Carlow’s players were delighted, and understandably so.
For 33 years they’d been down. That’s a long time especially when the bottom is so bleak.
The bleakest part about it all must be the casual throwaway comments by outsiders who don’t actually know what’s going on inside the county and don’t mean any harm but then just brush them aside just like that.
“Ah they’re down there with the Carlows, the Leitrims, Waterfords and the likes of them.”
It might be done harmlessly but that’s even worse. Unintentional but damaging.
Carlow gained promotion to Division Three when they defeated Antrim at the weekend. Carlow are a football county on the rise. With a shrewd manager, a system that suits them and many decent players, the future is bright and this is the start of it for them.
As you would expect, the whole county was excited on Sunday evening. These were their first concrete steps forward and their celebrations did their achievements justice.
With cans, bottles and chants on the bus home, these boys were buzzing and they had no hesitation in showing how much it meant to them.
Some of their players took to Twitter that night and the next morning to put it all into words.
Social media is probably sick of carlow tweets but lying in bed thinking of great men like Mark Carpenter and Brian Murphy and many more who led the way for many of us!! #legends 🇲🇱
— Darragh Foley (@Dfoley9) March 19, 2018
This is for everyone, our families, friends and the men who soldered for so many years in the Carlow jersey for all the years in the darkness, with no reward, mark my words we are going to enjoy this one, we are Carlow ❤️💚💛
— Brendan Murphy (@BrendanMurphy17) March 18, 2018
It all got Wooly and Cian Ward talking on the latest GAA Hour Football Show.
Both of the lads are impressed with the strides being made in the county.
“It’s a hell of an achievement for them. They should be proud of it, and hopefully they can carry it into the summer,” said Ward.
Wooly, however, feels that the team celebrated promotion in an overzealous fashion. He knows how much this promotion means to them, but given the upward curve the county are currently on, he can’t help but remark that they should be saving celebrations like this for when they actually win Division Four. Something they are well capable of.
“Because I’m so cynical, I can’t help myself but point this out. Some of the tweets and the stuff on Twitter, I thought it was over the top.
“Let’s be honest, they haven’t won anything. Maybe they’ll say, ‘you shut up, giving us advice,’ but you’re going to have to set your bar a little bit higher.
“I would say that would be a brilliant tweet (Brendan Murphy’s) if they actually win Division Four in Croke Park. It’s actually winning, lifting a cup. You’re only promoted, I think it’s a bit soon for that.
“Maybe I’m just being completely insensitive and not putting myself in the shoes of Carlow players who have never been outside the division. Am I being cynical here? I just think they have a great chance of beating Laois in the Division Four final, I would say that’s your All-Ireland.
Cian Ward didn’t have an issue with the side’s celebrations.
“I think they’ve achieved their goal. Their goal was to get promotion. They’ve achieved their goal for the season. Very few teams do that in any season.
“I’ve never had the experiences those Carlow players have had. They might feel disrespected over a number of years, and always being mentioned in a back handed way. Maybe it is a little bit over the top, but I’d have no issue with it.”
He doesn’t agree with their posting of videos and emotional statuses on social media. Now this is by no means directed at Carlow alone, because that’s the way it has gone in recent years with smart phones and the ‘if you didn’t video it, it didn’t happen’ culture taking over.
“I do have an issue with the whole social media thing, anyway. I don’t understand why everything needs to be on Twitter or Facebook anyway. It’s the whole thing of wishing your mother Happy Mothers’ Day when she’s in the room next to you. Go in and say it to you.
Wooly couldn’t have agreed more.
“We’re a little bit cynical about this social media thing. When we left after great wins, we sang songs and no-one was sticking a bloody phone in your face.”
It opens an interesting debate, with some players posting Instagrams to mark every game they play in, is there really any need for it?
You can listen to this interview and much more from Tuesday’s GAA Hour Show right here.
