All-Stars, representing his country, N.F.L Awards - Keith Barr has achieved the lot. Mention Keith Barr's name and many things spring to mind - potentially the best footballer in the country; part of the near-legendary Dublin half-back line, and also a player not to mess around with. Since he first arrived onto the inter-county scene in 1989 he has never been far from the headlines, for one reason or another. Since that time also he has been one of the central figures in Dublin's bid to win their first All-Ireland since 1983. Now aged 25, the Erin's Isle clubman is looking forward to Sunday's clash between Dublin and Derry in Croke Park. It will be the next step on a tough championship trail for the Dubs which has so far seen them overcome Wexford, Westmeath, old rivals Meath and Kildare. If they beat the Northern champions they qualify for their second All-Ireland final in a row, and their fourth in all since they last took the crown, beating Galway in 1983. Ten years is a long time for the many Dublin supporters to have been waiting and this has led to high expectations in the capital - as every year passes that Dublin don't win the All-Ireland, the pressure grows. "There's been a lot of pressure on us to win the All-Ireland ever since 1983 but you just have to accept that. If you can't handle the heat stay out of the kitchen", says Keith about this pressure. In the last couple of years the tension in Dublin has escalated. When Paddy Cullen took over many expected him to be the saviour and he nearly was. His first Championship in charge was 1991, the year of the legendary Dublin/Meath first round tie which eventually resulted in an early exit for the Dubs. Last year they went a lot further but their seemingly inexorable march to the Sam Maguire was stopped by the Ulster champions Donegal at the final hurdle. Dublin have shown great resilience to bounce back again this year after the disappointments of 1992, and are there again in the last four, under the guidance of Dr Pat O'Neill. The clash of themselves and Derry has all the makings of a classic and should be one of the closest matches of the year. "It's going to be one hell of a match. We're two good sides and it's going to be totally different from our respective provincial finals." From what Keith Barr has seen of the Ulster champions so far this year, he is impressed. "I think they are a very good football team. They are strong and well-balanced side but we are strong as well and very hard to beat." This is certainly true as has been proved so far this year with Dublin disposing of their Leinster opposition. After beating Wexford and Westmeath in workmanlike fashion, they faced the challenge of old rivals Meath, not having beaten them in the championship since 1989. For a while near the end it looked as if a repeat of the 1991 series of draws was about to be set in train but then Jack Sheedy popped up to score an injury time point and give Dublin a sweet victory. "Meath ran us all the way in that match and it ended up going to the last kick." Keith Barr started at wing-forward that day but moved to centre-back and proved very effective there. He agrees that it was good for Dublin's morale to get Meath out of the way, but warns that people shouldn't read too much into it. "Just because we beat Meath doesn't mean we're champions. We got no prizes for beating them. It was just another stepping stone on our way and we still had Kildare to beat." Beat them they did, by four points in a disappointing final with Keith starting and finishing at centre-back and marking Niall Buckley out of the game. "Kildare are battlers but we just did our job against them." This match gave Dublin their 41st Leinster title and put them further along the road to that elusive All-Ireland crown. This year they would seem to be well on course and look a formidable side. "Our championship form hasn't been great but it's satisfactory. I'm sure the other Leinster counties wish they'd done what we've done. We aren't a totally class team but we are totally organised and that's why we're so hard to beat." Keith is of the opinion that the Munster and Connacht championships have an easier passage to the All-Ireland semi-final than their counterparts in Leinster and Ulster. "Cork's only real game in Munster was against Kerry. Tipperary are a good side and have some nice footballers. We played them in a challenge some time ago and they held us to a draw. But I expected Cork to beat them." Occasionally it is said in some quarters that Dublin are a rough, or even dirty, side but their centre-back is quick to refute this notion. "We are not a dirty team and never will be a dirty. We play football just like every other team in the country. We are a hungry team and work very hard at our game and we are not going to lose very easily." As can be expected, Keith partly attributes the Dublin team's hardness and resilience to what they have endured over the last few years, what with going out in 1991 after an intense four games with Meath and losing the All-Ireland final last year to Donegal when the Northerners produced an awesome footballing display on the day to upset the odds and the form-book. "Maybe our hardness has come with us over the years because of the experiences we've had. Obviously we were very disappointed to lose the final last year but the best team won it on the day. It was Donegal's year last year and hopefully it will be our turn this year but maybe not." He believes that the team learned a lot from what they went through last Summer. "We have learned our lesson well. Any player who wouldn't have learned from it shouldn't be there now. Some teams might never have recovered form this blow, but not Dublin. We have come back well this year. We won the league beating Donegal and we won the Leinster beating Meath and Kildare. We have proved ourselves as being one of the most consistent teams of the last few years and have always been there or thereabouts." As for that four match saga with Meath were their sworn rivals at the time and as well as that, Dublin had numerous chances to win it and eventually only lost to a last minute goal by Kevin Foley and point by David Boggy." Against Meath the best team won on the day. A lot of people said that Dublin played better over the four matches but that doesn't matter." This common-sense approach to the game has taken Keith Barr a long way since he first started playing. In 1985 and 1986 he lined out with the Dublin minor team. In '86 they hammered Meath by 16 points in the final but were defeated by the Munster champions, Cork in the All-Ireland semi-final. His first appearance on the Dublin senior team came in 1989 against Wicklow. "I really enjoyed making my debut and I haven't looked back since then." That year of 1989 brought controversy to Keith. After defeating Meath in the Leinster final and depriving them of four titles in a row, they faced Cork in the All-Ireland semi-final and lost a tough match, with Keith getting sent off of allegedly striking Dinny Allen. After that game, the Erin's Isle man came in for much unwarranted criticism from sections of the press. This type of criticism has been has been directed at Keith on a few occasions throughout his inter-county career and at this stage he prefers to ignore a lot of it. "I don't listen to half that stuff. I think that some journalists don't treat footballers with respect like they should. Sports journalists have their job to do and without footballers they wouldn't be able to do it. But it's the same with all sports-people." As for the frequent comments about him being one of the best footballers in Ireland, he takes that with a pinch of salt as well. "It's nice to get praise but I have often got the other side of that." Keith himself is happy enough with his play this year. "I am playing OK and am doing what I am required to do. I am playing centre-back and doing the job the way I think it should be done and the way the management think it should be done. I am happy enough playing there and I was happy enough when I was playing in the forwards as well. "Keith's club Erin's Isle are a senior clubs in Dublin and are currently in the quarter-final of the county currently in the quarter-final of the county championship - due to play league champions Whitehall in the quarter-final when the competition resumes. In 1991 they were beaten by eventual champions Thomas Davis and last year were knocked out by Kilmacud Crokes, who went on to beat Civil Service in the final. So Erin's Isle are certainly among the contenders for the county title this year. "I see no reason why we shouldn't win it. We've got some nice footballers and we will be moving well." The nice players they have include Charlie Redmond, Mick Deegan and Keith's younger brother, 22 year-old Johnny Barr. "Johnny's a fine footballer. He got his chance for Dublin when he came on against Kildare and scored a point. It's not easy to sit on the bench for 18 months and now I see no reason why he can't be a great player." As for himself, there is not much left in the game that Keith hasn't achieved, even representing his country - a feast he accomplished in 1990, on the tour to Australia with the compromise rules team under the management of Eugene Magee. "Australia was a great experience. We had a very good month and it was great to win the series. Robbie O'Malley was the captain and he did a very good job and the management in the squad. It was the trip of a lifetime and I would love to see it happening again". Also an All-star winner, the only thing Keith Barr hasn't won is an All-Ireland championship. "To win an All-Ireland championship. "To win an All-Ireland medal would be nice and I am sure that if I ever get to win one it will be great but personally I have won a lot." Written by The Hogan Stand Magazine 20/08/93 Tweet

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