So is this how Charlie Bucket felt when he stood outside Willy Wonka’s factory all those imaginary years ago?
Last night the Wonka factory in question was the Glenswilly GAA club.
They weren’t handing out everlasting gobstoppers or lifetime’s supply of chocolate.
Nope, it was something much sweeter than that.
It was All-Ireland tickets – passes to two hours of Donegal GAA history in the making.
The gravel carpark of Glenswilly was packed to overflowing as I arrived fifteen minutes after the opening time of 7.30pm.
The queue reminded me of a dole queue – apprehension laced with an air of expectancy.
As much as everyone was expecting to receive their allocation of tickets, nobody was taking anything for certain until they had them in their hands.
And of course it rained.
Not that anybody cared.
The small matter of getting a little wet is no price to pay when such rewards are beyond the gates of Mr Wonka’s factory.
Inside the factory the workers (Paul Gallagher, Paddy Devine, Brendan Walsh, Paddy and Sharon McGinty) were busy taking names, ticking boxes, taking cash and allocating the golden tickets.
Few dared speak of the levy of €5 put on each ticket by the county board for the players fund.
Rightly or wrongly, such are the minor details of life – when life is flowing in the right direction.
And in a heartbeat the deal was done.
A cool €170 in exchange for two golden tickets inside a white envelope.
Oh and not forgetting the two tickets to the draw for some cash and more golden passes.
When I got home the young fella was sitting at the top of the stairs in his nightclothes wondering if it had been mission accomplished.
I gave him the thumbs up and he begged me to see the two golden tickets.
He asked me where they were for and I told him the Hogan Stand Upper.
They could have been for the top of the GPO because it didn’t matter.
He was going to watch Donegal play in the All Ireland final.
He was going to see his fellow clubmen Murphy, Gallagher and McFadden do battle to bring Sam home to Donegal.
It’s the kind of days that fathers and mothers dream of for their sons and daughters.
Memories. Snapshots in time. Good times. Honest times. Irish times.
Oh, I’ve got a golden ticket ………..
Tags:
