Inside the Dubs’ secret training session as dawn broke

Players began at 7am on a secluded pitch

The club location, next to Balgriffin Cemetery, offers a place to train away from onlookers

The early-morning training session. Photo: Mark Condren

The club location, next to Balgriffin Cemetery, offers a place to train away from onlookers

The early-morning training session. Photo: Mark Condren

Dublin

The club location, next to Balgriffin Cemetery, offers a place to train away from onlookers

Kevin Doyle Twitter Email

April 01 2021 02:30 AM

The strange convoy turning off the Malahide Road at 6.40am on a Wednesday might have stood out – except there was nobody to see it.

With the schools on holidays and most people ‘holding firm’ with lockdown yet again, the activity around a narrow cul-de-sac on Dublin’s northside went unnoticed.

Darkness still dominated as the footballers, some in sponsor-branded vehicles, pulled into the large car park of Innisfails GAA Club, a facility with which they are well familiar.

The all-conquering Dublin football team has routinely used the historic club as a base for its off-season training in recent years.

Its secluded location adjacent to Balgriffin Cemetery offers retreat from prying eyes at the best of times.

Innisfails is almost as old as the GAA itself, having been founded in 1886.

The ’Fails describes itself as “a resilient GAA club” which has flourished over 130 years, “withstanding major world events such as the 1916 Rising and The Emergency in 1940”.

Now, in the midst of a global pandemic, like all GAA clubs its pitches are meant to be temporarily off limits.

This is acknowledged in a note on its website which says: “Please note, due to the outbreak of Covid-19, all matches, trainings and events have been postponed for the safety of our members and the public.”

But following Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s announcement that underage training can resume on April 26, club officials were quickly on to its social media accounts to tell members: “There is light at the end of the tunnel. For the kids at least.”

What members won’t have known is that their grounds would be used by adult players, including some household names, the very next morning.

Players began arriving at the large car park before first light and appeared ready for action dressed in a random selection of club colours, tracksuits and a UCD Sigerson Cup training top.

Despite dawn only breaking, they opted not to turn on the floodlights, and by 7am began their exercises in the furthest corner of the main pitch from the dressing rooms.

The session began with a series of stretches and warm-up drills, primarily based around high balls.

Under the instruction of a coach, they progressed to a timed fitness workout.

First the group engaged in short sprint bursts across the pitch before moving on to longer sprints down the length of the pitch.

“Keep going, well done. Go on, push, push,” went the encouragement from the coach.

All the while a lone man dressed in casual clothes appeared to keep watch at the entrance to the facility.

While not dressed in a high-vis jacket or anything that suggested he was security, the man kept a close eye on the car park and laneway.

Last year Innisfails GAA Club put in place strict measures to try to keep players safe during softer levels of restrictions.

Before attending any training session, players were required to complete a Covid form and parents had to do likewise for their children.

However, the Level 5 lockdown put a stop to all activity for members.

Aside from GAA, the club normally facilitates pitch and putt, bowls, pool, karate and darts.

On Tuesday it was announced that senior intercounty GAA training can resume from April 19.

A week later, children will be allowed back.

However, in an email to all clubs and county boards on Wednesday night, the GAA warned that any breaches of current restrictions before the respective return dates would be taken seriously.

“It should also be noted that these dates are conditional and will very much depend on what happens in terms of the overall Covid-19 picture in the coming weeks,” the GAA said.