THE LAST POINT: The dawning of a new age

Hyperbole is not something particularly I'm fond of, which may seem a strange admission for someone working in the media in this age of spin, induced controversy and hype, but it's hard to avoid the feeling that last Sunday represented a monumental occasion for Leitrim sport, the sort of event that changes perceptions and heralds the dawning of a new age.

I'm not talking about the basic truth that Leitrim won an All-Ireland title - after all, Leitrim Ladies have a proud history in which they’ve won a Junior title in 1988 and the Intermediate crown 17 years ago, along with contesting All-Ireland Senior Finals in the 80s. If anything, the Ladies are an anomaly in Leitrim Gaelic games with a consistent record of superb achievement.

Rather what encourages me that we're entering a new era for the Ladies game in Leitrim is the public reaction as thousands thronged the streets of Carrick on Sunday night to welcome their heroes back to the County, driving rain no deterrent to the delirious fans who celebrated the dramatic 3-11 to 3-10 victory over Tyrone every bit as much as if Men's team had won a trophy.

It was only last year that hordes of Leitrim fans departed Echelon Park in Aughrim in the middle of the League double header against Wicklow - Jonny Garrity's troops wondering what became of all the Green & Gold fans that were cheering on Andy Moran's troops earlier in the day. 

The intensely dedicated band of supporters who travel to each and every Ladies fixture is almost an exclusive club but they wouldn't mind more fans joining them because if there is one thing Leitrim fans do well, it is make themselves heard.

CHECK OUT WILLIE DONNELLAN'S GALLERY OF CELEBRATION PHOTOS FROM CROKE PARK

Chatting to Leitrim players after Sunday's final, they all remarked on the noise generated by the Green & Gold army, revealing they had to actively work on their communication such was the wall of sound emanating from the Leitrim fans - I don't remember the crowd being as big or as engaged 17 years ago and definitely there wasn't the same excitement in the build-up to the final as the County was littered with flags and signs wishing Jonny Garrity's team well.

Leitrim GAA County Board chairman Enda Stenson reckoned there hadn't been a crowd in Carrick like it since 1994 and that is saying something. I wasn't around for the celebrations in 2007, having managed to blag a freebie to Bulgaria’s Sunny Beach, but there definitely wasn't the same reaction to Leitrim's triumph - be it in person, on the streets, in the stands or on social media.

Willie Donnellan gleefully recounted on the way home last Sunday the almost futile efforts of the Croke Park stewards to clear the pitch and if you've ever worked at GAA headquarters, these lads don't mess around - just ask the Leitrim hurlers who were almost booted out of their dressing rooms in 2019 after winning the Lory Meagher Cup. But last Sunday, there was no moving Leitrim, be it on the field of play or anywhere else for that matter. 

I’m not trying to compare apples and oranges, men's sport will always have a hold on the public consciousness that women's sport finds hard to break through, unless it happens to be an individual like Mona McSharry, Kellie Harrington, Katie Taylor, Sonia O'Sullivan or even Rhasidat Adeleke - that just seems to be the way of the world.

Turning the thousands who turned up in Carrick on Sunday and Ballinamore, Manorhamilton and Kiltubrid on Monday into tangible support next year is the big challenge - you won't get everyone but the Ladies are going to need to have everyone get behind them as they take on  Kerry, Cork, Dublin, Armagh, Galway and Mayo in the Senior Championship next year.

THE LAST POINT: THE QUIET BEFORE THE STORM

While we're celebrating the present and thinking of the future, take a few moments to remember those great Leitrim teams of the past - the 1988 team were  trailblazers in every sense, battling not just indifference but oftentimes willful hostility, the idea of women playing football seemingly an affront to the Irish nation - the heroes of 2024 don't have to fight that battle because their predecessors did.

It is almost embarrassing to state that one of the most regular complaints we used to get in the Observer in the past about our coverage of Ladies Football was that there was far too much of it! Some reckon we don't do enough but up to about ten years, that was what we heard if you can believe it.

True equality may never be achieved - I'm sure the LGFA were disappointed with the attendance last Sunday as they pulled out all the stops publicising the event in the days leading up to the game but the empty upper tiers in Croker were in contrast to the heaving stands that witnessed the borefest that was Armagh and Galway just a week previously so it is not about entertainment.

Maybe the job is half done - the young girls now dreaming of emulating Michelle Guckian will take inspiration from the Leitrim captain's admission that the sight of Sinead Brennan lifting the Mary Quinn Cup 17 years ago is what inspired her to this day. You simply can't quantify what seeing Leitrim winning last Sunday will do for generations of young girls in this county in much the same way that the exploits of Mona, Kellie and Rhasidat are driving kids all over the country to swimming pools, boxing rings and running tracks.

Vignettes from Sunday pop into my mind at will - I wouldn't have liked to be choosing the Player of the Match, Ailbhe Clancy got it and deservedly so for an impactful performance but you could have made the case equally strongly for Michelle Guckian, Muireann Devaney or Elise Bruen. For what it's worth, Muireann got my vote as she resembled a one-woman wrecking ball, smashing Tyrone's best laid plans but that's just me!

I do have one off-centre theory about Leitrim's struggles down the stretch over the last two games - they were the only two games Leitrim faced with the ubiquitous countdown clock ticking away, maybe players became mesmerised by it, trying to run out the clock rather than driving on towards victory - it's just a theory but it is as good as any because it doesn’t bear thinking about how close  both Tyrone and Wexford came, both within a last gasp kick of forcing a draw against a vastly superior Leitrim.

THE LAST POINT: CARPE DIEM THE ONLY IMPERATIVE

I'm a firm believer that it is the talent on the field that is the determining factor between success and failure but I'll break that here by stating that without Jonny Garrity, Leitrim would never have got near Croke Park. Leitrim undoubtedly have the talent, there is no argument there but Garrity had instilled a steely confidence that is buttressed by astounding fitness levels and a deadly effective game plan that has delivered an All-Ireland title to Leitrim.

I'll tell you a secret, I was touting Garrity as a possible manager for the Leitrim Men's team so impressed have I been by his impact with the Ladies - Mickey Graham is a fantastic choice that ensures continuity but I'm telling you, Garrity is going places.

All that remains is to congratulate Leitrim Ladies and thank them for one of the truly epic days in Leitrim sport.