Ciarán Brady has had his nickname for years - he thinks it was probably picked up in secondary school. Though, it has only been these past two seasons in which it has come to wider attention.
As Cavan earned promotion back to Division One of the Allianz Football League - just a year after they were relegated - 'Ciarán The Holla' was heard shouted from the terraces of Kingspan Breffni Park and beyond.
Ciarán Brady has had a serious game for Cavan from wing-back. The lads beside me keep calling him "Ciaran the Holla" or something though
— Cahair O'Kane (@CahairOKane1) January 17, 2016
Speaking at Croke Park on Tuesday ahead of this weekend's Allianz Football League Division Two final against Roscommon, Brady explained the reason behind his nickname.
Firstly, it's to distinguish him from the many other Bradys in the small town of Arvagh in west Cavan.
"There's a lot of Bradys in Arvagh. There's the Garage Bradys, as we'd call them; the cars, they're the wealthier Bradys - Brady's Volkswagen, Arvagh, Co. Cavan," the Cavan vice-captain told Balls.
Secondly, and most amusingly, it's because his family home is located in a hollow, or 'holla' as it's pronounced in Cavan. Despite what some thought, it has nothing to do with him being a fan of rap music.
I suppose I'd live outside the town in a bit of a hollow, as they call it. I suppose that's where I got the nickname, The Holla.
I've had it a few years but I suppose this year it's really come out in the media circles and across the country. That's where that came from.
Brady being Cavan's top scorer from play in this year's league has ensured 'The Holla' has been heard even more frequently than in the past.
It's an alias which he's not certain his mother appreciates. "She christened me Ciarán but it doesn't matter. That's Irish mammies for you."
"Even back in secondary school. I've had it a long time now. It's becoming more known in the wider circles.
"When I was in college, that's always what I've been called. Cavan, doing well and all that, it can be heard in the stands. It's going around and it's sticking, I don't know if the mother is happy with it.
"It's stuck now anyway, I can't see it going away."
The 2018 Allianz Football League Division 2 Final takes place at Croke Park this Sunday April 1st. In attendance at a photocall ahead of the Division 2 Final is Ciarán Brady of Cavan at Croke Park, Dublin. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
