Normality was all Sherlock desired in formative years

WHETHER WE like it or not, the quest for acceptance and fitting in with one’s peer group is part and parcel of the ritual of growing up. That’s the way it has always been, and it’s unlikely to change for future generations even though society is rapidly evolving and there seems to be an increasing tolerance for everybody regardless of colour or creed among the younger generation.

Of course, one of the best ways to mix at a young age is to take part in competitive sport, all the more so if the person has the talent to stand out and gain instant admiration and respect as a result.

All of us had our dreams during our childhood years, with some easier to acquire than others.

And for Jason Sherlock, the one thing he desired more than anything was an aspect of life that most of us probably take for granted: normality.

Growing up in Finglas as an only child surrounded by a loving family, this talented all-round sportsman knew he looked different but naturally struggled to understand why that often resulted in abuse being hurled in his direction.

His mother wasn’t in a relationship with his father when Jason was born in

1976, and his Asian looks meant that he always stood out from the crowd.

His granny and his uncles were huge influences on his life as his obsession with sport took root from an early age, but it’s very interesting to read that he only acquired the courage to speak out about racial abuse when our own Lee Chin and Crossmaglen footballer Aaron Cunningham raised the issue in 2012.

As someone who had suffered himself in his younger days, often in silence but on other occasions responding with his fists, Sherlock could empathise with what they were going through and felt the least he could do was offer unequivocal support.

‘Jayo’ first made his mark as a Gaelic footballer against Wexford, scoring a goal at the Canal End during the Leinster Minor championship final in 1994.

I can still see that score in my mind as the diminutive attacker got the ball in a bit of space in the left corner and took on his marker before planting the ball in the net.

The following year Jayo mania erupted as he made the Dublin Senior team at his first attempt and was the name on everyone’s lips as they ended twelve years of heartbreak with an All-Ireland Senior title.

He was in constant demand in the weeks and months that followed, but little did he realise at the time that he wouldn’t get back to the summit as a player.

Indeed, he felt hard done by at different stages in the course of that journey, but Sherlock is a happy man at this point after jumping at the chance to join the backroom team of his good friend and former team-mate Jim Gavin as a forwards coach.

Despite his lack of height, this book recalls that the sports lover first made his mark as a basketballer and represented his country at under-age level. He also played for UCD and Shamrock Rovers in the League of Ireland, and there was also a long association as a teenager with the Ballyhea hurling team in Cork after his uncle moved to the area.

All of this and more - including the murder of his father in South Africa - is explored in a book ghost written by Damian Lawlor. ALAN AHERNE

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