In the late month of July, it was one of those nights when you couldn’t even fathom the possibility of summer having a sell-by date. Following the conclusion of extra time in the Ulster Under-20 championship match, Down had just triumphed against Monaghan, and the lengthy whistle had caused them to buck and colt around the Athletic Grounds. It had been twelve years since the county had won an Ulster championship at any grade level. In preparation for a lengthy innings, Bedlam took the batting stance.
Almost immediately, Conor Laverty was able to get around his players. It was necessary for him to thread a needle. As manager of Down, he was aware that his team was about to have their moment. But he was also familiar with the adversary, and he was aware that their run in the competition was not the only thing that had come to an end for them.
For the past two weeks, the players of Monaghan had been in a state of mourning for their captain, Brendan Óg Ó Dufaigh, who had tragically passed away due to a car accident that occurred while he was returning home from the semi-final.
In other words, Laverty gathered his players in a circle, and even if you were unable to understand what he was saying from the stands or from the television, you had no trouble understanding what he was trying to convey.
His speech lasted for only a few seconds, but as soon as he finished, every player on the Down side of the pitch turned away from the huddle and went to find a player on the Monaghan side to discuss the situation with.
While Seán Boylan was still working hard at the grand old age of 78, he was a member of the backroom crew for Laverty during the summer of 2017. He has experienced everything, done everything, and most likely invented the majority of it.
That evening, he watched Laverty, and he was not the least bit startled by what he saw. Throughout the entire summer, he had been spending time with people who exemplified humanity, decency, and human connection.
