A 50-year journey from Derry's darkest days to Steelstown's success
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As soon as you turn into Páirc Bhrid in the Ballyarnett area of Derry city, it’s all there in front of you.
A pitch with dozens of children gamboling about. A smart clubhouse. A gym behind it humming with players warming up for maybe the most important sessions of their lives ahead of the biggest game of their lives.
And proof of how this club, this city do not forget who has gone before them; a memorial bench for Charlene Griffiths, the ladies captain who was known as ‘Mother Steelstown’ who passed away in 2012.
Inside, there are a number of number 5 jerseys framed, telling the story of Brian Óg McKeever, another victim of cancer who died at the age of 17 in 2008.
Ever since, the club have never lined out with a number 5 jersey. It will be no different this Sunday in Croke Park, as they take to the pitch against Trim of Meath for the All-Ireland intermediate club football final (Sunday, 3.30pm, TG4 YouTube).
Twenty years ago, the present chairman Paul O’Hea was one of the first crop of youngsters to come through.
The club were only formed in 1987 but he was good enough to make it onto Chris Brown’s county minor team of 2002. They won the All-Ireland and O’Hea starred. The next day for their homecoming, few Derry city clubs had their own facilities so they decided to congregate at Celtic Park.
“I was so nervous,” smiles O’Hea now. “I had played in Croke Park the day before but I was so much more nervous on that bus coming across, hoping there was a decent crowd. And there was a decent crowd, but now we would have five times that number in Steelstown Brian Ógs on our own. That’s just the growth of it naturally.”
In the indoor hall, Emmett Wray is taking the U17 team for a conditioning session. Their facilities are impressive now, but back in his teenage years the big draw in the city were the Candystripes.
“Twenty-five years ago soccer was flying at the time and Derry City won the league,” he recalls.
“I used to go to the Brandywell every week. I never missed it and I loved it.”
He played in goal himself. And then he was asked to do the same in Gaelic football. He tried it, loved it, and then moved out the field. Last Saturday, he missed the All-Ireland semi-final game as his son Caoimhim was on duty with the Derry U16s. Instead, he watched it on a stream, nerves shredding.
The following day, he was doing what he has always done on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Remembering his uncle Jim, who was shot in the back 50 years ago.
“My father, Raymond, was 11 when Bloody Sunday happened,” he says.
“He would always have brought us to marches as far back as I can remember. Every single year. He would never let us forget Jim. Murder is murder. When Jim was killed, he was running away. He was shot in the back. And a soldier came in a minute later and shot him again through the belt from point blank range. That’s murder.
“David Cameron in 2010, whenever he stood up in the House of Commons, I don’t remember the exact quote but he said about one man lying mortally wounded on the ground and he was shot again.
“That was Jim. That’s murder.”
One Sunday blends into another and from the darkest day in the city’s history comes one of the brightest as they take their place in Croke Park. It would be trite to say it’s some relief.
“When you say sport takes you away from the reality of things, I can’t help but think back to the likes of my uncle Jim and others in Derry. They never had anything like that,” Emmett explains. “They had nothing and all they were fighting for was civil rights. And they are the reason why we can do all of this now. Their efforts made it possible for us now to enjoy life. Our lives are much better for what they did. It was poverty back then. Men were trying to do any work they could, but there wasn’t much about.”
Steelstown are managed by the cheery Hugh McGrath. Sixteen years ago the Down man made the move up to his wife Lisa’s homeplace. It’s his second spell as manager, the first a four-year spell at senior level from 2011 to 2014. He played for the club and lives it every day of his life. He just gets it.
Asked what it would mean to lift a trophy in Croke Park, he responds: “We were founded to give an outlet for Gaelic Games. Nothing more. We took some wild hammerings in the first 10, maybe 20 years, which is going to happen to anybody.
“Whether he get hammered on Sunday or not, the gates will be open here on Monday. We still have the same mantra. The kids training will have three or four sessions, the ladies will be in the gym getting ready for their season. The wheel keeps turning.”