Munster Football Final, 1924

by Gabriel Fitzmaurice

Nothing polarises like a war,

And, of all wars, a civil war is worst;

It takes a century to heal the scars

And even then some names remain accursed.

The tragedies of Kerry, open wounds –

John Joe Sheehy on the run in ‘twenty four,

The Munster Final in the Gaelic Grounds:

There’s something more important here than war.

John Joe Sheehy, centre forward, Republican,

Con Brosnan, Free State captain, centrefield;

For what they love, they both put down the gun – 

On Con’s safe conduct, Sheehy takes the field.

In an hour the Kerry team will win.

Sheehy will vanish, on Brosnan’s bond again.