You could find him in Tà Joe Wattys on Inis Mór or in An Chistin in Carraroe.
He could be singing or dancing or, on another night, he could playing the banjo or the guitar. Gaelic football has been number one for the last few years but, ever since Sean Mulkerrin suffered a horrific knee injury in a Sigerson Cup game back in January, he’s gone back to his roots. He’s filled the void left by Gaelic football and replaced it with the traditional Irish music he was reared on.
Let’s not forget, this is one third of the Mulkerrin brothers who, in representing the west of Ireland, won the All-Ireland talent show back in 2009. They were the Sean Nós dancers and musicians that stole the hearts of the nation and, even after all these years, the Galway full back still has people asking him about it.
“I was so young it’s impossible to remember everything to be honest. I think I was like eight or nine back then, back in 2009, so it’s a long, long time ago. But people bring it up now and again.”
And he hasn’t lost the grá for it.
“I haven’t had an excuse now to tell them I can’t play it. So yeah, there’s no hiding with that. But it’s great. Because that’s kind of a release in itself, you know, no more than going off for a jog or playing football or whatever it is. It’s a great release so, yeah, I’m pretty busy with that now at the minute.”
Had he remained injury free, the likelihood is that, as the Galway full back, Mulkerrin would be preparing for an All-Ireland quarter final this weekend, ready to stare down the challenge of Rian O’Neill. That was his goal at the start of the year, to hold onto that number three jersey but while the injury has slowed him down, it definitely hasn’t stopped him for good.
“I had my feet planted and was static and then just this small corner forward, nothing big, he’s just coming at speed and whichever way he jumped in, he just hit the bull’s eye I suppose. And the knee just kind of shattered.
“It was very tough mentally now, like nothing I’ve experienced before. It’s my first kind of major injury. Like I’ve had a few groins and a few hammers, but not nothing crazy like that. In terms of kind of mentally challenging, it was definitely challenging because you go from planning… The next goal was just to retain that number three jersey and to keep your spot…In that Sigerson game I came on with 20 minutes to go and I was kind of building because I was actually out with a groin strain at the time.
“So it was actually building up fitness and getting back into training. And then your goals all of a sudden change to wanting to push to get on the team for the first league game against Meath to trying to put on your shoe or your sock by yourself so It certainly did change and was challenging but luckily with people around me, I kind of got through it. I’m kinda past that stage now thankfully.”
As the first ever Aran Islander to play championship football for Galway, Mulkerrin has overcome sizeable obstacles before – making it to training for a start – so you’d be foolish to bet against him overcoming this one.
“So there’s two options, either to get the ferry or the plane. So they both kind of run at similar times, but then the ferry would be kind of a 50 minute journey from Inis Mor to Rossaveal and then the plane then is a nine or 10 minute journey then so it’s great to have both options really.
“I’ve been in NUIG there for the last six years so it’s actually easier when you’re in college because you’re actually out on the mainland already, whereas it’s when you come home and start work and then whatever trying to earn a few pounds and stuff it’s a lot more difficult coming in and out.
“I suppose I’m used to it now after coming up through the ranks and traveling in and out from Inis Mor so it’s nothing too different from me. But when I tell other people they’re probably shocked about it or how do I kind of sustain that but it’s only during the summer months like that that occurs because I was through college now.”
