FROM the pristine greens of Royal County Down to the more familiar terrain of the Athletic Grounds, Rian O’Neill and Jarly Og Burns will have spent a fair bit of time in each other’s company by the time this week ends.
Alongside Kieran Donaghy, the Kerry man who has been an integral part of Kieran McGeeney’s Orchard management team, the pair played 18 gruelling holes as the weather Gods threw everything at Newcastle for Wednesday’s pro-am.
It was all smiles as they came down the last, Burns double-putting on the 18th after a delicate chip left O’Neill a few feet from the final hole.
On Saturday night they will share another green space when Crossmaglen and Silverbridge clash in the preliminary quarter-final of the county championship, the Orchard’s All-Ireland winning stars now at firmly focused on club ambitions.
But, swapping shorts for strides, this was not the time for those conversations.
“Golf only,” laughed Burns.
“Ah we wouldn’t have been talking about that anyway,” said O’Neill, “Jarly and I have known each other a long time, we get on well… we’ll let the football do the talking on Saturday night and see what happens.”
The golf course, though, has become an outlet from the pressures of the football field at times.
Burns plays off three – “I’m trying to get that down” – at the Cloverhill course in Mullaghbawn, while O’Neill gets out to Ashfield in Cullyhanna, owned by former Cross player and manager, Donal Murtagh, when possible.
A first outing at Royal County Down, however, was a stiffer challenge than usually faced.
“Ah Jesus, quit,” smiled O’Neill, “it was very tough now – very, very tough.
“I haven’t played in a few months but any chance I get ,I go out. We’re well looked after. It’s always nice to get out playing.”
“It was tough conditions,” added Burns, “the wind didn’t let up, it seemed to be sort of going across most holes. It was my first time playing the course… we felt the back nine was maybe tougher, the greens are tough, we didn’t get many putts, you were just trying to gauge the speed of the greens as you went on.
“But look we were only here for the experience, we weren’t here to try and shoot a really good score or anything. It was just about enjoying it and taking it all in.
“In season you rarely get out, whenever you’re not training you’re recovering, whereas then after you can enjoy it a bit more.
“I’m a teacher so I have the summer off… I was hard at it there in the last few weeks before I went off, playing a bit more than you usually would just so you don’t embarrass yourself.”
Not that any amount of loose drives or scuffed shots could take Burns off cloud nine just yet.
Just over six weeks since that momentous victory over Galway ended Armagh’s 22-year wait for the Sam Maguire, aspects of it still barely feel believable – the way it ended in particular, with the ball resting in his hands when referee Sean Hurson put the whistle to his lips.
Burns’s face crumpled, every bit of that magical sound savoured; up in the Hogan Stand, tears flowed while proud father Jarlath sr watched on. His first year as GAA president, handing over the game’s greatest prize to Aidan Forker, the captain of his native county, then getting to embrace his son – Jarly Og Burns, the All-Ireland winner.
“It was an unbelievable moment, the ball in my hands, then going up and seeing da… it’s the stuff of dreams, like. It’s still sort of hard to believe it happened, to be honest. It doesn’t happen too often in our county.
“It’s great, and we’re just grateful we got it, apart from anything.”
The days that followed were a blur, an outpouring of joy that leaves those inside the county standing two foot taller still. Armagh is awash with orange and white, and will be for some time yet – even if next year’s title defence is already creeping up on the radar.
“It will take a while,” said Burns.
“People will remember this for a long time… the flags will stay up until they blow down, I’d say. We’re all one county, we all celebrate it together, then unfortunately for us boys we have to slowly start tuning back in for next year to defend the title.
“That’ll be just round the corner…”
As for father and son, they did eventually find time to take it all in together; far from the screaming crowds and the fanfare, a precious moment relived in the comfort of their own home.
“Genuinely, it was about a week later where we just sat down and it was like ‘do you want to talk about this? What just happened?’
“That was the only time we got to chat about it because he was busy, I was busy… it’s surreal nearly.”
Battle lines will be drawn on Saturday but, even at that, Burns and O’Neill are already talking about trying to bag tickets for a last day trip together to the Irish Open.
Football is at the very heart of club and community life right across south Armagh, and the neighbouring parishes of Crossmaglen and Silverbridge are no different. But the shocking loss of Cross’s rising star Caolan Finnegan earlier this month was as stark a reminder as possible that sport – for all the importance it carries – is only ever that.
“With the football, we went back the Tuesday night after… it was sort of a release,” said O’Neill, “going back up to the field, switching off for an hour and a half, two hours.
“It has been a tough month not only for us but for his family, everyone involved with the club and other clubs around Monaghan where his family would be from.
“We’ll just try to keep doing him proud… we’ll never forget his name around Cross anyway.”
