Larry O'Gorman

just that Kilkenny played well but we played a bit better on the day but yeah you get good vibes from it you know you go back training there's a good atmosphere in training the training lads were coming into the dressing room for training and there's a smile on their face there was a good atmosphere as I say within the dressing room and then around the county there was a good buzz and

you know, you'd always notice that when the Wexford flags start going up, they're in houses and housing estates and hanging out the windows, you know, you'd say, whoa, there's something moving here nicely.

And of course, then we all know about the famous Dancing at the Crossroads song that came out and the Father and Son song.

So I think that got the momentum going with the county as well.

It was played on the radio nearly every day.

And, you know, we went on to play, as you said, we went on to play Dublin the next day and the crowd was getting bigger and bigger as the year went on.

as I said the following start getting the followers themselves start getting behind us and start believing this team is going places but we inside our own little dressing room believed in that in the first place and it's probably to do with psychology and everything else that goes with in terms of hurling

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Liam Griffin is very motivational as well, and he's very spiritual as well, you know.

Even on the bus...

he talks very positive he comes up and down along the bus you know you're ready you're right we're up for this one you know you stop and you come back half an hour later are we okay we're focused we're still there we're still there so he kept you tuned in everything in terms of people have been laxadaisical or like that or maybe it's to do with lads getting worried or getting worked up you know so he comes down and talks to you you're a breath of fresh air you're back to normal again or whatever yeah but when the bus pulled in and we all got off the bus and into the field did you know why you were getting off were you like what's going on is the bus broken down

It was funny you said it actually because when we got off the bus and we were all walking up the road and we were walking into a little field through a gap in the gateway and we were all there and Liam got up and made a wonderful speech and there was silence for about, I'd say, two or three minutes before we got back on the bus.

But there was cars going by with flags and banners hanging over it and they were all waving and two cars pulling beside us, you know, and they said, everything all right?

He said, no, the bus, we're having to get in a flat tyre, we've no way to Crow Park.

And Griffin says, oh my God, there's his lovely speech gone up in dust.

It was all good fun, I must say.

Yeah, it was very emotional.

But when we got back on the bus, I stayed in silence for about three or four minutes as the bus took off up that road.

it was sinking into the side of our head what it means to the people of Wexford, the people of old, whether it's the Battle of Vinegar Hill or the men of, you know, the 50s or 60s or whatever, the great warriors that played for Wexford.

He said, wouldn't it be something special to bring the Bob O'Keefe Cup back to the people of Wexford, the people that deserve it?