FRANCIE Murphy played his heart out for over 20 years.
He started out as a goalie when he was 16 (at most) and I remember him coming off his line to roar at the defence after the opposition had scored a goal.
“Will yiz mark yer f**kin’ men,” he shouted at teammates twice his age.
The sound of his mother Carmel scolded him.
“Francis!” she called from up on the bank and that was enough to settle him down. He said no more and walked back between the posts.
Francie played in most positions and there were lots of goals and tackles before injury meant he finally had to reluctantly hang up his boots.
His last appearance was a couple of years ago.
The club was short on numbers (as always) so he had to come on as a sub. Immediately he got on the ball, raced up the field and scored a point. A minute or two later he made a tackle at the other end of the field, dislocated his shoulder and had to come off the field in agony.
That wasn’t the first time he had “put the shoulder out” and as he walked up the touchline and was taken to hospital he had to face the fact that he was threatening his livelihood by going on. He just couldn’t risk it any more.
So that was the last time he’d do it at the football.
At least that’s what he thought.
Last Sunday Francie and his family – all very loyal fans - were in Croke Park for Armagh-Kerry. The tension, the drama…
The final minute, with Kerry a point behind David Clifford’s shot drops into Blaine Hughes’s hands and he plays it to Rian O’Neill who hit an absolutely stupendous pass to Conor Turbitt.
‘Turbo’ takes it on the gallop and fists it over the bar.
The crowd roars, Francie is out of his seat, he punches the air in delight…
And dislocates his shoulder again.
Agony came very close to replacing the ecstasy and as the Armagh fans celebrated all around him he was taken to a treatment room in the Cusack Stand where his shoulder was put back into its socket.
Then it was the long walk back to the car and then it was the long drive home in the back of it. But the joy he felt, the pure happiness of Armagh beating Kerry and getting back to the All-Ireland final was better than any painkiller. I’d say he’d go through the pain-barrier again if Armagh beat Galway on Sunday-week.
That’s the passion the GAA thrives on. People like Francie are born, not made, but they have to be nurtured and inspired by great days for their county which, for Armagh, means the All-Ireland finals of 1953, 1977, 2002, 2003 and now this year.
With a smile on his face, Francie was telling me about his ordeal at a club fun evening during the week when Armagh LGFA players including Caroline O’Hanlon and Blaithin Mackin, who are both looking forward to Saturday’s All-Ireland semi-final against Kerry in Tullamore, came down to coach groups of delighted youngsters.
With the minors, the men and the women all going so well, the entire county is on the crest of an orange wave.
A smiling mum who had her toddler down at the event told me as the smiling youngster chased a ball around the pitch that his first words were: ‘Mama’, ‘dada’, ‘ganga’ and then ‘Ammaaa’. He has progressed to ‘Up Ammaaaa’ in time for the All-Ireland final as he toddled about through the kids who, like him, were decked out in their county colours.
Imagine the colour and noise those kids – and their counterparts in Galway - would bring to Croke Park for the final.
Unfortunately, many of them may not be there.
Clubs in Armagh and Galway were given 240 tickets each for the decider and that won’t be nearly enough for some.
There are 44 football clubs in Armagh and eight hurling clubs so that works out at 12,480 tickets in the county.
There are 80 clubs in Galway so that works out at around 19,200 tickets for the Tribesmen if the same rules apply.
Every other club in Ireland gets two tickets each which is around 4000 more.
So, with less than half of the tickets for the game going to the counties and the clubs, grassroots GAA supporters are entitled to ask: ‘Where do the rest of them go?’
The GAA has commitments in other areas but the balance between the counties involved in the final and the rest is out of kilter. There’s an annual scramble for tickets and people who really want one - but does it really have to be this way?
The All-Ireland final will be sold out and there’s never any doubt of that.
People who haven’t been to a game all year – maybe since 2002 in Armagh’s case - will come out of the woodwork to get to Croke Park and enjoy the day and that’s ok, the GAA needs those people to come in and they’ve every right to be there but after club members have been sorted out.
The other issue is that E100 is a lot to ask of loyal supporters, many of whom may not be season-ticket holders but will have followed their county all season.
Mum, dad and three kids. That’s E500 before there’s a drop of diesel in the car, a sandwich made, or a jersey or a flag bought. Following your county is an expensive business.
Even the Armagh support has dropped off to an extent this year because people have had to pick and choose the games they go to now.
I was surprised that Markievicz Park wasn’t jam-packed when Armagh played Galway there last month and that there wasn’t a bigger crowd at the All-Ireland quarter-final against Roscommon at Croke Park.
Last weekend against Kerry, the attendance was 55,548 and that’s a good turnout but when you consider that Down and Laois were playing in the Tailteann Cup final as well the GAA might have hope for a few more through the turnstiles.
The GAA does a great job with affordable tickets for League games and for the early rounds of the Championship but it cannot rest on its laurels, the next generation of supporters has to be nurtured.
Armagh have been to five All-Ireland finals in 140 years. This is when the memories are made and you need them everyone there – bad shoulders and all.
