Diarmuid stayed forever young
“Colours of the game, colours of the games, get your team colours, hats, flags, rosettes,” roared the street vendor in a strong Dublin accent as we made our way to Geraldine Park, Athy for Carlow’s first round Leinster Senior football championship game on May 23, 1976.
The ‘we’ in question was Diarmuid Broderick and myself, two teenage supporters, having thumbed over from Carlow Town, picked up outside the Sugar Factory by the Hurling Club’s Dick Roche who, in his trusty orange mini transported us along ‘the road to sweet Athy’.
Having heard the old-timers tales of people cycling and walking to Athy during Carlow’s glory years of the 40’s, here was our chance to follow ‘the Carlow fifteen to the Kildare venue and, in sympathy with our forebears of yesteryear, we decided to ‘chance’ hitching rather than accept any handy pre-organised lift!
Hopes were high that ‘our lads’ would beat Laois and there had been lots of banter in Carlow CBS as the students from Crettyard, Arles and ‘over the bridge in Graiguecullen swore staunch allegiance to the O’Moore County.
Walking up to the pitch I purchased a hat off that street vendor, a hat made of red and green crepe paper which had stuck on the front a yellow card, on which ‘Up Carlow’ was hand-written. When we took up our position on the sloping grass bank on the far side from the road, I appeared the only one sporting a Carlow ‘favour’. Half-embarrassed I took it off. Diarmuid had no such problem. He donned the hat and heartily cheered on the ‘Scallion-eaters’. Alas, Laois, with Graiguecullen’s Willie Brennan prominent won by seven points, Frankie Donnelly Carlow’s best player.
Going out the gate when Diarmuid removed the hat, the yellow card fell off revealing an ‘Up Mayo’ one underneath! The street vendor had, without knowing, replicated history for, legend has it, Carlow’s yellow was added after the 1933 All-Ireland Junior semi-final and a clash of colours with Mayo. I can still hear ‘Bruadair’ giggle.
That game was the last Diarmuid Broderick ever attended. Eight days later, June 1st, he passed away.
‘Bruadair’ as we knew him, it being the Irish for Broderick, had been born with a defective heart. He never let it interfere with ‘getting on with life’ and was a real character, an out and out sports fanatic, a mad Manchester United supporter, had a strong interest in rugby too, backed the horses (one of the last things he ever did, organizing a ‘runner’ from his hospital bed!) and had a good knowledge of virtually every sport. I can remember him, in the warm Summer of ’75, trying to introduce a group of us, including cousins of his, both male and female, to the intricacies of cricket!
Because of his condition, ‘Bruadair’ was unable to participate in physical sports. He made up for it by playing pitch and putt, becoming the GAA correspondent for the school magazine and assisting ‘Oddsie’ Coakley on the Dr Cullen Park scoreboard.
His ambition was to play competitive sport and while we were vaguely aware that there was a major operation looming, a heart operation that might turn his ambition into reality, it was never really spoken about. We just got on with life, as youngsters do, but to this day I can vividly recall, and deeply cherish, the sporting excursions Diarmuid and myself enjoyed during the Autumn of 1975 and the Spring of 1976.
His last birthday, his 17th, was in September ’75 and along with a red and white scarf on to which his sisters had embroidered MUFC one of Diarmuid’s presents was a jazzy transistor radio on which you could pick up BBC on 1500m long wave, thus he would be able to tune into all the soccer commentaries cross-channel.
That particular Saturday Manchester United were playing Queens Park Rangers and the Red Devils, back in Division 1 after the ignominy of relegation, had had a marvellous unbeaten start to the season, wingers Gordon Hill and Steve Coppell terrifying defences with their sorcery. To try out the ‘wireless’ Diarmuid and myself went for a walk out around the back-roads leading from Pollerton over towards the Golf Club and when the crackling words from London brought news of a QPR goal and victory ‘Bruadair’ was very nearly consigning the new present to the thorny ditch!
United, under the management of the charismatic Tommy Doherty, recovered from that set-back to enjoy a productive season, their attractive attacking football yielding them many new friends, a high league position and a place in the FA Cup final.
Before the climax to the soccer season Diarmuid, through his relation Brian Lyons, got us a pair of tickets for the Ireland v Wales rugby international in Lansdowne Road. That was the Golden Age of Welsh rugby and they won well. Barry McGann, with three penalties, got Ireland’s scores but the thrill of seeing such greats as Gareth Edwards, Phil Bennis, Mervyn Davies and JPR Williams in the flesh helped ease the pain of defeat.
We got lost from each in the milling crowd coming out of the match and in his absence I soon realised Diarmuid’s value as a guide to the City Streets and bus connections! I was fairly stressed by the time I made Heuston Station where the bould Diarmuid was waiting, totally relaxed, reading the late edition of the ‘Evening Press’ carrying a report of the match we had just attended!
‘Bruadair’ himself turned his hand to writing match reports for the school magazine and, luckily, the Spring of ’76 gave him opportunity for plenty of ‘copy’, the CBS senior footballers embarking on an exciting run to become the South Leinster champions, narrowly beaten in the Leinster final, the junior footballers completing a South Leinster ‘double’, beaten in the Provincial semi-final. The senior hurlers won the Provincial C title. That hurling final, due to the proximity of Exams, went to extra-time and I can still see Diarmuid, high in the stand in Nowlan Park, raising a clenched fist to us hurlers when he heard the news as he had high hopes our fitness would see us through.
FA CUP FINAL The first Saturday in May saw Diarmuid and myself make our way down to the Stonehaven to watch the FA Cup Final against Southampton in colour on the BBC. We called in to Lambert’s on the way down to buy ‘Shoot’, a glitzy magazine considered the soccer bible.
I adopted Southampton for the day, more to annoy and ‘get a rise’ out of Diarmuid than anything else. United were red hot favourites but a late Bobby Stokes goal won the day for the men in red and white stripes and, truth to tell, I felt a little guilty on the way home with the dejected Diarmuid.
He got an early chance for revenge. On Sunday, May 9th, he travelled with my own family to watch the National Hurling League final in Thurles, my parents native Clare, without a major title for years, taking on honour laden Kilkenny. ‘Bruadair’ came to the conclusion that as Broderick was a Kilkenny name (a member of the clan, the bespectacled Paddy had played in the 1973 All-Ireland!) he would shout for the Cats!
With five minutes to go Kilkenny were winning by five points when Clare struck for two great goals and as the second shot hit the net, put there by bustling Noel Casey, ‘Bruadair’ and myself leapt up in the air and threw our arms around each other. The casual Cat had become a Bannerman!
Kilkenny’s Matt Ruth got a late leveller. Due to Kilkenny’s All-Stars tour to America the replay was delayed until June 20th. On the way home in the back of Daddy’s Tan Renault 4, I said to Diarmuid, “sure it’s not too bad, we’ll have another day out at the replay”. It was not to be.
Before the replay, ‘Bruadair’ had passed to his eternal reward. During the last week of May he entered hospital in Dublin to undergo that ‘major operation’, the heart surgery which might give him a sporting chance. Alas, the Man above decided to blow the final whistle and Diarmuid was gone, gone to man the scoreboard on the level lawns of God.
Gone but not forgotten. The following year Manchester United again reached the FA Cup final. Where else could I watch it but Clerkin’s, the same seats as ’76, one empty. Prayers were answered. United beat Liverpool 2-1.
Over the years I remained in casual contact with the Broderick family, his parents Sean and Eta living to a good age, his mother, five years ago, passing away on the exact same day as Diarmuid. For his sisters Henrietta and Mary Patrica and brother Sean Junior (who inherited a love of Manchester United) Diarmuid has remained part of their lives through cherished memories of a sibling who remained forever young.
This June 1st just gone was Diarmuid Broderick’s 50th Anniversary.
