The Leinster club final this Sunday once again pits city versus country at Tullamore’s O’Connor Park.
Ballyboden St Enda’s are looking to maintain Dublin’s club’s recent stranglehold on the competition, against nine-in-a row-Laois champions Portlaoise.
Despite their local success the midlanders have struggled to push on over the last number of years, suffering losses to both St Vincents and Kilmacud Crokes in the provincial decider.
A man that has featured in seven of their nine success’s over the last decade is Paul Cahillane. Ahead of the game, he told SportsJOE what it was like to return to his home club after a spell at Celtic, life with Richie Towell, and his club’s underdog status on Sunday.
Was it hard being away at Celtic when Portlaoise started getting successful?
“I remember when we got to the All-Ireland Final I was heading away for trials and I tried to organise them around the games so I could get to see the matches. When they did start winning it was tough because I knew I could have been involved. When I got back was very eager to get involved at some stage and it worked out great in the first year in 2009.”
Was it hard to leave Portlaoise for Celtic?
“I went away at 17. Zach Tuohy was the same age as me and he was playing senior at that age so I would have been in the mix alright. I was playing soccer with Wexford Youths this year.
I’d consider myself a dual player, it’s not hurling but I love soccer and Gaelic but it’s getting harder the higher the level you go to.”
What was it like coming back after leaving Celtic?
“It was a tough time, how do you react to be being released? That’s why I love this team. You get to go back into a competitive environment with your friends and we were successful.
It was hard to pull myself away from the professional life but I love what we are doing now. I was a kid leaving but I came home an adult more than capable of playing senior football.”
A former teammate of yours is doing well?
“Yeah, I was in the same year [in school] as Richie Towell at Celtic, he was totally dedicated and was training harder and eating better than anyone else you know. He deserved his move to Brighton.
I chose one path, he chose the other. I suppose when you go over, you’re 16 and you’re thrown into a professional lifestyle and the return is quite low.
But some lads come back and keep that attitude to get back over and he’s proof of that.”
Would you see Jim McGuinness taking on a bigger role at Celtic now?
“I’d like to be a fly on the wall in some of the meetings and conversations that they have with him now. It would have been interesting if he was there when I was there to get his insight into a few things.”
How did you get back in with Portlaoise when you returned from Scotland?
“I remember it being tough when I came back, but the one thing my Da said if it didn’t work out is that I’d do my Leaving Cert.
We had offers from the League of Ireland at the time but we said no. I took it from there, and I played U21 with Portlaoise, we won that, and played a little bit of county U21 with Laois.
Then, after the Leaving, Portlaoise manager John Mulligan asked me to ‘give it one year, just give it one year’ and here I am seven years later still going.”
Why have Portlaoise not pushed on after so much county success?
“I suppose Dublin teams are so strong at club and county level and it’s not easy. We want to have more Leinster championship but we are facing a mammoth task on Sunday.”
They dismantled St Vincent’s, they took down the Brogans and tore strips off the Kilmacud Crokes and beat St Loman’s and St Patrick’s – both teams we’ve struggled against.
We are 100% the underdogs but there is always a story that turns around and maybe it could be us this weekend.”
They don’t have a lot of current senior inter county stars, a little bit like Portlaoise?
“I think on most occasions the hardest teams to play against are good club teams, not teams that have a lot of inter-county players. You could argue St Vincent’s against that but they don’t have a large amount of senior players involved but those two or three are some of the best in the country.”
“Playing a Ballyboden team with serious quality like they have, I’m sure they will have more Dublin footballers as a result of this.”
