YOU know you’ve made it when the parish priest announces your exploits at Mass.
Hundreds of miles from Butlersbridge in Cavan, across The Irish Sea, London’s Lorcan Mulvey said he was “shocked” at the news that he’d become the Exiled county’s first ever All-Star nomination in football.
“It was announced at mass in the home place,” he told The Irish Post on Monday. “There’s been lots of messages, even one from my old school principal. It was a nice touch. But my mum and dad have been getting the phone calls; doing all the hand-shaking. I’ve been away from it.”
The London full-forward spent the weekend lining out at midfield for Fulham Irish in their League fixture against Tara. This weekend the team from the city’s southwest will take on Kingdom in a London Senior Championship he won with Fulham in 2011. But Mulvey described this nomination as his biggest achievement.
“It has to be the high point of my career, definitely the highest honour. I never dreamed I get such a nomination playing for London. When I was playing for Cavan, the goalkeeper James Reilly got a nomination but that was it. This year Cavan have three nominations and one of them, Martin Dunne, is from the same townland as me, never mind the same parish. He’s the next house up.”
London received a hurling nomination in 1973 through Wexford man Mick Butler who played with Father Murphys and starred that year before the Exiles were beaten by Limerick in the semi-final.
In recent years, Sligo’s Charlie Harrison and Meath’s Ollie Murphy both won All-Stars, after returning from playing stints in London.
“I’m told I’m the first footballer to get a nomination for London. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but we’ll go back on November 8 to the awards and enjoy it.”
He added: “I was a small bit shocked at first. The year London has had I would feel it’s more about recognition for the team. We went from one game to five and I was the lucky one to be picked.
“I scored 2-18 and I guess I was a consistent scoring forward in every game. In the Mayo game I felt my performance wasn’t too bad, I put myself about a bit. The match I was most disappointed with was the Cavan match. I didn’t turn up that day.
“I was talking to the boys and they were very congratulatory. I knew someone would have had a chance considering the year we had and we were never going to get a nomination unless London did well — that’s the collective.
“I hope London can be more consistent and there are more nominations in the future.”
