It's just a few days short of a year since Sean Kelly played his first final of 2022 as he captained Galway to the FBD Connacht League.
There followed a Sigerson Cup final win with NUIG over UL the following month, then a Division Two League final against Roscommon in early April, which Galway lost with promotion already assured.
They turned the tables on Roscommon in the Connacht final in May and come late July they were contesting their first All-Ireland final in 21 years, where they were only denied by a late run of Kerry scores.
READ MORE: Roscommon's Conor Devaney retires from inter-county duty
Back with the club, Moycullen won just their second ever county title, and only two years after their first, by beating Salthill-Knocknacarra at the end of October and they added a first provincial crown against Tourlestrane in early December.
So, Sean Kelly has contested every final available to him over the past 12 months. Moycullen didn’t reach the Galway League Division One final but that competition was completed in July, when the county team was up and down from Croke Park.
Beat Glen in tomorrow’s AIB All-Ireland club semi-final and Kelly will be preparing for his eighth final in the space of a year.
“I’ve kept injury-free and at the same time we’re preparing for an All-Ireland club semi-final in January so it’s not a complaint from me at the moment,” says Kelly of his hectic schedule.
“It’s actually a special occasion and some achievement for the club as well. I’m kind of just enjoying it all at the moment and maybe now in a few months’ time when the body could be feeling it a bit I could have some complaints, but at the moment it’s all good.
“With your club, with friends, all my family who have been involved with Moycullen for years, it would be a huge achievement for me, personally.
“With my brothers as well it’s even more special. For the club, for the parish, it’s just different. It will be so special.
“It’s not something we’re taking for granted. Hopefully we’ll just put in another performance, don’t get lost in the day.
“It would be massive. Very special.”
Moycullen were denied the opportunity to represent Galway two years ago as the provincial and All-Ireland series was cancelled due to the pandemic, but they’ve made the most of it this time around.
“That 2020 year we knew there wouldn’t be a chance. It was a big disappointment but at the same time we had our own kind of wild celebrations at the time, a couple of days at it.
“At the same time, we knew in the back of our head that we wanted to express ourselves in Connacht and hopefully an All-Ireland stage and thankfully we are still going.
“We probably played our best football, attacking-wise, against Westport. I think we had only one or two wides that day.
“Between Strokestown and Tourlestrane, we had good defensive performances those days. We’ll be looking to play our best football now against Glen.”
While Moycullen is an area modest in size, it is one that is growing amid shifting demographics, with it situated just 12km outside of Galway city. With that in mind and the club’s underage system ticking over nicely, their recent success looks as though it may be sustainable into the future.
“It’s sort of a growing village and there’s a lot of developments out there, but at the same time to keep that momentum going it’s all work in the club, so that’s kind of the important thing, and it’s probably there at the moment with the hard work being put in by club members to kind of drive this on. We have a good foundation there now and hopefully we can just keep building on it.
“With our underage, there’s good numbers there and we are getting success, we won another minor this year so there’s an underage coming through as well and hopefully we can get as many players into the senior team and keep that sort of momentum going.
“But who knows what could happen between travelling and everything so who knows, it could be (another) 50 years easily.
“This is the first time in our club’s history going this far. Hopefully not, hopefully we do it again but at the moment it’s getting the most out of the now because who knows when you’ll be there again.”
And the wheel keeps turning for Kelly. Galway returned to action last night, while he remains on the books of University of Galway (as NUIG is now called), along with his brothers Eoghan and Paul, with the college due to start its Sigerson Cup defence next Wednesday night against Maynooth University.
They hope to have yet another final in the pipeline by the time that game rolls around.
“I haven’t even thought about it. Don [Connellan] is involved. He’s manager of Moycullen and involved with Sigerson as well.
“Club is the most important at the moment for us. We’re just focusing on Glen and nothing else really.
“Hopefully, if we’re on the right side of the result, we’ll play it by ear.”
READ NEXT:
RTE Presenter Jacqui Hurley to quit Sunday Sport after 14 years in role
Pep Guardiola hails Man City's "extraordinary" unsung hero after "important" Chelsea win
Andrew Porter identifies Ireland's potential captain in the absence of Johnny Sexton
OnlyFans MMA fighter has to change gyms after 'wives complain'
Cristiano Ronaldo facing more Al-Nassr frustration as new club 'unable to register' him
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
