HOLDING THIS HANDS' STAND IS HARD WORK

Sustained success springs from lots of graft in O'Neill's county

- BY PAT NOLAN

SOME counties arrive and then depart swiftly.

Tyrone came and have stayed.

After Cavan faded as an All-Ireland force in the 1950s, Down emerged in the '60s, winning three All-Irelands, but then they didn't add to their tally until the '90s, when they claimed two more. They have done little since, however.

Donegal and Derry made All-Ireland breakthroughs in the '90s too but struggled to make an impact in Ulster over the next couple of decades.

Armagh's golden era ended post-2008 and while they won their second All-Ireland last year, it came after a couple of stints in Division Three and a lengthy run without even winning a game in Ulster.

Tyrone haven't enjoyed an era as bountiful as that between 2001-10, when they won three All-Irelands, five Ulster titles and two Leagues.

But they certainly didn't fall off the face of the Earth in the meantime, regularly reaching the last four of the Championship, picking up a further three Ulster titles, winning another All-Ireland in 2021 and contesting the final in 2018.

And they might be approaching another golden period, given their recent underage success.