Here, at the very end of the club championship, it feels like the start of what could be a very big year for Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne.
The 25-year-old midfielder will be patrolling the skies around Croke Park for the Cuala footballers on Sunday when they aim to become only the second club in history to be crowned All-Ireland senior champions in both codes.
But beyond that, Ó Cofaigh Byrne might find himself doing the same for Dublin at GAA headquarters and elsewhere this year as Dessie Farrell assembles a new midfield partnership in the wake of James McCarthy and Brian Fenton stepping away.
Ó Cofaigh Byrne made his debut for the Dublin seniors in August 2019 against Tyrone in Omagh, just 24 hours after playing for the county’s under-20s in an All-Ireland final defeat to Cork at O’Moore Park, Portlaoise.
He made two championship appearances for the Dubs in 2024 – against Meath and Cavan – while he also featured in five National League games last season. When Farrell jotted down his midfield options for the year ahead, the towering 6ft 6in Cuala player was certainly on that list.
“Now that there is a hole there, it is an opportunity, definitely,” says Ó Cofaigh Byrne. “James and Brian, playing with them was an absolute pleasure. They are 100 per cent tough boots to fill.
“I know there are a lot of lads there [challenging], Ethan Dunne is a young player coming up, Tom Lahiff, myself. There were a lot of lads trying to get the jerseys off the lads [in recent years], trying to compete with them, and if that made us better as a team that was great.
“I know for the team they are going to be a massive loss, even just character-wise. With regards to replacing them, you hear the same cliches that they can’t be replaced and stuff like that. But there are definitely a lot of lads there, not only myself, who are ready to go.
“It will be a tough [battle] to see who will be there. I know the first league game is soon but when it comes to championship, it will be a tough battle until then.”
Hamstring and groin injuries have curtailed his involvement over the years but Ó Cofaigh Byrne did win All-Ireland senior medals in 2019 and 2023. And he feels his best football is still to come.
“I hope to be playing for a good few years,” he adds. “I hope I haven’t peaked – I don’t think anyone hopes they’ve peaked because there’s always something left, and that’s kind of the way I’ve been looking at it, you just try to get better and better every year.”
Sunday’s club final will not be played under the new FRC rules, so when he does return to the Dublin dressingroom, Ó Cofaigh Byrne will have some cramming to do on that front.
“I think probably to our detriment a little bit, and for the Errigal lads and even Strandhill and all those lads, we haven’t looked at any of the new rules or anything, not even once, so it’s going to be a massive learning curve” he says.
Before all of that though, he wants to try help Cuala make history. St Finbarr’s of Cork are the only club to have won both hurling and football senior club All-Ireland titles.
Ó Cofaigh Byrne was still a teenager when Cuala won All-Ireland club hurling crowns in 2017 and 2018. He remembers travelling to those matches as part of the facetiously branded Cuala Ultras.
“I was at that age where a couple of my mates, and myself probably included, would have been involved in those massive groups of people getting on the Dart and going to the matches and singing,” he recalls.
“It was insane and it was crazy but it was really brilliant for the club. They are brilliant days for clubs because you find yourself at these games hugging people and jumping and celebrating with people who you probably might never speak to normally in the club.
“There are a lot of memories that you cherish with a lot of lads. You might know Seán Drummond who was on our team, he’ll be at the game this weekend and he probably would be playing if it wasn’t for his tragic accident – I have memories of those weekends with him there and that’s something I’ll hold dear.
“In turn, seeing the hurlers now after games, they’re all absolutely buzzing for us.”
Errigal Ciarán have a formidable midfield pairing in Joe Oguz and Ben McDonnell, while up front Darragh and Ruairí Canavan are two of the most in-form forwards in the country right now.
“They’re obviously a very good side, there’s some absolute superstars there,” says Ó Cofaigh Byrne. “But because it’s such a tight turnaround, and I’m sure they’re the same, it’s just about fine-tuning your own things.”
For a big Sunday ahead. And for a big year ahead, too.
*Cuala (Dublin) will play Errigal Ciarán (Tyrone) in the AIB All-Ireland club senior football championship final at Croke Park on Sunday, 3.40pm.
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