Double date with destiny

It will be proud week for Kilmurry Ibrickane great Johnnie Daly as Kilmurry Ibrickane contest two county senior finals on the same day, writes Joe Ó Muircheartaigh.

It’s safe to say that where football and Kilmurry Ibrickane is concerned it’s always a case of ‘briseann an dúchas’ as the love of the game passes seamlessly from one generation to the next.
Into that fits Johnnie Daly’s story, but he’d be the first to tell you that he’s not unique when it comes to the game. He’s the big game hunter of old for the ‘Bricks with more man-of-the-match gongs in his career that most can dream of, while his harvest of medals between championship, league and Munster competition is also hugely impressive.
He played in ten county finals and won seven medals, while for added measure he also picked up a Limerick senior medal during his days in his college days in the University of Limerick.
His father before him was also a county senior medal winner while coming after him now is his daughter Sophie, who will be going for her first senior medal when lining out for Kilkmurry Ibrickane’s senior ladies this Sunday.
“We’re a small community and it’s the same households that are involved,” says Johnnie. “It’s really huge for the parish. It’s huge to get to one county final, but getting to two is huge in one year. The first time ever for the ladies to get there. I don’t think there’ll be anyone left at home that day. That covers the whole parish.
“You could go through the players from both. Sophie is going out with the goalie Davy Sexton; Michael O’Dwyer’s sister Dympna would be playing; Enda Coughlan’s wife Maeve is on the squad. I could keep going on and on, because it goes on and on. There are connections to the whole team and the whole parish.”
In Sophie’s case to say she had it from the cradle would be putting it mildly. She made her entry into the world when the football season was at its height as the ‘Bricks kickstarted their run to a historic Munster Club title with another stellar performance from Johnnie, while what better thing could there be than to mark her 20th birthday a week early by winning a county senior title.
“Sophie got to be a mascot for the 2005 final against Kilkee, but I always tell her that she brought me bad luck as we lost that one,” laughs Johnnie.
“The year before we played Éire Óg in the final and Davina was due. The final went to a replay and I said to Davina that if it was a boy we had to call him Jack after the Jack Daly. She wasn’t too mad on calling her child after a football cup, but we had agreed on Sophie if it was a girl.
“In 2004 we beat Éire Óg on the Bank Holiday Monday and the following Saturday we had to play Dromcollogher-Broadford inside in the Gaelic Grounds. Davina was due around then and didn’t go to the match.
“We beat them and the following day Sophie was born – she went to the next few games in the Munster Club and we won it on a December’s day down in Kilmallock in a game that was broadcast live on TG4.
“Sophie was in my arms afterwards when I was being interviewed for man-of-the-match – her auntie Aisling handed her to me so she was live on TV. She was only a month old and she was live on TV. I always say to her that she was famous before she was even a month old,” he adds.
Twenty years on the more things change the more they stay the same – Kilmurry Ibrickane’s men are going for county final glory once more and now the women from Páirc Naomh Mhuire are in a first-ever senior decider as they prepare to meet fellow first-time finalists St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield.
“We’d both be seen as novices but we’ve been knocking on the door the last few years,” says Johnnie. “I would see Kilmurry and Barefield as two up and coming teams. We’ve played them a few times. They beat us well in one game but we had a good league final against them when we got the better of it.
“We wouldn’t have the same strength in depth as them. You could look at the programme and they could have up to 40 people togged. We’d be lucky to have seven or eight on our subs bench. We have good strong substitutes to use but we wouldn’t have the numbers,” he adds.
However, Kilmurry Ibrickane have been building towards this for a number of years, graduating to senior four seasons ago with a victory over neighbours St Joseph’s Miltown in the intermediate decider.
“We always had a strong club at minor level and always had strong teams coming through, but there can be a fall off with girls at certain ages and we wouldn’t have the biggest population anyway,” says Johnnie.
“There were times over the years when we would have had good teams but would have struggled to compete with the bigger teams in it, but since we’ve gone up we’ve done well. We went to the Senior B final last year that finished in a draw against Kilmihil and I don’t think it was ever finished out.
“It’s huge to be in the final. It’s an unusual final alright – Kilmurry’s first and Doora/Barefield’s first. The Banner not being there after playing in so many finals is strange alright. We know that they are very very strong but both of us are well capable of winning a title.
“She has done very well up through the grades. I will be very proud and very emotional watching her out there. I wouldn’t get too emotional as a player, but when you’re watching one of your own play it’s different.”