Fans of John McBride’s Gaelic football club are a lucky bunch.
In the past few years the Chicago Gaels have been spoiled with intercounty stars like Colm Begley, Paul Mannion and Kevin Cassidy. But it has stepped up a notch this summer with the recruitment of a 26-year-old three-time All-Ireland winner.
Dublin full-back Rory O’Carroll is taking an indefinite break from the game. Having travelled through South and Central America he will head for the Windy City later this month before making his way to New Zealand.
He is the most high-profile player to take up the opportunity of a sanction and summer of football Stateside, but he is one of many.
It is little wonder that cheaper air travel, broadened horizons and favourable employment opportunities mean young men in their teens and twenties are happy to forego a summer at home to experience something new.
We have named a strong team of summer football tourists to the US in 2016. We have had to make a couple of tiny allowances. Our goalkeeper, Vinnie Cadden, lined out for New York against Roscommon this year, while we are playing Jamie Clarke in that wing-back role Paul Grimley and Kieran McGeeney tried to shoehorn him into before. We have Corofin forward Michael Lundy on the other side of an attacking half-back line.
1. Vinny Cadden
A solid custodian with plenty of intercounty experience. Before playing a starring role for the Empire State back in May he was Sligo’s netminder.
2. Kevin Fahey
An All-Ireland minor winner with Tipperary and Munster club winner with Clonmel, the defender is one of several huge losses to Liam Kearns this year.
3. Rory O’Carroll
A two-time All-Star full-back considered to be one of the most dogged man markers in the game – you could make the argument Jim Gavin will miss the Kilmacud man more than Footballer of the Year Jack McCaffrey.
4. Kevin Nolan
For the second summer in a row the two-time All-Ireland winning defender is playing in the United States – he completes a pretty tasty full-back line.
5. Michael Lundy
Scorer-in-chief for Corofin when they won the All-Ireland in 2015, we have reinvented the Galway man (above) as an attacking wing-back.
6. Brendan Murphy
We need a bit of bulk and ballast in our attacking half-back line, so we have found room for the Carlow midfielder at the heart of the defence – he crossed the Atlantic once the county’s Championship ended in Cavan.
7. Jamie Clarke
The Armagh and Crossmaglen star is spending another summer in America. A huge loss to both club and county, we’re not sure we are getting the best from him at wing-back.
8. Cian Sheehan
The Limerick forward has taken a Summer out but we reckon he could do a job at midfield – perhaps in an attacking role.
9. Evan O’Carroll
The Laois man (above) is another converted forward being asked to do a job further back the field (it does seem to be the scorers who make the trip Stateside more frequently?)
10. Jason Lonergan
Another all-conquering Tipperary minor of 2011-12 who is taking a step back from the intercounty scene for a year.
11. Liam Casey
One more of Kearns’ absent stars. The Cahir centre-forward (below) would surely have started in the Munster final against Kerry were e in the country.
12. Darroch Mulhall
For the second year running, Kildare have had to plan without the Athy man. He is instead lining out for Cavan in the New York championship.
13. Larry Moran
“We weren’t able to lock all the ports and airports, unfortunately,” joked Denis Connerton, whose Longford have been getting on alright without the corner-forward as they make another run in the qualifiers.
14. Paul Kingston
Another Laois man to try his luck on the east coast – Donie’s younger brother might have been handy in Ennis on Sunday afternoon.
15. Danny Neville
The Limerick corner-forward flew abroad once Limerick were out of the Munster SFC and was not in Semple Stadium last Saturday as the Treaty men went down to Cork.
Not a bad 15, all the same?
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