St Vincent’s dedicate camogie championship win to club legend Brian Mullins

SADNESS fell on Parnell Park on Friday evening. A minute’s silence for the great man. And then a sustained burst of applause.

It was the Go-Ahead Dublin Senior 1 Camogie Championship final.

Brian Mullins would have been there himself. Cheering on St Vincent’s. Like he did for every team that wore the famous jersey.

As the Vincent’s captain Muireann Kelleher so aptly declared: “We’d like to dedicate this victory in honour of Brian.”

They marched down from Glasnevin. And from Marino too. Groups of happy children swelling the biggest attendance seen at a Dublin camogie final in years.

The rain had gone. The lights were on. A piper led the parade of the players.

The team of ’92 were the special guests. The Dublin side that won the All-Ireland Intermediate Championship.

They were introduced to the spectators at half-time. Behind them, the turf was covered with the kids. Having a ball.

Denis Murphy was up in the TV box. Alongside Jerome Quinn. People tuned in from all around the globe.

They saw Vincent’s settling quickly. As they played with the wind that blew into the scoreboard end.

Their defence wasn’t passing around the tea bags. Gráinne Quinn and company had closed every window.

And up front, they had an All-Star, Aisling Maher, playing the game of her life. She scored 12 points, seven in the first half.

“It’s great that we are back again as champions after losing the last two finals,” said Kelleher.

“The players have put in so much work. It was a good performance. We managed to get a nice start, but Na Fianna came back at us well in the second half.

“There was a wonderful atmosphere here. And I’d like to thank Karl O’Brien and all at the county board for making an occasion like this possible. We really appreciate it.”

Kelleher had one hand on the Maura Brady Cup at half-time when they led by 1-9 to 0-3. The goal coming a minute into injury-time from Danielle Smith.

Na Fianna’s three points came from Niamh Rock’s frees.

Rock’s 12 points were pivotal in the Glasnevin’s team’s brilliant semi-final victory over the champions, St Jude’s.

Rock converted two more frees after the break as the Mobhi club came more into it.

Elyse Jamieson Murphy has that dart of pace. Emily Bryne’s frees also helped, as did a cracking point, one of the best of the hour, from Alex Griffin. They also came within a whisker of a goal.

But there was no disputing the calibre of St Vincent’s. And the magnificent Maher treated the gallery to a delicious point midway through the second period. Bending it around the lamp-posts.

Big Brian Mullins was an accomplished cricketer. He would have been the first to doff his cap.

Match file

SCORERS – St Vincent’s: A Maher 0-12 (8f, 1 ‘45’); D Smith 1-0; N Hetherton, A Lambe 0-1 each. Na Fianna: N Rock 0-5 (5f); E Bryne 0-4 (3f); A Griffin 0-1.

ST VINCENT’S: D Cooke; C O’Leary, D Johnstone, L Smith; E McGovern, G Quinn, E Elliott; A Woods, D Smith; N Hetherton, A Lambe, C Donnelly; R Drohan, A Maher, M Kelleher. Subs: A Maguire, G Gilroy, A Farrell.

NA FIANNA: C Tierney; G Free, N Gleeson, S Reid; M Ní Ceallacháin, E O’Brien, S Rogers; R Baker, E Jamieson Murphy; E Deeley, A Cushen, A Griffin; N Rock, C O’Looney, E Gray. Subs: E Quigley, E Bryne, K Buckley, J Gleeson.

MENTORS – St Vincent’s: Tom Russell, Aoife Drumgoole, Cathal Fallon, Aidan Fogarty, Canice Hickey, Kathryn Kantounia. Na Fianna: Eoin Ryan, Declan Feeney, Gráinne Ryan, Eamonn Cassidy, Adrian Tierney, Sandra Tarr.

WIDES – St Vincent’s: 4 (2+2); Na Fianna: 8 (2+6).

REFEREE: David Murphy (St James’s Gaels/An Caisleán).

CONDITIONS: Dry, chilly night. Stiff breeze.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Aisling Maher (St Vincent’s).