The Festive Season is almost upon us but there’s still one final chance for us to end the year with a national title in the sack, as the county’s over-40 team faces Tyrone in the All-Ireland Masters Final at Abbeylara, Longford, this coming Saturday (19th) where throw-in set for 1 pm.  My thanks to Mayo Lad for bringing this to my attention: like almost everyone else, I was blissfully unaware that the over-40s’ championship season was set to reach its apotheosis in the run-up to Christmas and, having done some online rooting around over the last few days, it’s obvious that this particular championship is surviving on very thin rations where it comes to official support or media coverage.

My cybersweep did turn up confirmation about the date and time for this weekend’s decider and I also came across match reports on both our lads’ win over a very strong-looking Dublin team and Tyrone’s victory over Derry in last weekend’s semi-finals.  In addition, I found this piece in the Western that underscores the Cinderella status of Gaelic football at this level.

Well, I hope you do get to go to the ball next weekend, lads – at least those ageing Nordies shouldn’t be as adept at the swarm welcome as their younger brethren are so there should be no fears on that score.  We have a very good record at this unheralded level in recent years – with back-to-back All-Ireland victories in 2006 and 2007 – and so revenge for those senior and minor reverses to the Red Hand in 2008 could, then, be on the cards at Abbeylara this coming Saturday.  Best of luck, hombres.