A beautiful, bright red mirage carrying Cliftonville’s Irish Cup heroes lands at Solitude

By Brendan Crossan

THE car horns were a dead giveaway. Just like one of Rory Hale’s sumptuous dummies, some awaiting Cliftonville fans were wrong-footed by which direction the open-top double decker bus carrying their Irish Cup heroes would emerge.

It wouldn’t be swinging by the ‘Bone’ Hills on the Oldpark Road; instead this beautiful, bright red mirage crawled up Ardoyne Avenue with the evening sun on its back.

This is Joe Gormley country. Heart and soul. Well, some locals might quibble that this piece of staunchly working-class terrain is bordering on the hinterland of Joe The Goal’s home place, and is where Ardoyne meets the ‘Bone’.

Major funding boosts for Gaelic games in Down and Cavan

Red Bull spreading wings but no love for Leipzig

But, here, they adore him just the same.

Earlier in the day, this bus full of local heroes started its epic journey of Belfast at Cassidy’s Bar on the Antrim Road before swinging by the Market Community Centre and up to the Rose and Crown Bar on the Ormeau Road.

The Devenish was up next where more hordes of Reds fans gathered to applaud the players and management, get selfies with the cup and autographs.

No Cliftonville bus tour is complete without stopping off at the age-old Rock Bar on the Falls Road. It was absolutely rammed with well-wishers.

‘Red Army. Red Army. Red Army...’

Each of these watering holes have always been Red hubs.

But there was something extra special about the stop-off at the Glenpark on Ardoyne Avenue, as Joe Gormley was the first to step off the bus with the piece of silverware that had eluded the north Belfast club for 45 insufferable years.

To see the Irish Cup glistening against the evening sun on Ardoyne Avenue is an image that some never believed would happen.

But Jim Magilton is the dream-peddler the club yearned for generations. Ah, sure one look at his CV and ‘Gentleman Jim’ was always going to fix it.

The Reds manager wore the widest smile of the lot, making time for everybody that wanted a photo, an autograph, a hug or just simply a handshake for what he’s done for Cliftonville Football Club.

Odhran Casey received one of the loudest cheers as he hobbled into the pub on crutches after suffering a broken ankle in last Saturday’s 3-1 win over favourites Linfield at Windsor Park.

Chrissy Curran. Rory Hale. Kris Lowe with shades. Was there ever a cooler dude in Ardoyne than David Odumosu? What a man. What a goalkeeper. He emerged from the bus like a rock ‘n roll star.

And young Shea Kearney looking like he should still be playing U16 football in the Reds academy.

And then Ronan Hale’s magic hat appeared. Bedlam.

The Newington man was surrounded and it took him an age to get back on the happy bus bound for Solitude. But he cared not a jot.

He’s been smiling ever since tapping the ball into an empty net at the end of extra-time on Saturday.

Lifelong Reds fan and now board member, Michael Hegney, said he couldn’t stop pinching himself as the double decker bus breezed through the city and was greeted with smiles, waves, fist pumps and car horns.

“We’re driving down a road singing a song, ‘Ronan Hale’s magic hat’ and Rory Hale’s starting the song, and Ronan is standing in the corner, shy.

“You’re thinking: ‘Am I here? Is this really happening?’ But I can tell you it’s the best feeling in the world.”

On this beautiful sunny evening in May, all roads led to Solitude. The Cliftonville Road beside the old ground was thronged with the biggest number of Reds fans.

Beer and flares scented the air. This is Cliftonville. Home of the Irish Cup in 2024. The party continues...