Ballinderry boss expects ‘poignant’ occasion in rescheduled All-Ireland final

By Niall Gartland

BALLINDERRY’S All-Ireland Intermediate Championship final will belatedly go ahead this Sunday at Croke Park following the tragedy which unfolded in opposition club Crossmolina a fortnight ago.

Days before the game was initially scheduled to take place, the desperately sad news emerged that Róisin Cryan – who was engaged to Mayo and Crossmolina footballer Conor Loftus – had died in tragic circumstances.

Ballinderry have been in regular contact with Crossmolina over the course of the last fortnight, and their manager Jarlath Bell, a social worker by profession, says that it has been important to engage fully with his own players rather than skirting around it.

“It was horrendous news, and on the evening we heard about it, we gathered the boys together to try to process it.

“We had to acknowledge a few things – first of all what Crossmolina were going through and empathising with them and how horrific it would be.

“We also took the opportunity to talk about mental health. I’m conscious we’ve been charged with looking with a group of young fellas and we thought it was important to touch on mental health and press home to them that nothing’s ever that bad that you can’t get out of it, and that they always have people to talk to.”

While a prized All-Ireland title is up for grabs this Sunday, Bell acknowledges that there will be an abiding sense of poignancy whatever happens on the scoreboard and that the dynamics have changed considerably as a result of Róisin’s death.

“The game takes on a different slant. The entire country will likely be willing Crossmolina over the line and understandably so given what they’ve been through. There’s a lot of poignancy around the game and the picture in all this is what the families are going through in Mayo.

“Our two clubs have been in regular contact with each other since it happened. Our secretary Pearse Cullen has been in constant contact, offering support and seeing whatever we could do, it was important to us to be as accommodating as we possibly can. That’s the great thing about the GAA – it really kicks in in situations like this in terms of the umbrella of support it offers to people.”

When Ballinderry claimed a superb victory over a formidable Austin Stacks of Kerry in the All-Ireland semi-final three weeks back, their thoughts turned immediately to the final so they only had a week to prepare. That’s another way in which Sunday’s refixture is very much different.

“I was nearly in panic mode after the Austin Stacks game,” Bell said.

“We’d beat them on the Saturday and right away you’re getting your focus on Crossmolina and you’re clambering to get your video work started.

“It was very rushed, right away we were thinking ‘we’ve another game next weekend and it’s an All-Ireland final.”