Pre-2018, last Sunday - barring the need for an All-Ireland final replay - would have been the final day of the inter-county football season.
That third Sunday in September, sometimes the fourth, was always a keynote date in the Irish sporting calendar.
For many, it heralded autumn's beginning, with the spectre of shorter days to come. There are those who still pine for September All-Irelands. What we have for now and will have again next year are July finishes to the football and hurling campaigns, the demarcating line in the GAA's split season.
Somebody who was involved right throughout this year's football championship was Dublin defender David Byrne. At the end of it all, he picked up an eighth All-Ireland medal as Dessie Farrell's side got the better of old foes Kerry in the decider on 30 July.
There is no such longing or nostalgia from Byrne as to the significance of September. July's conclusion is perfect.
At a media event to mark ten years of AIG's sponsorship of Dublin GAA, the Naomh Ólaf clubman said: "I've had a deadly summer, in recent years I would have just completed the All-Ireland, so it's been good. The split season is much fairer on the largest number who play our games.
"From my perspective as an inter-county and club player the fact that inter-county ended in July, and then to play with the club thereafter is certainly the best of both worlds. In previous years when I came back to the club it was winter football and you're training on floodlit pitches in the rain. It was great this year to come back to the club with summer in full flight.
"The gap between inter-county games now is just right. Back in 2013 when I started, we would have been training for four weeks between games, which was completely unnecessary. Two weeks was more than enough; a week and you're coming into the next game a little fatigued.
"What also helped us this year was having Pat Gilroy back involved. I would have heard a lot about him from the guys who were involved with him back in 2011 before Jim. He brought an old-school edge to the team I feel, to training, and to help us up the intensity in the number of drills. He certainly was an addition given the schedule this year and having us right for each game."
This weekend sees Naomh Ólaf take on Round Towers in the quarter-finals of the Dublin Senior 2 championships. The goal is simple for Byrne.
"It's all about getting to the top tier," he outlined.
"We've underperformed in championship in previous years so to get some success early doors after topping our group was great. The standard is very high in Dublin, you just have to look at the level of athleticism, but we in Olaf's feel we can take that step. Next Sunday against Round Towers at O'Toole Park is the next challenge. It's great to be involved in such games after what has been an enjoyable year so far."
An eighth Celtic Cross for the 29-year-old no doubt adds to the enjoyment, some ten years from picking up his first medal under Jim Gavin. It wasn't until after the victory over Kerry that the realisation of what was achieved finally sunk in.
"I didn't think much about the fact that I was going for eight this year," said Byrne.
"That wouldn't be something I'd say if it wasn't true. It didn't even come into my head to say 'I need to stop thinking about that'. After the final it was talked about - that Jack (McCaffrey), James (McMarthy) and Clucko (Stephen Cluxton) are the most decorated of all time (with nine All-Irelands). It's an amazing achievement."
Myself, Cormac (Costello) and Dean (Rock) now have eight. I never thought I would have had this amount of success as a Gaelic footballer.
Byrne will have a chance to join the 'nine club' in 2024, as he revealed his intention to be on board again next season. As for others who may be prepared to call it day, no signals so far as to what their plans are, with Byrne adding: "I haven't heard anything, lads are in the thick of it with club championship at the moment.
"Play that, they'll then take a week or two and consider what they want to do. Decisions are made as a consequence of what's going on in their life, other than football. It's such a huge commitment, we'll see what happens."
Watch the Dublin Football Championship quarter-final, Kilmacud Crokes v Ballymun Kickhams, on Saturday from 4.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
