Usually when penning these articles, the main topic is something that is very topical and current in the GAA. Given this is a weekly publication with Ulster as its main focus, it’s usually about looking forward to what is happening that weekend. Around the counties, there are club championships in Cavan, Antrim and Donegal, all at the first round or opening group stage in the senior competition, so there is plenty for Ulster readers to look forward to.

However, at the risk of retreading old ground, it would be remiss of me not to mention Mayo’s All-Ireland victory from two weeks ago. After a gap of 75 years, it truly was a spectacle for the sporting ages. I was lucky enough to see Derry’s one and only All-Ireland, but looking back, at eight years of age I did not understand the significance of it. Add in the fact that, with Down and Donegal winning in the two previous years, there was almost an expectation that Derry would win it around that time.

Derry had not suffered the final heartbreak that Mayo endured since 1989, with 11 final defeats, so it is understandable that after 2021 some people said they had simply given up the hope or expectation that comes with supporting Mayo. However, as we have seen from the wall-to-wall social media coverage since, it’s hard not to feel delighted for them.

I remember writing here a few years ago, after Glen won their first-ever Derry senior title, that every club should get to experience that type of joy in their parish. While it is not Mayo’s first All-Ireland, their first in 75 years is a lifetime for most people, so they are right to enjoy it while they can.

Although I see that the Mayo club championship starts this weekend – like everything else, the show must go on to be finished in time for the Connacht Club Championship – there is nothing to bring you back down to earth like a rattle from a hardy old corner-back telling you that your All-Ireland medal won’t save you here!

A word of acknowledgement must go to referee Martin McNally. It is not often a referee is routinely praised for his performance, but he definitely allowed for a better spectacle. It is well known that he allows physicality and contact in the game, and the players knew this, which added to the contest. He let it flow where possible and wasn’t constantly on the whistle. It is also well documented that he is from the same club as Pat McEneaney. Like any young footballer growing up in a club where they have a Clifford or a Kobe on their senior team, they all try to emulate them.

I wonder whether Pat’s influence in his own club not only encouraged McNally to become a referee, but also to referee in a similar style. If not, it is one major coincidence!

Anyway, looking forward, as we close the first week of August, county championships are about to throw in and underage championships are well and truly in full swing around the county. Added to that, a lot of clubs are advertising summer camps, and GAA pitches are getting the full range of activities across them between games, training and camps. I know at my own club, Glenullin, every evening the place is a hive of activity, with men’s football, camogie and LGFA all going on.

The spell of good weather has definitely helped, as people look to spend an hour of their evenings in a leisurely fashion, and what better way to do it than taking in an underage game at the local pitch? That is where the next generation of Cliffords and Kobes will be dreaming of playing in Croke Park in an All-Ireland final, and it all starts at the club.

I would be a big advocate of the club scene. While county football is brilliant, and seeing the best players showcase their talents in front of 82,000 people is a sight to behold, those players make up only one per cent of the playing population, and people can sometimes forget that those one per cent are also club players. Now that the county season is officially over, those lads go back to their clubs and play alongside their families, friends and those who have coached them for more than 20 years.

The end of the county season in a split-season format does not mean the end of the GAA season; it simply means a different stage of it. If anything, trying to follow and keep up is more difficult, as it is generally wall-to-wall GAA in most counties over the next eight weeks. With different championship formats, the X refresh is constantly on the go.

I love this stage of the season. Outside of the Derry championship, I have no emotional interest in any of the other county championships, but I still like to follow them, especially those in Ulster where I have friends in other counties. I like to see how their clubs are progressing, or not, as the case may be for some of them.

We have officially entered the GAA season for everyone, where supporters don’t need to wait a week or two between games. If I wanted to watch a GAA game tonight, I could look at the fixtures on the county website and there would most likely be five or more games within a 10-mile radius. There is no excuse for anyone saying they have to wait until January to see ‘their’ team again!