In today’s Hospital Pass, we wonder why the Irish public like the idea of old men up in the Aras and if there’s really such a thing as a Kerry hoodoo.
The Irish public seem hell-bent on installing an old fogey right up in the Aras.
First it was Gay Byrne, but he was deemed too young for the position. No, instead the tide has turned in favour of the soon-to-be 81-year-old retired GAA broadcaster Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh.
Being the shrewd Kerry hoor that he is, Mícheál has disassociated himself from any political party prior to making any official announcement that he will throw his hat in the ring.
And you can bet your last butter voucher that he will go for it. Kicking it back in the Phoenix Park has got to be easier than rolling out of bed for a few voiceovers every day.
And who could possibly have any objections if Mícheál were to be our representative for the next seven years? Sure, hasn’t he been representing us around the world for donkey’s years already.
Kerry hoodoo is poo-poo
Scientists have yet to confirm whether Mayo’s faltering on the big stage over the past three or four decades had more to do with bad luck or a missing psychological component when it came to getting the job done.
Kerry stuffed them good and proper in ’97, ’04 and ’06, yet Mayo manager James Horan reckons this time it could be different.
“Kerry have a psychological hold over a lot of teams, I suppose,” the manager of the month said.
“But no, not particularly (over Mayo). You can link and trend anything really for any team if you want to go that route, but not for this team and not for where we are at the moment.”
On the flipside, perhaps it’s the Kingdom who should take into account some rather haunting facts.
The last time Horan and his managerial sidekick, James Nallen, faced Kerry in Championship battle was on the field of play in the 1996 All-Ireland final. Mayo won that day and those two scored a goal each.
Now cast your mind back to the last time Mayo won an All-Ireland SFC title. It was 1951 and under a management team consisting of former forwards Paddy Moclair and Jackie Carney. Horan is the first former Mayo attacker to take over the reins since. Connect those dots.
