Sam enchanted evening for Dubs
Boss Jim gavin dedicates triumph to his county’s loyal supporters
DUBLIN’S four-in-a-row winning footballers were hailed by a delirious crowd at their All-ireland homecoming party last night.
The event, hosted by RTE star Marty Morrissey, was attended by thousands of fans in Smithfield all hoping to catch a glimpse of the history boys who saw off Tyrone in Sunday’s showpiece.
Despite notching that fourth consecutive Sam Maguire and a sixth title since 2011, manager Jim Gavin still savoured the sweet taste of victory as though it was his first.
He said he was delighted to give something back to the loyal support the Boys In Blue enjoy.
Jim told the Irish Mirror: “This is a very special day.
“This team is the sum of its parts and a very important one of those parts are our fantastic support base.
“Yesterday when the game was in the melting pot, they were right there behind us, and in all of the competitions – be it National Football League,
Leinster Championship or the All-ireland – they were always there.
“We have a great bond with these supporters so we’re delighted to see them all here tonight. It’s special.
“We’re going to let ourselves celebrate this for a good few weeks and we’re going to give a lot of time with our family, friends and of course this great support base.”
Katie Fitzgerald, 22, from Tallaght, was delighted to see her heroes after missing out on tickets for the match.
She said: “I was gutted when I couldn’t get a ticket to the final.
“But the whole family got together around the TV to watch the final and it was a really special moment when that final whistle went.”
The event had a carnival atmosphere and fans roared their approval when Dubs star Kevin Mcmanamon led a rousing rendition of The Auld Triangle. And while his team-mate Dean Rock refused to break out a tune himself, the crowd did serenade youngster Eoin Murchan to celebrate his birthday.
And Dublin legend Bernard Brogan, who missed out on a spot in Sunday’s squad, admitted his future as an inter-county player hangs in the balance.
Amid the festivities, he said: “I’m not 100% sure if I’m going to be involved in the drive for five yet.
“I’ll have to sit with Jim and see what the management team think.
“Then I’ll need to see how the body feels after a few league games for Plunkett’s and a bit of Championship and see if I can get back to the level that I need to be at.
“And also there’s my personal life. I’ve got the twins now, and I need to make sure that I have enough time for family as well.
“So there are a lot of permutations to think of.”
SHOCKING numbers of homeless are fast becoming the damning legacy of this Fine Gael-led Government.
Put this alongside the rental crisis, the lack of affordable housing and the despicable vulture funds and it’s the perfect storm.
At the top is Eoghan Murphy, the posh boy from South Dublin on a salary of €100,000 a year who can’t imagine what it’s like to struggle.
In fairness to him, perhaps Housing is becoming the new Health among ministerial portfolios, once described as an ungovernable “Angola” by ex-taoiseach Brian Cowen.
But the Fine Gael-led governments of the past seven years can’t get off the hook easily.
We’ve seen a new housing minister roughly every year for the past seven years.
Labour’s Alan Kelly had his turn in the hot seat, but with current EU Commissioner Phil Hogan and the serving Tanaiste Simon Coveney having tilts since 2011, it has been mainly Fine Gael big wigs.
And what have they accomplished in their brief tenures?
Very little, and perhaps the most glaring statistic showing the desperate lack of progress is that we have 10,000 people homeless in our State, with almost 4,000 of them children.
It’s a disgrace.
This is a Fine Gael problem that has been left to fester, and Murphy is just the latest posh boy at the helm.