Host of Mayo GAA faces feature in 'Toughest Summer' documentary
A HOST of well-known Mayo faces, including former county footballer David Brady, Mayo fan Tom Byrne (now living in Wicklow) and a number of Ballyhaunis GAA members, feature in the latest AIB documentary, The Toughest Summer, which will be available on AIB’s YouTube channel today (Thursday) at 1 p.m.
Told through the lens of award-winning documentary maker Ross Whitaker, the feature piece tracks their story alongside a host of other GAA members nationwide and will celebrate the strength and resilience of the thousands of people in GAA communities.
The documentary delves in behind the scenes to life in Mayo and follows the strong connection between David and Tom that was brought about by current circumstances as Tom’s son, Kevin, contacted David to ask him to call his father who was trying to deal with lockdown.
“We are all in this together,” David stated. “I’ve been in many dressing rooms in my life and it’s all about who is going to stand up. The culture within the GAA is about togetherness, about community and about people. Without community and without people, you’re nothing. The phone calls for me – which started with Tom – were one of the most humbling things I ever did.”
The documentary also features members of Ballyhaunis GAA, including coach Darren Conlon, club treasurer Tommy Glynn, and a host of local children, following their goals and ambitions to build the future of the club despite recent circumstances.
The 50-minute documentary, which aired on RTÉ One on Tuesday, marks the finale in AIB’s The Toughest Summer series, and saw AIB, proud sponsors of the All-Ireland Club Championships across football, hurling and camogie, as well as the All-Ireland Senior Football Championships, give viewers a poignant look into GAA communities across Ireland over the past several months.
This week’s documentary tracks a host of GAA people, from players to coaches, fans to commentators, and will also follow the stories of TJ Reid, Michael Darragh Macauley, Caitriona Cormican, Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh and Ann Downey, to name but a few.
View it here: https://www.youtube.com/aib.