Success must be Erned in summer

WHILE Carlow’s continued progress has rightly been lauded, there’s a much greater sense of normality about Fermanagh’s achievement in reaching the Ulster final, despite the raucous celebrations that greeted the final whistle in Omagh last Sunday.

It may only be their sixth ever Ulster final but it’s their second within 10 years. Better than Armagh, Derry, Cavan and Antrim have managed in that period, while it matches Down.

Since the All-ireland quarter-finals were added to the Championship in 2001, they’ve reached the last eight three times and are one win away from getting there again.

There was also an All-ireland semi-final appearance in 2004, when they let Mayo off the hook.

Offaly, Leitrim, Wicklow, Waterford, Louth, Carlow, Longford, London, New York and Antrim have yet to reach even a quarterfinal.

Only 16 counties have got to that stage three times or more.

They were also in a National League semifinal in 2003 and, since the League was restructured in 2008, have won promotion to Division Two three times.

This is from a county with just 21 clubs, three less than Leitrim, and around half of the population of just 60,000 is not disposed towards Gaelic games.

They’ve had plenty of washouts over the last 15 years too, not least 2017, but their resilience is something a lot of underachieving counties with greater resources could borrow from.