Ballyfad mentor, Pat Cullen, scratched his head and shielded his eyes from the bright October sun. Around him, celebrations had just begun that he never thought he would see in 1998. Ballyfad had won their first adult hurling county championship; dances, once reserved for football successes, were now in full flow for all to see.
On a cold January evening, the Kilanerin Ballyfad GAA Club's AGM had witnessed it's hurling stalwarts voice a complete disillusionment with how it had become the poor pauper in the shadow of the success of the senior football team. So disillusioned, in fact, that none of those present would accept any of the available posts on the selection panel of the junior hurling team. Reluctantly, Pat Cullen, Donal Hayden and Chris Murray took on the responsibility of doing battle with not only the opposition in the Junior hurling championship, but also with the inner belief in the club that hurling was always going to be number two. But two subsequent events, ironically both defeats, have changed all of that.
The defeat of the Ballyfad minor hurlers in the 1997 county final had shown to the club that a number of talented youngsters were on their way up the ranks. Aodhan and Peter Kavanagh, Enda O'Leary, Tommy Boland , along with a number of others were making heads turn, and while there wasn't the loud glorious shouting surrounding the young footballers of four and five years ago, the whispering was becoming more than audible that we might have something great on the horizon.
Then on the August Bank Holiday, the Kilanerin senior football team crashed to a shock first round exit from the Championship at the hands of Gusserane. A number of people would have been forgiven if they had thought that 1998 for Kilanerin GAA was over, but out of this huge disappointment came a gap in players lives, previously filled by a resolute commitment to fitness and football, that simply had to be filled.
And so the march to the county championship that not many even within the GAA club thought would be won began. Captain Jim Bushe lifted the cup and spoke of hard work and hardship that was all worthwhile. Pat Cullen, Donal Hayden and Chris Murray had created a team of hurlers who had begun to feel that the Junior A Hurling Championship was it's destiny. A march that begun with a faint whisper, had grown to a pronounced yell and ended with a drum beat to rival any in '98.