THE FLAGS WERE put up for county final day in October, and they’re still flying high in January.
Aside from the decor, there’ll not be a sinner in the Cavan village of Arva tomorrow afternoon.
Everyone will be in Croke Park for the greatest day in the club’s history.
It will be the similarly quiet in the town of Listowel in Kerry, their opponents in the All-Ireland junior club football championship final.
The same applies for all of the clubs competing across intermediate and junior finals weekend, with neighbouring Cork hurling sides St Catherine’s and Castlelyons both in action on the biggest stage in club hurling this evening.
Ghost towns and parishes aplenty. All roads lead to Croker.
Arva is located at the very tip of Ulster. Surrounded by lakes, its claim to fame is that three provinces meet there, with Leinster and Connacht also converging. Arva is one of three GAA clubs in its parish, along with Killeshandra and Cornafean. There are lots of other football heavyweights around: Cavan senior champions Gowna; Mullinalaghta, Colmcille and Dromard in Longford; Carrigallen across the border in Leitrim.
“We’re a very proud club,” long-time, but now former, PRO Patrick Mulligan tells The 42.
“The area we come from is a total hotbed of Gaelic football, there’s no other sports really in the area. From the people that are nearly 100 years of age down to the one-year-old, everyone is so proud of these players. They’re such a great bunch of lads, they’re so proud of their club and it’s a boost for everyone.
“All the juvenile members of the club are really enjoying it, looking up to all these hero players and the success that they’re bringing.”
“It’s obviously mad,” he adds. “There’s bunting, car stickers and flags everywhere. Everyone’s looking forward to it. We’ve always thought about the odd time we get to Croke Park if Cavan were playing, but I don’t think anyone ever dreamed that the Arva senior team would be playing there on All-Ireland club final day.
“It’s the stuff of dreams, and hopefully it will happen again down the line. But I suppose you just have to take it as a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Many clubs around the country will relate to Arva’s journey. They’ve had to contend with emigration and other challenges through the years, predominantly bouncing between the junior and intermediate grades.
It’s been a colourful decade or so. After losing the 2013 Cavan junior final by a point, they won it the year after. They same happened at intermediate level in 2016, having been narrowly defeated in the decider the year previous.
Following the drop from senior, history has repeated itself over the last two seasons.
“On a couple of occasions we had to lose one to win one, as the old saying goes,” Mulligan says.
“Last year, we got more or less everyone back on board. We got to the Cavan junior final but we were beaten by a point in injury time. This year, we’ve had a great influx of really talented footballers that have came through from minor level. Between them and the other talented footballers that we have, they’ve really gelled together and put their shoulder to the wheel.”
With Ciarán Brady, Jonathan McCabe and Tristan Noack-Hofmann among their county players, Arva defeated Knockbride in October’s county final before overcoming Monaghan outfit Blackhill to lift their first-ever Ulster club title.
The dream hit new heights then, and the buzz has been palpable since.
It has well and truly shortened the winter.
The same excitement is felt around St Catherine’s of Cork, ahead of their All-Ireland intermediate club hurling final against Kilkenny’s Tullogher Rosbercon later today.
“It’s been a busy week, but it has been building up,” PRO John O’Mahony tells The 42.
“Building and building, it’s been a gradual thing. The actual final is the pinnacle, but it didn’t happen overnight.
“Owen Davis this morning in The Echo, he summed it up. Our main aim at the start of the year wasn’t the All-Ireland. Our main aim wasn’t even the county final. Our main aim was league respectability, which we did well in. We’re in Division Four of the county hurling league: a nine-game programme, most of the teams in it were graded above us, some of whom we beat, and I think that that stood us in good health when we went forward for the championship later on in the year.”
A good run was the goal there. They were defeated by Erin’s Own in the final, but progressed to Munster as Cork’s representatives due to the rule around the non-qualification of second teams. It all snowballed thereafter.
Like Arva, Ballynoe’s St Catherine’s is among a cluster of other clubs. O’Mahony points out that they’re the last one in East Cork. “Five miles further on the road, you’re in west Waterford,” he says.
“We are roughly equidistant from the three major towns around us: Youghal, Midelton and Fermoy, and we’re right in the middle of hurling heartland. Every team around us is very respectable. Other clubs near us that have been doing very well in recent years would be Dungourney, Lisgoold, Castlelyons, Bride Rovers and ourselves, Watergrasshill. We’re all in there in a pocket.
“I think a fair indication of how strong East Cork hurling is, you look at Imokilly every year in the county senior hurling championship, they will always put up a decent fight.”
Castlelyons join St Catherine’s at HQ later this evening as they contest the intermediate showdown.
The club is located eight miles or so away, so to have two sides in such close proximity running out in HQ is a big deal.
“It’s not the first time to happen, of course,” O’Mahony reminds us. “Four years ago, you had Russell Rovers and Fr O’Neill’s playing in the same situation as ourselves and Castlelyons are — ironically against two Kilkenny teams. They didn’t work out, so let’s hope that these ones will!”
Huge crowds are planning to make the trip to Dublin from both localities, with supporters buses and trains set to be full to the brim, and car pools and meeting points arranged.
O’Mahony still can’t get over the support at the semi-final in Ballinasloe, and laughs when he thinks back. “About 10 minutes before the ball was thrown in, I had a look around the stands and I seen faces up in the stand that I haven’t seen at matches in our area in my life.
“If the game was in Midleton or Fermoy, would they have been there? I don’t know!”
One establishment in particular will bring in no shortage of Arva fans over the weekend.
The Boars Head is owned by Hugh Hourican, a native of the Cavan area, so many will acquaint the Capel Street pub before or after the game, Mulligan assures.
“He’ll need a doorman! I know he has lots of friends in Kerry as well, so they’ll probably be calling into him. He’s always been a great advocate for the club, he’s always mentioned us on national media, he loves to get to the matches and highlight us on social media.
“He’s a great supporter of the club, him and his family are steeped in the club’s history. His father was chairman of the club for many years so they have a great family link with Arva GAA.
“It’s all those little side things too: family connections in Dublin, breakfast on Sunday morning.
“There’ll probably be a convoy of supporters going up and hopefully there’ll be a convoy on the way home with the club hanging out the window. That’s the plan.”
The greatest day for clubs awaits Arva, St Catherine’s and several others.
All-Ireland intermediate and junior final weekend
Croke Park, live on TG4
Saturday 13 January
- Junior hurling: St Catherine’s (Cork) v Tullogher Rosbercon (Kilkenny), 4.45pm
- Intermediate hurling: Castlelyons (Cork) v Thomastown (Kilkenny), 6.55pm
Sunday 14 January
- Junior football: Arva (Cavan) v Listowel Emmets (Kerry), 1.15pm
- Intermediate football: Cill na Martra (Cork) v St Patrick’s (Armagh), 3.15pm.
