ARCH-ENEMIES they might have been on the hallowed turf of Croke Park on a September Sunday in 1974, but since then, a wonderful bond of friendship has built up between the Galway and Dublin football teams from that era.
The joys of sport and the ups-and-downs of life led to a special presentation of a cheque to Galway Hospice for €5,000 last month from the ‘Dublin ‘70s’ footballers, after they had heard a poignant personal story a couple of months previously, from the man who captained Galway in the ’74 final.
Since that Sunday of September 22 1974, in a final won by the Dubs on a 0-14 to 1-6 scoreline, members of that team have built up a special relationship with the hospice foundation in the capital.
Last April, the Dublin team invited their Galway counterparts of ’74 to a fundraising lunch for Hospice in Croke Park and they asked Gay Mitchell to say a few words on behalf of his colleagues.
Gay told the Connacht Tribune that he was ‘caught a bit on the hop’ when asked to speak but in the course of his reply he recalled a very poignant personal experience for himself and his family with Galway Hospice.
“I just recalled our own family experience and that of our daughter Aoife [Mitchell-Creaven] who passed away in 2015 after spending four months in Galway Hospice. It just seemed to strike a chord with the Dublin lads.
“Then, on the day of the Galway-Dublin quarter-final clash last month, Jimmy Duggan, had some time before that, organised a golf outing in Galway Golf Club with the Dubs.
“A great crowd of them came down and after the golf we all watched the match over a meal and a few drinks at the bar. It was just one of those special occasions.
“When the match was over, Seán Doherty [the Dublin captain in ‘74] came over to me and said that I’ve something to present to you for Galway Hospice – a cheque for €5,000.
“It was something that just completely bowled me over – an incredible piece of generosity and decency – and I think it brought home to me everything that is good and wholesome about the GAA. A gesture of real sincerity and kindness,” said Gay Mitchell.
Caption: Seán Doherty, captain of the 1974 Dublin team that beat Galway in the All-Ireland Football Final of that year, presenting a cheque of €5,000 to Galway ’74 captain, Gay Mitchell, for the Galway Hospice, at Galway Golf Club on June 29 last.
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