St Mary’s captain Conor Dean celebrates with his father, former Ireland international, Paul Dean, mother Lorraine and sister Holly, after the Energia All-Ireland League Division 1A final win over Clontarf at the Aviva Stadiumn. Photo: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Twenty six years ago, Mark McHugh was part of the St Mary’s squad who won the AIL. On sunday, he was the head coach who led them back to the promised land.
Asked for his feelings in the minutes after, he said. “It was the longest 80 minutes of my life. Coaching is really enjoyable when you’re actually on the park coaching guys, but the 80 minutes on a Saturday or Sunday can be really difficult.