Leinster SFC Quarter-final replay: Gavin Cummiskeyon how Dublin football is losing out to its old rivals due to demands of modern living.
"In the old days, before the BabyBelt, Dubs and Culchies knew who was who. But in recent years that has blurred. I noticed recently playing a soccer match in Ratoath, Co Meath. The accents of those on the Ratoath team perplexed me. Half the lads had pure Meath patois, dropping the 'r's everywhere. The other half were unadulterated Cabra. I was in the BabyBelt - home of Kells Angels - where Dubs become Culchies and Culchies become Dubs. I was playing against the new breed, the first generation commuters, the Dulchies."
Extract from The Pope's Childrenby David McWilliams.
They are known as the "Royal Blues" in Navan. Johnstown has been rechristened "Little Dublin", housing over 2,000 families who couldn't maintain this standard of living in their native county. Kells is equally affected by the changing trends within modern society.
"The population of the town has doubled in eight years and villages around Kells have also seen their population swell," wrote McWilliams. "On sports day at the local national school, Carlanstown, there are more Dublin accents and registrations than local ones. This is home to the Kells Angels, the commuters who are on the road by six every morning."
Any one of the 620,000 baby boomers of the 1970s and those born before can attest to the amount this country has changed in a generation.
The evolution continues apace and the once innately conservative GAA are cute enough to come along for the ride.
Dublin, as always, carry the weight of a million on their shoulders. Granted, 10,000 would be a remarkable figure at Parnell Park in February but come the longer nights everyone develops an opinion. Dublin has expanded into neighbouring lands. Not everyone can afford to live within its borders anymore. The young southsider must consider crossing the Liffey to climb on to the property ladder while many in north Dublin have made the leap into the Royal County. They may never return. It matters little to the ever expanding urban sprawl but as a Gaelic football issue the capital is losing out.
Take Wayne McCarthy. The genuine football advocate will remember the former Erin's Isle man by reputation. He first came to prominence on RTÉ's GAA magazine show Breaking Ballat the tail-end of the Tommy Carr era. It was about Wayne and Charlie. The great white Finglas hope used to gather balls for the master, Charlie Redmond.
McCarthy learned his trade off the best Dublin could provide. In 2001, while still a kid, he was given a run in the famous sky blue against an ageing Meath team. The Hill silently watched Seán Boylan's farewell lesson for the Dubs. Meath won comfortably by three.
Paul Caffrey confirmed a fortnight ago Dublin are glad Meath have returned. Two bitter enemies intertwined once more.
At 26, McCarthy should be reaching his peak as an intercounty player. Instead he was part of the debris cut loose under the failed Tommy Lyons revolution. The die was largely cast when a similar management team was formed by Caffrey.
He works as a rep for Permanent TSB in north Dublin. Bought a house in the Cill Foireann estate in Navan three years ago. For convenience, and to integrate into the community, he switched from Erin's Isle to Simonstown Gaels. It doesn't hinder his outlook on life. "Ah no, once you're a Dub I suppose you are always going to be a Dub. In fairness to the local people there is great banter. I think they are loving the influx of Dubs."
But he would consider a chance to play intercounty football again. "I'd find it hard to switch allegiance but sure if you are asked you would have to think about it then, you know?"
McCarthy does concede a generation of kids are being lost to Dublin football. Are Meath picking up the pieces? "Definitely. If I'm still living in Meath it would be very hard for my young lad, if he was good enough, to play for Dublin. Look at Paul Curran. His father is a Meath man but lived in Dublin so Paul played for Dublin. It's a role reversal now. The country lads used to come up to us and we would reap the rewards. Now it's going out the other way.
"Charlie (Redmond) and Mick Deegan live in Ashbourne so all their kids will be playing with Meath clubs. We're losing Dubs out here."
Meath selector Dudley Farrell is not so sure. "How many of these kids come through as county potentials is another thing. I couldn't really see it as a major contribution to Meath football in the future.
"There are areas down where I'm from, near Knock, where they struggle to field under-10s teams whereas you go up to Ashbourne, Dunboyne, Dunshaughlin, those areas, and the guts of 200 kids are running around the field. Down here in Knock there wouldn't be a hell of a lot of building going on or new kids moving into the area." No Dubs then? "Ah you just have a few stragglers. No overflow."
One thing Farrell does identify as a problem is the overflow of players in one area. There is room for expansion. Maybe even a radical approach: "Dulchie" GAA clubs. "There is room for new clubs in certain areas. Navan is getting so big - out by Johnstown and again above in Ashbourne is getting hugely populated as well. But then you will have existing clubs holding on to their territory. In the long run you will need new clubs coming on stream in these urban areas.
"I was on a Leinster Council steering committee looking at the population of these areas and what was going to be done. It's still ongoing."
