It was undeniably Mickey Harte on the sideline. The demeanour, the cap, the calm aura, everything was the same. Only the crest had changed. But the crest is everything.
The twists and turns, you’d be a fool trying to predict the road sport takes folk down at times.
Half an hour before throw-in at Breffni Park on Wednesday night, the PA system blasted out Parachute, that classic, stuck-in-your-head-all-day tune by Something Happens. It’s not a staple (but it should be) on the GAA stadium beat, yet there are those who believe Harte’s Derry adventure will ultimately end with somebody pushing the eject button.
Exactly 12 months ago, on the first Wednesday night of the new year, Harte was in Darver watching his Louth team beat Westmeath in the O’Byrne Cup.
The top 25 women’s sporting moments of the year: 25-16 revealed with Vikki Wall, Lara Gillespie and Ireland Sevens featuring
Sarsfields captain Niamh McGrath on returning to the pitch after childbirth: ‘I’m not an inspiration to anyone’
Are Loughmore-Castleiney and Slaughtneil what all GAA clubs should strive to be?
Podge Collins tips Jason Gillane to take over as Limerick’s No 1
Just one week after that, Cavan GAA rightly made a fuss over their team captain and goalkeeper Raymond Galligan making his 100th appearance in the county’s McKenna Cup win over Armagh.
[ GAA round-up: Encouraging starts for Mickey Harte and Jim McGuinnessOpens in new window ]
A lot of life has happened between then and now. A lot of twists and turns.
At 7.29pm on Wednesday, Galligan walked down the sideline at Breffni Park to shake hands with Harte, the Cavan manager greeting the Derry manager.
By the end of the evening, the tannoy was keeping the crowd informed of the score from the World Darts Championship final in the Ally Pally. None of it should have made sense.
It would be difficult to find anybody in Bellaghy or Cookstown to declare relations between Derry and Tyrone GAA folk have ever been Ally Pally. And if you cross that divide, you must back your convictions and make a difference.
But when has Mickey Harte not?
As he spoke after the game, kitted out toe to toe in Derry garb like a kid from Slaughtneil who had been well looked after by Santa – branded cap, gilet, the works – Harte was asked about using four Steelstown Brian Óg’s players in the match.
[ Two era-defining managers bringing fresh intrigue to intercounty seasonOpens in new window ]
The Derry city-based club later posted on social media that it was the first time four Steelstown players had lined out for Derry in the same game. The club was renamed in honour of Brian Óg McKeever, a talented minor player who died in 2008 after being diagnosed with leukaemia.
“I met that young man back in his last few days, a lovely fella, a lovely family,” replied Harte. “And it was great for those men from the Steelstown club that they could do him proud tonight.”
Galligan is the most inexperienced intercounty senior football manager in the country right now. He was the game’s All Star goalkeeper in 2020. At 36, Cavan fans expected him to be their man between the sticks again in 2024.
“The underlying issue is I have a few medical reasons with regards to ankle injuries and a dislocated/broken shoulder and I’ve been patching along there over the last year or two so I had my mind made up after last year that the body just was not able to keep going,” said Galligan.
“There’s only so many injections you can get. When the opportunity came to stand up and hopefully be able to lead in a different way I put my hand up and I’m here now today.”
His first game as a senior intercounty manager was against the most experienced manager in the business.
“Mickey is a legend in his own right when you look at all the accolades and medals that he’s won,” added Galligan.
“But I wouldn’t care if it was Jurgen Klopp down there, I have my own job to do, I have to look after Cavan and lead them and this was all about Cavan and for us to put in a performance, that was the most important thing.”
Harte has now been managing senior intercounty teams for 22 unbroken years. And during those years he has produced several unbreakable teams.
That is why Derry called. And that is why he answered. Because when everything is stripped back, winning is winning. Losing though, that’s a different set of twists and turns altogether.
In three seasons with Louth, Harte and his loyal lieutenant Gavin Devlin made a difference, but their departure was hasty and untidy. What part the Louth sojourn will play in Harte’s story remains to be seen. If he wins an All-Ireland with Derry, it will only be a footnote. Everything is up for grabs now because this move ruffled more feathers than a fox in a chicken coop.
On Wednesday night Harte managed a Derry football team for the first time. There were no challenge games.
“No, I don’t really believe a lot in challenge matches, I believe in the real thing,” he said.
And Derry clearly believe he is the man to take them to a place they have only ever been once before, top of the mountain.
“We are looking to add value, a team that has won back-to-back Ulsters are a decent team and they are at a high level, we want to see if we can bring them to a level beyond that because I think that is where they want to go,” said Harte.
“They want to go to a level beyond Ulster and we want to try and do what we can to show them that is possible.”
Harte spent Wednesday’s game playing the part of the most dispassionate person in the ground, switching his hands from folded to inside his pockets was about as animated as he got. Galligan was more vocal and energetic. His new-look Cavan side, with six debutants, came up just short in a competitive encounter.
Harte’s first game as Tyrone senior manager was a McKenna Cup win over Fermanagh in Enniskillen in January 2003. He’s off to a winning start with Derry now as well.
“You always want to get the first game over and you don’t particularly want to lose it,” he smiled after his maiden win as Oak Leaf manager. “And that’s always a possibility when you play your first game with a new outfit, you’ll either win, lose or draw, and I prefer winning.”
Same as it ever was.
Still, the last word of the night went to the PA announcer. Truth be told, Cavan GAA couldn’t have choreographed the whole shindig much better.
Something Happens, always, when Harte is around.
Before the evening ended, Bagatelle’s Summer In Dublin got an airing. You certainly notice that song when it’s played in January.
But then that is exactly where Mickey Harte and Derry intend to be in July.
As the players made their way off the pitch, it was announced that Luke Littler was 4-2 up in the Ally Pally.
At the same time, a cluster of Derry fans clapped Harte down the tunnel. It’s not over until it’s over.
The crest is everything.
Until winning is.
