his trademark dance routines which were now growing more in demand and getting increasingly famous and more flamboyant by the day.
School children arrived in their classrooms in blue and white Desmonds jerseys and faces painted in anticipation of the visits.
Wins at Home and Away
On the fields of play there were wins against Shannonbridge – away; Kilconley at home in Moanmore and then the big one, the final in Parnell Park in Dublin against Ballymun Kickhams on the Friday evening of October 29th 2010.
It was the most nerve wracking of all as the Desmonds clung to a single point lead in the dying moments of the game – but cling on the did.
Pure Dedication and Hard Work
The celebrations out-matched those of the previous July in that Moanmore team dressing rooms when the victors forged an unbeatable alliance of pure dedication hard work and fun.
Pike-men and Paraffin Oil
The welcome home was a sight to behold and, as the team bus finally rounded Hartnett’s Corner, the street was lit by a team of ‘pike-men’ with paraffin oil soaked sods of turf to guide the team and its captain and the RTÉ Celebrity Bainisteóir Cup home along Main Street.
Memories Were Made
On that night, Derek and the band were away up the country on an engagement. On learning of his absence on such a momentous night of celebration, young members of the welcoming party commandeered a giant poster of their hero and displayed it proudly to the fore of the assembled crowd.
The memories may have been made in that summer and autumn of 2010 but they’ll be remembered by the people of all ages who witnessed the particular sense of community achievement, bonding and the pure magic of it all.
What Became of Derek ?
Now, did you ever wonder what became of Derek Burke and his mom Mary and sister Dervla and dad Mike.
My phone ‘pinged’ during the week and there it all was: An article in Evoke by Bronwyn O’Neill providing a note by note account of the life and times of Crystal Swing before, during and after the Castleisland Desmonds and Celebrity Bainisteoir experiences. And you can read it all with a click on the Link here:
https://evoke.ie/2024/01/20/entertainment/celebrity/crystal-swing-where-are-they-now
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