MDMA shows why it would be nice to hear the Dubs a little more often

VERY SOON the shutters will be pulled down on the media once the Championship gets up and running, not least in Dublin.

They have, after a spring in which they were all but silent, for the past five weeks worked the media circuit hard.

Their sudden appetite for chat is not by accident; they have a long list of corporate sponsors who demand their day in the spotlight. But, once the ball is thrown in a couple of weeks the sound of Dublin silence will most likely be deafening once more.

And that’s a pity because as great a team as they are, they are also exemplary role models in the true sense of the word, humble and hard-working.

The likes of Philly McMahon, Paul Flynn and Jack McCaffrey have shown by words and actions an awareness that extends far beyond the football pitch, while, this week, Michael Darragh Macauley once more reminded us of the humility that has served them as a team so well.

He travelled to Kenya recently with Concern and spoke about visiting slums where people lived on the dumps they scavenged on just to exist, and how he declined to wear the face mask he was given.

‘The place absolutely stank. It was the worst thing I’ve ever smelled in my life. And there was vultures everywhere eating all the different leftover bits of meat.

‘But I was walking into their house. It was like if you invite me into your home and say ‘this place stinks’ and I put a mask over my face. You couldn’t do it,’ he said.

Thing is, there are plenty that would.

That sense of awareness and humanity is a reminder that the most natural thing the Dublin players can sell is decency.

It would be nice to hear them more often.