Gavin Cummiskeyand the All Stars party take in the sights in San Francisco, including where the famous Summer of Love - and Haight - started
THE 2008 All Star tour has been gently winding down this week as the players are released from formal commitments and the touring party is permitted free time to soak up the multiple attractions San Francisco has to offer.
There is the famous Haight-Ashbury corner, credited as the origin of the 1960s Flower Power movement. Reminders of that time exist but it is largely a den for the thousands of homeless people who roam these famous streets.
North Beach has proved quite popular, despite it being in Little Italy, mainly due to its nightlife, particularly the famous hang out of that great sports hack, and leader of the Beat movement, Jack Kerouac.
There seems to be an Irish watering hole on every turn, while the community are as vibrant as ever down around the Sunset District. You would think they are from back home until they speak.
What really impressed from a local GAA perspective was the massive pitch and spanking new facilities in Páirc na nGael out on Treasure Island, which is just over the Bay Bridge.
On the playing front, it was hardly an epic encounter last Sunday, with players understandably minding themselves with preseason fast approaching.
However, Meath goalkeeper Brendan Murphy produced some brilliant saves to keep the 2007 All Stars goal tally down to four (Gary Connaughton of Westmeath also showed well down the other end despite leaking eight).
Formerly on the books of Wimbledon FC, this was Murphy merely confirming himself as a genuine challenger for Stephen Cluxton's unofficial title as best shot-stopper in Gaelic football. It was the decision of the Dublin keeper (a 2007 All Star) not to travel that actually paved the way for Murphy's inclusion here.
"I got a phone call from Croke Park saying I had been selected to travel. I knew, kind of, having spoken to Stephen Cluxton last year at the awards and he said he wasn't a good traveller and that. So I had a fair idea but when I got the call I was over the moon."
Inevitably the conversation switched to Meath's disastrous 2008 championship campaign, which seemed to be badly disrupted by the league bust up with Dublin in Parnell Park.
A number of suspensions didn't help but the second-half collapse to Wexford would have been forgiven if the nightmare defeat to Limerick had not ended their summer football.
"It didn't help going into the championship down a few players but up to (the Dublin) game we weren't setting the league on fire.
"The Wexford game, giving a 10-point lead away, we never really recovered after that. The whole year in general was disappointing."
That Murphy was the Meath captain ensured a heavier burden still.
"It was a great honour to be captain but unfortunately the way it panned out we didn't push on from the previous year. But you got to look forward and the good thing about football is there is always another day to redeem yourself."
The question that lingers over Meath coming into 2009, with Eamonn O'Brien replacing Colm Coyle at the helm, is whether they are as poor as 2008 or as good as the All-Ireland semi-final achievement in 2007. Somewhere in the middle, Murphy concludes.
"We aren't that bad (as 2008) but maybe we aren't as good as other performances. There is still plenty there to build on, that's the good thing.
"There is quality in the squad and a new manager in and hopefully, they will get a good reaction from everybody after a disappointing year."
What O'Brien will bring in remains unknown but with the likes of Darren Fay and Graham Geraghty finally taking their leave Murphy becomes the senior Royal County footballer.
"Graham might show his face again you never know. The night we got Dublin in the draw I texted him 'You'll be back yet' and he just replied 'question mark'.
He makes no secret he loves the Dublin game. Secretly the Dub fans would love to see him there so they can give him some stick from the Hill - "that's what it is all about, isn't it?"
