Anto Finnegan, former Antrim Captain is an inspiration to many not only on for his talent and commitment playing for his native county but his bravery in building awareness and support for MND through the trust he established, deterMND, at such a challenging time in his life.  Anto talks about his views and experiences of Casement  Park, the potential impact for an agreed project and the legacy it would leave for Antrim and Ulster GAA.

                                                                                                           Like many Antrim and Ulster Gaels, Casement Park has a special place in my psyche.  As a kid growing up in West Belfast for me the sense of occasion was palpable every time I entered the ground.  I always felt we were so fortunate to have a stadium of that impact in our local community at a time when there was turmoil all around.  Casement and the games that were held there, were a welcome haven, an escape and in many ways a beacon of hope.

That presence that Casement has always held for me is as strong as ever, more so now with the potential for my community to play host to the biggest GAA games in Ulster with the prospect of provincial finals and All-Ireland quarterfinals being played at the new stadium.

Its clichéd but my initial sentiment for my first ‘big game’ at Casement Park, was simply ‘wow’. It wasn’t a senior Club or County game, it was many years before that and  I genuinely remember it like it was yesterday. June 1985, I was 11 years old, captaining St Oliver Plunkett boys in the final of the ‘Raffo Cup’.

From that day to this Casement Park has always been part of my life. In my early secondary school years I used to go there every Sunday to watch the county hurlers or footballers. I also passed it most days cycling up and down the Andersonstown Road and if the gates were open I would nip in to see who was playing or training.

I was summoned to Casement Park in October 1993 by the Antrim County board, not on a disciplinary charge, thankfully,  but to receive a letter to say I had been called up to the Antrim senior football team. Like many other Antrim Gaels, Casement felt like a second home. Training twice a week with a game at the weekend, that was my routine for 11 years as a county player. I can’t begin to count the number of times I played at Casement for my club and county.

Unfortunately though Antrim like no other County has bore the brunt of the conflict we had for nearly 30 years.  Talking to an old Club stalwart a couple of weeks ago, he reminded me just how revered Antrim were within Ulster in bygone eras. We were the kingpins of Ulster GAA of the 40’s and 50’s with the Kevin Armstrong’s team of 1946 deemed to be one of the greatest teams of that decade.  It’ll surprise some of my generation to find out that we have more Ulster football titles than Donegal, Derry & Fermanagh and we’re the only Ulster County to reach All-Ireland hurling finals in ’43 as well as ’89.

In recent years we’ve had fleeting glimpses of that success.  June 2000 I was fortunate to captain Antrim when we beat Down in the first round of the senior football championship, a first Ulster win in 18 years. I’ll never forget the semi-final against Derry two weeks later, the incredible sense of occasion.  I’d never seen a crowd that size at an Antrim game.  It’s amazing what a little success does to create interest at an individual county level.  It was the first time in my football career that I sensed the impact that a crowd had in significantly influencing a game.  As players we grew in unison with the crowd in the belief that Derry, highly fancied for Sam Maguire, could be beaten.  Drawing the game, we fell just short but I don’t think that would even have happened if it was anywhere except at Casement Park.   These are days that will live long in the memory of Antrim supporters and there could be no better or more fitting place than Casement Park to host these games.  Belfast has one of the greatest densities of Clubs in Antrim, a strong Belfast makes for a strong Antrim and a stronger Ulster.

More locally, Casement has always been at the heart of my community in West Belfast. For me there is no other place like the Andersonstown Road on big match day. The hustle and bustle of people, the bars and restaurants buzzing in anticipation of the big game ahead.

Since hanging up my boots in 2005 I have enjoyed coaching juvenile teams back at my club. Any announcement of a trip to Casement to watch games or to participate in tournaments is met with excitement and anticipation.

These are the future stars of Antrim and wouldn’t it be fantastic if they had a state of the art stadium on their doorstep as I did growing up that will inspire them and future generations to establish our County as a powerhouse in Ulster as it once was.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for Antrim and Ulster GAA to leave a lasting legacy for Gaelic Games in our City and across the province.  If we cannot reach agreement on this propitious project, Antrim & Ulster Gaels, Belfast and the North will all be losers culturally, socially and financially.

ENDS