Tuning into the final from a hospital bed

THE 1981 Leinster final was very short, and not very sweet, for Tony Doran. It was the shortest Leinster final of Tony Doran’s long life in purple and gold, and most of it is remembered approximately three miles from Croke Park, as Doran lay on a bed in Jervis Street Hospital in the centre of the city. ‘I was knocked out stone cold. ‘And I remember being half-in and half-out of it when I got to the hospital. I was looking for a radio to find out how the match was going?

‘A nurse got one for me... one that was very bad reception... I could barely make out what was happening. It was coming to the closing stages of the match.

The second half was well in and we were three or four points behind, and one of the first things I heard was that we got a goal... and that brought it back to a single point.

I could hear Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh shouting. Padge Courtney had the ball in the middle of the field... and Micheál was shouting... ‘THE SIDES ARE...’... And he was about to shout... ‘LEVEl!’ And then I heard ... ‘NO... NO... NO... ‘IT’S GONE WIDE!’ Time was nearly up and from the puck out Offaly went down the field and got another point.