Today marks the start of an All-Ireland Football Championship like no other. To mark the occasion, Leitrim playwright, actor and author of the new book 'Standing In Gaps,' Seamus O'Rourke, has put together a brilliant poem. You can read it below and watch his special recital on our social media pages.
Playwright, actor and author of 'Standing In Gaps,' @Seamus_ORourke has penned a brilliant poem for us, to mark the start of the All-Ireland Football Championship. His new book is available at https://t.co/qrp1Il4dZj pic.twitter.com/K0bMyNQrIZ
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) October 31, 2020
The Winter Games
So, the winter football championship is about to commence;
Nobody this year is sittin' on the fence.
We’re all at home, surrounded by tea and technology —
Searching for a live stream of our team,
Because our dream is still alive.
This year more than ever.
And it won't be nice.
We’re all skatin' on thin ice,
Because the back door system is no more;
No, this year the back door has been locked up tight.
Tight as a witch’s broom cupboard in June.
Only this isn’t June, this is winter,
And there’s a whole list of championship fixtures, startin' at Halloween.
Scary.
And there’s reputations on the line,
And lot’s of signs for two metre spacings.
That’s far too much room to give your man –
'Like shite to a blanket,'
That was our plan.
And all the players are goin' to have to wear gloves,
Even if it’s not rainin'.
Well you can’t be too careful,
with slippy, unsanitised, droppin' balls.
And there was calls for this championship not to go ahead.
Well what would we do instead?
Go shoppin'? Where?
No, it’s only fair that’s there’s some little bit of excitement
In our lives this winter —
Enough said.
And we, the fans, can stay in bed,
Or stay at home and watch the drama unfold.
Too cold to be sittin' in a stand,
Too cold for the last Choc Ice.
We don’t need ice-cream,
We need to watch football on a screen of our choice,
We need to watch it on a device that we can throw stuff at,
And shout abuse at.
Never before have referees been so protected,
Never before has the fan been so neglected,
But that’s the way it is.
Here we are, gettin' ready for a tournament of snow-ball.
Who will fall and who will come through?
As the lotto says, it could be you.
Or will it be the Dubs again?
I think it might be Leitrim;
Well if you’re not in, you can’t win.
Seamus's memoir is available to purchase from his website seamusorourke.com right now.
See Also: Weekend Sport Guide: What Times You Should Eat And Go To The Toilet
