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'No regrets' for Dublin legend Ciaran Kilkenny after eight All-Irelands and 15 years in blue

Ciaran Kilkenny reflects on a remarkable career in blue for Dublin.

[Ciaran Kilkenny celebrates with the Sam Maguire after Dublin won the 2018 All-Ireland.]

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Ciaran Kilkenny celebrates with the Sam Maguire after Dublin won the 2018 All-Ireland.(Image: INPHO/Morgan Treacy)

Ciarn Kilkenny didnt bother with a farewell tour. No grand announcement before the championship. No tears on the Croke Park turf after his final game in blue.

Just a written statement the morning after Dublin's All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Kerry, confirming that one of the greatest careers Gaelic football has ever witnessed was over.

Eight All-Ireland medals. Six All Stars. Fifteen seasons. Done.

In an age where every retirement is trailed for weeks, Kilkenny had already made peace with his decision long before anyone else knew.

And perhaps that's the measure of the man. While the rest of us were wondering if Dublin's revival had one more chapter, he was quietly saying goodbye to every bus journey, every dressing room and every walk through the tunnel.

"I made the decision at the start of the year that it was going to be my last one for Dublin," he says.

"I suppose every game was... as we got into the knockout stages... one that could potentially be the last game I'd ever play for Dublin.

"So each game was quite emotional. We ended up getting a good bit of momentum after the Cavan game. That game could potentially have been the last one. Then we put in good performances against Donegal and Galway and another against Kerry, albeit our conversion rate wasn't as good as we'd have liked.

"I probably haven't really processed the fact that I'm retired yet. It'll probably hit home when pre-season starts next season."

That sentence in itself is typical of Kilkenny.

Fifteen years at the highest level and the thing he thinks will finally convince him it's over will be the first winter morning when everyone else is pulling on boots while he's sitting at home.

Every sportsman says they savour the big occasions.

Kilkenny actually did.

Because he knew every one of them might be the last.

"When Dean Rock was playing we'd always be the last two off the bus," he recalls.

"Over the last few years I'd always be the last person off the bus.

"So those journeys into knockout games became quite emotional. You're soaking everything in.

"You're preparing for the game with lads from other clubs in Dublin, the craic, the slagging at the back of the bus... they're things you have to cherish.

"You become a little bit more aware of everything. You see the fans giving you the thumbs up and fist pumps. Then you're getting off the bus thinking this potentially could be the last day.

"So just go out and give it absolutely everything you've got."

There are athletes who chase greatness.

Then there are athletes who understand what greatness actually is.

For Kilkenny it was never just about Sam Maguire.

It was about remembering the train journey he once made from Coolmine to Drumcondra with his dad and two sisters. It was the little boy dreaming about becoming one of the blue shirts he watched from the terrace.

"As I said in the statement, it's been the greatest honour of my life playing for Dublin.

"It was something I'd dreamt about ever since I was a kid. The friendships, the bonds and the people you meet through Dublin GAA and through the GAA as a whole are quite special. It's been a whirlwind of 15 seasons and it goes in the blink of an eye.

"I can remember starting my first championship game against Mayo in the semi-final like it was yesterday."

[Passing on the baton - Dublin's Ciaran Kilkenny is stepping off the inter county stage but reckons the next generation will achieve glory.]

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Passing on the baton - Dublin's Ciaran Kilkenny is stepping off the inter county stage but reckons the next generation will achieve glory.(Image: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo)

Funny thing about sporting dynasties.

Everyone remembers the trophies.

The players remember the bus and the daft jokes nobody else will ever hear.

Did Dublin's surge through Donegal and Galway tempt him into one more year?

Not for a second.

"I felt like 15 seasons... I'd given as much as I could, as hard as I could, for as long as I could.

"When you get a little bit older, after games it takes a lot more time for the body to recover.

"I feel like I've given absolutely everything I can.

"I feel the team and Dublin are in a great place now moving forward."

He leaves behind a dressing room almost unrecognisable from the one he entered.

The old kings have become coaches.

The kid has become the elder statesman.

"When I first came into the group Dean Rock was the first person to shake my hand.

"Ger Brennan was centre-back and I was centre-forward in training games.

"I remember Stephen Cluxton giving me a few quid on one of our first trips away because I was only after finishing the Leaving Cert.

"Denis Bastick, I soldiered with him for years. Now they're all part of the management team. It's definitely a new group. Lads I played with are now the management team. It's been brilliant to see the younger lads step into leadership roles and to see the new players integrated.

"They've so much more capacity to improve. They're only at the start of their journey."

And that's perhaps the perfect place for Kilkenny to leave it.

No "what if?"

Just quiet pride that he gave Dublin everything he had until there was nothing left to give.

* Ciaran Kilkenny is promoting this year's Aer Lingus College Football Classic between TCU Horned Frogs and University of North Carolina Tar Heels at Aviva Stadium on Saturday, 29 August.

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