It was something Danny Sutcliffe always wanted to do.
It’s something thousands of Irish students will do this summer. It’s something thousands of other Irish students are contemplating doing this summer. Contemplating, but not yet sure, not yet sure because of the GAA.
And it is a tough call to make. Because not many of them will face a more awkward chat in their life than the first time they let their manager know they’re thinking about going off for the summer.
They want to stay for the good of the club, for their teammates, for their parish. But they also know that the chance to travel is a fleeting one and if you don’t take it now you might never get the chance.
Friends in college are all going. Friends who have gone before would go again at the drop of a hat, and sure they only missed one club game last summer anyway.
Some stay, bound to the GAA. They love the club, a county call-up mightn’t be far away. The senior championship is there for the taking this year.
The majority go. They’ll keep in touch and their GAA club will be the talk of every conversation they have over in the States. They’ll be on the phone about fixtures, to see if they might sneak back in time. If they miss a big game, they’ll be updating Twitter every 2 seconds for 60 minutes.
Danny Sutcliffe went.
No dilly-dallying. No hesitation. It was something he always wanted to do, and speaking at Parnell Park at the launch of the 2018 Dublin GAA season, one thing is clear, his mind wasn’t about to be changed.
The St. Jude’s club man dropped himself off the Dublin hurling panel before the 2016 season because he was going over to America for the year and that was that.
“I was going regardless. I do everything on my own terms. Whether I was going well or the team were going well or if I was playing poorly. You only have one go at it. So I made my mind going up going into college that I’d take it.
“At the end of the day people forget in Ireland it (the GAA) is a hobby. You can’t let that dictate your plans or your career. I was going regardless on my own terms.,” he told us.
It came as a huge blow to Dublin hurling. Their great white hope, their All-Star, their half forward who took the great Tommy Walsh for a runaround a few years earlier in the Leinster championship was gone.
And Dublin hurling missed him dearly. The county’s fortunes went downhill fast as more players followed him out the exit door.
It’s as clear as day in the Parnell Park board rooms, however, that club always comes first for Danny Sutcliffe. He grew up playing with St. Jude’s. He’s a St. Jude’s man, and their fortunes were his main concern when he was over in America.
“St. Jude’s was the most important thing, those were the only games I was following when I was over in America, I wasn’t following Dublin hurling at all. I was more concerned about playing with the club again.”
So off he went. He picked up a job in accounting, and just like the hordes of America-bound GAA players this summer, he picked up his hurl and joined the local club. His was Ulster, who went onto win the New York championship.
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He found out, just like many more of the travelling Irish that it was slightly different to the hurling he was used to at home. The standard was good, but let’s just say the timber wasn’t being spared. By anyone.
“I wouldn’t call it hurling, it was more UFC now. I had to buy a new helmet when I came home. I’d be no angel myself, like.
“I hurled for the summer out there with the Ulster club, I’d been out for the weekend there one of the years before, so I’d good friends out there, and we won the championship in the end so it was good. Look it’s a good standard, but it’s you’re taking your life into your own hands kind of stuff,” he laughs.
So for the lads who have a J1 planned for this summer and are desperately trying to convince themselves and their managers and teammates at home that they’ll come back sharp and in good nick for the latter rounds of the championship – Sutcliffe has a few harsh realities.
“It was a good standard, now, like say in my own club, we’ve two or three lads talking about going out on J1s – there’s no way they’re going to be sharp coming back, obviously with the J1 lifestyle.
“It’s good to play if you’re over there, but I wouldn’t be going over to play, because lads just lose the run of themselves, sure that’s what J1s are for, I suppose. We’ve one lad in the club trying to convince us it’s the right thing to do, he’ll only be getting six weeks I’d say,” he added.
But it’s well worth it, and on top of being good craic and an avenue to meet more Irish people, it’s sure as hell better than not training at all.
“We trained Tuesdays and Thursdays. It was casual enough. It was tough getting out of work. It was a good trek out there to the Bronx.”
And walking around the big Apple with a hurl in your hand is slightly different to doing it in Dublin.
“I was doing accounting and finance over there, so it was some experience getting the subway out on to the Bronx. I was probably getting funnier looks with my hurl as well.”
Sutcliffe joined up with the New York footballers for their Connacht championship clash with Sligo during his stay. It was an experience he really enjoyed.
“I did, yeah. It was good, I was bluffing my way through it, I enjoyed it. The training with New York was heavier, with gym work and that.
“It was only in the summer that was being played so that was why I ended up playing the football – because I had no training in January, New York was open trials for the football, so I went for that.”
“In America, it was great, I got to meet people like Conor McGraynor from Wicklow, and other lads who came over on J1s and that, It was good to get involved with a group of lads and with a team again, like I missed that. We thought we were going to win, but a few things didn’t go our way against Sligo.
Now he’s back. And he means business.
I just got chatting to Pat, we weren’t even talking about hurling and we all know he changed the culture of Dublin football, so I didn’t want to miss out.”
Danny Sutcliffe has no regrets.
Dublin hurler Danny Sutcliffe was in Parnell Park to kick off the 2018 Dublin GAA Season with team sponsor’s AIG Insurance. To celebrate the new year, AIG revealed details of their latest car insurance deal, offering 20% off car insurance to new customers. For more info call 1890 50 27 27 or log on to www.aig.ie/dubs. Parnell Park, Dublin.
