Meathman's Diary: Dunsany's cup of joy overfloweth
The weight of history. The wait of history. The hand of history. They all came swirling together at Pairc Tailteann on Sunday for Dunsany, caught in the winds of a rising Storm Ashley.
We’d been here before, as my colleagues in the sports department are obliged to mention every time Dunsany makes it to a Junior Championship Final. Always the bridesmaids. Beaten in eight previous final appearances. Add in a few semi-finals. The Mayos of Meath. Dunsany had never won an adult championship since the club was founded in 1963.
On Sunday, we dared to hope. Kevin Cahill, a no-nonsense man of undoubtable football pedigree and record, had taken over the reins as manager from Paul O’Donnell, with whom he had worked the previous year, and who had planted and nurtured the seeds of success. Kevin and his selectors, coaches, and backroom team created a sense of belief. The player’s belief in themselves. The club’s belief in its young players. The parish’s belief in the club.
Yet, it was low key. We’d been here before. Eight times, as we had been reminded so often. Building up excitement for the final was tempered by past experiences. So many previous trips had ended in inevitable disappointment, against Castletown, Ardcath, Bective, Curraha, Longwood, Nobber, and as far back as 1972, against Ballinabrackey, the first ever final appearance.
So many of those who had formed and served the club since those early days passed on without seeing the name Dún Samhna on a championship cup, but they never gave up hope either.
Of course, it wasn’t all about medals, trophies, or championships. It was about community, sport, camaraderie, bringing people together, providing games and activities for youngsters, fostering a sense of place and identity. Not always easy in a small parish dominated by two large, castled estates where there was a sparse population, and a deep tradition of hurling in the Kilmessan village end of the parish.
But this year, the quiet confidence was there, unspoken, as preparations were made to once again face old foes, St Vincent’s of Ardcath.The omens were looking good. Ratoath had captured a first senior hurling title since 1963. Meath Hill made the breakthrough with a first ever intermediate football championship.
In a sign of the modern tech era, Dunsany’s loyal main sponsor over the past few years has been ‘The Terroriser’, Ben Hanby from Tara, who is a US-based Youtuber and gamer. Nobody was striking terror at Páirc Tailteann on Sunday, but Cian O’Sullivan and the powerhouse that is Eoin Harkin struck when and where it mattered – in the back of the net and between the uprights. When the final whistle blew, Dunsany’s record of defeats was at last, and thankfully, Gone with the Wind.