HONOURING the memory of their team-mate Caolan Finnegan is the driving factor for Crossmaglen Rangers this year, says team captain Callum Cumiskey.
Whether they fall by the wayside, or go to retain their Armagh Championship crown, the players are united in a determination to give all they can on the field in tribute to their friend ‘Stringer’ who so sadly passed away aged 20 after a year-long battle with cancer.
Caolan was fearless as a player and that courage shone through in the way he fought his illness and the former Armagh underage star will be at forefront of his teammates’ thoughts throughout the remainder of this campaign.
“Every lad in our squad is turning to the football for a wee bit of solace,” explained Cumiskey after Crossmaglen had left the field amid emotional scenes at Sarsfields on Sunday.
“What better respect or dues can we give to our friend than getting on a run here and trying our very best to win another senior championship?
“He’ll be at the forefront of our minds the whole way, he is the driving factor for us this year.
“It doesn’t make his loss any easier to handle but I suppose us all being together means there’s always someone there to talk to, someone who will lend an ear and you can speak to them about sad times like that.
“That’s the great part of the GAA in our community, especially in Cross because everybody’s so tightly-knit together and everybody is there in the times of need which is a great thing.”
Caolan was laid to rest in Crossmaglen last Monday and Cumiskey says “everything stood still” in the close-knit South Armagh town as huge crowds of mourners flocked to his funeral which included a final lap around Oliver Plunkett Park.
“It definitely puts things into perspective when you lose a really close friend and team-mate,” said the Crossmaglen skipper.
“Anthony (Cunningham, the team manager) was great with us he told us to forget about football and give ‘Stringer’ all the respect that he deserved.
“We tried to do that. The day of the funeral there was so much colour everywhere and so many clubs and counties were there to offer their support and condolences. It was lovely to see that a young lad of 20 years of age has touched that amount of people.
“That was on the Monday and, fair dues to the boys, everyone turned up on Wednesday for the first training session. There was an eeriness, it was definitely a different sort of training session but it was nice to get out for a couple of hours and take your mind off everything that was happening.
“Coming down to Sarsfields, there was a lot of emotion in the dressingroom – a lot of emotion. But we said we’d try our best to turn that into a wee bit of energy. We wanted to get the boots back on, get out, win the game and get out of here.”
CUMMISKEY turned 30 this year and ‘Stringer’ was 10 years’ his junior. His face lights up when he thinks of how the precocious talent went about his business on the field. They were both scorers when Cross won back the Gerry Fagan Cup in 2022 and Finnegan’s pace, skill and fearless attitude marked him out as a star of future.
Sadly GAA fans only saw a glimpse of a remarkable talent…
“Listen, he busted onto the senior team,” says Cumiskey with a smile.
“He had a glittering underage career and I heard many people talking about his days playing for St Colman’s. There was a couple of performances and they said they never seen the like of him – he was just phenomenal.
“He had a turn of pace… he was lightning! He was so clinical and he would say himself that he’d keep going for goals until he’d get a goal. He used to say: ‘Nobody remembers you kicking a few points but if you score a loch of goals people will surely remember you!’ That’s what comes to my mind when I think of him playing – he went for the jugular every time.
“He was seriously brave when he played football and, in his illness, you could see that too. He was so brave the whole way through it.”
Caolan would undoubtedly have enjoyed the spirit his team-mates displayed when they returned to championship action for their second round tie at Sarsfields on Sunday. Their hosts were dogged and determined and there was only a point in it until Cross pulled away in the final quarter.
“You always know it’ll be a really tight encounter when you come down here,” said Cumiskey whose 2024 inter-county season was ruined because of injury.
“It maybe doesn’t suit the quicker players but we’re just delighted to get out of here with a win. If you’d offered us a one-point win before we came down we would have took your hand off. Just the way the last day went against Clan na Gael (five-point loss) we knew that if we lost here we were in a bit of bother going into the last round.
“Today was a big day in our season – we needed two points and we’ve that bit of security now going into the last group game against Granemore in Cross.”
On a personal level, Cumiskey brought back memories of his days as a forward when he joined the Cross attack to score a second half point as the Rangers kicked towards the winning post. Now recalibrated as a play-making sweeper, the Armagh star is enjoying his new role with his club.
“Times have changed in football and it’s nearly more enjoyable when you’re playing a role further back and coming on to the play,” he said.
“You can dictate play a wee bit more and when you’re coming onto the ball opportunities arise for scores and punching through into pockets of space in the other team’s defence.
“I was a forward in my early days but I’m enjoying this role and I’m glad the boys have put their faith in me to play at six, because it’s a pivotal position in any team.”
