Cratloe blue, but bleeds maroon

Noel Conolin was part of the first St Breckan’s squad to contest a county senior final in 1985, but nearly 40 years on he’s in the Cratloe corner now as a coach, mentor and part of the community. He knows Sunday will be a tough day out, whatever happens, writes Joe Ó Muircheartaigh

He’s Cratloe now and can go into the minutiae and quote liberally from the club’s ‘Into the Blue’ blueprint for the future, but his blood still drips a maroon hue.
It’s Noel Conolin from the Spa, who now spends all his GAA time in Páirc Mhichíl Uí Eithir, downtown Cratloe as he calls it because it’s at the centre of everything in the parish.
As he talks Cratloe he seamlessly time travels back to Lisdoonvarna where he footballed his youth and was part of the first great wave that brought St Breckan’s to the county senior final for the first time nearly 40 years ago.
“We lost that final to Miltown, but then a few weeks after we won the 21, which was huge for the club. In those years we won the Under 12, 14, 16 and minor and Under 21 championships, so the only thing St Breckan’s never won is the senior.
“In that final Miltown had a few stalwarts playing and they got their noses ahead and we weren’t able to pull it back. It was some blow at the time, but winning the Under 21 was a great way to bounce back.
“After the senior final, there was great craic. Miltown came up to the Spa and there was a great session. There were lads doing press-up competitions at about four in the morning and it was a great party. In fairness to the Miltown lads, they were humble and great craic,” he adds.
Noel was always up for the craic, back in the Celtic Tiger years he was one of the owners of Schooner’s off Limerick’s Dock Road which was a home away from home for the Munster rugby team, but was always serious about his football.
“We were lucky growing up that there were great men involved,” he says. “Frank Sheedy was in charge of the club; you had Francie Hawes, Pat Harrington, Christy Hogan, Tommy Curtin, Martin Curtin were all knocking around. Pat McNamara and John Vaughan were others. They were all high-quality operators.
“It’s the same in Cratloe. Look at Sean O’Dea and Helen O’Dea — if you see the people involved you get a sense of it, but Sean and Helen and their family, then Colm and Kate and the lads, they’re huge for the club. Sean O’Dea and Colm Collins are the reason the culture of the club is the way it is.
“It’s the same with Breckan’s and it’s easy to see why they are up there again. Paul O’Loughlin was the chairman, Donie Garrihy was involved; Aidan McDermott is back; the likes of Dinny O’Driscoll and Tom McNamara, who was also chairman of the club. They’re all high-quality people to have around,” he adds
Never the twain shall meet in terms of the geographical divide, but when Sunday comes it will be a coming together that Noel will somehow compartmentalize as he grapples with the difficulty of it all.
Cratloe blue, when he bleeds maroon.
He’s been here before when managing the Cratloe Under 15 footballers in last year’s Division 2 county final against St Breckan’s in Clarecastle.
“I started helping out when my son Jim was Under 10 and 11,” he recalls. “That Under 15 final was something else. There was nothing in it and it just went Cratloe’s way by a point.
“It was a feast in a way and there wasn’t one bad stroke in it — complete football. The thing about Breckan’s and Cratloe. That’s the way they play.
“It was tough, though. I played with Dinny (O’Driscoll) for years and Donie (Garrihy) was there with his sons. I had to disappear for 20 minutes afterwards — you’d say it’s a first-world problem but I found it very difficult,” he adds.
Whatever the result on Sunday, it will be the same again as Noel faces the process of taking time out once more to process what has played out.
Cratloe’s third title in what would be a fitting denouement for Colm Collins just after this ten-year stint as Clare manager has ended, or St Breckans’ famous first to once and for all make up for the disappointment of losing those finals to St Joseph’s Miltown and Doonbeg in 1985 and ’96 respectively.
“You go to the funerals and you see the importance of the club. In the last few years, the (St Breckan’s) club has lost Frankie Sheedy, Michael Nolan and Denis Hillary recently.
“In Cratloe, I wasn’t long involved and my eyes were opened,” he continues. “We were called in to have a chat about the year and what we going to do the following year and Fearghal Carroll gave a presentation about what the club was doing— it was called ‘Into the Blue’ and the quality of what you saw was what you’d see in a multi-national.
“You go up to the pitch on a bad night and there’d still be 200 there. People dropping kids for training, the lads would be in the gym and there are meetings going on as well. There’s no centre in Cratloe only the GAA club.”
It’s why Sunday can’t come quick enough, despite the roller coaster of emotions it will bring for Noel where the only thing he’s certain of is that both will play future and stay true to the culture that has gotten them this far.
“That’s why it’s going to be great,” he says. “Both clubs have high-quality people involved — they’re the hubs in their community and you know that because they’re respected outside the parish. There is a very clear culture of both clubs in the way they operate — completely the right way in every sense.
“This to me is a great final. It will be like the Under 15s. It will be like Barcelona because they have the same way. They play the same way with all teams — both try and play football, no interest in being physical, it’s all about keeping the ball moving and playing entertaining football. There’s nothing off the ball, total football, and every neutral should go. It should be a feast.”
The burning question, however, is all about whether Cratloe are going to Lisdoonvarna and Doolin on Monday night, or whether St Breckan’s bound for Setright’s Tavern.
Wherever it is, expect Noel Conolin to be there.
Schooner’s at the height of the Celtic Tiger all over again, or like that gathering in the Spa in ’85.