ON ST PATRICK’S DAY 2013, Ronan Stack was the fresh-faced kid in the St Brigid’s team.
The youngster rubbing shoulders with the club’s celebrated names of Mannion, Kilbride and Dolan, as they became the first Roscommon side to lift the Andy Merrigan Cup.
Now the club that draws players from Kiltoom and Cam, a community just outside Athlone, will return to the exalted stage of an All-Ireland final.
Stack is the only starting player that overlaps between the finalists of 2013 and 2024. Goalkeeper Cormac Sheehy was on the squad then, substitute Eoin Sheehy came off the bench in that final win over Ballymun Kickhams eleven years ago.
The wing-back remains a critical component of a defence that is now anchored by his younger brother Brian, an All-Star nominee last year for his stellar showings for Roscommon.
“A career really flies by in a blink of an eye,” said Stack, standing in the cold winter sunshine yesterday, reflecting on a semi-final success over Cork’s Castlehaven.
“You’re a young lad and then you’re a veteran. It’s great to be back at this level.”
He is now surrounded by an emerging wave of St Brigid’s players. When the Roscommon U20 team contested the All-Ireland final in 2021 against Offaly, Ruaidhrí Fallon, Robbie Dolan and Ben O’Carroll flew the flag for St Brigid’s.
Yesterday that trio excelled. There were other sparkling displays from the likes of Pearse Frost and Conor Hand, all feeding into a victory that pushed a new generation of St Brigid’s players into the national limelight.
The club have now qualified for a third All-Ireland final. Between 2005 and 2016, they won four Connacht senior titles and contested another four provincial finals.
Those high standards were not easy to maintain, they claimed Roscommon honours in 2017 and 2020, but Covid scuppered an assault on Connacht on the latter occasion.
This season they have grabbed their chance.
“The majority of the team are younger, I supposed (they) watched that team (of early 2010s) and wanted to be there themselves. There’s no short cuts. They’ve all put in the work and they’ve all wanted to be there. Being able to see success makes young lads want it themselves.
“It’s just a pleasure for me to play with them. At the later stage of my career to be still going and have Brigid’s competing at this level is absolutely brilliant.”
That’s three from five now for St Brigid’s in All-Ireland semi-final ties. They lost to Crossmaglen in 2007, beat Nemo Rangers in 2011, were defeated by neighbours Garrycastle in 2012, and then saw off Crossmaglen in 2013.
The latest victory was built on a blistering first-half performance, in front 1-5 to 0-2 after 17 minutes.
It proved too costly a period for Castlehaven to endure. The West Cork side charged into the contest in the second half, clawing at the St Brigid’s advantage.
But they were never ahead in the game and only level at throw-in in Semple Stadium at 1.45pm. A battle-hardened side that required extra-time for wins in Munster over Clare’s Cratloe and Kerry’s Dingle, found the semi-final stage represented the end of the road.
For the fourth time, a Castlehaven team were unable to plot a route past the All-Ireland semi-final and advance to Croke Park.
Predecessors lost in 1990 to Baltinglass, 1995 to Kilmacud Crokes and 1998 to Erin’s Isle. The luckless sequence continues in Thurles, the third such semi-final defeat at the Tipperary stadium.
“I thought we played outstanding football there in the second half,” said manager James McCarthy.
“We brought it down to one. If we levelled it, I think there would have been only one winner. But that’s a good Brigid’s team. That team is going to take some beating in the final.”
The electricity generated by St Brigid’s early attacking play warmed their support on a freezing January day. Castlehaven conjured up their own attacking moments through Brian Hurley, typically influential, and Cathal Maguire.
But placed balls were difficult in the conditions, the pitch coated in frost on one side and bathed in sunshine on the other. Castlehaven could not convert enough of those opportunities, while Jack Cahalane and Rory Maguire slammed thunderbolts against the crossbar.
McCarthy was disappointed in defeat and also pragmatic in gauging their achievements this season.
“We are after a great year, a great four years with this bunch of lads. I couldn’t ask for more from them. We have a young team and we are very proud of them. We are going to go home now and celebrate (the year).
“Afterwards there on the pitch you could see there was as big a Castlehaven crowd on the pitch as the opposition, which is a great sign of our families and supporters. We are all in it together down there.
“There is more about football than when you win and bring a parish and people together. I know they are going home disappointed, but sport is unbelievable what it does for people.”
Stack and St Brigid’s know the wonder of these club victories. They weathered the Castlehaven storm successfully in the second half and coped with their own third-quarter wobble.
Now a trip up the M6 to Croke Park is in the offing once more. Derry’s Glen are fresh opponents to cross paths with.
A return to All-Ireland final day.
