Drimnagh Castle Secondary School will play host to one of the great Gaelic games stories this Sunday, as Long Mile Road-based club Réalt Dearg trade ash with Balbriggan's O'Dwyers in the Dublin Junior F Hurling Championship.
Taking to the field for the Red Star will be a player named Leon Flanagan, who at the tender age of 54 will make his Championship debut.
Réalt Dearg were founded in 2010 by a small group of country exiles with nowhere to hurl in Dublin's south suburbs. Four years later, Terenure native Flanagan - the club's only indigenous hurler - was taking a stroll through Bushy Park with his dog when he got chatting to three lads a few years his junior, who were enjoying a puck around in the public area.
Flanagan explained how he would loved to have hurled in his younger years, and how he regretted not partaking in the sport when he had the chance. After some persuading, and having been informed that the three lads were part of a newly-founded club whose third team were short of numbers, he arrived down to Réalt Dearg HQ on the Long Mile Road to pick up a hurl for the first time as a trainee.
Per one club source, "he's barely missed a session - training or drinking - since," including two club-organised trips to Brussels and Dresden.
And so, on Sunday, Leon Flanagan will make his Championship bow with a string of league and challenge games under his belt, having first picked up a hurl at the age of 51.
His clubmate Mike Butler, who pointed Leon's story in our direction, told Balls:
He will be a starter too so it's not a sympathy-type thing. I've often seen stories of guys playing until their late 40s or even 50s, but never seen someone make their Championship debut at that age.
Inspiration barely begins to describe this man.
Leon and his wife, Eilis.
On Réalt Dearg's foundation in 2010, they set up a team and entered the Junior F Championship - the lowest division in Dublin. Perhaps somewhat unsurprisingly, they lost every game in their first year. Fast forward six more, and the club consists of over 100 members, and last year had both a Junior C and Junior F team in the Championship, with three teams in the league. Their F team was promoted, which allowed them to enter a third team into this year's Championship.
Flanagan's own non-Championship debut arrived a couple of years ago versus Kilmacud, but he personally prefers to play in the forward line; he told the club website, "I like to be on the attack!"
A keen guitar player, 'The Karaoke King' also confirmed that Réalt Dearg was his first GAA club, "and at this stage, probably my only club."
Eugene Murphy Senior might not be the most senior figure on the field when he referees Réalt Dearg's Championship clash with O'Dwyers on Sunday.
Throw-in at Drimnagh Castle is at 3pm.
Cheers to Mike Butler for sending this our way. If you've got a story, feel free to contact us at [email protected]. You can find out more about Réalt Dearg on the club website, or follow them on Twitter here.
