Ode to the Kilmacud Crokes / BCI Nissan M2M 2022 - By Jim Murphy

The Daily Slog M2M 22

Day 1

We all arrived in Mizen and boy what a vision

To see Kilmacud’s finest tuned to precision

And so, at noon off we all set

To cycle with various punters that we had only just met.

The first bit was handy until we hit Caha Pass

And this is where the Climbers began to show their class

Next up quickly it was the dreaded Moll’s Gap

And then coming down we all wondered was Killarney even on the map.

As it was the first night it was early to bed

For too many pints will wreck the old head

We were all up on Thursday all bushy tailed and gay

Liam waved us off and all we were missing was Michael and Jackie Healy Rae.

Day 2

All the talk that morning was don’t miss the ferry

And to be as quick as we can up the middle of Kerry

We put in some great sprints and did some serious mileage

Amid all the wonderful smells of slurry spreading and silage.

And now as we left the Kingdom we were minus a flag,

Mick Green blamed Robbie –don’t mind him Robbie he is only a slag

All bikes are now pointed towards the Banner

And we are all thinking of the pints in Kenny’s and a swim near Liscannor.

On now for our 2 year treat of buns, cake and tart

And to the strains of Spancil Hill we had to depart

We thank Mr. and Mrs Burke,Caolan,Lorraine and the rest of the stock

And tell then all how fond we all are of their Quilty Mac.

We are here on Night 2 on the west coast of Clare,

And we all keep our partners from Night 1 to share

We heard the up and over went on in Killarney under the sheets

And we all hope in Lahinch history does not repeat.

Day 3

We leave Lahinch and no hard shoulder in sight

And every bus, lorry and school driver curse Kilmacud Crokes from a height

We tell them blame Michael Cusack who founded the GAA

Sure, he is one of your own from just over the way

We leave the beautiful Burren behind at our back

And we enter Connacht with thoughts of Cromwell and all the towns he had sacked

But if this is hell, we don’t know what you mean

With cycle paths and great surfaces, it is a cyclist’s dream.

As we near Galway we think of races and the Papal Mass

Where the Pope,Bishop Casey and Fr.Cleary were top of the class

The Pope told young people of Ireland –I Love You

And fair dues to Cleary and Casey they fathered a few.

But the earlier dream turned into a nightmare immediately after the lunch

And in no time at all the winds and the surfaces had split the whole bunch

Some went to Shrule for the last of the free choc ices

While the rest of us dealt with our own moments of crisis.

But when we hit Mayo it was like the miracle up at Knock

Our bodies were reenergised, and we were no longer old crocks

The rest of day 3 was like a piece of cake

Topped off with the icing of Liam’s rendition of the West Awake.

Day 4

Saturday came and we celebrate 2 events in one,

Both the Queen and Dave Byrne have their platinum

The Queen is on her balcony just waving to many

While Dave just jumps on a bike and cycles 190 to Letterkenny

We pass Knock Airport with its terminal of tears

And we all spot something that gives us great fears

A signpost says Letterkenny (in Brackets) is at 157

And now we know Connacht is Hell and certainly not Heaven

On the road from Sligo to Bundoran Ben Bulben casts a cold eye

And some of us on the road are just ready to die

If Yeats was around and not writing poetry for Maud Gonne

He would be saying “All’s changed, changed utterly, where are all these bloody bikers from.

Day 5

And so, on Day 5 we get some extra time in the bed

Arnie heads home as Hugh has done in his head

Kevin apologies to Dave, the Taxpayer and the ESB

As he is about to be cut off in his pad in the leafy suburbs of Clonskeagh.

And now up to Malin the Crokes take aim

But unlike the 190 of yesterday it will be more of the same

We are all thrilled and excited to have made the trip

And we did it as only the Crokes would do in a very good clip.

And so we thank the Drivers, the Bikers, the Committee and especially our leader Mr.O’Carroll

And if we all bought him pints it would fill a few barrels

So please toast M2M 22 before you go out that door

And all let’s toast meeting up once again at M2M 24.