Lynette Fay: First county final in 34 years provokes huge pride in my hometown
Next weekend the senior footballers will line out in the Tyrone county football final for the first time in 34 years. This moment will bring tears to the eyes of the hardest of people
by Lynette Fay
IT WASN’T unusual for cars to be parked outside our house on a Sunday. In fact, the square out the front of the house in our estate would be packed out on a regular basis. There must be a match on.
I grew up in the shadow of O’Neill Park, the home of Dungannon Thomas Clarke's. Next weekend the senior footballers will line out in the Tyrone county football final for the first time in 34 years. This moment will bring tears to the eyes of the hardest of people.
I feel the same pride, even though I have never been a member of the club.
In 1986, the last time the Clarkes were in the county final, I lived right beside the football field and club. O’Neill park lies at the top of a hill, towering above the housing estates beside it – Lisnahull, Ballysaggart and Mullaghmore – Springdale in the distance. These estates were bitter rivals by times – especially when, as children, we were collecting for bonfires.
A couple of years ago, a private Facebook page featuring memories of life on the estates appeared from nowhere. Suddenly, there was a connection with people I hadn’t heard tell of in years, and many memories and photos shared of what seemed like a distant life.
We moved out of Lisnahull when I was 11 but those years and the characters and experiences of the estate had a massive influence on me. Judging from the readily offered streams of consciousness that were pouring on to this virtual page, I wasn’t the only one with fond memories of my childhood there.
From the distinction of the big green and the wee green, to memories of Hamill’s shop, the play park of concrete blocks, the red barn, the bumpy lane, sneaking up the back way to the football field, to the excitement of a visit to Gerry McAshay’s chip van on a Friday night – which would be parked right outside our house – everyone communicating on this page had a shared experience of growing up on the estates and they were relishing the good memories.
Growing up on a housing estate in the north in the 1980s was an experience all right, but it was all we knew. Looking back now, our parents didn’t have it easy. Poverty and social unrest were rife – for the obvious reasons. Very few houses were untouched by trouble, strife or pain of some kind.
It was a working-class upbringing. While there was hardship, there was also incredible kindness – and this is still felt when I meet or am in contact with the people I grew up with.
The Guardian famously carried a column a few years ago describing the town as squat, ugly and claustrophobic, albeit while conceding that it "fosters joy". Cue an outpouring of anger and sharp Dungannon wit in response to this on social media. WE can refer to the town any way we like, but how dare anyone not from the town do so!
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought with it a very tough six months for everyone, and this challenging way of life isn’t going anywhere for a while.
Over the past few weeks, the club championship, and its increased presence on free-to-air television channels has given many communities a positive focus.
The Tyrone club championship is fiercely contested every year and it was great that it was given such a platform, with both semi-finals televised. It was unbelievable to see my hometown trending on Twitter, and the never-say-die attitude of both teams lauded by the great and the good.
These games have given those who love the GAA, and those who have been starved of sport, something to look forward to. They have fed an aching hunger.
While the members of the Dungannon Clarkes – players and management are understandably elated by their achievement – their reaching the county final with such vigour will have benefited the town in every way.
It’s an unforgettable time for the town, and one for everyone to enjoy, GAA member or not. The banners and bunting are up, and the excitement is palpable – the Dungannon Aodh Ruadh hurlers are also in the county final this year.
This buzz would be very special in ‘normal’ time. I can only imagine that this will be magnified in these uncertain times.
Thirty-four years is a long time to wait for a chance to bring the O’Neill cup to Páirc Uí Néill for the first time since 1956. Go n-éirí go geal leo!