The noise of our summer Sundays has died away

A GIANT has fallen. The news of the passing of our grandfather Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh at the tender age of 93 stopped me in my tracks. Those of us who were lucky enough to meet him will be sitting around this week and weekend sharing photos and stories of one of Ireland’s greatest sons.

The Under 14 Féile competition is one of the jewels of the GAA. Walking around O’Connell Street when my son was a member of the St John’s GAA Féile team, hearing the booming voice of the master, who knew all the clubs that paraded past the GPO, talking about the special nature of our club was an experience none of us will ever forget and will always cherish.

Mícheál O Muircheartaigh was the soundtrack to our summer Sunday afternoons. His non-stop explanation of the games, the players and the joy of the games on the radio of our Opel Manta was interrupted only by my father’s tapping of the steering wheel in joy or despair. He took all who listened to him, young and old, on a journey of pride, hope and tragedy in his unique Kerry accent.

He came from a generation that laid the foundations for what a new Ireland could become, that kept alive Irish pride in our language and our national games as the country faced the dominant forces of poverty and emigration. When some chose to denigrate our post-colonial context, he was a one-man Gaelic revivalist, blending his beautiful native Irish with a colourful adopted English. It was a unique show where there was never a hint of cynicism or partitionism, because he valued every team from every province in his country.

While some preferred to swerve to the right or left at the border, Mícheál visited every club at every request. He was there in the 1990s when Ulster football came to dominate, beating not only the teams before them but also the partitionist snobbery of some in GAA circles. But listening to his comments at that time, you would never have heard of a border. The Ulster Gaelic renaissance was in full swing and Mícheál O Muircheartaigh’s Dún Chaoin was our Fear An Tí.

He opened St Enda’s Gaelscoil and two new grounds in 2012. He understood that this GLC had suffered from the conflict like no other, and the importance of these sacred places affirming a Gaelic future for the Gaels of this area. He stayed for two days and delighted all those around him. He knew that the future could be better than the past, but that the past will not only illuminate our future, but will always be held in high esteem.

Some of his ideas were for the ages. There are many Fermanagh hurlers whose souls have been seared since he spoke of Seán Óg Ó hAilpín of Cork: “His father is from Fermanagh, his mother from Fiji, neither is a stronghold of hurlers. But the very pride with which they tell it tells us of the love and esteem in which he was held.

As we now realize our past, in which he will reside in reverence, it is impossible to rephrase or improve his own words: “Go mbeirimid beo ar an am seo arís.” No matter who wins, whether it’s all or nothing, may we all be alive and well on that day next year. The cúnamh Dé is all we can ask for. »