IN THE CLOSING moments at Semple Stadium a fortnight ago, Paul Geaney gathered the ball in space on the left wing of their attack.
He pushed forward and clipped a point over off his left, wheeling away in celebration with his arm raised. The score pushed Dingle three clear and Geaney knew it was the insurance score, they had shepherded the game beyond the reach of Clonmel Commercials and ensured safe passage to the Munster final.
In keeping with the winning theme of the match, it was fitting that a member of the Geaney family had rounded off the scoring for the day. When Dingle needed the offensive inspiration to provide scoreboard separation, it was that surname which dominated the scoresheet.
Of the nine points that Dingle registered in the second half, seven were supplied by Paul, Dylan and Conor Geaney. In the opening eight minutes of play after half-time, the brothers Dylan and Conor raised four white flags between them.
The Geaneys supply a third of the Dingle starting team. Dylan, Conor and wing-back Niall are all brothers. Paul is their first cousin and Mikey, the Kerry 2014 All-Ireland winner that is the source of so much industry in the middle third, is another first cousin.
The Geaney factor was critical in setting Dingle on the road to Limerick for Sunday’s Munster final.
Opponents Castlehaven can relate. While Dingle were completing their semi-final assignment in Thurles, the West Cork side were down the road in Dungarvan taking on Rathgormack.
They shipped an early goal but their recovery was swift and their dominance became increasingly clear. Three points clear by the break and nine points clear by the final whistle. The fingerprints of two brothers were all over their performance.
Brian and Michael Hurley were the scoring figureheads, as is the custom. They weighted in with seven of Castlehaven’s eight first-half points – Brian with three and Michael with four. Out of the team’s total of 1-17, Brian finished the game with 1-6 and Michael with 0-5.
It is a sizeable chunk to contribute. Their older brother Shane is still a member of the Castlehaven panel, winning his fourth county senior medal this autumn, two decades after his first. When Castlehaven previously featured in a Munster senior final back in 2012, succumbing to defeat against Dr Crokes, another Hurley brother, Stephen, was pulling the attacking strings.
The Hurley input to Castlehaven is significant, just as the Geaney influence is embedded in the DNA of Dingle football. Colm Geaney, the father of Dylan, Conor and Niall, won an All-Ireland minor medal with Kerry back in 1988, another uncle Sean was an established forward in the Kingdom senior squad before retiring in 1996. He later managed Kerry to the All-Ireland U21 title in 2008, a team featuring the likes of David Moran, Tommy Walsh and Killian Young.
Mikey’s older brother David was on the Kerry panel for the 2011 All-Ireland final against Dublin. He flew the flag in the Dingle senior attack for many seasons before turning his attention to coaching. Clare club St Joseph’s Miltown-Malbay benefited from his guidance as they lifted the Jack Daly Cup recently, while also contesting the 2018 Munster senior decider against Dr Crokes, and this season David was involved with Limerick senior outfit Monaleen.
The family dynamic extends beyond the Geaney and Hurley reach in both squads. Barry Dan and Darragh O’Sullivan are at the heart of the Dingle midfield effort, both have Kerry representative experience, while their father Bernard was part of Kingdom squads during the Golden Years.
Kerry All-Star Tom O’Sullivan has a brother Jack on the Dingle bench, defenders Tom Leo and Conor O’Sullivan are related, while club stalwarts Brian and Paul Devane are both still central to the squad.
On the Castlehaven side, the three Cahalane brothers are instrumental to their hopes. Damien anchoring the defence, Conor a powerhouse in the middle and Jack floating around the forward line. They had the distinction of tasting Cork senior hurling success together with St Finbarr’s last year and following it up this season with the football wing of their sporting lives.
Their father Niall was pivotal to the club’s rise in the ’80s and ’90s, as was goalkeeper Michael Maguire. His sons Rory, an All-Star nominee this year for his exploits with Cork, and Cathal, are established figures in the Castlehaven side, while younger brother Michael is an emerging forward on the bench. The Wheltons, Andrew and David, are another set of brothers in their camp.
A Proud Granny .
— Castlehaven GAA (@CastlehavenGAA) October 29, 2023
A proud day for Kathleen Cleary, with her six grandsons, Conor & Damien & Rory & Jack & Cathal and Micheàl celebrating Castlehaven. Great win today pic.twitter.com/tZ3x2VPg8r
But Sunday’s game will likely boil down to which family wreaks the most havoc in attack. Dingle gained admittance to the Munster scene through their success in September in the Kerry club championship. The Geaneys contributed 2-10 out of the team’s semi-final tally of 2-18 against Spa. In the final they supplied Dingle’s entire scoring output of 1-9 (Dylan 1-3, Conor 0-3 and Paul 0-3) as they squeezed past Kenmare by a point.
For Castlehaven, the Hurley duo knocked over 12 points in a county semi-final win over St Finbarr’s and ten of the eleven points the teams registered in final victory against Nemo Rangers. Michael shot five that day from play, a stunning showing that lit up an often dour encounter, and next day out in Munster, Brian whipped over seven points against Cratloe.
These are recurring patterns on both sides. Who can repeat the trick on the biggest day of the year? Paths have crossed before in the inter-county arena on various Cork and Kerry teams at different age grades. A club showdown offers novelty, although Paul Geaney does have a happy memory of facing Castlehaven in a final, winning outright in Cork in 2011 with UCC.
Dingle have never won this championship before, the current Castlehaven group are aiming to emulate their illustrious club predecessors.
Whoever is steered to victory on Sunday afternoon, it is likely to be a Geaney or Hurley at the scoring wheel.
