Munster Club JFC: Buttevant look to honour the late Miah Ahern in Kildorrery

It’s a huge day ahead on Saturday afternoon in the history of Buttevant GAA.

The Avondhu team face Limerick side Ahane in the AIB Munster Club JFC semi-final in Kildorrery with throw-in at 1pm.

The McCarthy Insurance Group Premier JFC winners, who hammered Shamrocks in the provincial quarter-final, will be roared on by a huge crowd.

Glantane and Mallow were possible ‘home’ venues, but the decision to bring the game to Kildorrery made sense on so many levels.

The two clubs have come closer over the last couple of years due to one man.

Miah Ahern, a very successful player with Kildorrery in his playing career, was a selector with Buttevant when they won the Avondhu JAFC in 2022.

Miah passed away in December 2023 after a battle with cancer.

The word legend is bandied around too often, what does it actually mean? The English dictionary would tell you, a person that is very famous and admired by a lot of people.

Miah was admired by everyone. His Kildorrery team mates were left empty and his many friends lost for words when he passed away. He was also to leave behind a bunch of young Buttevant men in their footballing prime, it shook Buttevant to the very core of their hearts.

Miah’s wish before he died was that, as he said himself, ‘I really hope they get what they deserve, a county title.’ Last month, Buttevant fulfilled his wish by winning the McCarthy Insurance Group Premier JFC.

When Buttevant did overcome Shamrocks in the Munster quarter-final last Saturday week, it gave them 'home' advantage for the semi-final. The decision to bring it to Kildorrery was an easy one.

In a club statement released to The Echo, Buttevant GAA expressed their gratitude to Kildorrery.

“As a club we’re delighted to be heading to Kildorrery for our upcoming Munster semi-final and are very grateful to all in Kildorrery GAA for hosting us. They have done tremendous work to their facilities over the past number of years and we can’t wait to take on Ahane in one of the finest club venues in Cork.

“It is obviously a great honour to be able to represent Buttevant in big prestigious venues such as Páirc Uí Chaoimh and Fraher Field, but we feel this game going ahead in a proper club venue is brilliant in terms of the atmosphere.

“There is a great sense of adventure heading into the unknown in these Munster games, and while we would have loved to be in our home turf in Buttevant, the next best thing is a ground where we have had many great days.

“Playing in Kildorrery has always been a favoured venue for a lot of our players since their underage days, but there is probably an extra fondness there now since the passing of our selector Miah Ahern.

“It is well documented at this stage the impact that man had on our club over a short period of time. Miah would never declare himself anything other than a proud Kildorrery man but to us, he will always feel like one of our own when we talk about him.

“A few days after the county final we were able to bring the cup to his graveside, just the other side of the wall from the pitch, so it’s a great honour to be able to bring this game to him. 

“Regardless of the venue, we feel he is with us every step of this journey anyway. It is certainly a nice homage to Miah that we can call his beloved Kildorrery GAA pitch our home venue for the day.” 

The black and amber will look to honour him in the best way possible with victory to secure a historic passage into the Munster final.