THE hero of the moment, Ian Jennings, captain fantastic of back-to-back champions Kilmacabea, posed for pictures with his two small kids in his arms, his partner minding the Mick McCarthy Cup and the man-of-the-match statuette after his Carbery final-winning heroics.

Surrounded by children in green and gold calling his name and just wanting to touch him, Kilmacabea have a new football hero whose name now shines brightly among the Collinses, the Hourihanes, Daly, Gore, O’Donovan, and legends of the club.

What a day for the Jennings family. What a game for the daddy himself. Four two-pointers in the final – three of them when his side was trailing by four points, the fourth when a battling St Mary’s were threatening a late comeback.

‘The wind was very strong and you could see that it wouldn’t take a whole pile to send over a two-pointer,’ said an emotional Jennings, who gave a great speech when accepting the Mick McCarthy Cup.

‘I just thought I’d have a lash and for once they went over. It was sweet to get them.

‘It was special to win this one, the centenary final, to be captain and take home the Mick McCarthy Cup, very special.’

Kilmacabea's Eammon Shanahan tries to cut loose from St Mary's Mark O'Driscoll.

For once, Damien Gore might not have been man-of-the-match as he so often is with Kilmacabea, but he was just as delighted to get over such a tough obstacle and to praise the efforts of captain Ian Jennings.

‘It was a tough encounter, we knew St Mary’s would bring everything they had to the table, they’re a very good side,’ said Gore, who has rarely been so closely marked in any game. Credit to the St Marys’ defenders in policing him, but in doing so left the space for Jennings to shoot the lights out.

‘The wind was decisive – an eight- or nine-point wind – made for two-pointers. And Ian got them today. He has serious ability and, hopefully, he will push on from here now.’

Gore added: ‘We’ll have to look seriously at the county now. There are some very good teams left, even teams from hurling clubs and they are always very fit. It will take a very good team to win out, probably the hardest championship to win in the county. But we’ll give it our very best shot.’

Taking it all in and looking as fresh as a daisy after another huge effort was veteran player Donncha McCarthy, an ever-present on the side for many years now, He got on the score sheet in this final again.

‘I’ve been lucky, been around for all the final wins. Five medals now but each one gets better than the other. I enjoy it and this one was a tough one to win,’ McCarthy smiled.

‘We knew St Mary’s would be up for this after their win over Caheragh. We were down four at half time but we knew we had the wind in the second half and it was up to us to make the best use of it, which Ian did.

‘We didn’t panic in the semi-final, and we didn’t panic today, which was vital.’

Carbery GAA Chairman David Whyte presents the Clash Awards man-of-the-match trophy to Kilmacabea's Ian Jennings.

A few years ago when we launched the book on the history of the ‘Little Norah Cup,’ the story of Carbery junior football winners from 1949 to 1997, we met the then-new Kilmacabea football manager Kevin O’Driscoll. He said: ‘We’re not in this book. Not even in a final, but I can tell you now when you write the next one, we definitely will be.’

O’Driscoll was true to his word as he led Kilmacs to their first junior A football title in 2017, retaining the title in 2018. He was one of the proudest men in Skibbereen on Sunday as he watched the present team collect the fifth title in nine years.

‘It’s wonderful to have won this final here today, a special final as it is the centenary final and this is the home of the great Mick McCarthy, whose name is on the cup. What makes this win so special is that, while we never won the Little Norah, we are now level at the top with Caheragh at five titles each with the Mick McCarthy Cup,’ he beamed.

‘Ian Jennings’ performance is something we will treasure forever and winning this special title puts the club exactly where we want to be. Long may it continue.’

For every winner, there must be a loser. But, in truth, one could never bracket this St Mary’s team in those terms after their heroics this season. Considering they had to play this final without their injured captain Dylan Scannell, and ace scorer Olan Corcoran, they came incredibly close to pulling off an amazing win. But manager Daniel Cronin was not offering injuries as an excuse.

‘We were really in control in the first half, but it was harder against the wind in the second, to get the ball up the field and pick our shots,’ explained Cronin.

‘We couldn’t get enough shots off but we’re hugely proud of the lads, of the effort made. No excuses, those boys gave everything today. We’ve been through an awful lot this year and hopefully it leaves the team in a better place for next year.’

We met former greats like Dan Hourihane and John Collins lingering on the pitch, soaking it all in, men who had soldiered long and hard for Kilmacabea in their time but never managed to capture the elusive junior A title. They will never take this winning run for granted, a nine-year run that has taken the club from also-rans to the lofty heights of junior A kings of Carbery over the past decade. All that is left now is to bring home that first county junior A crown.