HISTORY has a funny way of repeating itself and, in the small circles of the GAA world history is relied on a lot.
The Derry minor footballers are 60 minutes away from another All-Ireland final appearance and for Gerard O’Kane, their voyage evokes memories of his own journey just over two decades ago.
Back in 2002, the Glenullin clubman climbed the steps of the Hogan Stand after leading his team to the county’s fourth All-Ireland minor title, following the successes of 1965, 1983 and 1989.
But there’s a stronger connection than just the red and white jersey for O’Kane, an ambassador of the Electric Ireland Minor Football Championship, and the current bunch of Oak Leaf youngsters.
Captain Fionn McEldowney has been an O’Kane family friend since birth and the bond goes back generations.
“Fionn McEldowney’s mother [Ciara, formerly McNicholl before marrying Fionn’s father Colin] is a Glenullin woman,” said O’Kane.
“She grew up in Glenullin and she married a Slaughtneil man, but she used to babysit me when we were younger.
“Her and Fionn’s father would have been our babysitters when we were younger and Fionn also went to primary school in Glenullin.
“He’s a Slaughtneil man but that primary school has produced three Ulster minor winning captains, along with me and Dermot McNicholl.
“Fionn’s grandfather is best friends with my father, so when he was younger, he used to always be down at the grandfather’s house, and he’d have been going to games in the car with me a lot of the time.
“I’d have known him from knee height, and he’d have been in around our house back and forward. That makes me feel old now!”
It’s big games like Sunday’s semi-final with Dublin at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds that transports O’Kane back to his own minor days.
“I was only 17 when we won it, so I was 16 the year before and getting the call-up as a 16-year-old was a big thing,” he said.
“Literally two or three years before, I’d have been on the bus because my father was county chairman, I’d have been on the bus with him as a young teenager thinking, ‘imagine what it’s like to be here as a player’.
“I progressed through the ranks and two or three years later I was playing in front of 25,000 people in Clones in an Ulster semi-final, the year Tyrone went on to win it in ’01, that’s my first initial memory as a county minor.”
The crowning glory was leading Derry to the Tom Markham Cup with a final win over Meath, on what turned out to be a magnificent day for Ulster football.
“That’s my best and biggest day, it was actually the same day that Armagh won the All-Ireland,” said O’Kane.
“Because of that, I wouldn’t say I have a strong liking because that’d be too much... But whenever I meet Armagh people, the first thing they say to me is ‘I was there that day and I remember you playing’ because we got great support from them. I would have a slight affinity with Armagh people for that reason.
“We had a very good footballing side. I was full-back for our team, but I’d have played midfield at club level and our two corner-backs would have been playing central roles for their clubs as well.
“Minor football is sort of like that, we maybe had 15 club midfielders playing on our team, guys who were a bit more athletic and a bit freer to play ball.
“At that stage, it was before tactics came in so our team would have been full of natural footballers.”
Getting through Ulster, playing different teams throughout Ireland and experiencing the big days out in Croke Park were highlights that can never be replaced.
After toppling the best of their home province, Derry defeated Tipperary, Longford and the Royals to capture the All-Ireland.
“I think I played against Longford maybe twice with the seniors after and maybe Tipperary once. They were teams that Derry would never have traditionally played,” he said.
“You’re definitely going into the unknown in that scenario, especially at minor level and this was 20 years ago so there wasn’t as much coverage, no social media, we were going into those game basing everything on ourselves.
“We were playing teams that we knew absolutely nothing about, in venues that we’d never played in before. We played Tipperary in Navan and the games after that were in Croke Park, so it was taking a journey into the unknown.
“We played before Armagh and Dublin [in the All-Ireland semi-final], the famous one where Ray Cosgrove hit the post, the place was rocking that day. Dublin fans traditionally come in a bit later, whereas in the final the place was packed for a good bit of our game.
“There are very, very few men that get to climb up the steps at Croke Park. I’m very aware now as I move through my life, I’m very aware of how lucky I am that I was one of the Derry men that got to do it.
“I appreciated it at the time because I grew up with football, completely immersed by it from no age. Our household, that’s all there ever was so we were hugely into it.
“In terms of appreciating it, yes, I did, but it’s not until you get older and you get into your twilight years. I have a wee boy of 11 now and I try to explain it to him.
“I’ve taken him to Croke Park a few times and he loves it; I try to explain to him that I was here one day and there were 80,000 people and I was climbing those steps and lifting a trophy. It’s a different sort of appreciation that you get for it then.”
Derry are getting used to big days in Croke Park, at all grades, and may have another one to add to the calendar come Sunday evening.
Like O’Kane, football is in Fionn McEldowney’s blood and just like those car trips all those years ago, the young Derry captain will be hoping the destination of his minor career is similar to that of O’Kane’s.
HISTORY has a funny way of repeating itself and, in the small circles of the GAA world history is relied on a lot.
The Derry minor footballers are 60 minutes away from another All-Ireland final appearance and for Gerard O’Kane, their voyage evokes memories of his own journey just over two decades ago.
Back in 2002, the Glenullin clubman climbed the steps of the Hogan Stand after leading his team to the county’s fourth All-Ireland minor title, following the successes of 1965, 1983 and 1989.
But there’s a stronger connection than just the red and white jersey for O’Kane, an ambassador of the Electric Ireland Minor Football Championship, and the current bunch of Oak Leaf youngsters.
Captain Fionn McEldowney has been an O’Kane family friend since birth and the bond goes back generations.
“Fionn McEldowney’s mother [Ciara, formerly McNicholl before marrying Fionn’s father Colin] is a Glenullin woman,” said O’Kane.
“She grew up in Glenullin and she married a Slaughtneil man, but she used to babysit me when we were younger.
“Her and Fionn’s father would have been our babysitters when we were younger and Fionn also went to primary school in Glenullin.
“He’s a Slaughtneil man but that primary school has produced three Ulster minor winning captains, along with me and Dermot McNicholl.
“Fionn’s grandfather is best friends with my father, so when he was younger, he used to always be down at the grandfather’s house, and he’d have been going to games in the car with me a lot of the time.
“I’d have known him from knee height, and he’d have been in around our house back and forward. That makes me feel old now!”
It’s big games like Sunday’s semi-final with Dublin at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds that transports O’Kane back to his own minor days.
“I was only 17 when we won it, so I was 16 the year before and getting the call-up as a 16-year-old was a big thing,” he said.
“Literally two or three years before, I’d have been on the bus because my father was county chairman, I’d have been on the bus with him as a young teenager thinking, ‘imagine what it’s like to be here as a player’.
“I progressed through the ranks and two or three years later I was playing in front of 25,000 people in Clones in an Ulster semi-final, the year Tyrone went on to win it in ’01, that’s my first initial memory as a county minor.”
The crowning glory was leading Derry to the Tom Markham Cup with a final win over Meath, on what turned out to be a magnificent day for Ulster football.
“That’s my best and biggest day, it was actually the same day that Armagh won the All-Ireland,” said O’Kane.
“Because of that, I wouldn’t say I have a strong liking because that’d be too much... But whenever I meet Armagh people, the first thing they say to me is ‘I was there that day and I remember you playing’ because we got great support from them. I would have a slight affinity with Armagh people for that reason.
“We had a very good footballing side. I was full-back for our team, but I’d have played midfield at club level and our two corner-backs would have been playing central roles for their clubs as well.
“Minor football is sort of like that, we maybe had 15 club midfielders playing on our team, guys who were a bit more athletic and a bit freer to play ball.
“At that stage, it was before tactics came in so our team would have been full of natural footballers.”
Getting through Ulster, playing different teams throughout Ireland and experiencing the big days out in Croke Park were highlights that can never be replaced.
After toppling the best of their home province, Derry defeated Tipperary, Longford and the Royals to capture the All-Ireland.
“I think I played against Longford maybe twice with the seniors after and maybe Tipperary once. They were teams that Derry would never have traditionally played,” he said.
“You’re definitely going into the unknown in that scenario, especially at minor level and this was 20 years ago so there wasn’t as much coverage, no social media, we were going into those game basing everything on ourselves.
“We were playing teams that we knew absolutely nothing about, in venues that we’d never played in before. We played Tipperary in Navan and the games after that were in Croke Park, so it was taking a journey into the unknown.
“We played before Armagh and Dublin [in the All-Ireland semi-final], the famous one where Ray Cosgrove hit the post, the place was rocking that day. Dublin fans traditionally come in a bit later, whereas in the final the place was packed for a good bit of our game.
“There are very, very few men that get to climb up the steps at Croke Park. I’m very aware now as I move through my life, I’m very aware of how lucky I am that I was one of the Derry men that got to do it.
“I appreciated it at the time because I grew up with football, completely immersed by it from no age. Our household, that’s all there ever was so we were hugely into it.
“In terms of appreciating it, yes, I did, but it’s not until you get older and you get into your twilight years. I have a wee boy of 11 now and I try to explain it to him.
“I’ve taken him to Croke Park a few times and he loves it; I try to explain to him that I was here one day and there were 80,000 people and I was climbing those steps and lifting a trophy. It’s a different sort of appreciation that you get for it then.”
Derry are getting used to big days in Croke Park, at all grades, and may have another one to add to the calendar come Sunday evening.
Like O’Kane, football is in Fionn McEldowney’s blood and just like those car trips all those years ago, the young Derry captain will be hoping the destination of his minor career is similar to that of O’Kane’s.
