THE LAST POINT: Best laid plans blown away

Nothing like a storm to make a person feel rather insignificant and  if we've all become somewhat complacent over what seem like endless red, yellow and orange warnings over the years, Storm Éowyn certainly reminded us all of the truly awe inspiring and terrifying power that Mother Nature can throw at us at the moment's notice.

Looking at the big picture, a few matches here and there falling victim to the weather is nothing much to get worked up about - I guess we all know that in our hearts but, give it a few days and we'll be back bellyaching about the nanny state and the impact that the various postponements might have on our sporting pursuits and that some teams have an advantage that their games went ahead!

Two out of three Leitrim games felt victim to circumstance at the weekend - the men's game in Ballinamore was initially postponed for 24 hours but in all seriousness, it'd would have been pretty surreal and a little inappropriate to see 30 grown men running around Pairc Sheain Ui Eslin in pursuit of a football when the town, and most of the surrounding area, hadn't the ability to warm themselves or make a cup of tea in their own home.

Honestly, I'd give Ballinamore Sean O'Heslins and Leitrim GAA enormous credit for even  trying to get the game played over the weekend - the pitch was ready to go but no power in the town meant that simple things like a cup of coffee in the always welcoming shop in the stand, electricity for local radio to broadcast the game or even a shower after the match for the participants were a no-go, so no problem on my end.

The Ladies game in Blessington fell victim to the weather with the local club ruling the pitch unplayable about 90 minutes before the game, all before the match referee inspected the surface. My only gripe with that was myself and Willie Donnellan, and a few intrepid Leitrim supporters, had pulled into the car park in the Wicklow town right on the border with Kildare only to find that the Lidl LGFA Division 4 tie was almost definitely off.

THE LAST POINT: ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK

Local LGFA and club officials were genuinely apologetic and, in fairness to them, they went searching high and low for another venue to get the game played - a small local pitch in Manor Kilbride, one without a perimeter fence an official told me, was checked out, so too the GAA's Centre of Excellence in Abbotstown but conditions won out in the end.

Again, I don't blame anyone for the decision to call off the game - much of the pitch was playable but there was water lying on the surface in a few different areas and minutes after the decision was taken, the rain started pouring down and I can't imagine any of the players would have relished doing battle in those conditions. And I imagine every club in Leitrim would have made the same decision to protect their playing surface too.

The crazy thing is that no GAA club in Leitrim, or indeed many counties in the west of Ireland, can come close to matching what Blessington GAA have at their disposal. Their facility, obviously a relatively new development perhaps funded by a windfall by selling their old ground, featured three full-sized grass pitches, a couple with floodlights and a good sized astro-turf pitch!

Clubhouse, ample car parking, a tea shop and a toilet block and the facilities at the Wicklow club are far ahead of quite a few facilities I've been to so if the Blessington officials are protective of their facility, I wouldn't blame them at all and my only quibble would be the call wasn't made earlier in the day to save us all travelling. 

Let me tell you, it wasn't fun travelling through the driving rain on Sunday morning even with the great Willie Donnellan ensuring the trip passed quickly and in entertaining fashion - Willie's musing that we must be two complete lunatics to consider going to a game in these conditions certainly resonated the further we went along the road.

I've written about the east - west divide in facilities and roads in this column in the past but even the weather seemed to join in! Once we got past Enfield, the rain ceased and the sky cleared, giving you the distinct impression we are living in two completely different eco-systems in this country!

To be fair, I wasn't the only one who made the journey - there were Devaneys and Quinns and a few other diehards  in the car park - but until we find a way to put a roof over the country, we're always going to be at the mercy of weather events that are completely out of the ordinary. 

Storm Ophelia a few years ago gave Met Eireann's weather warnings a bad name as large swathes of the country didn't get hit the way it was predicted. But Éowyn was a different beast - I've heard first hand stories about tiles and roofs being ripped off, trees flattened and narrowly avoiding houses, debris flying all over the place while many people are still patiently waiting for their power to be restored. Ironically, it led to an unexpected boom for restaurants in Carrick-on-Shannon as people from the surrounding areas ventured into town to get find something warm to eat!

Éowyn also broke the hearts of many proud GAA people in Connacht when it literally tore the inspirational University of Galway Connacht GAA AirDome to shreds over the course of a few hours on Friday night, Saturday morning. The picture above gives you some sense of the raw power unleashed by Éowyn, prompting a sense of sadness and loss in me that the logical, cold-hearted side of me just can't fathom.

It is not just the financial loss but the destruction of the AirDome is one of those surprising things that evokes an emotional response. The Connacht facility stood as one of those quirky yet innovative things the GAA do so well - a facility literally built on hot air!  So impressive the facility that once on a journey with the parents over to Knock, I detoured to take them in to get a closer look at the magnificent AirDome, the building has almost become a tourist attraction.

The AirDome has meant that games that once were delayed for weeks can now take place on time and off-kilter events such as the Irish Frisbee championships, due to be held last weekend, can  be enjoyed in relative comfort. I can't tell you how relieved I was before Christmas that Leitrim Schools' game with St Jarlath's was played in the Dome as the  driving rain and howling wind meant it was not fit for man nor beast outside. 

THE LAST POINT: A NEW WORLD FOR LEITRIM LADIES

In fact, the only time I can remember any disappointment expressed about the Dome was when Leitrim's League clash with London three years ago was played on one of the outside pitches at the Connacht Centre of Excellence, rather than inside - and I wasn't alone and quite a few Leitrim fans made the journey across to Bekan expecting the game to be played in the Dome. Boy, we were more than disappointed as we were lashed by almost horizontal rain that day.

Some things you can't foresee, be it the power outages that caused the Laois game in Ballinamore to be called off or the weather conditions in Blessington but I've often marvelled at the foresight of John Prenty and Connacht GAA in building what can only be described as a monument to  imagination and ambition.

I didn't see the need for it but the comment I hear most from those outside Connacht is why their Provinces and counties haven't built their own AirDome. I imagine Prenty and his cohorts are already in the initial stages of a rebuild and while there is a sense of loss among the GAA community, there is a resolve that the AirDome will rise once more into the Bekan sky and that is only a good thing.