I was born in 1978, which was a very good year. No, I don’t mean that I’m one of the ‘Pope’s Children’ (even though that was a big deal). What I’m really talking about is the summer that Kerry went for the first of three All Ireland football victories in a row – a feat they could be about to repeat this year, now that the Kingdom have reached the semi-finals.
This summer hasn’t been the best one for me, but since I’ve returned to Dublin, watching the games (especially those at Croke Park) has come as a relief. It’s as if for all 70 minutes of the matches, I’m exactly where I should be – like being in the arms of someone you love.
But as happy as I am at the prospect of a Kerry victory, I’m also sad to see the championships draw to a close. Very soon Dublin city centre on Sundays will revert to a boring, noisy place, full of tourists on open-top buses or gathered at pedestrian crossings, blocking the pavement.
It seems to me they are missing everything that’s so distinct about this country, instead wandering around aimlessly to look at buildings and bridges and statues and monuments barely different from anywhere else in Europe. In contrast, the crowds of GAA supporters who throng O’Connell Street each weekend look like people who know where they’re headed, and make no bones about it.
I’m always amazed at how quickly the many thousands of fans who attend games at ‘Croker’ leave the stadium afterwards. At this time of year the crowds are often 80,000 strong, but in this flood of humanity no one would push another unless merely by accident – let alone throw nasty comments towards the other team’s fans. It’s just not the done thing.
I’m also impressed by the patience of drivers and gardaí, for whenever the Croke Park crowd passes the rules of the road are set aside. But everything moves along, and before we know it the traffic is flowing once more.
Fair play to you, Dublin City, for being such gracious hosts. And you have a great team as well – leaving aside the score last Monday!
– Anna Paluch
