BRUADAIR - GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

“COLOURS of the game, colours of the games, get your team colours, hats, flags, rosettes,” roared the street vendor in a strong Dublin accent as we made our way to the Geraldine Park in Athy for Carlow’s first round Leinster Senior football championship game on May 23, 1976.

The ‘we’ in question was a boy called Diarmuid Broderick and myself, two teenage supporters, having thumbed over from Carlow Town, picked up outside the Sugar Factory by well known gael Dick Roche, the Cork native transporting us on the ‘road to sweet Athy’ in his trusty orange mini.

We considered the trip a bit of an adventure, having heard so many tales from old-timers of people cycling and walking to Athy during Carlow’s glory years of the 40’s, sure didn’t the famous ’44 song’ tell us 

“Donkey’s came trottin’ down every boreen, with their ears to attention for the Carlow fifteen”!

Now here was our chance to follow the Carlow fifteen to the Kildare venue and, in sympathy with our forbears of the 40’s we decided to ‘chance’ hitching rather than accept any handy pre-organised lift!

Hopes were high that ‘our lads’ would beat Laois and there had been plenty of banter in school as the students from Crettyard Arles and, of course, ‘over the bridge’ in Graiguecullen swore staunch allegiance to the O’Moore County.

Walking up to the pitch I was moved to purchase a hat off street vendor, a hat made of red and green crepe paper, a yellow card, on which ‘Up Carlow’ was hand-written, stuck on the front.

However when we took up our position on Athy’s sloping grass bank I appeared to be the only one with a Carlow ‘favour’ on display. Embarrassed I took it off, but Diarmuid had no such problem, took it from me, put in on, and heartily cheered on the ‘Scallion-eaters’.

Alas, Laois, with Graiguecullen’s Willie Brennan prominent, proved too strong for Carlow, winning by seven points, Frankie Donnelly Carlow’s best player. 

Making our way out of the venue as Diarmuid removed the paper hat, the yellow card fell off revealing an ‘Up Mayo’ one underneath! The street vendor had, without knowing it, replicated history for Carlow’s yellow was added after the 1933 All-Ireland Junior football championship semi-final and a clash of colours with Mayo.

Not sure if we got a lift back with Dick Roche, that part of the day has faded from the memory, presume we did, but what I do know is that that game was the last Diarmuid Broderick was ever to attend. 

Eight days later, June 1st, he was dead.

‘Brudair’, as we knew him in school (that being the Irish for Broderick) had been born with a defective heart. He never let it interfere with ‘getting on with life’ and was a real character, an out and out sports fanatic, a mad Manchester United supporter, had a strong interest in rugby too, backed the horses (one of the last things he ever did, organizing a ‘runner’ from his hospital bed!) and had a good knowledge of virtually every sport.

Indeed I can remember him, in the warm Summer of ’75, trying to introduce a group of us, including cousins of his, both male and female, to the intricacies of cricket!

The really unfortunate thing was that, because of his condition, ‘Brudair’ was unable to participate himself in physically competitive sports. He made up for it as best he could, playing pitch and putt, becoming the GAA correspondent for ‘Candid’, the Carlow CBS school magazine and assisting ‘Oddsie’ Coakley on the Dr. Cullen Park scoreboard.

His major ambition was to play competitive sport and while we were vaguely aware that there was a major operation looming, a heart operation that might turn his ambition into reality, it was never really spoken about.

We just got on with life, as youngsters do, but to this day I can vividly recall, and deeply cherish, the sporting excursions Diarmuid and myself enjoyed during the Autumn of 1975 and the Spring of 1976.

His last birthday, his 17th, was in September ’75 and along with a red and white scarf on to which his sisters had embroidered MUFC one of Diarmuid’s presents was a jazzy transistor radio on which you could pick up BBC on 1500m long wave, thus he would be able to tune into all the soccer commentaries from cross-channel.

That particular Saturday Manchester United were playing Queens Park Rangers and the Red Devils, back in Division 1 after the ignominy of relegation, had had a marvellous unbeaten start to the season, wingers Gordon Hill and Steve Coppell terrifying defences with their sorcery.

To try out the ‘wireless’ Diarmuid and myself went for a walk out around the back-roads leading from Pollerton over towards the Golf Club and when the crackling words from London brought news of a QPR goal and victory ‘Brudair’ was very nearly consigning the new present to the thorny ditch!

United, under the management of the charismatic Tommy Doherty, recovered from that set-back to enjoy a productive season, their attractive attacking football yielding them many new friends, a high league position and a place in the FA Cup final.

Before the climax to the soccer season Diarmuid, who had a ‘contact’ in Dublin managed to get us a pair of tickets for the Ireland v Wales rugby international in Landsdowne Road. That was the Golden Age of Welsh rugby and they hammered us that day, a treble triple-crown their reward. Barry McGann, with three penalties, got Ireland’s only scores but the thrill of seeing such greats as Gareth Edwards, Phil Bennis, Mervyn Davies and JPR Williams in the flesh helped ease the pain of defeat.

We got lost from each in the milling crowd coming out of Landsdowne Road and boy, in his absence, did it come home to me Diarmuid’s value as a guide to the City Streets and bus connections!

Suffice to say I was fairly stressed out by the time I made Heuston where the bould Diarmuid was waiting, totally relaxed, reading the late edition of the ‘Evening Press’ carrying a report of the match we had just attended!

‘Brudair’ himself turned his hand to writing match reports for ‘Candid’, the school magazine and, luckily, the Spring of ’76 gave him opportunity for plenty of ‘copy’, the CBS senior footballers embarking on an exciting run to become the South Leinster champions, narrowly beaten in the Leinster final, the junior footballers completing a South Leinster ‘double’, beaten in the Provincial semi-final. On top of that the senior hurlers won the Provincial C title.

That hurling final, due to the proximity of Exams, went to extra-time and I can still see Diarmuid, high in the stand in Nowlan Park, raising a clenched fist when he heard the news for he know our fitness would see us through. 

The first Saturday in May saw Diarmuid and myself make our way down to the Stonehaven to watch the FA Cup Final against Southampton in colour on the BBC. We called in to Lambert’s on the way down to buy ‘Shoot’, a glitzy magazine considered the soccer bible.

I adopted Southampton for the day, more to annoy and ‘get a rise’ out of Diarmuid than anything else. United were red hot favourites but a Bobby Stokoe goal won the day for the men in red and white stripes and, truth to tell, I felt a little guilty on the way home with the dejected Diarmuid.

Mind you, he got an early chance for revenge when the following week-end he travelled with my own family to watch the National Hurling League final in Thurles, my parents native Clare, without a major title for 30 years, taking on honour laden Kilkenny.

‘Brudair’ came to the conclusion that as Broderick was a Kilkenny name (a member of the clan, the bespectacled Paddy had played in the 1973 All-Ireland!) he would shout for the Cats!

Anyway with five minutes to go Kilkenny were winning by five points when Clare struck for two great goals and as the second shot hit the net, put there by bustling Noel Casey, ‘Brudair’ and myself leapt up in the air and threw our arms around each other. The casual Cat had become a Bannerman!

Kilkenny, through Matt Ruth, snaffled a late equalizing point. A draw game. Due to the black and amber going on the All-Stars tour to the USA the replay was delayed until June 20th

On the way home in the back of Daddy’s Tan Renault 4, I said to Diarmuid, “sure it’s not too bad, we’ll have another day out at the replay”.

It was not to be, by then, ‘Brudair’ had passed to his eternal reward. During the last week of May he entered hospital in Dublin to undergo that ‘major operation’, the heart surgery which might give him a sporting chance.

Alas, the God Lord decided to blow the final whistle and Diarmuid was gone!

Gone but not forgotten! The following year Manchester United again reached the FA Cup final. Where else could I watch it but Clerkin’s, the same seat as ’76, and prayers were answered as United beat Liverpool 2-1.

I’m not an avid follower of the ‘no hands game’ but always keep an eye on United and in their glorious Treble season of 1999, I again chose Clerkin’s as a safe haven to watch the European Cup final. How Diarmuid would have gloried in those two late goals! 

D's father Sean lived to a good age and enjoyed watching his grandsons kick football with Eire Og, D's mother Etta, would you believe, passed away on June 1, 2021, Diarmuid's 45th anniversary. To hi sisters Henrietta and Mary Patricia and brother Sean Junior - who inherited Diarmuid's passion for Man U - our deepest sympathy.

Since those setbacks of 1976, Manchester United, the Clare hurlers and the Irish rugby team have all enjoyed some fantastic glory days.

The one exception is the Carlow footballers but if they ever do make a major breakthrough and, please God they will, the memory of ‘Brudair’ and that red, green and yellow paper hat will provide a comforting link with a great friend.