When the whistle finally blew on Ireland’s excruciatingly tense game against South Korea in Valencia last January, their 4-3 victory earning them the last of the 12 men’s hockey qualifying spots for the Paris Olympics, it’s no wonder the overriding sense was relief.
After missing out on Tokyo when losing a sudden death penalty shootout to Canada, 5-4, then denied a place in the World Cup in 2023 (South Korea also beating Ireland to the last qualifying spot for London 2012), the only expectation the players had in that moment was to somehow make it through.
Fast forward six months, and the Ireland men’s hockey team head to Paris on Thursday among the first to check into the Athletes Village. They are quietly confident of their chances of progressing from Pool B, despite facing Tokyo gold medallists Belgium in the opening game on Saturday week, July 27th, then taking on Australia, India, Argentina and New Zealand.
It is only the second time since Ireland’s independence that the men have qualified for the Olympics (their only previous appearance coming in Rio eight years ago, with the women’s team qualifying for Tokyo), and it comes with the bonus of competing in the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium in Colombes, in northwest Paris, the main arena for the 1924 Olympics.
None of this history or opportunity is lost on Daragh Walsh, the 26-year-old from Dublin who was also part of the squad that just missed out on Tokyo. Formerly of Three Rock Rovers, he’s now based in Belgium with the professional hockey club in Braxgata, just outside Antwerp.
“It was amazing, after just missing out for Tokyo, and then also the 2023 World Cup,” he says. “We missed out narrowly in both on penalty shootouts. The game was very ebb and flow and it looked like it was going to a shootout again but we just managed to cling on against South Korea.
“It’s still all a bit of a blur, but relief was the main thing, before digesting that and then that shifted to excitement before Paris. So looking forward to all that aspect, but also trying to treat is as much as possible as just another hockey tournament. We’ll be there I think nine days before, so we’ve a few days to soak in as much as possible, then just focus in a bit more. Try and enjoy it but not enjoy it too much.
“After missing out on Tokyo, we definitely used it as fuel. There was a natural break after that because we didn’t have a major tournament and then Covid hit. I don’t think we played any capped competitive matches for about two years.”
Walsh made his senior international debut in 2017, against Pakistan in Lisburn, joining the Ireland squad not long after their return from Rio.He moved to Belgium in 2019 - as well as beating Belgium back-to-back in the Pro League in Antwerp back in May, for the first time since 1993, his experience of playing there has raised hopes of a potential upset in Paris.
“It’s been priceless really, week in, week out playing against the best player, in pretty high pressure games. If you’re not playing at your best over there they will let you know. They’re paying you, so you have to be at the top level all the time.
“I think they (Belgium) thought that we were a good team, that didn’t achieve what we could have over the past few years. Guys like Shane (O’Donoghue) started it, and even guys before him, by going over to that league and playing pretty well and being important parts of teams there.
“When we beat them we didn’t expect it and I would say they didn’t expect it. Doing it again would have cemented that. Whether they will be nervous I don’t know, they’ll probably have a stronger team, but they will definitely respect us in that first game.
“So I think confidence is certainly higher now than it was before those games while not getting carried away. After beating Belgium, we know we can possibly beat anyone on our day but the games against India and Australia will be very tough games as well. But I would hope anyway all the lads go into each game knowing if we put in our best performance, we’ve a chance of a result.”
While Walsh now has 104 senior caps, representing Ireland in the Olympics is in his own words “the pinnacle”.
“For me it probably started in athletics, with Usain Bolt and all that, so Beijing (2008), when he first broke onto the scene. It wasn’t hockey, to be fair. But at that age I was playing a load of sport: football, GAA, rugby and hockey.
“Then when I started focusing more on hockey at 14, 15, the Rio Olympics made you think it was the pinnacle of our sport. Once I started focusing on hockey it just became a bigger and bigger thing. And to play in the 1924 stadium, yeah, it’s quite cool, with that history.”
