Dreams, hopes, ambitions and famine’s shall all be retold as stories.
Mark the date Sunday November 27 2016, the date when hopes, dreams and nightmares will all be remembered as a story for the generations that follow.
Mick Clohisey, Kevin Dooney, Conor Dooney and Mark Kirwan will be forever remembered as the team which landed Raheny Shamrock Athletic club their first National senior men’s cross country title.
History will recall a story 58 years in the making, the title that got away on so many occasions. The title which evaded the golden 70’s and 80’s generation.
Kirwan and Clohisey have been 10 years in the making, 10 years as senior cross country athletes. 10 years racing a famine.
Hearts were broken so many times, foiled most possibly by ourselves in 2004 and then in a titanic battle by our near neighbours two years later.
Vinny Mulvey sprinted past Mark Christie with a lap to go in 2006. The P.A blasting “Vinny Mulvey the first Raheny man to land the national title.”
The breaks just didn’t come, the black and amber tipped the green and white in 2006 at that stage we were nothing but noisy neighbours.
We believed we were in sight but like a bad line from a Bruce Springsteen song the black and amber inched ahead.
Come 2011, as we relegated our Santry friends behind us, yet again it was not to be. The blue and red crossed the Liffey taking a brilliantly won title with them.
12 months ago we were in with a shout. Leevale led the red army to Dublin to prove they were the real capital, but it wasn’t their day to shout!
Silver for the Cork men bronze for us, just four points as we lose out to those guys up the road again.
It’s not a total famine some may say. 1971, when Mary Lynch led the women’s team to the first cross country crown.
It took 42 years for the gap to be bridged in 2013 when the championship returned to Raheny, yet still the women in green and white would say, “It’s your turn to bring that cup home.
Now it came to be, no longer the differing early spring when our battle is renewed, but now the grey closing festive weeks.
For some reason unknown to the majority, the club must share a lifeless and pointless inter county race in their struggle. As relevant to athlete’s as the fax machine is to the office worker.
We find ourselves in a new home away from the haunts of Sligo, Santry and Tullamore for some reason in Abbotstown a new home for cross country wanting its own history.
The story starts with hope Niamh Corry, Lucy Barrett, Seona and Deribhile O’Keefe miss out on the medals, fourth for our junior girls.
No luck either for the junior men, Brian Fay leading the team home with Eoin O’Dwyer, Fergus McCormack and Andrew Hyland. Sixth place for the young guns.
Shona Heaslip causes a shock with the senior women, upstaging two Olympian’s for gold, yet our transitional team is on the steps of development.
Yet still they fought for every yard Tara Kennedy Monks, Karen Crossan, Laura Brennan and Aine Crimin will fight for green and white unwilling to let traditions die.
And then it came, the men’s race began a tide of Shamrock at the front charging out awaiting to open the new chapter of this story. No caring for the other colours just the heart beat and hopes to make us wonder.
In the end there was no question, the Claw battled back to take a silver the Dooney’s charged through the new soft grass Kevin dashed to sixth place.
As Conor powered home 11th our hope was rattled as the Kilkenny City Harriers colours started to arrive like they had arisen from Paddy Noonan’s stories of years gone by and our blunders.
In the end there was no fear as Mark Kirwan raised a fist, some would wonder less than three weeks since his marathon bronze,
Kirwan raised his fist as he crossed the line, not just 19th place but 38 points, there would be no close call this time no need for recounts.
40 seconds later Ennis Track’s tally was three digits and silver, meaning the hoodoo was lifted the dream had arrived and the nightmare had ended.
They are all stories now, a new generation of Shamrock will be planted without the weight of famine. They will fight for All Ireland titles to follow in the footsteps of hero’s.
“Champions aren’t made in Gym’s. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them-a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.” – Muhammad Ali.
