Lámh Dhearg are back for more. They’re always in the hunt.
Last year was a rollercoaster ride for the west Belfast club, one so gruelling and heart-stopping that it would have convinced the majority of teams not to bother coming back.
Three semi-finals and two finals. Each of them going to extra-time. By the end, they had nothing to show for it other than parish pride, but it’s that same parish pride that has brought them to the business stages of the Antrim championship once again in 2020. They’re closing in on the title Cargin edged from them last year now.
Paddy Cunningham must be Mr. Lámh Dhearg by this stage. One of the most inherently gifted footballers in the county, in 2011, his career was dealt a serious blow when he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. That would have signalled the end for most sane individuals but Cunningham had the stomach for the battle.
He wasn’t down for long. For the last few years, he’s been one of the best club forwards in the county and this year, at the age of 36, he was coaxed back in to the Antrim senior football panel.
2020 has delivered many a surprise at our doors but there are no surprises up in Antrim. Paddy Cunningham is doing what Paddy Cunningham does.
Skip to 1.19 in the below video from Jerome Quinn Media and you’ll see what the fuss is about.
“Whenever it comes to that time, anywhere around the 45, 45 in, Paddy’s not going to miss it. Especially in the last ten or 15 minutes,” said teammate Conor Murray, who also scored a beauty of his own which you can watch from 1.38 here.
Oh Brother! 'There's no sympathy in the Championship!' – Conor Murray after helping @lamhdheargclg beat an @aghagallongaa team managed by his brother Kevin in the @NorthSwitchgear Antrim SFC Quarter-finals in Corrigan Park, 1-10 to 0-12. Interview by @JeromeQuinn pic.twitter.com/pD5QcEPS8B
— Antrim GAA (@AontroimGAA) August 31, 2020
They know how to crack it off the outside of the boot up in Antrim.
As usual, they ended up doing it the hard way with a late goal from substitute Brendan Herron seeing them over the line in a thriller with Aghagallon.
Through to the semis now and with Cunningham on form and Murray lording it, they’ll have a major say once more.
