CELEBRATIONS WERE TEMPERED in Kilcoo after their victory over Ballyboden at the weekend.
The Down outfit had just booked their place in a first-ever All-Ireland senior club final just weeks after capturing their maiden Ulster crown in the top flight.
In wintry conditions at Kingspan Breffni, they simply outgunned the Dublin giants and 2016 All-Ireland champions to bring their fairytale journey on to the final step.
Dethroning back-to-back holders Corofin is all that stands in their way from capping off an already historic year with the ultimate prize. But until that happens, they’re keeping the champagne on ice.
Speaking to The42 a few days on from that three-point win over Ballyboden, Kilcoo chairman Terry O’Hanlon reports that normality has quickly resumed at home.
“I just went home and spent a bit of time with family,” he says when asked if there was much celebrating in the parish on Saturday evening.
Most of the team went home and were back at work. They were back training last night and that’s the way we are.
“You have to remain grounded. To win Ulster was great, to win an All-Ireland semi-final has been great but you have to be grounded.”
Kilcoo is a small rural parish in the centre of Down. Situated between Downpatrick and Newry, O’Hanlon estimates that its population comes in at just under 1,000 people.
The GAA club has about 250 club members, with a thriving farming heritage in the area.
Aaron Branagan, who is one of five Branagan brothers starting on the Kilcoo senior team, gave their farming backrground a mention after their Ulster semi-final win over Derrygonnelly of Fermanagh.
Aaron Branagan of Kilcoo after they reached the Ulster club final.
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) November 17, 2019
"That's the way we like it, nice and tough. There's nothing else to do in Kilcoo except play football. You go to Mass, have a few sheep and that's really it. So it means everything." pic.twitter.com/JDvWNHIsOp
“Well, there’s nothing else to do in Kilcoo but play football,” he told RTÉ Sport while picking up the man-of-the-match award. “You go to Mass and you have a few sheep, that’s really it.”
O’Hanlon adds to Branagan’s observations by emphasising how much the locals rely on football in Kilcoo.
“The football club is the hotspot of the parish. It’s what we do, there’s no other sport in the parish. We can insulate ourselves away from everything else. That’s probably why we’ve such a brilliant football team.
“There’s two pubs as well, a church and a shop. That’s basically the village. A lot of farming in the village, all these players come from farming backgrounds or most of the parents are tradesmen.”
O’Hanlon has been immersed in the Kilcoo GAA club since he was young. He joined the executive shortly after calling time on his playing career and has served as the club chairman for the last nine years.
During that time, he has witnessed plenty of successful days with the club. After clinching their first senior county crown in over 70 years in 2009, Kilcoo proceeded to complete a six-in-a-row between 2012 and 2017.
Their tilt at winning seven on the bounce was thwarted by Burren the following year, but their recovery was swift.
With All-Ireland winning manager Mickey Moran at the helm, Kilcoo reclaimed their throne in Down in 2019 before going on to win that first Ulster title with a victory over Donegal champions Naomh Conaill at the start of December.
Ballyboden are the latest side to fall under their sword.
“His mannerism and his approach to everything is so professional,” says O’Hanlon of Moran’s influence at Kilcoo since his appointment ahead of the 2019 season.
You knew when you had Mickey Moran, you had something special. We knew when we were going for him that we had a lot of high profile players in the club who needed a special manager that could man-manage these players.
“We took him in to refocus the whole club because we had lost the county title the year before. We felt we still had a bunch of players who were capable of winning the Ulster title.”
Remarking on how the players blended with Moran’s vision for success, O’Hanlon continues:
“We had a lot of success under previous managements. There’s no doubt that Mickey Moran brought his magic to Kilcoo, but everything was a learning curve.
“To win your first county title is a learning curve and then we got beaten in two previous Ulster finals [so] it’s all about learning but there’s no doubt that Mickey Moran, Conleith Gilligan and Paul Devlin brought something different to the club.
“I would say they delivered the Ulster title to us, no doubt about that.
“But there’s a lot of experience gained in all them county finals, and getting beaten in Ulster finals.”
O’Hanlon’s time at the helm in Kilcoo has coincided with a golden period for the club. They’ve packed plenty of silverware into the cabinet so far, but there’s always space for a little more.
The Andy Merrigan Cup would sit nicely on the shelf. But O’Hanlon and his people know Corofin won’t relinquish their grip easily. Kevin O’Brien’s side, who dominated Nemo Rangers in the other All-Ireland semi-final, are chasing an All-Ireland three-in-a-row when the sides meet in the Croke Park decider.
They held off from celebrating the win over Ballyboden, but excitement is already building for their shot at history on Sunday 19 January.
“You’re going into an an All-Ireland final and you’re coming up against probably the best club team this country has ever seen.
“The pure raw emotion of it all. We’re in an All-Ireland final on merit and I think that’s a big thing. We’re a small rural parish, we’re not going to get carried away with ourselves, we’re very humble people.
Everybody’s buzzing at home, we’re absolutely delighted. This is beyond our wildest dreams to be in an All-Ireland club final. It’s what every footballer dreams of, but in reality in doesn’t really happen to so many.
“It just shows you, we’re a small rural club but this is for all the small rural clubs in Ireland. It is possible.”
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