I came to Dublin for a year of college in 2003, having spent 3 years in NUI Galway, and the first thing I noticed on my arrival in our nation’s capital was its exceptionally dry, rain-spared climate. All things are relative, of course. A resident of Phoenix, Arizona, let’s say, would perhaps disagree with my characterisation of Dublin as a dustbowl.
But coming from where I came from, well … Dublin was a major improvement. I was an Arts student, in Galway, in the winter. The basic rule of thumb was if it was raining, then the 10 minute walk to the college was just not feasible given the threat of consumption, the return of which to these isles would surely first be noted in that city’s student accommodation.
It was not a black mark against my lecturers, some of whom I could even recognise by name if given a few minutes to think about it, but quite frankly, walking to college was a serious health hazard.
I have had reason to be thankful for Dublin's Saharan climate over the last 18 months, as organised Gaelic football returned to the capital in July of last year
How many umbrellas, how many pairs of converse runners (an item of clothing so ludicrously ill-suited to the prevailing west of Ireland weather conditions that sales of said product should be banned from all points west of the Shannon) have been sacrificed at the altar of education?
I took a strong line against wastage of that nature, and I’m proud to say that I held that line right throughout my college days.
So if my self-imposed ban on walking to college in the rain in Galway cost me roughly 98 per cent of my college learning experience, how much damage would it do in Dublin? I found, to my surprise, that I strolled to the bottom of Hollybank Road to get the bus to DCU every morning, and only got rained on 3 times between September and December.
Blue moon
I remember this only because of the slack-jawed amazement with which this bulletin from the capital was greeted by my peers still left in Galway.
So even though this is now my 19th winter in Dublin, and ample evidence to the contrary has been provided in the intervening years, I still believe Dublin to be an arid, dry, desolate town, where what little grass can grow in such a place cries out for the seasonal rains, falling on a parched landscape but once in a blue moon.
I have had reason to be thankful for Dublin’s Saharan climate over the last 18 months, as organised Gaelic football returned to the capital in July of last year. I haven’t set foot in a dressingroom in all that time, and as we move into November, it looks like I’ll have to wait a while yet.
Other county boards have asked for Covid certs at the ground, but I'm sure there are some who don't want the hassle
The summer was fine, and even in autumn my gear-bag has escaped proper drownings, but the odds on at least one more good solid soaking between now and the end of the year are shortening as we move into winter.
It was quite something to watch Cuala and Kilmacud Crokes battle it out on heavy ground in Parnell Park last Sunday, and have Cuala gear-bags clearly visible in the covered terrace behind one of the goals. One couldn’t help but think that being denied a three-in-a-row was bad enough, but having to sit in your car and drive an hour through city traffic just to get showered was the real kick in the teeth.
Parnell Park’s dressingrooms weren’t open for the football quarter-finals the week before either, and that’s a policy that’s been mirrored in other counties too. Maybe with Covid numbers going the way they are going, an abundance of caution is to be expected.
From a player’s perspective, I don’t think many of us want to hang around too long in dressingrooms now in any case. On a reasonably dry day, just having somewhere to throw your gear-bag, and a bathroom to use, would be enough.
Vaccination certs
Team-talks can still happen outdoors, you can come to the grounds togged out - everyone is well used to it at this stage. If it’s a really awful day, then the opportunity to hop under a hot shower, even just to wipe the muck off you for 45 seconds, would make the drive home a lot easier.
Some counties have put the onus on club officials to check the vaccination certs of every player before they arrive at the ground, which seems perfectly legitimate given we’ve all been submitting Covid health declarations for the last 18 months before every meet-up.
Other county boards have asked for Covid certs at the ground, but I’m sure there are some who don’t want the hassle of looking at Covid certs, and don’t want to have to take an unvaccinated player and leave them outside the dressingroom while their team continues their preparations indoors - easier maybe just to conveniently mislay the key and leave the players to their own devices.
It appears the GAA’s attitude towards this now is to just keep the head down and try and get through the next two or three weeks. That will surely see all of the adult county finals played off, so until then - to paraphrase the old pub landlord line - you can catch what you like, just don’t catch it here.
