By day, Cathal Short works in the family business, a sports store near the square in Crossmaglen but in the evening he helps out in his uncle's bar. What with training, it's well after 10 p.m. when he begins working the tap. In the bar, on the main wall, is a montage of sports images, gaelic football teams mostly. Armagh 1977 is there, framed by tousled-haired school teams whose players have long since closed the books. The Short name features heavily in the captions. Cathal's father Naoise has championship medals from his days with Crossmaglen Rangers. The three won by his grandfather, Jim, are still on display.
Tomorrow, Cathal Short seeks his third consecutive All-Ireland medal and this latest Crossmaglen team look to cement a legacy. All-Ireland champions 1998-2000. Even in a club already rich in winning sequences and records, this would be special.
"I dunno what it is," says Short. "There is just an unbelievable hunger about this team. Around the town, it's very evident that people have become a bit complacent about all this success. There's a definite buzz about now all right but after we beat Enniskillen in the Ulster final, there wasn't so much. But I really can't see this team being satisfied and just disbanding. I dunno what it is - probably just that it's not hard to put in the effort when you are winning."
This year, though, there was a world-weariness about Crossmaglen's defence. They had the guile of champions but not the zest. Then came the semi-final against UCC. Short opened their account with two snowcapped points and after that, the team played a half-hour of perfect football.
"We had mentioned in the dressing-room that we had gotten into the habit of these late wins and felt that maybe our luck could run out sometimes if we continued to rely on them.
"We watched a few videos of ourselves to see why we started so sluggishly and we wanted to start differently against UCC. Paul Galvin, one of their attacking wing backs, switched over to me and whenever we weren't in possession, we ran ourselves into the ground to close them down."
The crispness of their football was as inspiring as their utter domination of a stylish young UCC team.
Each final has brought for Crossmaglen its own intrigue. Knockmore two years ago and Ballina Stephenites last March pitted them against pure teams like themselves but the games were curiously muted. Now, Na Fianna are a new prospect, with the presence of Armagh men Kieran McGeeney and Des Mackin to spice it up.
"It gives it a twist, all right, with the two lads there. I know Des and Kieran very well but for this game, I'll have to regard them as Dublin men. Games in Croke Park have a habit of going by very quickly so I'll not have time to think much about them. I have yet to kick a score in Croke Park, I don't know why, just one of those things, so that's something I want to set right early on."
But win or lose tomorrow, this Crossmaglen team will still be found training in the coming weeks. Armagh's county championship gets under way on April 30th. Short's involvement with his town team has derailed his inter-county career for a while but he is hopeful of getting back with Armagh this year. After 1998, he headed to New York for a while, jaded by the game. Many of his friends - Gavin Comiskey, the McEntees - have moved from Crossmaglen but he's happy there.
"Well, there's never been a factory in Cross, the British government never invested here in that way so unless you have a business, you have to leave for work. But all the lads I grew up with are here a few nights a week for the football. They keep coming back and I can't see the day when any of them will tire of that."
He knows at heart, though, that these tingling days will fade. And that only then, when the boys of 2000 are tacked to the wall in Shorts' bar, will the unlikely magic of it all become clear.
