At approximately 6:45pm on Saturday evening I found myself sitting on the kitchen floor in my house in Dublin, hugging my knees under my chin, terrified to listen to the nearby radio. I'm not sure how or a what point I found myself to be in such a position but nerves and ever-rising blood pressure can do this to a man.
One sweet swing of Damien Reilly's left foot allowed me to snap out of it and off I went, jumping around the place in delight. Cavan and Derry were facing into extra-time, and myself and other like-minded housebounds were heading with them.
Every Cavan man/woman on Earth is on the laptop, radio or phone...
— Graham Paterson (@GPater1) July 20, 2013
Due to travel issues (the mother wouldn't give me a lift), it was the first time in a few years that I didn't get to watch a Cavan match in the Championship. However, the the experience of taking it all in via the radio, text messages and Twitter was almost as exciting and nerve-racking as it must have been to be there in Celtic Park.
As we hung on every word of the commentators, and every tweet from the likes of Paul Fitzpatrick and the Cavan GAA account it got me thinking how much technology has changed our match day experience. A few years ago, you would listen to the game with whomever else happened to be in the room and then maybe give a fellow supporter a quick phone call afterwards to get their thoughts on what had just transpired. Nowadays it's a completely different kettle of fish.
It's 70 plus minutes of not just listening to the radio but also engaging in a constant stream text messages back and forth between friends and the aforementioned mother, who was now on the verge of a heart attack. It's 70 plus minutes of Twitter debate and discussion – if you could call it that. Hundreds of people using the medium of Twitter to let out random bursts of trapped passion would be a more apt description.
I saw tweets from Cavan people all around the world, from those who for one reason or another couldn't make the match. One person, for instance, was at a Bruce Springsteen gig but had abandoned listening to him so she could follow the emotional rollercoaster online.
@CavanCoBoardGaa sat by a lake in Ontario listening to the game, can't bear the tension
— Phil Gill (@philipgill) July 20, 2013
Regardless of how this ends proud cavan man tonight
— Christopher Tully (@cftully) July 20, 2013
And it's not just the fans. As they rolled out of the dressing room after the match, players took to Twitter to revel in the delight of their exploits. Thanking fans and expressing their happiness at the win.
It's ironic that despite living in an age where many GAA managers and teams are tight-lipped and sceptical of the media, we have never felt as close to players, sharing in their fortunes – whether it be victory or defeat.
What a feeling.. Absolutely buzzing.. serious team performance.. the future is blue #firsttweetever
— Rory Dunne (@RDunne3) July 20, 2013
Boom. Never say die. Thanks for messages and well wishes! #verysore #bluehorizon
— Jack Brady (@jack16brady) July 20, 2013
Wat an unreal feeling to wake up to. Could get very used to this. Very proud to be part of the cavan family. #FutureIsBlue
— david givney (@DavidGivney) July 21, 2013
Now I know this all has its bad sides; it leaves players much more open to criticism and abuse, but during and after matches like the one on Saturday it's magical. And this is just from one of the matches held over the weekend. Imagine what it must have been like for a Monaghan supporter yesterday.
They're right when they say 'nothing beats being there' but for members of the Breffni army – or any county for that matter – dotted around the world, the ability for all of us to come together online and share in the experience is pretty special too.
