LIKE most Irish sports fans, I settled down with my patriotic hat on, glued to the Ireland versus France encounter on the TV last Sunday and was genuinely infatuated by what was a bruising, physical encounter.
I suppose I would love to say, as a former GAA player, that I could have fitted into that style of game but, no, watching it on the big box in the corner is as close to that type of game as I would ever get, or want to get for that matter. I’ve always maintained I’m more of a lover than a fighter and, truth be told, I’m not great at either.
We all oohed and aahed at the endless massive hits during the course of this match and, early on, were so disappointed at Johnny Sexton limping off after a late challenge - but we all knew the French would target him.
As the game went on and Ireland were undoubtedly in the ascendancy, we noticed an Irish player prostrate on the ground and the camera picked up an anguished Paul O'Connell obviously in agony as a nation held its breath. It was practically inconceivable that this gargantuan icon of Irish rugby could be hurt - it just doesn’t happen - as he once famously played on in a British & Irish Lions match with a broken arm.
Even my current wife, who is not renowned as an expert in the old sporting arena, was quoted as saying "it must be very serious if he's going off" and we as a rugby-supporting nation all thought exactly the same thing at that very moment.
The news since the match and historic victory is that the big Limerick man will wear the green jersey of Ireland never again, which is a less than fitting end to an international career which has gained him so many admirers from the world of rugby and many other sports.
I asked myself in the midst of all the plaudits from around the world what it was about O'Connell that has made him into this iconic figure because, let’s face it, he hasn’t the pace or guile of an O'Driscoll or Kearney and he doesn’t get in as many hits as, say, Seán O'Brien and, yet, his overall legacy is that he is one of Ireland's all-time greatest stars.
People and players judge O'Connell on what they saw on a regular basis, which is a humble giant of a man who emptied the tank on all occasions and leaves every field exhausted, added to the fact his team-mates hung on his every word - not because they were innovative or hugely motivating, but because of who was saying them.
He once spoke to the Armagh team a few years ago. I’ve heard many people come in to give us added incentive and motivation and, while his words were probably no more illuminating than many others, his demeanour and passion belied a man who believed every word of what he was saying because he lived what he was saying in his code of ethics and we were both inspired and entertained.
Few teams are fortunate enough to have an O'Connell-like character in their team and I’m sure, if you asked all the GAA counties around Ireland, we would come up with a few comparisons but we in Armagh were lucky enough to have someone who resembles him in so many ways in the guise of Paul McGrane. I have no doubt that, were the two of them put in a room with total strangers without knowing each other, they would eventually gravitate towards one another and talk for hours about real sporting issues that both annoy and inspire them.
Don’t get me wrong, big McGrane likes a joke and a night out and was carnage in earlier days with a few Coors Light in him but, while most of us dipped in and out of county football as we saw the need, his commitment was unequivocal and indisputable. Like O'Connell, he treated the press like shady strangers who were not to be trusted and didn’t hog the limelight like the McConvilles and the McDonnells of this world and, yet, no-one grafted harder for the Orchard cause in his time at the top.
His words, too, were few and far between, but they permeated everyone who played with him because they meant more coming from him than anyone else in that room.
I’m sure when people talk of this current Irish rugby era in the future, the names of O'Driscoll, Kearney, Bowe and many others may get mentioned more than O'Connell, just like in Armagh with McGrane, but if the people who played against them and alongside them talk about that era, then they will really gain the appreciation they deserve which, unlike most of us, is all they really care about anyway.
Ireland were lucky to have O'Connell and we were blessed to have a McGrane who, in their own inimitable way, were the guarantors of team spirit within their squads and, while the sports may be miles apart in many ways, the comparisons of men cut from the same cloth appear many times.
ON A final note, last Sunday afternoon after winning a few pounds on the golf course, a well known GAA guru from county Clare living in south Armagh advised me and others to put any money we had on Armagh Harps to win the county championship that evening at odds of 4/1 as Crossmaglen were not as strong as previous years and, without Aaron Kernan and Jamie Clarke, this was the best investment going.
With my history with Cross, the thoughts of winning a few pounds on the back of their misfortune did sound appealing. However, for the first time in my financial life, I was prudent and held onto my precious few pounds because I have learned over the years that you write off Cross at your peril and, as usual, they duly obliged, winning their 19th title in 20 years with relative ease.
The legacy continues.
