'One step at a time': Donagh O'Riordan on Aghinagh's renewed drive for Muskerry glory

Aghinagh captain Donagh O’Riordan doesn’t shy away from the hard part.

The last two years have left their mark — two Ross Oil Muskerry JAFC finals lost, including last season’s late heartbreak against Donoughmore in the replay — but there’s no sense of dwelling or self pity. 

For O’Riordan, the only way forward is through it. 

“Look, the final was late last year,” he says of that defeat. 

“Before you know it, you’re into pre-season again. You don’t have time to think too much about it. These things happen, especially with the modern game. There’s no such thing now as being up 10 or 12 points and the game is over. With two-pointers, goals, the new rules — things change very quickly.

“All you can do is keep going.” 

And yet, even in the sting of Macroom that day, O’Riordan knew Aghinagh weren’t far off. They had lost to county winners previously. Donoughmore were close to winning the county last year too. The margins have been razor-thin.

“We’re there or thereabouts,” he said.

“At the end of the day, you just need a bit of luck. Sadly, in the last couple of finals, we just didn’t have it. Someone has to lose, someone has to win. Hopefully this year might be a bit different.

“We touched on what has gone wrong for us, but everyone understood what happened. When you concede one goal and momentum swings like that, and legs are getting tired, things change very quickly. That’s football. That’s sport. You just have to learn from it.” 

If last year’s league was a frustration, this year’s was a mission. Aghinagh targeted it deliberately, and the results have followed — promotion from the McCarthy Insurance Group Division 6 Football League, and they have since won the title.

“Last year we were poor in the league,” O’Riordan states.

“St Nick’s ran riot against us in the last game, and it had a knock-on effect in the championship. We were lucky to get out of the group — Kilmichael losing to Grenagh helped us. After that, everything was positive, but we knew we needed to fix the league results.” 

Former Cork All-Ireland winning minor manager Bobbie O’Dwyer is now in his third season with Aghinagh, and O’Riordan speaks about him with genuine warmth.

“We have a great connection with Bobbie. It feels like he’s one of our own. We’re very lucky to have him — the experience he has, the tactics, the decision-making. Hopefully he’ll stay on for many more years.” 

There’s no point pretending the aim is anything other than winning Muskerry. But O’Riordan insists the process matters.

They face Donoughmore in their first championship group game, followed by matches against second strings, Kilmurry and Ballinora.

“We’re taking the year as it comes. The first step was the league. We weren’t even thinking about championship. Win the first game, see if we can get promoted. If we get that done, brilliant — and we have done that. 

"Then the next aim is to get out of our championship group, try and win Muskerry, and see what happens after that.”

Aghinagh won their first and only Ross Oil Muskerry JAFC title in 2021.