100,000 steps for Cormac embodies soul of the GAA

A Different View  with Dave O’Connell

History will be created within our midst this weekend when the largest ever gathering of All-Ireland winning captains takes place at, of all places, Ballybrit Racecourse.

From Clare’s winning captain of last summer, Pat Donnellan, back to Brian Smith who led Meath to Sam Maguire way back in 1949, they will come from all four corners of Ireland to join with our own famous captain from 1980, Joe Connolly, on a very special day.

Joe’s nephew Cormac – son of Murt and Mary – died after a four year battle after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2011. He too was a hurler and his Castlegar team-mates were his lifeline on the darkest of days.

There is no tighter community than the GAA and they look after their own….in life then, but now in a different context.

The Connollys wanted to honour Cormac’s life in a meaningful way, while raising money and awareness for charity at the same time.

They chose Pieta House – probably with the same mindset as that courageous young Kerryman Donal Lynch, who also died at a young age from cancer. It was because they felt life should be valued and cherished, and anything that helped those who couldn’t see that should have the help at hand to steer them through.

Thus 100,000 Steps for Cormac was conceived – a three-day walk that covers around 100,000 steps and would raise around €100,000 for Pieta, now established in Tuam thanks to the phenomenal commitment of John Concannon, along with the charity’s founder Joan Freeman.

And when the Connollys – the epitome of all that’s good about the GAA – called on their own, they were met with open arms.

So they divided their initiative into three; first up today ( Thursday) are the clubs around this county who have tasted All-Ireland glory – that’s seven hurling clubs, three football clubs, five camogie clubs and one ladies football.

And over the three days, this walk will start, finish or pass through every one of those parishes to taste All-Ireland glory.

The focus on Friday falls on Galway’s All-Ireland winning senior teams including six football, three hurling, two camogie and one ladies football from 1956 to 2013. The 94 Galway All-Stars from 1971 onwards in all GAA codes have also been invited.

Legends will be falling over each other if the launch of this event some weeks back is anything to go by – household names of the present, recent and distant past, mingling with those of us who marvelled at their feats on the biggest of sporting stages.

And then on Saturday, Galway will witness the greatest gathering of All-Ireland captains ever seen – at least sixty of them and maybe up to seventy. That’s two-thirds of the 100 that are alive.

They will come from north, south, east and west and those that cannot come mainly have very good reason – some are preparing for All-Ireland glory of their own; they are playing or training for the business end of this year’s championships.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.