Donaghmore Ashbourne GAA

And, uh, we're going to talk for the next while now to the other Meath finalist.

We're gonna talk about Donaghmore Ashbourne.

And, uh, joining us is Rory O'Connor, AKA Rory Stories.

Rory, how are you?

I've been reading Sean Wall's, uh, excellent analysis of the final, and Sean knows his stuff with Meath GAA for sure.

And one line jumped out at me when I, when I was reading it.

Sean says, "Predicting an outcome of any match involving Donaghmore Ashbourne is always a difficult task, because it's hard to know what to expect from them on any given day." So really he's saying there it'll, you'll have to be at your very best.

The, the, the team will have to give it everything and be at their best on Sunday.

Um, you know, the, just they can get scores from all sorts of, all sources.

And, uh, you know, I, Donaghmore Ashbourne are obviously a good team and they've a great, great reason to win this of course, the fact that it's, uh, it's on their patch, but, um, uh, I don't know.

I, I, I, I have to go for Wolfe Tones.

Um, you know, Sharon Finnegan there is playing tremendously.

They're just a really, really good solid team.

Um, and there's a couple of lads, Robbie Brennan especially, some of the injuries that have happened to, to, to mean senior footballers, feen- senior footballers, um, that Robbie Brennan's probably considering a few of them Wolfe Tones lads, but I tend to agree with you, Jimmy.

I'd, uh, and Donaghmore Ashbourne fans of course will, will, will, will, will love to, to, to win that senior final on their home patch.

I'm not sure, there's a lot of talk about this.

Sure, it's a, it's a great place to be.

You do, uh, indeed go into the lions' den because ... lions' den because with Parktalton not available, the final is in the home of Donaghmore-Ashbourne, your opponents as well.

But here, come on, and you've a family interest here.

Look at that attack.

So they're not, uh, they're not doubting their ability to win it.

Uh, there'll just be maybe that added bit of motivation or fire in the belly because they've had such, I suppose, a recent disappointment.

You mentioned there that you have to go to Donaghmore-Ashbourne's home and, uh, compete for the Keegan Cup there on, in their backyard.

Will it really make such a difference? It's just another pitch.

There's so many, um, brilliant, uh, stories to be told fr- by players, by managers, from clubs, from history of, of what's happening.

Look at even what's gonna happen next week with Donaghmore Ashbourne, 1942 since the last one-

Yeah

... a Senior Championship holes in it and the thing.

Uh, yeah, uh, Summerhill and Meath were dumped out by Wolf Tones.

They're gonna be up against Donaghmore Ashbourne, who have been very interesting to watch over the last couple of weeks, and that game itself is gonna be in Donaghmore Ashbourne, that county final, because Páirc Tailteann is undergoing redevelopment, um, which is gonna be great for Meath football.

Is that a surprise it's in...

I know they've the stand there.

... had a few years, but Dunshaughlin started to knock on the door, then you had O'Mahoney starting to knock on the door, you had Bordesmill that were there, there abouts.

You had Donaghmore Ashbourne.

I think the, I think those days of teams, clubs winning nine, 10, 11 in a row are gone and we definitely won't have a case like Ballynaffery down in Waterford where they've won 42 in a row.

Yeah.

Okay, Tom.

Yeah.

So then, uh, the- The senior then is, I, I, I suppose starts on Saturday at 4:00, which, uh, at that stage I'll be flying across from Be- uh, from Bethnal from the ladies final, which is a good segue 'cause we just talked about the [laughs] ladies final, into Devenish Park for Rathot and, and Donaghmore Ashbourne at 4:00, uh, on, on pitch six.

Um, big crowd, big crowd expected in, in Devenish Park for the two semifinals over the weekend.