Sure it’s only a game of football.
Somewhere in Ireland, a game took place on Sunday.
Somewhere in Cavan, two sets of ladies teams went toe to toe in a 9-a-side final.
Three goals were kicked, 24 points were added and one club won, the other lost.
Shannon Gaels beat Arva ladies 2-13 to 1-11 in the ladies football final. They celebrated, the others sank to their knees.
That wasn’t the story on Sunday though – it wasn’t even close to the real story.
You see, through all the rivalry and siege mentalities and pride of place and whatever else, we’re all just Gaels and we’re all one.
During the game, Arva captain Grainne McGlade epitomised the spirit of the GAA when she stopped to tender to the need of her marker. In a true act of sportsmanship, she helped out her glove-wearing rival by bending down to tie her lace for her before getting on with the match.
McGlade and Arva ended up losing the game but they did not lose their integrity.
With one simple action, she summed up the class of what makes these games so special and she showed that the power of the GAA goes way beyond the final score in a results section at the end of the weekend.
