Dan Dared
We were getting ready all the week for the trip to Thurles and another crack at the Rebels. A lot of the scribes thought we had lost our chance last week and this time the Rebels would demolish us. 

Saturday and the Mammy was up at 7 o’clock in the morning and gave me the breakfast in bed. I had sausages, rashers black .and white pudding mushrooms a couple of eggs and toast and a large mug of scalding tea to wash it down.

Then out of the bed with me and into the shower to freshen up. Got dressed gelled the hair and then downstairs to the mammy to give her a hand making the sandwiches.  She made a rake of sandwiches, and we had the 2 flasks of tea ready for the bag as well.

The trip was uneventful and we arrived in good time, we had a good vantage point to watch the match and we settled down waiting for the duel to begin. It wasn’t great hurling but tough and uncompromising and scores had to be fought for. We had a slender lead at half time and the feeling me Mammy had was that it was going to be just as tight as last week, and as usual fair play to her she was right.

Another draw and now we were going to have extra time. Mammy was biting her nails as the first period of extra time started I looked in the bag to see was there any food left but it had all been devoured so I wasn’t sure whether she was biting her nails cause she was nervous or because of the hunger.

A minute or 2 before the end of the first period of extra time the scores were still level, we were awarded a free 70 metres from the Cork goal and up stepped Tony with all the assurance of a latter day Strong bow  to send the sliothat straight between the posts. A point ahead going into the final 10 minutes and even in the stand we could feel the tiredness of the warriors from both sides as the set out to take the title.

Cork levelled again to show they wrernt prepared to bend the knee. The last major act in the saga was about to unfold, Dan the Man from Dungarvan who has had a quiet Championship up to now brought back memories of his past deeds as he placed the ball in the back of the Rebels net. That was the clincher, cometh the hour cometh Dan the Man.

When the final whistle blew I had to hold tightly to the Mammy to stop her racing on to the pitch to congratulate the lads on a great victory? God bless her it was the first time for her to see hurling under floodlights. After the presentation we headed back to the car and home we headed. The semi- final is our next match match and if we win there it will be on to the big one on the first Sunday in September.

i.m too tired with the excitement of it all to give you chapter and verse of the job I had getting the mammy through every village on the way home without trying another pub to see “were any of the lads in there”

Anyway I never seen her in such a state and by the time we got back to the square, the tights were sagging at the ankles, the hat was askew and what had started out with half an hour of deft work with the lipstick on the lips was now a mix of red lipstick Guinness and whiskey with this slurring sound coming from it……

go on yis young curs yis

Anyway nothing would do her, but to get out and sing her song in the square. Now that might have been very well back in 59 when we won the all Ireland, when the young lads were civilised but nowadays with the young pups that were congregating in the square slagging the mammies singing it was all I could do to hold her back from bating the shite out of one of the young curs as she called them herself.

Up the Deise.  And theres mammys song below

DUNGARVAN MY HOME TOWN

There's a spot in the Decies
A place dear to me
Where the Comeraghs are keeping
A watch o'er the sea
And though far have I wandered
Yet wherever I roam
It's the place I love dearest
The place I call home

Chorus
Dungarvan my hometown
I love best of all
Dear old faces and places
Sure oft I recall
In my heart I keep wishing
Some day I will be
Back again in my hometown
My home by the sea

On the bridge I will linger
At sweet eventide
Just to gaze o'er the waters
At old Abbeyside
Happy memories come stealing
As the soft shadows fall
On the fishing boats anchored
There beside the quay wall

I have seen fairest places
But I'd rather be
Where the Cunnigar's sleeping
'Neath hills dear to me
And across the blue water
Of that quiet little bay
Dear old Helvick is dreaming
In her bonnet of grey

How I treasured each token
Of days that I knew
In that town of sweet memories
Where the friends are so true
And I thank God in heaven
For choosing me
My old home Dungarvan
My home by the sea