The community that wouldn't die - 90 years without a home, 60 minutes from a Leinster title

This was early 1981, a year after Charlie Haughey told the nation they were living beyond their means. But in this pocket of Westmeath, Charlie’s advice went unheard.

What they did have – from the late 1950s on – was a three-quarter length pitch with a sandpit at the end, one they ‘rented’ for a minimal sum from a local farmer. That didn’t stop them reaching a Leinster final in 1972/73 but by 1980, as Ireland faced into a decade-long recession, it was clear they needed a more sustainable plan.

They still do. In the clubhouse, pictures adorn the walls, the earliest from a team in 1913; later ones from championship winning sides in the 1960s, 70s, 1980, 2003 and 2005. They’ve had little choice. The Downs’ original settlers had to show resilience just to build homes and roads out of what was then a forest.

That brought them face-to-face with St Loman’s, the dominant team of the last decade in Westmeath. Underdogs then, they played the conditions better, backboned by a third of the team who’d been on Westmeath’s successful Tailteann Cup squad. “We wouldn’t have done any of those things if we didn’t have unbelievable support from our community,” says McGuire.

In all likelihood, you’ve just driven on, bypassing the next townland or village, oblivious to the joy, heartache and hardship that goes on in these places, the purpose that so many possess to prevent a community from disappearing.Reports From Qatar Get Gavin's exclusive writing and analysis from the 2022 Fifa World Cup“I don’t know if it is policy or not but there seems to be an urbanisation drive in Ireland,” says McGuire.

As you stare at the dozens of photos from around the clubhouse, the national and provincial Scór champions, the 11 county title winning sides from 1918 to this year, and when you recall the blocked up road near the club’s entrance, that’s when you join the dots.

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