By Cian O’Connell
Seamus Darby’s opportunistic goal; Kerry’s drive for five ending; Eugene McGee steering Offaly back to the summit; Matt Connor’s class.
The All Ireland final of 1982 provided many talking points. It still remains a topical issue with recent additions to the Irish media landscape such as Michael Foley’s Kings of September book and the splendid Players of the Faithful documentary capturing the emotion and excitement.
Under McGee Offaly had planned and plotted to deliver in September. That destination was reached and the fact that it denied Kerry a fifth All Ireland on the spin merely added to the drama.
Darby was summoned as one last gasp effort to deny the Kingdom. ‘For the first time in five years we panicked,’ Páidí Ó Sé suggested in his autobiography.
Matt Connor clipped a free trimming the gap to two points in the dying embers. Liam Connor’s delivery was gathered by Darby in a classic slice of corner forward play. Within a flash the Kerry net was dancing and the Faithful celebrated.
“The funny thing was the controversy over Seamus Darby’s goal didn’t register with the Kerry players at all and still doesn’t,” Ó Sé stated.
“We blew our chance that day and have no one to blame but ourselves. Sure, there were a number of incidents that went against us, you live with that.
"We could and should have beaten Offaly.”
Something had been stirring under McGee. Progress was being made. It was only 22 years since Offaly had sampled Leinster glory for the first time in 1960. Further provincial titles followed in 1961, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1980, 1981, and 1982.
Seamus Darby celebrates after scoring a dramatic last gasp goal for Offaly against Kerry in 1982.
Nationally Offaly had also flourished on the Croke Park stage. A couple of All Ireland finals were lost before triumphing in 1971 and 1972.
Sean Lowry started to emerge at that time. “I was very lucky, I came onto the Offaly panel in ’71 and I was only 19 and Offaly won the All-Ireland,” Lowry reflects.
“So I said ‘happy days.’ The following year then I was playing centre-back and we beat Kerry in the All-Ireland final and gave them the biggest beating they ever got in a final. That was ’72 after a replay.”
Before the Lowrys were featured on TG4’s Laochra Gael in 2017 at a press event in Croke Park Lowry spoke with admirable frankness about the era.
“It’s frightening really when you think back; that time we thought it was going to last forever,” Lowry admits.
“A lot of things happened at the time and we were on the go for a few years as well. Then Matt Connor got injured and a lot of things happened, but sin scéal eile.”
Lowry subsequently featured in the green and red of Mayo. What struck him, though, was the belief Offaly possessed compared to the western outfit. “We were probably just confident,” Lowry remarks about Offaly.
“And I tell you what we always did; we always gave it our best shot and that’s all you need. Offaly always did that but Mayo kind of think too much and analyse too much and these curses and all that oul’ rubbish.
“Offaly had no tradition, Offaly didn’t win a Leinster title until 1960 and now we are at the stage where our tradition has gone so far back that it is almost lost again. Mayo had tradition in the 50’s and then they lost it, so tradition only stays with you if you keep topping it up.”
Offaly supporters celebrating at Croke Park in 1982.
That was helped, though, by the arrival of McGee, who planned and plotted for the Offaly cause following a successful stint with UCD.
“Eugene was very good and very thorough,” Lowry acknowledged. “He analysed everything to the last and everything was mapped out. You had to be in Croke Park at 11.02, we were having sandwiches at this time and Offaly weren’t used to all that.
“We were inclined to be there at half two or whatever! He never missed a night’s training, he was always first there and last to go. He was totally engrossed in Offaly football and he wasn’t in it for the money.
“He always said he wanted to be a footballer, but he never could play, so the next best thing was to manage a team so he studied it an awful lot. He cut his teeth with UCD who had a superstar team, but he could still get them to play together.
“Then he went to Offaly and the rest was history. He was very committed, he wanted to win.”
The loss cut Kerry to the core. Martin Furlong’s penalty save, Darby’s daring and delightful intervention. Offaly stayed the distance.
“After that defeat, I was inconsolable for months and months, but Matt Connor’s accident put everything in perspective,” O’Dwyer commented in his authorised biography. “He was a brilliant footballer and it was only fitting that he should win an All Ireland medal.
“It was also best for some of the Kerry players that we did not break any more records. In the end, I suppose everything evens itself out.”
The Kerry flag was back on the summit between 1984 and 1986. Harrowing and valuable lessons were learned against a defiant and dynamic Offaly.
