Ballagh’ boys in headlines

Ballagh’ boys steal headlines

A group of handballers from Ballaghaderreen made history last week

Mike Finnerty

DID you hear the one about the civil servant, the roofer, the plasterer and the engineer who made history by winning their fourth All-Ireland handball title in a row last week? No. Well, you’re not the only one.
It was far from the madding crowds in Mullingar last Tuesday evening that Dessie Keegan, Paul Flynn, Vinny Moran and Joe McCann joined forces to lead Ballaghaderreen to their fourth successive All-Ireland Softball (60x30) club championship title.
But the lack of national publicity should not detract from their monumental achievement. The gallery was full of well-wishers, family and friends as the Ballagh’ side scored a 105-69 win over Ballina from Tipperary after three hours of competition.
The quartet stuck to their tried and trusted routine on the night. They arrived twenty minutes before the match started, talked tactics briefly, and then took care of business.
Keegan, currently ranked number four in Ireland, put the victory into context when he spoke to The Mayo News afterwards. “It basically means we’re the best club in Ireland, the same thing as Crossmolina winning four All-Ireland club football titles in a row. Tuesday night was our fourth 60x30 All-Ireland title in a row and we’ve also won the last three 40x20 finals so I think we’ve proved our pedigree beyond all doubt.
“We were expected to win this one because we had won the last three. We’re in an unusual position too in that we have three senior players in our team, myself, Joe and Vinny. Paul is an intermediate player, but a very good one, and Campbell Brennan, our sub, is a senior player too so we have an awful lot of quality in the team.
“I’m at the end to make sure that if we need aces, I can get them. I was expecting a harder game to be honest but we tend to get better as the year goes on. Nerves don’t seem to affect us anymore either in a final and we were never really in any danger.
“As we were coming off the court we were just saying that we feel we could dominate this level for the next six or seven years. We want the five-in-a-row and, believe it or not, it’s actually getting easier to motivate ourselves now.”
Keegan is 25 years of age and has won four world titles, four American championships. Last week’s All-Ireland success was his 52nd Celtic Cross. These accolades, allied to his current ranking, have been achieved on the back of a ferocious work ethic and a steadfast commitment to his sport. He leads his team-mates by example.
“I train hard for nine weeks and then ease up on the tenth week, maybe skip a session here and there,” he explained. “I’m gone back playing football with Ballaghaderreen too this year and I find the two sports compliment each other.
“Handball is a very individual sport but the great thing about Tuesday night is that it’s your club, your friends, and we can all help each other. With singles, I win and lose on my own. It was great to see all the club there, sharing in the success. The gallery was full of people from Ballagh’, and Gerry Clarke, a really great character, and Paul’s grand-father, was there too. It was a really special evening.”
The conversation finally turns to the low profile that seems to follow handball everywhere it goes, and Dessie Keegan is more than happy to discuss the issue. For years now he has plied his trade, won his titles, and savoured the moment in glorious anonymity. Sometimes, he concedes, it can wear his patience.
“To be honest the lack of profile does bother me. I remember a guy coming up to me in Ballaghaderreen last year and asking me did I still play handball. I’d just won an All-Ireland at the time, was the first man from Connacht to do it in 30 years. I was so annoyed. I remember thinking to myself, “I’m playing better handball than I ever have in my life and nobody seems to know’.
“But I know myself what my own goals are and my next one is to win the All-Ireland 60x30 doubles title this year with Joe. We both have the singles quarter-finals next week too so you don’t have time to dwell on things.