Carramore’s Alan Costello reflects on his All-Ireland win
Daniel Carey
THERE was a considerable green and red tinge to the St Vincent’s team who won the All-Ireland club football title on St Patrick’s Day. Kilmaine men Pat Kelly and Brian Maloney were members of the starting 15. Alan Costello from Carramore and Parke’s Niall Dunne were both on the bench. Paul Navin from Claremorris had been on the team which reached the Dublin county final in 2006 before he went travelling.
Reflecting a few days on, Costello admitted that they ‘went through pretty much every emotion’ during a rollercoaster St Patrick’s Day before edging out Nemo Rangers. A secondary school teacher in St Benildus College, Stillorgan, Costello has been with the club for five years, and captained the side in 2006. Dunne was involved in bringing him to the club, and he in turn helped recruit Kelly and Maloney, whom he played with for Mayo U-21 and Junior teams, plus his work colleague, Kerryman Micheál Ó Sé.
“I knew once we got out of Dublin, we’d put in a very good crack at it,” Costello says honestly. “I suppose when you beat teams of the calibre of Portlaoise, Crossmaglen and Nemo along the way, no one can begrudge you an All-Ireland.
“I played four games earlier on in the championship but then lost my place. And as a defender, it’s very difficult to get back in when lads are playing so well and conceding very little … But I’d rather have won the match on the bench than lose it playing!”
Costello feels the addition of Maloney, Kelly and Ó Sé ‘made a huge difference’ to Vincent’s chances, and that the country lads and home-grown players ‘all bring something different to the mix’. He has high praise too for manager Mickey Whelan, who has played in a crucial part in getting the group to gel.
“He’s introduced a lot of new methods, and standards that he had set were reached. Every year, we were buying into what he was trying to do, and really this year, it all came together. We had a bit of luck along the way too. Thinking back, Thomas Davis could have beaten us in the knockout stages of the Dublin championship. The [St] Brigid’s game was a tight finish at the end, and we drew with Seneschalstown the first day.
“The last day, we had a great start and led at half time, but we knew that we needed to drive on. And the way Nemo kept coming back, there were a few nervous times in the second half. But we showed a bit of experience and character, and the lads really delivered in the second half.”
Costello paid a special tribute to Pat Kelly, whose father Peter passed away the day before the All-Ireland final. In accordance with his dad’s wishes, the wing back played the game, and was ‘an absolute rock at the weekend’, according to Costello.
“Pat has been a great leader in the squad this year, and his experience is second-to-none, having won Sigersons and played in All-Irelands. I just felt he really came through with flying colours on the day, and I suppose, the only regret were the two shots that he didn’t score – one clipped the post and one went narrowly wide! I’m sure he’d have loved to have offered that one up.”
With the championship due to resume inside a month, Costello is unsure whether he’ll be returning to the fold in 2008. He’s now living in Greystones, he’ll be ‘hitting 30 soon’ and has ‘a lot of football played’. Whatever happens, there’s a corner of Marino that will be forever Mayo.
