CIARAN Brady knows all about the humps and hollows of the GAA road. The Cavan wing-back played and scored against Dublin in an All-Ireland semi-final in December 2020 and just over a year later he was lining out against Leitrim in Division Four.
So you could say he’s been around a bit.
There can’t be too many players in history who have won Ulster minor, U21 and senior Championships and also have a Division Four winners’ medal in their collection.
Brady has been near the top but he’s been to the bottom too during a helter-skelter career with Cavan which began in 2015. That’s life in the Breffni county – it’s routinely unpredictable – and that’s what makes Saturday’s Ulster quarter-final against Armagh such an intriguing prospect.
Both sides are capable of winning at their best but capable of getting well beaten at their worst.
“There’s been a few up-days and plenty of down-days too,” says ‘Holla’.
“There has been more down-days I think but, yeah, we’ve had a few good days with Cavan. I won a few Ulster titles at underage and then senior. We won Division Four last year and Division Three this year so we’ve had a bit of success.
“We were up and down between Division One and Two four years’ in-a-row. It was up-down, up-down and then we put a big focus on the Championship because we were doing alright in the League but our Championship results weren’t at the same standard.
“We focussed on the Championship and then our League performances dipped and we had a few bad results and got relegated to Division Four. So, yeah, we’ve been to the bottom and we’ve been up at the top table too, so it’s been a bit of a roller-coaster.”
Despite a couple of late blips – including a puzzling loss to Antrim – Cavan won Division Three and they will meet Saturday night’s opponents Armagh in Division Two next year.
Arva clubman Brady was sent off when Cavan drew with Armagh in Clones back in 2019 and he was suspended for the replay which the Breffnimen won by a point.
The atmosphere at both of those games was electric and Kingspan Breffni will be jumping for the 6.30pm throw-in on Saturday as two of the best-supported counties in the country face-off.
“Most counties are passionate about their football but we do have great support,” said Brady.
“When things are going well it’s a good county to be in.”
What about when they’re not going so well?
“Ah…” he answers.
“As I said we’ve had as many bad days, if not more, as good days…”
That’s as far as he goes on that topic.
“Armagh will bring a big support,” he adds.
“The support they have brought to big games around the country over the last few years has been phenomenal and it will be some atmosphere. Of the four provinces we know Ulster is the toughest and I don’t think any of the teams looks past their first game. That’s genuinely where it’s at and in Ulster you have to be ready to go for the onset.”
So are Cavan ready to go?
“Yeah, we’re ready,” he says.
With himself, Gearoid McKiernan, Raymond Galligan, Padraig Faulkner and Martin Reilly all still in harness there’s no lack of big-game experience in this Cavan side and Brady says manager Mickey Graham is always looking to bring new faces through too.
“It is looking promising,” he says.
“We have a good balance of experience and youth and Mickey rewards the lads who are performing well in training and gives them a spot in the starting team. So we have built a good panel of 30 players now and on any day anyone can come in and do a good job for Cavan.”
