Errigal Ciaran have always been in the fortunate position to have at least one generational phenomenon in their team.
For decades, it was Peter Canavan, the Tyrone legend who many believe to be the best player that the county — and maybe even Ulster — has ever produced.
Now, they have two generational talents, as Peter’s sons Darragh and Ruairi are leading the line for the club, and lighting up the Championship, as they helped propel Errigal to their first ever All-Ireland Final that will take place this Sunday.
One man who has played alongside both generations is club legend Ronan McRory, the sharp-shooting stalwart who is still producing the goods in the white and blue jersey.
McRory is in the privileged position of saying that he has played with both the father and sons and, as you might expect, the skilful siblings have the same hardware as their old man, on and off the pitch.
“Their speed of thought is brilliant, they always turn up with their shooting boots on, and all three of them are massive club people,” McRory said.
“Peter is our vice chair, and both Darragh and Ruairi, even when they are with Tyrone, try to get to as many Errigal training sessions as they can, even if it is just to watch.
“In terms of the craic with the three of them, I would have been young, Peter was a lot older, but I always remember him being really good fun to be around, and it is the same with the two lads.
“When you get on that bus, or you’re in the dressing room, it’s different obviously, you just have your game head on and the three of them are very much like that, they are just fully focused.
“I must say though, all three of them are a delight to be around, and there is definitely a bit of devilment in all three of them as well.”
Another club hero that McRory shared a dressing room with was the now manager Enda McGinley and, having played alongside him for many years, it didn’t surprise the 37-year-old at all to see his old club-mate go into management.
“2012 is really fresh in my memory because I was probably in my prime back then, I was immersed in everything,” the club veteran explained.
“It really felt like it was ‘our team’ because everyone was around my age, and you felt like one of the leaders at the time, and Enda was the captain of that.
“He was the one steering the ship. Ronan McGuckin (then manager) placed a lot of trust in him, in terms of being a voice — like when you hear Enda speaking after games, in podcasts, on The Sunday Game, whenever he is speaking, it is always fresh, new and easy to listen to.
“I was lucky to have played along with Enda, in fact my very first Championship appearance I had was when I came on for Enda in 2005, believe it or not.
“I played with him for numerous years, but his career was cut short, and he went into management shortly after that, which wasn’t a surprise at all.
“He was always a really good talker, communicator and motivator, and he really is a club man at heart — he is a massive clubman, as is all of our backroom team, but Enda is immersed in it.
“He has five children, they all obviously play for the club as well, and it is a massive honour to play under him.
“Being four or five years older than me, he was always one of the fellas who made the Tyrone minor team, the Tyrone Under-21 team, and then the senior team, and because I wasn’t that far in age from him, I was always inspired to be like him.
“It is a privilege to play under him, and he is just taking it in his stride too.”
After defeating Kerry Champions Dr Crokes last weekend, Errigal booked their place in their first ever All-Ireland Final, but didn’t have any time to celebrate.
With the big day just one week away, the Tyrone club had to knuckle down immediately and shift their focus to the kingpins of Dublin.
Like themselves, Cuala have never reached an All-Ireland Final in Gaelic football before, so it is new territory for both sides, but the club from the capital have been in fine form all season, and they pose a serious threat.
“There is something about this Cuala team,” admitted McRory.
“You are obviously immersed in the club season and when the Dublin Championship Final is on TV, you are going to watch it because it is great viewing.
“Kilmacud Crokes just couldn’t live with them, so we need to knuckle down to see what makes them tick — obviously they have Mick Fitzsimons at full back and Con O’Callaghan at full forward. They have a lot of big hitters.
“Much like us though, they have a lot of players all over the team that will take watching, and it’s one of the reasons why they have been so good this season.”
Errigal Ciaran take on Cuala in the All-Ireland Club SFC Final this Sunday at Croke Park, with throw-in scheduled for 3.30pm. The game will be aired live on TG4.