The time is upon us. The latest installment of the Star Wars franchise The Last Jedi hits cinema screens in Ireland and all around the world this week. The film will be of great interest to Irish audiences as Skellig Micheal will feature prominently, as the Force Awakens ended dramatically with Rey meeting Luke Skywalker in exile on his remote island home.
The arrival of the film, and its strong Irish feel got us thinking about the links between Star Wars and the GAA. Just as the Force - that incredible and elusive power - runs through many of the most important characters in the Star Wars series, a handful of GAA players seem possessed by a similarly mysterious power of greatness.
Yoda famously mentored Luke Skywalker on the ways of the Force on the Dagobah planet in The Empire Strikes Back. What happens when you apply Yoda's wisdom to Ireland's GAA greats? Well, we've taken 5 classic quotes from Yoda on the power of the Force and applied them to the biographies of famous GAA personalities and found that the links between Star Wars and the GAA are closer than you'd think.
Tommy Walsh
“Judge me by my size, do you?"
Tommy Walsh is short in stature but he possesses the heart of a giant. He is the best fielder of the ball to play hurling this century and he possesses the pure spirit of hurling.
If a Jedi is someone who is a member of a knightly order, trained to guard peace and justice in the universe, and can wield the power of the Force, then surely Walsh stands above all.
The knightly order, of course, were the Kilkenny hurlers of the 2000s. Brian Cody was the head of the Jedi Council, naturally. The order stood strong and protected the hurling universe from the Dark Side for 16 long years.
The heart of the defence, the man assigned to take out the dangerous threats of the Dark Side. Sometimes even having to fight off their unwanted attention and attempts to lure them to the Dark Side, Tommy was the chief Jedi in the Kilkenny order guarding the peace and justice of hurling.
Joe Canning
“Fear is the path to the dark side…fear leads to anger…anger leads to hate…hate leads to suffering.”
Since his teenage years, Joe Canning was proclaimed to be the savior of Galway hurling. He was born with prodigious talents to a family of Galway hurling royalty. Surely the success that Galway hurling people so badly craved would come.
But it did not. At least not immediately.
And so when Galway suffered debilitating loss after debilitating loss, Canning was often blamed. In those dark years, it would have been easiest to cave into fear and anger. During painful defeats, the suffering was written all over Canning's face.
But last summer, Canning and Galway threw off all of the psychological baggage that had been dragging them under and let the Force run through them.
Michael Donnellan
“Luminous beings are we…not this crude matter.”
Michael Donnellan is one of those players who, despite playing in modern times, has somehow achieved the mythical status of the likes of Christy Ring or The Gallant John Joe.
Our memories of Donnellan are only snippets. His mazy runs, his display against Kildare in '98; that goal against Kerry in 2002. A Rolls Royce of a player, Donnellan the myth has blended with Donnellan the player to create his Jedi status.
Is he all knowing? Is he all powerful? His legend goes before him.
Kieran McGeeney
“A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defence, never for attack.”
One of the guiding precepts of the Force is that it is not a means to dole out aggression or rage. It is a strong and calming force once it can be controlled. If you cannot control the Force, it will destroy. Master it and become a force for good. Kieran McGeeney embodied this mentality throughout his career as the lynchpin and spiritual leader of the great Armagh team of the late 90s and early 00s.
It is no surprise that McGeeney has found inspiration in the world of mixed martial arts after he retired from intercounty football. MMA also accentuates the power of discipline and self-control in hand-to-hand combat. As Armagh fans knew well, the best attack is a committed defence.
Ciaran McDonald
“Do. Or do not. There is no try.”
Some players earn their bacon thanks to tireless work ethic and hard work. But not the player who possesses the Force. On top of hard work, they bring an X factor, a genius, a sense of proper poetry once the ball reaches their feet or hands. Ciaran McDonald was put on this planet to kick a gaelic football. There was an effortless grace to his languid style that was so sublime it was nearly zen. He was not a man struggling against gravity or the entropy of the universe. The Force pulsed through his veins every time he put on that Mayo shirt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8bxlm2St4I
So there they are, Walsh, Canning, Donnellan, McGeeney and McDonald. Five GAA legends who embody the Force of the GAA. If there's anyone you think we've unfairly skipped, feel free to let us know but be aware that we fully expect an accompanying Yoda quote to continue to the poetic symmetry of the above selections.
