Kilmurry’s bearded belief: William Ronan’s superstition that he refuses to shave off

There are a few things that stand out about William Ronan. Not just his captaincy of Kilmurry or his consistency in defence. Spend any time watching him and you’ll notice the beard – thick, proud, and, as it turns out, carrying more meaning than most.

It tends to appear around this time of year. That’s no coincidence either.

When talk turned to superstition ahead of Kilmurry’s Intermediate A semi-final against Ballinora this weekend, the beard came up quickly.

“I suppose I’d be kind of superstitious in nature when it comes to playing games,” Ronan says. “Like I'd have the same meal in the morning or the same meal in the evening time before a game, that way.

“I'd always kind of wear the same gear playing matches and stuff like that.

“I currently have a beard on my face that I'm not shaving until we get knocked out of the championship, so it'd be very bad that way!” he laughs.

But what if they win the county? Does it stay?

“It will go if we win the county,” he smiles. “Last year, it went after the All-Ireland semi-final obviously, but if we were to get to a county final and win the county final, the beard would go.

However long football goes on for the rest of the year, that's how long it stays. 

So where did it start?

“It kind of came from the first year when we won the junior county. I just said to myself, I'll see how it goes, and then we won the county. So it was kind of just the thing that I said I'd stick with.” 

He’s stuck with it, and it seems to be working just fine.

“I suppose the last probably, three years have been really enjoyable, getting to latter stages of county championships and Munster championships, and even there last year having the privilege of going out in All-Ireland semi-final,” Ronan explains. “It’s very enjoyable when things are going well.

“I suppose there were a couple of years there before it, where it was barren and tough, so I suppose when you’re having these good times it’s about trying to enjoy them as a group.” 

For Ronan, that enjoyment is found in the ordinary moments.

“Just the Tuesdays and the Thursday evenings, going up to the pitch in Kilmurry, seeing the lads and interacting with the lads,” Ronan says is most enjoyable. “Without the football, you probably wouldn't see most of them even though we're only living five, ten minutes apart.

CAMARADERIE

“That kind of camaraderie that's built over the years is definitely one of the nicer aspects. And being from a rural area, the sense of community you get playing with your local club and the enjoyment that the people of Kilmurry get from coming to our games or even watching your training sessions.” 

No doubt Kilmurry’s age profile has helped their rise. The spine of the side is in its prime, while younger faces from last year’s U21 B county-winning team have freshened things further.

“I suppose the majority of the team would be in the around the 27 and 26 mark,” he says. “Like the oldest would probably be our goalie there in Jason McDonald and he's only in his early 30s.

“Then you've a lot of younger fellas coming in then from over the last couple years, so I suppose there's a nice blend there of kind of lads who've been playing the last maybe eight or nine years, kind of in their mid to late 20s, and then you have a couple of younger fellas then coming into the team as well, which always adds to it.” 

If Kilmurry are to push on and add another title this season, there’ll be plenty of reasons offered – the work, the balance, the belief.

But deep down, everyone will know.

It’s the beard.