Silence please. Go ahead Brendan.

"How it all started?

Not well. We played seven league matches in the 1964-65 league campaign and we were beaten in every one of them. Our last match was against Leitrim and to be honest that was the ultimate low.

We came home in the car, there were a few of us there, Sean Murray and myself and a few others and we said that was the lowest we could go.

There was no money in the county board and we agreed we'd try and get something going ourselves in terms of a bit of training before the '65 championship. I had an old clapped out Volkswagen, and we talked to Father McGee and he agreed and said if ye can organise getting here and travelling. . .

"We went on to play Donegal in the semi-final of the league in '66. My brother Pat had come home from America. He was small and tough and had a reputation as a hard-hitter. We were being beaten and he was called in and I'll always remember Michael O'Hehir saying, 'Pat Barden is on the field'. And he went on and the next thing, 'And Pat Barden is gone off '.

He came in one side and went off the other. He was alleged to have thrown a punch and you can imagine how I felt. I felt so small and my mother, the first question she always asked was 'Was Pat put off today. . .'

"The the famous league final against Galway. We weren't given a chance. The Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise was dying and we were all praying he wouldn't die on the morning of the match and he did and we thought it was going to be called off but they let it go ahead. It was a very tense affair and history will show we won by nine points to eight. . .

"In '68 we went on and beat Laois in the final of the Leinster, we beat them easy. But it was at a cost because Jimmy Flynn and Seamus Flynn were injured and couldn't play against Kerry. They put Mickey Riley, one of our best half-backs, marking Mick O'Connell. Poor Mickey is about 5' 6" and it was a gamble that didn't pay off.

But we got a lead of a point with a couple of minutes left but Brendan Lynch scored a couple of late points. The feeling is, we would have beaten Down in the final. I often think back and have nightmares. . ."

Stop. Enough. Reality.

Nightmares. Plenty since. It's better to burn out than to fade away but Longford did the latter and haven't taken much of a break since. But Seamus McRory, author of All Ireland Dream, claims there was more to Longford than dimming over the years.

"The thing is there was still always this great interest. In the background there was a love and I would claim that more than any other county, Longford are the greatest supporters of GAA. In 2002, they played in the All Ireland minor semi-final against Derry and 10,000 tickets were sold. There are 30,000 people in all of Longford.

That's a phenomenal statistic.

And maybe some of that was because they were starved of success, but there were always heroes. People like Liam Tierney, Dessie Barry.

Guys that Longford people could look up to and say he's one of ours."

Of course the population is a factor but why the wait until now for a group of heroes who can win and win and win? Against Derry in the last round of the qualifiers they battled at deficits created and leads lost. A young team played with a swagger not rightfully theirs.

They progressed. Brendan Hackett managed the county from 1987 until 1990 but what he thought was progression at the time quickly receded.

"Speaking as a sports psychologist, there is very little difference between teams physically and technically. A lot of the difference comes down to decision-making and mental factors on the day. Your decision-making improves when you play at the highest level. So you'd expect the Kerry decision-making would be that bit better. They are experienced and know how to win in tight situations. But for Longford there's always been this lack of confidence. Any team who always went out early would never build momentum.

Managers changed every three years and it more or less started again."

A lot of bad days can be pencilled down to doubt and fear. When the team led Dublin by three points at halftime in the 1988 Leinster semi-final, they realised what was happening and who they were. Hackett's psychology could do little as Dublin drew level with 20 minutes remaining and went on to win by 18 points. He said afterwards, "It was an example of a lack of self-belief in extremis." The key now though is consistency claims Hackett. "It's losing and then building on it and trying to get yourself back into a big game the following year. The problem for Longford is that if they don't follow it up the next year and build on what they've achieved, then they fade away. They don't get that experience.

Roscommon failed to build on 2001. Sligo the same with 2002. Limerick didn't and they all slipped back to their place in the pecking order.

Longford can't let that happen."

They have in the past.

Dessie Barry was Longford's greatest footballer for a generation. He played for Ireland and played in Longford side that could hold their own against all of Leinster bar Dublin and Meath. That was the mid-80s and after that, they again disappeared off the radar. "At the minute there seems to be is a load of young lads that played underage [seven of the under-21 team that reached this year's Leinster final started against Derry while two more came from the bench] coming through so maybe there's more emphasis on underage over the last couple of years, " says Barry.

"There's been a hint at success, a little bit of confidence.

Longford are progressing but there's still a bit to go but times are changing.

Results? They missed the boat against Dublin. They realised that. They beat Waterford and Tipp which in any year we'd expect to beat them but the manner is the light. They beat them and beat them well playing good football. Against Derry it was the same and they were able to get over the finishing line in a tight match which is something that hasn't happened in a long time."

Hackett said it's been cyclical with Longford so it's only right we finish with Paul Barden, a second cousin of Brendan. He insists there was nothing going through his head as he kicked the winning free in that game against Derry. All the thoughts of days gone put aside for one moment. Just so he could savour it. "It probably will be difficult to build on next year because you don't know what's going to happen from one year to the next, " he says.

"You don't know who'll retire, what young lads will do, will they travel, will they still be here. You just hope everyone will stick around."

Maybe they will because at last they've something to stick around for.

IT'S A 'LONG' GOODBYE FOR THE FOLLOWERS OF LUKE ALL IRELAND SFC QUALIFIERS, ROUND FOUR KERRY v LONGFORD Saturday, Killarney, 5.00 Live, RTE Two, 4.45

A tribute. A salute. But ultimately a farewell. You see Longford will lose on Saturday but that is not to undermine what they have done so far this season. They missed the boat against Dublin but waited patiently for the next one, never looking back, never entertaining regrets. Against Derry last weekend they were awesome, playing brilliant football and getting a result while they were at it. Their next major goal, however, is not a win today but a similar run next season.

Consolidation is key. They have to make this season a beginning rather than an end.

Not that they'll get the drubbing they might have expected from such a fixture in years gone by. Firstly this side has spirit, exhibit A being their season to date, exhibit B being the last day out when they kept on going until they'd buried Derry alive. And secondly this side has talent. And it's not just Paul Barden anymore. Sure, he has been excellent, kicking three points on his last outing including that memorable free at the death, but now he has support, and particularly from Brian Kavanagh. A deadly freetaker, he also offers vision and pace and with a little support will lay on his fair share of scores.

Longford's problems though lie elsewhere. The last day they held their own in the possession stakes by dropping the halfforward line so deep that Damien Sheridan had endless options with the kick-out. No doubt Jack O'Connor is expecting a similar ploy. But while Luke Dempsey may get away with that trick once more, he can't compensate for the inevitable flurry of action in and around his team's square.

The full-back line looked raw and irritable against Derry. Noel Farrell was withdrawn after 20 minutes. Paddy Bradley went on to kick 2-7, 1-6 from play and while his performance was exemplary, he was a lone beacon.

Kerry have a flutter of lights.

Farrell, along with Dermot Brady and Cathal Conefrey got vertigo under the high ball and if Kieran Donaghy moves into the number 14 jersey, the omens aren't good. And don't believe what you hear about Kerry either.

Firstly, Jack O'Connor calling the unrest in the camp "malicious rumours" is a poor attempt at a cover up. As for the rumours that Kerry's All Ireland ambitions have disintegrated, well don't believe that either. They need a big performance to remind them of how good they are and to solve both of the above problems. This will be it and crucially it will provide them with a decent test as well. Longford won't lie down and the visitor's incessant battling will keep them in touch throughout. But then there's that saying about class and form. . .

And then there's the venue. . .Farewell lads, but do come back again soon.