Men of Aran prepared to fight for provincial glory

Once it emerged that two island clubs, Oileáin Árainn and Achill Island had qualified for a Junior A Connacht football final the local radio stations and social chatter concentrated on the novelty.

Many suggested neutral islands like Inisbofin or Inisturk should be the appropriate staging venues. Inisturk has a soaring rock amphitheatre surrounding its pitch which deserves as many sports fans as tourists but not this time. Inishbofin is guarded by the ominous Cromwellian fort.

But no, Tuam Stadium is the safe, if somewhat anodyne, inland level playing pitch for the clash of the islands of the wild Atlantic way. No mountainous waves lashing cliffs, no swooping seagulls, no sea billowing geyser-like up through wormholes.

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A habit

For the Aran Island’s centre-half forward, Eoghan Póil, the novelty aspect goes as much over his head like a badly directed pass as it does with the rest of the team. There is a final to be won. “We’ve been to 11 Western Board finals and lost nine. It’s a habit we’d like to break.”

You can pick apart the ‘island’ aspect with Achill, he says cryptically. They, Achill Island, have a bridge. Their players can go to a match and go home to their families and beds afterwards. For the men of Aran it’s not certain if they can get home after a match. Eoghan explains:

“In the winter ferry services between the islands drop off dramatically. Last Saturday for example the players from Inis Mór and Inis Meáin had to get a ferry into Ros a Mhíl port in order to get a ferry out to Inis Oírr where the match was being played. They then have to wait after the match for the 4.30pm ferry back to Ros a Mhíl and get another one back to their home island.”

Even if you were in a hurry, a minimum of 12 hours is taken up. And that’s just for a home game!

You’d imagine that would be enough hardship for any squad but the Oileáin Árainn team have added more on their backs for the cause.

"Once a week we have training in Lough George centre owned by the Galway County Board near Claregalway. It has all the state of the art facilities and is used by the Galway county football team as well. However, after training there's no way home so friends and relatives are called upon to put the islanders up until the morning ferry."

There are alternatives with a few mainland coastal clubs offering greater proximity. But Oileáin Árainn only have eyes for standards and it appears to be bearing fruit.

At college

A team photo doesn’t reveal any chiselled weather-beaten features of island exposure of earlier generations of islanders beloved by photographers.

Many of the team ar at college in Galway or scattered around third-level institutions in Limerick, Cork and Waterford. But there’s obvious toughness beneath the skin.

Although until recently playing at junior level the nature of demographics means they play in a league composed of intermediate and senior teams. Last Saturday under the gaze of a 14th century O’Brien’s castle that stands several hundred feet aloft over Inis Oírr park, they ran Micheál Breathnach’s senior team to a point. Micheál Breathnach’s boasts a few past and present Galway inter-county players.

Oileáin Árainn’s success so far this year means they will play at intermediate level next year. But that’s also going over their heads at present. Eoghan Póil is completely underwhelmed about their perceived trials and tribulations, whether it be taking on a senior team or the Atlantic ocean. “We’re better prepared than we ever were in those finals that we lost. We lost them because other teams were better prepared than us, no argument about that.”

The new men of Aran hope to write their own epic next Sunday.

Seán Ó Mainnín is a freelance photographer and director of tuairisc.ie