Keelan Sexton living, working and thriving in the capital

​By Paul Keane

When Keelan Sexton lofted over his second two-pointer of the afternoon on Sunday last, drawing Na Fianna level with Ballymun Kickhams in a Dublin SFC barnburner, he thumped his chest in celebration.

Only a few games into his championship career with the Glasnevin side, the former Clare forward is already making magical moments for himself and his club.

James Doran eventually struck the match winning point for Na Fianna, capping a remarkable comeback from the Mobhi Road men who had trailed neighbours Ballymun by 11 points early in the second-half.

The semi-final draw immediately afterwards pitted Na Fianna against Kilmacud Crokes, drawing a smile from Sexton. As far away from his West Clare home as he may be, that will still be a derby date of sorts.

"Pat Burke, he's a relation of mine," said Sexton, referencing the former Crokes and Dublin forward who enjoyed a period playing for Clare too. "So that'll be an interesting one playing Crokes next. I'll have a good laugh with him over the next two weeks."

But what exactly is Sexton, 10 years a Clare senior footballer until he pulled the shutters down on his county career over the summer, doing in the middle of all of this, kicking 1-4 in total in a classic club game on the northside of Dublin?

It's only last October that he was lining out in the Clare SFC final for his native Kilmurry-Ibrickane afterall.

"I live here, I work here," explained the powerful forward. "I was living in Stoneybatter for a long time and my best mate, Dean Ryan, played with Na Fianna for years. They were good enough to accommodate me when I was trying to train, while playing with my club at home.

"This year I just said, you know what, I couldn't put two legs in either county again. So I just said I'd commit to my life in Dublin for the next few years."

Yet as rational and logical as the explanation is, transferring clubs was still a wrench.

Sexton accepts that there are more important things going on in the world but, for him, it was a decision charged with emotion.

"For me, in sport, this is the toughest thing I've had to do," he said. "Leaving home is tough. Not a lot of people understand it, you know, where I'm from, West Clare, you're born into a club, they give you everything and you want to give them everything back.

"But I was burning the candle at each end and I was kind of falling out of love with football for a while. I just wasn't putting in as much effort because it was so tough to get up and down the road.

"You're not really a part of the slogging. The boys are running in November and very rarely would I get running midweek with them. I just felt that I was detached from the group a little bit. It's nice to be up here and you're part of the group.

"I've seen everything that's going on with these lads, I've seen the suffering the boys are going through. I'm in the trenches with them. That's the great thing about it, it's a part of our life every day."

Sexton ran up against genuine greats of the game at Parnell Park last Sunday. Nobody has won more All-Ireland SFC medals than James McCarthy, who lined out for Ballymun. Dean Rock and John Small played for Kickhams too. Alongside Sexton in Na Fianna colours was Jonny Cooper, another Dublin great, and 2019 All-Ireland final goalscorer Eoin Murchan.

What's the step like from the Clare SFC to the Dublin SFC?

"There are certain teams in Clare that are high quality as well, no more than the one that I came from," said Sexton. "The one thing I'd say here is that the athletic ability of most players is through the roof. Nobody's eating kebabs at the weekend up here!

"It's great to be in there and to test yourself when you're one-on-one against the likes of John Small and James McCarthy and them. Where else would you rather be? Kind of just lets you know where you're at.

"And I've always thought I'm good enough to play against these players. And, luckily enough, I'm playing alongside some good players myself."

Sexton has done plenty of impressive things in the game, from lining out for the Clare minor, U-21 and senior teams in the same year, 2015, to the more recent 2-6 he registered at Croke Park in the 2022 championship, securing a big win over Roscommon and an All-Ireland quarter-final place.

If he could throw in a Dublin SFC medal, that would be one to tell the grandkids about too.

"I've been lucky enough to win county championships at home with my club," said Sexton. "There's no better feeling. To win one up here would be sweet. It would be a nice one. Not many people have a Dublin championship in their back pocket."