Читать книгу The Boys of '93. Derry’s All-Ireland Kings онлайн

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For Eamonn, the next day’s triumphant return proves to be more precious than the trophy he coveted: ‘To come up through Tyrone with the Sam Maguire, I could’ve driv’ up the street again.’ We wait for hours in Maghera with the tens of thousands of others. Red and white. Then … silver. As the victory bus inches towards us, Sam is the masthead at the front. We see Eamonn on the top deck, turn of the head, flash, grin. Then he’s lost in a tumultuous sea as his boys carry him to the stage on their shoulders through the crowds and the crashing waves of unbridled joy. Not one for public speaking, we can hear little of him above the din except, ‘We needed this All-Ireland more than Cork ’cos they already have six.’ Red, white … silver. It’s all black and white to him.

But the elation soon fades to grey – he misses the training and the boys: ‘You feel there should be more, you should have someone else to play. It’s something you dream about all your life and then when you get it, your dream has gone.’