This article chronicles the journey of Kilkenny football, highlighting its historical triumphs, recent struggles, and the unwavering dedication of its players and managers, particularly focusing on the experiences of Dick Mullins during his tenure as manager.
Last weekend, Dick Mullins laced up his cross country spikes and made his way around the track in Westport, taking home the silver medal for the Over 75 Masters event. The sting of narrow defeat is cushioned by the comfort of knowing that come next year, he will have a clearer run of the Over 80s section, both local and internationally. No stopping him then. Apart from maybe the babysitting requirements of his 19 grandchildren.
As it happened, last weekend was also the second round of the Kilkenny football leagues, the other sporting passion of Mullins’ life. On and off, he was the manager of the Cat’s senior football team for almost a decade, including their last national league involvement of 2008 to 2012. By the end of 1999, Kilkenny had dropped out of the leagues, unable to cope. By 2007, with Nickey Brennan, a man who had done his bit as player and manager for Kilkenny football now GAA President, they launched a comeback. The first game back was tough out; a 4-20 to 1-5 loss to Tipperary in Nowlan Park. The next day there was no reprieve; 2-25 for Antrim with 0-6 in response. On game day three, there were wide smiles on Kilkenny faces as they gave Waterford a game of it, losing 2-9 to 0-8. The next day in Aughrim against Wicklow showed that to be a false dawn, losing 2-34 to 0-5. We’ll draw a discreet veil over the rest of that campaign. 2009 was a new dawn. Mick Malone was now on board, one of the best footballers Kilkenny had reared. They went out of the first game against Sligo. 3-20 to 0-4. Never mind. On they go and hosting Antrim in round 2 in Nowlan Park. 4-27 to 0-5. It was Waterford next, and sure, they always put it up to Waterford? 2-20 to 0-3. It wasn’t going great, but the last two games of the league offered the possibility that with time, they might have been getting somewhere. They came within 11 points of London in Ruislip, and then 15 at home to Carlow. They opened the 2010 league… Look, this isn’t doing anybody any good. Let’s just finish by noting that astonishing day in February 2011, when they finished without registering a single score, Leitrim hitting them for 3-19 in Ballyragget. They knew it was all over the following year. Fermanagh came to Nowlan Park, full of beans and looking to impress new manager Peter Canavan. They notched 9-23 – fifty points total, with Kilkenny responding with 0-4. But you won’t hear any self-pity from the man who led them through all those times. “The one thing about Kilkenny football is that no matter how many matches you lose, you were never going to get sacked! I could have lasted forever, until I resigned myself,” says Mullins now. “Our problem was, and it’s probably the same now is that anyone who is good enough to play football for Kilkenny, is also a club hurler. And that’s the problem. Hurling gets priority, hurling is King in Kilkenny. “The clubs were looking for these lads to come back in to training and then the lads had to make a commitment. “The other side of it was, you couldn’t get to do enough training and coaching.” How on earth does anyone manage to get people to keep turning up for that treatment, though? Advertisement “The amazing thing about it was, the players themselves kept coming back and kept coming back. If we had a training session, numbers could be small. But when it came to the games we always had plenty. “And when it came to the county board, the team was always well looked after as regards food and the likes. If we were travelling to Sligo and Longford or wherever we got the best of buses. “In that aspect, we were treated the very same as the hurlers. There were buses and food and all that end was looked after.” If he was to point out their weak point, it would be getting scores. But then he adds instantly, “And keeping them out the other end, of course.” It wasn’t always this way with Kilkenny football. In the early says of the Association they were a footballing force. Between 1888 and 1922 they contested eight Leinster finals, winning three. They were the first-ever winners of the Leinster senior football championship, played in 1888, beating Wexford in the final. They beat Louth in the 1900 final before then getting the better of Tipperary in the All-Ireland semi-final, 1-7 to 0-8. A replay was ordered because of an objection that Tipp lodged and when Kilkenny did not turn up for the refixed game, the Premier went through to the All-Ireland final where they beat London, 3-7 to 0-2. There were signs though that the county was starting to lean towards the small ball. In 1914, they had to field their young mascot, Peter Dunne, to complete a team. They haven’t won a senior championship match since 1929, when they beat Louth 0-10 to 0-4. Their last Leinster senior match was 1982. Kildare beat them 4-10 to 1-2. Playing corner-back that day, was Nickey Brennan.
KILKENNY FOOTBALL DICK Mullins GAA HURLING FOOTBALL LEINSTER CHAMPIONSHIP ALL-IRELAND CHAMPIONSHIP NICKEY BRENNAN
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