Captain Cumiskey ‘an honour and a privilege’

THERE wasn’t a prouder man in the Box-IT Athletic Grounds than Crossmaglen captain Callum Cumiskey.

The 32-year-old has won his ninth county title from 11 Armagh senior finals, so losing doesn’t come naturally to him.

He stepped away from the Armagh panel after the Ulster Final heartbreak in 2024 and of course the Orchard went on to reach the promised land, but he’s made peace with that decision and leading his club to a county title is the biggest honour he craved.

“It is a dream come true, it is something I tried to achieve over the last three years and things just didn’t fall into place. On a sporting front there are probably more negatives but today cancels them all out,” said Cumiskey.

“I was unfortunate with that 2024 team with Armagh to step away after the Ulster Final and then we ended up going on and winning Sam that year, I don’t care now at this stage, to captain my club and captain friends and team-mates, it is probably an honour and a privilege that will never be beat.

“We are the shop window for our club, we are what the young ones look up to and we try to achieve and we know it is a privilege to put on that senior jersey and we try to encourage the younger generation to come up and wear it someday. It was that way when I came on the team at first and that is the way I would like to leave things whenever that day eventually comes.”

He insists that the Ulster Club was never on his radar and he said he will look at Gowna in good time and says while the body is creaking that winning feeling is a great healer and he’s already thinking of bringing his county title wins up to ten.

I have no clue who we play in Ulster, I know people might only say that, but we really wanted this county championship, it is the first one we have obtained since Stringer passed away in 2024 and our full sight was in this year’s championship and if it is Cavan the next day out then we will worry about them on Wednesday night, I think we will enjoy tonight first.

“We learned early on that it was never about how many county titles you have it is always about getting the next one and that has been instilled in me since I came onto the team as an 18-year-old and that has always been my outlook, so if anyone asks, ‘it’s the next one.’

“I am feeling great, a few aches and pains over these past few weeks but that comes with old age I suppose. But stepping out in County Final day all those aches and pains seem to disappear, and the aftermath now is sure elation and relief.”

The Crossmaglen captain says that winning this title means more to the club after a difficult period for the community but feels that it can also bring the club closer together.

“It probably brings teams, groups, and communities closer together. In your time in need that is when really see who cares about you who stands up and who is there for you, and I think it really cemented the unity and brotherliness of this team over the last two years,” said Cumiskey.

“You look at the last day against Clann Eireann, we were out the gate for a lot of people but not us, we knew at half-time that we had the capabilities to peg that game back and I am just glad that we went and done it.

“We are the shop window for our club, we are what the young ones look up to and we try to achieve and we know it is a privilege to put on that senior jersey and we try to encourage the younger generation to come up and wear it someday. It was that way when I came on the team at first and that is the way I would like to leave things whenever that day eventually comes.”

The captain is tuned in to making the hay while he is fit to do it and says the Crossmaglen way of playing is paying dividends now that the county players are back and flying and the younger lads are making an impact.

“It is nice to play and nice to watch, that’s the aim of the game, get the ball from A to B in fastest time as possible and the easiest way to do that is through the boot. We have the players and the capability to be able to play that brand of football and when it comes together it is great,” said Cumiskey.

“Sure, there is nothing else you would want to be doing. You have work, for us football plays as big a part of our lives as work and family and all the rest because you have your second family anytime you want up at the club and I just hope people can see that by the way we perform, we are never out of it.”