IF you stand still too long in Loughmacrory you risk “getting a drop of yellow paint slapped on you” says Father Peter McAnenly, parish priest of Termonmaguirc with a chuckle.
Fr McAnenly’s parish includes first-time Tyrone senior finalists Loughmacrory and the accommodating priest achieved unwanted notoriety for his post on ‘X’ which announced that Sunday Mass would be switched to Saturday evening because of the match.
Loughmacrory take on Trillick in Sunday’s Tyrone football showpiece and because every man, woman and child in the community – including Fr McAnenly – plans to attend, the switch was a very sensible decision.
“Very simply, I had a call from the club last weekend asking if there was any way the Mass could be rescheduled to accommodate them given the fact that it was such a big day,” explained the Glencull native.
“I said: ‘Aye, no problem’. We’re all in this together – the local club and the church – and we work together very much. It’s a massive occasion and you do what you can to support and help.
“That’s it in a nutshell and then I nearly died when I saw the interest in it – it just took off – and there I was, very innocently, just thinking of my local flock. I didn’t think a post like that was going to get so much attention.
“It’s extraordinary how people identify with things but the GAA is massive. It’s particularly massive in this community at the minute and we’re getting another insight into it during these days with all that’s going on.”
A passionate follower of his native Errigal Ciaran club, Fr McAnenly says young and old in Loughmacrory are counting down the seconds until throw-in at Healy Park.
“This time last year we (Errigal Ciaran) were there ourselves and then we progressed to the All-Ireland final so we had a mighty run,” he said.
“The difference is that this is a first for Loughmacrory and that’s massive and the bunting, the flags, the billboards, the banners… If you stood still for long enough you’d get a drop of yellow paint slapped on you!
“There’s all sorts of displays going up and it reflects the joy and the spirit in that community. It’s lovely to see and the mood is very upbeat.
“There’s a jersey day at the primary school on Friday and on Monday I dropped into an afternoon with older ladies in the community. They were doing different activities but the only talking point with those women was the football and the match on Sunday and it was: ‘Are you going? I think I’ll go…’ So, young and old, they’re all into it.
“I was sitting on the fence for a couple of weeks because there’s two clubs in the parish – Loughmacrory and Carrickmore – who were going neck-and-neck there. They had two great games and sadly there had to be a loser but now it’s a case of getting behind the club in the parish and getting behind them we are.
“Loughmacrory is still a relatively young club but this has been the year of the underdog so you don’t know. It’s always nice to see small communities rise and have their moment and we just hope to God that all the praying we’ll do at the rearranged Mass on Saturday night will help.”
After Loughmacrory’s win in the semi-final, two local song-writers quickly got to work composing and arranging Back to the Lough which they’ll sing at Saturday’s Mass.
We’re taking it home – back to the Lough
Where we stand tall, where the proud don’t stop.
With honour and heart, we’ll never give up
High hopes are rising for the O’Neill Cup…
“It’s great to be part of an organisation like the GAA and we’ve been seeing it progress to a new level in recent years,” added Fr McAnenly.
“What the clubs in Loughmacrory and Carrickmore are doing in terms of development and what they are doing for young people from a very young age is fabulous. It’s really positive and it’s bearing fruit with Loughmacrory in the final on Sunday.
“I’d be surprised if the church isn’t bunged on Saturday night because it’s a wonderful community and there’s such joy and spirit. There are faith-filled community and they’ll be out in force on Saturday night. And at the final on Sunday.”
