You can see him clearly, despite the grainy sepia, leaning forward in his seat and shouting `go on' before turning to stern-faced Dev and throwing that mirthful grin.
This was shortly after the War of Independence, when Michael Collins could walk openly around Croke Park, indulging his love of the games.
He was active in the GAA, particularly during his time in London, when he served as secretary to the Geraldines club. Pinned behind glass is his old minute book, in sturdy shape yet, opened at a page on which he noted that the club resolved "that no man who competed for England at the Olympic Games be ever allowed to enter the Geraldines club."
Walking through the GAA Museum, the overriding sense is of history, of the indelible link between the games and a country once in the midst of a dizzying period of cataclysmic upheaval as it sought to establish an identity. It draws you in, captivates by the sheer weight of its past and the flawless layout which details every facet of the association, from its origins, its value to the Irish people through to those athletic feats which are now the stuff of lore.
Around every corner, it seems, are stored precious gems from other times; the Dr Croke Cup, dating back to 1896, which simply vanished off the face of the earth and which came to light again a couple of years back in Tony Hohan's antique store in Limerick. It is now on loan to the museum.
Bathed in light is a 15th Century grave slab from the Inishowen Peninsula, designed by Ferghais Mac Allain to commemorate Manas Mac Mhoireaisdain and bearing the emblems of the warrior, a sword and a hurley.
A small hand phone holds the stories of a simple age not so long ago, when journeying to the capital for matches became an epic in itself, three-day marathons involving moonlight departures on bicycles.
Walk on and you stumble on the medal collection of Christy Ring, those beautifully crafted Railway Cup medals won when that competition was like the championship itself.
Down's Sean O'Neill has tendered his boots from 1961, heavy cumbersome affairs, in contrast to the sleek, minute footwear offered by D J Carey (one by Puma, other Adidas).
The metal, lip ribbon microphone used so brilliantly by Michael O'Hehir stands guard in a section devoted to media coverage while just around the corner, the skills of John Torpey, hurley maker, are on view, from the cut of ash through to the planed down, finished wand.
For a long time, those central to GAA activities knew deep down that all the artefacts and statistics, the story of their association needed to be collated, lest they become lost to us. Always, though, the venue was the drawback and once the New Stand was designed and opened, the inception of a museum became an inevitability.
Brenda Kenny, the curator who had previously worked on Kilmainham Jail, spent four seasons tracking the country, listening to tales and collecting priceless artefacts. Coming from GAA stock in Wicklow, it soon became a labour of love. "It was often very moving, hearing the stories and seeing what games and certain tokens mean to people," she said.
"I remember, for instance, spending many evenings with Pat Walsh's family in Carrick-on-Suir. They are relatives of Maurice Davin's and one part of the house more or less remains a shrine to him and his achievements. They even played All-Irelands in a field behind the house in the early days. Marvellous stories."
She collected the incredible range of medals, cups, jerseys and notebooks in a relatively short period, and was astounded by the response. "Everyone was extremely positive, delighted that they could contribute to this. And now, with people actually seeing the finished result, more and more artefacts are being offered. It has really taken off," she said.
The scale and vision of the museum is genuinely breathtaking. It manages to pay homage to the past while embracing every aspect of modern technology. A touch-screen video archive already stores a vast number of All-Irelands and will soon contain every televised game still on film. A similar device details the history and membership of every GAA club in the country (although a number of clubs have yet to submit their details).
Micheal O Muircheartaigh narrates a short and poignant history of the sport in relation to modern Irish history (Harry Boland somehow found time to secure the record for most All-Irelands refereed) while on the upper tier of the museum, the 100-seat theatre runs a 10-minute visual extravaganza capturing Croke Park on All-Ireland day.
The museum spent £50,000 in shooting the kaleidoscope of images which run to a pulsating, traditional soundtrack.
"What we wanted to do was create a museum which would suit someone who simply wanted to browse around quickly, learn a little and also serve someone who really wanted to immerse themselves in the games. It caters for children and adults and, we hope, is a facility which will encourage repeat visits," said the museum administrator, Donnacadh O Dulaing.
The GAA employed Australian native Robin Wade and Irish architect Orna Hanley, who conceptualised the lay-out. Wade is responsible for over 100 sports museums, including Twickenham and Old Trafford.
"Obviously, Robin wasn't all that familiar with the GAA at first and it took a while to decide upon a lay-out. He knows quite a bit about it now, however. We visited a lot of museums covering other sports and I think I can say with honesty that this surpasses anything we have seen yet," said O Dulaing.
Mulcahy gave physical dimensions to the vision. Essentially, the museum embraces the traditional concept of viewing relics while providing literally hours of visual information and entertainment. It also has an interactive section, with facilities to test reflex speed and accuracy with a hurley and gaelic football and a high-fielding machine.
"Naturally, these are things that kids go for and we will be targeting school groups. The only problem with groups we have had to date has been in getting them out," said O Dulaing. The management hope to attract around 70,000 visitors annually to the £3.5 million facility. It was part funded by the European Union Development Fund and The Irish Times was among 10 major sponsors who enabled the idea to come to light. "We are extremely grateful for all the sponsorship, delighted to have the museum opened so quickly. A venture like this isn't really about profit making. We would be quite happy just to break even." Although this season is almost over, the management are hesitant about the idea of opening the museum on match days in future. "Other museums have experienced difficulties with crowd controls in similar situations. Obviously, you would attract a wealth of visitors, so we are looking at the possibility of perhaps opening the doors to ticket-holders," said O Dulaing.
The GAA purposely kept the construction of the facility low-key and only now is word beginning to spread. Last Wednesday morning, visitors trickled
in leisurely. Maria Landqvist and Jan Gustafsson, both from Linkoping near Stockholm, are relatively new converts to the games.
In 1995, they stepped out of their guesthouse near the Jones Road only to be greeted by a bizarre bunch of good-humoured lunatics from Galway, sporting maroon faces and a conviction that they would beat Tyrone. The visitors weren't certain as to precisely what they proposed beating Tyrone at, so they headed along to the match. This year, they have returned and on Sunday last, they headed down to Kildare to help the locals celebrate some game or other which they won.
They enjoyed the museum. "It is very impressive. We would not have been so aware of the history involved and that is quite interesting for us, well explained," said Jan. "The place itself is tremendous, although I think I asked a bad question," confessed Maria. "I saw the pitch and wondered if this is where Ireland would play Croatia on Saturday in soccer. I was . . . emm . . . soon put right."
The GAA see this as a growing museum. They want to greatly extend the library and envisage that the archives will expand on a constant basis, that recent, technicolour endeavours will be framed alongside the timeless flickering images.
Overall the GAA museum is a brilliantly realised testimony to Irish life. Huge black and white picture stills form the design backdrop, celebrating the faces of near immortals, unforgettable moments and images from history. And highlighted on the walls are lines from the poets, describing what the games mean to them.
Derry's Seamus Heaney perhaps captured the games in essence, recalling that common time "As the light died and they kept on playing because by then they were playing in their heads."
