IT doesn’t feel so long ago that Eoghan Campbell was one of the young crew coming through to backbone an experienced Cushendall side regularly in the mix for silverware at county and provincial level.
Now 29, the Antrim captain is part of a solid Ruairi Og spine surrounded by exciting talent either coming to their peak or marking themselves out as stars in the making.
Ed McQuillan, for example, was named RTE’s man-of-the-match after bagging four points in the Ulster final victory over Slaughtneil, withn Ronan McAteer and schoolboy sensation Joe McLaughlin also to the fore as the Emmett’s were overcome.
Cushendall had to be patient in the face of Dunloy’s domestic dominance during recent years but, under the guiding hand of manager Brian Delargy, have slowly but surely emerged as a force to be reckoned with once more – Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final date with Kilkenny kingpins O’Loughlin Gaels providing another major test of the Ruairi Ogs’ credentials.
“It has been a massive journey over the last three or four years, especially since Brian has come in,” said Campbell.
“We were beaten in a quarter-final and semi-final against Rossa [2020 and 2021]. Words like ‘rebuilding’ were going around and we probably didn’t want to admit it, but we were rebuilding. We were trying to get the nucleus of a team.
“Since Brian has come in, nothing has been left wanting. We have a style of play and it is very evident the way we play and we’ve built on that over the last three or four years.
“We were probably disappointed in our performance in the final against Dunloy last year, we didn’t want that to happen this year against Loughgiel and especially not against Slaughtneil or Portaferry.
“I think we’ve seen how mature we’ve become and the panel we have. Boys started who didn’t start the last day and boys came on and finished it off, and we’re massively looking forward to the semi-final.”
A powerful speech from Neil McManus captured exactly what returning to the Ulster throne meant to Cushendall and, in the year when the club lost stalwart John McKillop, Campbell knows he would have enjoyed this journey.
“It is not talked about openly - we just know. . . he is ingrained into the community, the club.
“People walking around the town would have been talking to ‘Wee John’. It doesn’t need to be spoken about, it is just there and it will always be there.
“When Joe McLaughlin, the youngest on the team, is my age or older, he’ll know of ‘Wee John’ and he’ll pass it down to the younger ones. It is just something that is there, in everyone’s hearts and he’d have been so proud today.”
