A day out in Galway – and memories of playing against ‘Frankenstein’…!
What a day we had in Galway on Sunday!
Yeah, great!
I’m so glad we went early!
And I’m so grateful your wife offered to drive us!
And well done to Richard Hughes and all the lads…
Yes…super result!
BEFORE THE GAME
We walked the beach!
We popped into that casino in Salthill, just for old time’s sake!
We had a beer in Lonergan’s!
We met the Roscommon fans…and our fans! I even posed for selfies!
Yeah, with yourself!
AFTER THE GAME
I couldn’t wait to get to that hotel for a pint!
Then you met the editor?
I had three pints by the time I bumped into him in the lobby…
I hope you didn’t waffle on about our contract talks. Leave that stuff to me!
Didn’t even mention them! I just, er, told him how popular our column is!
Did he pass much heed?
He seemed interested, even if his gaze appeared to be elsewhere!
And you LOST him in the lobby?
Not as such! He said he had to pop into the dining room for two minutes, that he’d “see us later”…
And you’re certain that when you passed the dining room window an hour later, you saw the editor eating a steak with Joe Brolly?
Yes! Two steaks! I’m sure it was them! I’m telling you, they’re up to something!
LATER…
So, while I was chatting to people in the lobby, you met some former players at the bar?
Yeah…a few guys from a Galway club I played against in the ‘90s.
You said that ended up awkward…surely meeting guys you played against is part of the magic of the GAA?
Oh they couldn’t be sounder…until I started talking about Frankenstein.
Huh?
I recognised one of them at the bar. Lovely guy. We shook hands, then he pointed to his three friends. ALL ex-players! Of course I couldn’t put names on them, but I knew we’d clashed on the field in the ‘90s!
You mentioned Frankenstein?
Oh yeah. So after a pint or two, I got carried away and admitted we had put the nickname Frankenstein on their full-back – ‘cos he was big, clumsy, slow…and a bit robotic.
You realise the doctor was ‘Frankenstein’ and his monster didn’t have a name? As in Dr Frankenstein?
We took license…
Did they find your story amusing?
Eh…mostly.
Go on…
I met one of them in the gents later. We reminisced a bit more. I introduced myself, asked him his name.
Yeah?
He wobbled over, towered over me, his face broke into an eerie grin, then he said: “YOU can call me…FRANK!”
