Exciting times for progressive Wicklow club An Tóchar

By Cian O’Connell

Plenty happens in 31 years. So, An Tóchar’s return to the summit of Wicklow club football brought immense joy and satisfaction.

An AIB Leinster Club SFC Quarter-Final against Meath standard bearers Wolfe Tones is the next task. That’s an occasion to relish, but the sheer hard work carried out in the underage ranks during the past couple of decades is now being reflected.

Since the 1995 triumph, An Tóchar were relegated down a couple of tiers, but the recent response provides significant encouragement.

Fergal Mulligan, An Tóchar chairperson, acknowledges that these are particularly rewarding times for the club. “There is super excitement, I was on the team in '95 that won actually,” he reflects.

“We all thought we'd win another few, but 31 years passed by with no title. We've been really lucky with a great crop of players coming up in the last 10 years.

“A lot of work has gone on in the club, a lot of work from parents, who've been training them since nursery. We've had great success in getting our kids on county panels and development squads. It's paid off this year.”

In sport, things can change suddenly. “We got to county finals in '99 and 2001 - so, we got to a few county finals after we won the championship in '95,” Mulligan recalls.

“That crop of players probably lasted until 2005 or 2006. We held our own in senior for another few years. Then, we went to intermediate, we struggled there, a bit. We went to junior A, we were even struggling in Junior until about six years ago. Then, a crop of players came up that were largely around the same age, give or take a couple of years between them.

“Three years ago, we came up to senior, we got to a semi-final in our first year. We struggled a bit in the last couple of years to get through the group stages and quarter-finals. This year, it all just came good for us.”

Mulligan highlights the example of Ger Byrne, who has experienced the full gamut of emotions as An Toóchar footballer. “Ger Byrne, who is one of our more senior players, a really important player for us, probably playing midfield on Sunday - he'd have played senior, intermediate back to junior A back up to intermediate and senior,” Mulligan explains. “He has seen it all in the last 10 years.”

Investing time and energy into emerging players in the club is key according to Mulligan. “We've great facilities, we've a very good main pitch, a good training pitch, two sets of dressing rooms, and a hall that we can use for indoor during the winter,” he says.

“Around five years ago, we put in place a very good gym. We're building it bit by bit, we're investing in the club and the facilities, in getting teams and coaching courses going. We've about 80 coaches at juvenile level between girls and boys; we're putting a lot of work into that. There is a huge amount of work being done by a lot of volunteers.”

Competing at a high level has helped to develop players for the flagship team in the club managed by Shay Cullen. “In the last five years we've had a great stretch,” Mulligan says about the juvenile set-up.

“We've won a minor A Championship and an U19 Championship. Over the last 10 years, we've won at U13s, got to finals at U15s. In Wicklow, we're in the odd age bracket so our minors are U17.

“We haven't moved as a county yet back to U18s, we've been very successful as a county. Most of them are now playing with our senior team, and five of them are on the county senior panel.”

Being relevant at senior level in Wicklow should help too. “It absolutely does,” Mulligan replies. “The kids are absolutely ecstatic with the whole thing. It's great.

“Normally, we've a juvenile presentation night every year when we get somebody from outside the club. There is no need for that this year. All we need to get is our senior team, our county players up there to the club for the presentation night.

“The juveniles will all be delighted to shake their hand and take a medal off them. Of course, having the Tailteann Cup win during the summer, that was great.

“We got our five boys up there with the cup. We'd a festival in August, there was a huge crowd at the tent that we had for them, getting autographs and pictures with the cup. It permeates across the community.”

Oisín McConville steered Wicklow to Tailteann Cup glory and a feel-good factor exists in the county. “Success breeds success,” Mulligan says.

“Dean Healy, the captain from Wicklow town, has been a great ambassador online and in different events. He's great with his time. He goes around to schools. We've new heroes in Wicklow. Oisín McGraynor and Kevin Quinn and Dean Healy, our own lads in our own club. Kids in Wicklow are going around wearing Wicklow jerseys now.

“You've a lot of Wicklow jerseys around the place, it's great to see. Definitely, the success is having a big impact. No doubt, we'll have kids playing Gaelic Football that may not have played Gaelic Football.”

On Sunday, An Tóchar travel to Ashbourne for a demanding assignment. “We've nothing to lose,” Mulligan says.

“We're a small club. Hopefully, the cobwebs of the celebrations will have gone away. We're going to Meath, the Lion’s Den, it will be really difficult playing away from home, but a great experience for these young guys. Most of them are in their early 20s, so it's a super experience.”