Legendary GAA commentator Mícheál Ó'Muircheartaigh said that former Dublin manager Kevin Heffernan deserves the most credit for reviving the GAA in Dublin.
Speaking on OTB AM, the famous broadcaster said GAA in Dublin was nearly extinct for many years until the emergence of Kevin Heffernan and his St Vincent’s team in the 1950s.
“Dublin came in the 50s. You can say it was dead for 30 years before that. Football was lacking in Dublin until the great St Vincent’s came along.
“I remember Dublin won a National League in 52, with 14 Vincent’s men on the starting team.
“Dublin football was reborn in the 50s and has been kicking ever since. GAA is the national games of Ireland but they really belong to Dublin.”
With the re-emergence of GAA in the capital, so came with it the great rivalry of the 1970s between Kerry and Dublin and their managers, Kevin Heffernan and Mick O’Dwyer.
“There was always a bond of friendship between Kerry and Dublin, even though they would beat the hell out of each other. The rivalry brought an atmosphere.
“Kevin Heffernan is the man that should get most of the credit. He was the man that led Vincent’s. He was even a big presence when he played primary school football.”
Ó Muircheartaigh recalls the determination of Heffernan when seeing him in a meeting with the Dublin panel, the day after losing the '75 All-Ireland Final in the Clontarf golf clubhouse.
“I remember well when Kerry beat Dublin in the 75 final. I had a meeting with a parish priest the next day to discuss the famous victory. We played a game of golf.
“We went into the club house in Clontarf and the entire Dublin team were in a room with Kevin Heffernan. They were planning for next year, the day after losing a final.
“I said to the priest that they were already planning for next year now. Yes, they accepted they were beaten but they were already preparing.
“And of course, they had a great victory over Kerry in '76 and '77. Then in '78 when they were going for the three-in-a-row, that was the birth of the new Kerry team, but the rivalry was always there.”
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