IT’S understandable that Conor Cahalane has no memories of Castlehaven’s 1997 Munster club senior football title success – he was only born that year!
Now, 26 years old and an integral part of the current Haven team, Cahalane had heard the stories of those legendary club sides that won three Munster club titles in just nine years.
The class of 2023 has now added their names to the record books by bringing the Munster title back to the parish for a fourth time.
‘The last time they won was in 1997 and I was only a babóg, so I have never seen days like this. It's great to carry on that tradition,’ Cahalane says.
He admits it’s going to be a quiet Christmas, as Castlehaven have an All-Ireland semi-final against St Brigids early in the new year, but the Haven star isn’t complaining.
‘If you told us at the start of the year that we would have been county champions we would have bitten your hands off, so to go another step in the Munster championship is brilliant. We’ve another day out so we’ll be back training soon,’ Cahalane said, before reflecting on those tense final minutes of extra time when Castlehaven trailed Dingle by two.
‘With a couple of minutes left, Cathal Maguire stepped up and kicked those two late points. Without them we would have been out of the championship; it's those small moments that make a big difference,’ he said.
Cahalane had been through the wars, too, having to go off in the first half, but he did reappear in the second period.
‘I got a belt into the stomach that set me back a bit. I was happy enough at half time with it so I said I would give it another chance. Luckily I got through the rest of the game,’ he said, and luck was on Castlehaven’s side too in the penalty shoot-out.
‘It’s a complete lottery. You can never be completely confident going into penalties. From the experience of losing a shoot-out to the Barrs, it’s an awful way for Dingle to lose the game. It’s fairly unnatural, someone has to lose, and thankfully it wasn’t us.’
