Covet those medals

Dear Editor, When Croke Park was transformed into one of the finest and most modern stadia in Europe 20 to 30 years ago, who would have believed that one day, the Ballygiblin hurlers would play there?

Not only did they play there, but they covered themselves in glory and did themselves and all associated with the club proud.

It took two of the finest of points by Mooncoin, that would have made the current Limerick hurlers or Joe Canning proud, to separate the teams at the final whistle.

In recent months, Ballygiblin have enthralled, energised, electrified and enlivened the town and parish. They have brough so much joy and pride to everyone.

In the course of his commentary on the 1994 World Cup final, RTE’s George Hamilton said the US is the land where the runner-up is regarded as the first loser. In recent times, we have seen multi-millionaire sports people refuse to have a runners-up medal placed around their necks and treat such tokens with contempt.

I hope that all of the Ballygiblin panel received or will receive runners-up All-Ireland medals. If they do, I hope that they will treasure them, take the greatest pride in them and regard them, not as a reminder of failure, but as tokens of wonderful, magnificent attainment.

There may be 200 to 300 junior hurler clubs in Ireland and Britain. Out of all these clubs, Ballygiblin finished a very close and honourable second.

Meeting Skeheenarinky in the Munster final was an equally wonderful happening and it would have been just as wonderful and magical had they made it to Croke Park.

Finally, it was wonderful to see our town and countryside, festooned with red and white bunting, flags, posters and goodwill banners.

Huge credit is also due to the media, 103FM, TG4, The Avondhu, Willie Duggan and the founders and current backroom people of Ballygiblin and Skeheenarinky hurling clubs.

Finally, the GAA, which is forever generating plenty of criticism for itself, is to be most highly commended and appreciated for making it possible, in theory at least, for every adult club player in the country to play in Croke Park.

Ballygiblin achieved that wonderful prize last Saturday. That is something to be celebrated, remembered and treasured for evermore.

Cómhgháirdeas agus buíochas ó chroí Baile Uí Ghiblín agus Sceichín a Rince!

John O’Brien, Killacluig East, Mitchelstown.