THE dust may have settled for now and the red and white bunting put away for the time being but for many Dalkey folk the exploits of Cuala's Senior Hurling squad over two nail-biting weekends will live on forever.
The village was bedecked in their team’s colours as they welcomed their heroes home after back-to-back victories in the All-Ireland club senior hurling championship.
The Southside club that is home to so many and followed by so many more became only the fifth club to winAll-Ireland titles in a row and the achievement was applauded far and wide.
“Dalkey is on fire tonight as Cuala’s red and white chequered flags festoon the entire town waiting for the homecoming of our local heroes,” just one local, Senator Victor Boyhan, said.
“It was a fantastic game, and we’re so proud of the lads, the background team and Mattie Kenny. It was a glorious victory for sport in Dún Laoghaire Rathdown.”
The Southsiders had finally arrived home with the Tommy Moore Cup after successfully defending the title against Na Piarsaigh of Limerick in Portlaoise.
But the epic encounter was set up only after David Treacy saved his team one week before by striking his 12th point of the day in the 80th minute that managed to secure the draw of 1-22 to Na Piarsaigh’s 2-19 on a bitterly cold St Patrick's Day.
There then followed, according to Club Chairperson, Damian McKeown, a tense week with the players cocooned from the rest of the world as they focused on their challenging replay ahead.
“It was a nervous time for everyone and we knew it was on a knife edge,” he told Southside People. “But we knew that when it’s that close, when it's that tight that it could be swung by the support of the fans.
“We said if the management secure the pitch we’d secure the stands and with the help of everyone, including the incredible Cuala Ultras, and we managed to do just that.”
And as it proved to be, it was another narrow margin as Cuala’s six point lead with 20 minutes to go was gnawed away by the stubborn Limerick men to leave them hanging on by just one point approaching injury-time.
It was then that Con O’Callaghan, free-taker David Treacy, and key forward Mark Schutte stepped up to secure a famous victory.
Damian McKeown could have been on the phone all day when asked who he wanted to praise after the historic win.
From the team and management, to the fans and their familes, the ladies, many of them mums of the players, who look after the kit, Dun Laoghaire Rathdwon County Council who stepped in with some funding and the local shops and businesses who flew the colours, theyb all played their part.
And then there was those, as the club said themselves, who “gave their time and energy to organise the pre-match festivities on final days, the trains to Connolly and Portlaoise and the post-match receptions”.
Although the team’s home is located in Dalkey, the club draws its support from almost 1,000 households across the Southside.
With over 1,600 active members it is among the larger clubs in the county and its adults to juvenile teams participate in over 70 competitions.
