Sonny Ryan will have no memory of the Sunday his father delivered one of the defining performances of Loughrea’s historic three-in-a-row. Only days old, he remained in hospital alongside his mother, Galway camogie defender Emma Helebert, while Dad Jamie Ryan helped drag the Town over the line in a county final for the ages.
But the story of the week Sonny arrived — and the afternoon his father was named TG4 man-of-the-match after scoring 0-8 against Tommy Larkins — will surely be recounted to him countless times as he grows older.
“Best week of my life. Definitely,” he beamed afterwards. “He [Sonny] arrived a bit early but all well. Sonny and Emma are in the hospital at the minute and they had to watch it on TG4. I was chatting to them after the final whistle and they’re over the moon. I’ll be heading to the hospital now after this.”
For one of the most gifted forwards on the Galway club scene in recent years, the moment carried a weight far beyond another medal. Ryan endured county-final heartbreak, repeated injury setbacks and a shocking hand injury that once threatened his career. Injury often intervened just as opportunities appeared at his door.
“I just thought I would never be able to say three-in-a-row,” he admitted. “I was 30 or 31 when I got my first one and all of a sudden, I’ve three of them. Absolutely over the moon.”
Sunday’s final demanded every ounce of that persistence. Loughrea trailed 0-10 to 0-7 at half-time and had produced little of their best hurling against a Tommy Larkins side that attacked the occasion with courage, physicality and conviction.
“We were three down at half-time, with not an awful lot of hurling done,” Ryan said. “We just knew well that anything below our best in the second half wasn’t going to do. So, we really had to battle hard.”
Forward takes charge
When Loughrea needed leaders most, Ryan became their stabilising influence. He struck six successive Loughrea scores during a gripping second half, finding the target from play, frees and a trademark sideline. Tiernan Killeen supplied the final two injury-time points, but without Ryan carrying the scoring burden beforehand, that famous finish would never have materialised.
Any account of Loughrea’s glory must acknowledge Tommy Larkins. Their first final since 1971 ended in the cruellest fashion, yet they were brave and unfortunate not to convert first-half dominance into a greater lead. They led for most of the afternoon and showed the character that had already carried them past Turloughmore and Clarinbridge.
It was hard not to feel for the Woodford-Ballinakill men afterwards, with tears flowing and disappointment etched across so many faces.
The missed goal chances and wides will linger, but pride should eventually eclipse regret. There was nothing accidental about Larkins' presence on the biggest stage, and their performance was worthy of the occasion as they pushed a generational Loughrea outfit to the very brink.
Winning mentality endures
For the Town, the victory again underlined the importance of the collective. Ryan may have taken the broadcast accolade and Killeen the decisive scores, but their three-in-a-row has been built on a squad whose younger members are acquiring experience at a rate of knots.
“There are young lads there that have three years on the panel and they have three county medals,” Ryan explained. “Those lads are nearly as experienced as the older lads because they’ve played in so many big games.
“We have a mixture of a bit of youth and Johnny Coen and Paul Hoban and the likes,” he laughed. “It’s a good blend.”
Ryan was equally emphatic about the contribution of Tommy Kelly and his management team to this remarkable period of success.
“The club is one big unit. There is no one at training that doesn’t have a job - everyone is there for a reason. Without those boys, I don’t think we would be here and be able to say three-in-a-row.”
Ryan felt the final also encapsulated Loughrea’s season. Their backs had been against the wall repeatedly, from an opening defeat to Tommy Larkins through an injury-hit knockout campaign, without the champions ever consistently reaching top gear.
“We were hoping today would finally be the day that we put in a bit of a performance,” he said. “Look it, we just did enough to get over the line.”
That has become a defining quality of this Loughrea team: absorb setbacks, stay alive and trust that one of their many, many matchwinners will make the decisive intervention.
On Sunday, Ryan did so for much of the second half before Killeen applied the finish. Hours later, the man-of-the-match was leaving the celebrations to return to the hospital.
Sonny Ryan will never remember last Sunday in Pearse Stadium. He will not need to. In Loughrea, the story of the week he arrived — and the day his father helped secure a historic three-in-a-row — will be told for years to come.
