Ex-Galway great is steering Ardrahan to new heights

Date Published: {J}

THE last time Bernard Forde stood, in a competitive capacity at least, on the hallowed turf of Croke Park was September 7, 1986. Galway had just lost their second consecutive All-Ireland final – this time to Cork – and by the end of the year the curtain would fall down on the mobile Ardrahan corner forward’s inter-county senior career.

This Sunday, Forde will don the boots again – this time as Ardrahan’s intermediate camogie manager – and return to headquarters for a joust against reigning national champions Eoghan Ruadh of Derry for an All-Ireland decider that has captured the hearts of the South Galway parish. Forde, himself, is filled with anticipation and, recalling his own playing days, he says the hardest part of it is “waiting for the final”.

No doubt, Forde brings a wealth of experience to the table. A former county minor in the mid 1970s, he was subsequently elevated to the Galway U-21 side in 1976 and was a key figure and captain in the final replay victory over Tipperary in the ’78 decider.

He later played his part in the historic 1980 All-Ireland senior victory, scoring an impressive 1-5 in the 2-15 to 3-9 win over Limerick, and he remained an integral part of the forward unit until his departure from the panel in late 1986. Given the Tribesmen secured Liam McCarthy victories in ’87 and ’88, you can’t help wondering is it a regret that he was not part of those winning sides?

Even now, though, Forde himself is somewhat unsure of what he feels. “The league used to start in October that time and I played the first couple of matches [in late ‘86], but at Christmas then they changed the panel. They would do that regularly enough and I lost out.

“To be honest, I wasn’t playing that great. I was building a house and I probably had lost a bit of interest. So, I didn’t get back. I was nearly there for another two [All-Irelands], but it just didn’t work out at that stage. I suppose, I did well to get the one.”

That assessment is somewhat modest. In his day, Forde was simply a class act, a skilful exponent, and one of the most feared forwards in the local and national game. Now, sitting in his home in Ardrahan, Forde comes across as a genteel character, although he has lost none of his fervour for Gaelic games and, understandably, he takes great pride in that famous win of 1980, the Tribesmen’s first in 57 long years.

“It was a dream,” he smiles. “After Kilkenny beat us in the final the year before – and everybody thought they (the Cats) were a spent force and we should have been able to put them away – I think people believed we were cursed and we were just not going to do it. What turned it around, though, was that we had a remarkably bunch of lads.”

Indeed, mention of the heroes of ’80 still evokes vivid memories of the romanticism of that fateful day. A day when men like Conor Hayes, the late Niall McInerney, Sylvie Linnane, Sean Silke, Steve Mahon, PJ Molloy, John Connolly, Noel Lane and Forde, among others, stood tall . . . and who will ever forget that rousing victory speech from captain Joe Connolly?

No doubt, there was passion there on that auspicious occasion, inside and outside the wire, and it is this sort of fervour Forde has been nurturing in Ardrahan’s intermediate camogie team ahead of their final clash against the Ulster champions.

Certainly, the former All-Star’s advice has stood to them in good stead so far. He has encouraged them to learn from both his and their mistakes, climb the wisdom curve, and resist the temptation to fall back into old habits when the pressure comes on.

“That is the one thing I find. You can tell her (a player) so often, but on the day of a big game if she is not tuned in, then you are in trouble. She has to realise that if ‘Plan A’ does not work, what is her ‘Plan B’? If she doesn’t come up with a plan quick enough, the play breaks down and you lose momentum.”

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.