The latest champions of Roscommon's two greatest football houses go toe to toe in the SFC final at Hyde Park on Sunday.
Both clubs hail from the outskirts of Athlone, St Brigid's in Kiltoom on the Roscommon road and Clann na nGael out the old N6 towards Galway.
There are closer rivals geographically. Padraig Pearses, who lost finals to both teams in 2015 and '16, are Clann's nearer neighbours but the competitive tension with Brigid's takes precedence.
St Brigid's have won 10 of the last 13 Roscommon titles but it's this weekend's opponents who still top the roll of honour with 20, a lead of four over their opponents.
For the best part of 20 years, Clann an nGael swept all - including Brigid's - before them.
Starting in 1976, they won the county crown 16 times in 21 seasons, including an incredible eight in a row from 1984-91.
That run, most of it under the stewardship of the late, great Donie Shine, also yielded six Connacht club crowns on the trot and five All-Ireland final defeats, four of them consecutive.
"Brigid’s and Clann would be massive rivals," says Tony McManus, star forward on that team and an All-Star with Roscommon in 1989.
"They’re next door and the two most successful clubs in Roscommon. They’d be the biggest in the county, population-wise and structure-wise.
"When we were going strong Brigid’s were weak and lately Brigid’s have been strong and Clann have gone back.
"We’re ahead of them in the record books and we’d like to stay that way."
For all their combined dominance, the teams have only met four times in the decider: in 1982, '84, '89 and '97.
Clann were comfortable winners of all three clashes in the 80s, their opponents only scoring a single point in '84 (0-07 to 0-01).
McManus had hung up his boots by the time Brigid's finally got their revenge in '97 as a young Frankie Dolan made a name for himself in a one-point win that secured a first title for the Kiltoom outfit since 1969.
Clann na Gael didn't reach another final for 18 years.
"It was very hard to imagine at that time after going through such a period of dominance. It was a shock to the system," admits McManus.
"At underage level, Brigid’s got very strong. There was a changing of the guard then."
Shane 'Cake' Curran, All-Ireland winning goalkeeper with Brigid's, joined the club from Castlerea after relocating in 1998. He remembers the '97 final as a game that ended a hoodoo but didn't immediately lead to the forging of a new empire.
"Clann na nGael were the kingpins of Roscommon for almost two decades," he says. "I had lost two finals to them with Castlerea so I had known the hurt at that great team’s hands.
"On the day of '97, it was a game that brought the great Frankie Dolan to the forefront of football in the county. John Tiernan was a young fella that played that day and along with the old O’Briens they managed to beat Clann na nGael by a point.
"It took us some years (to dominate). We were beaten in three finals and four semi-finals before eventually we won our next one, in 2005.
"We went through a lot of hurt over those years. Those type of things build up your resilience and eventually in ‘05 we won one and went on to win three in a row."
Curran's home club Castlerea won in '09 and '10 before Brigid's took over once more, starting a run that of success that culminated in All-Ireland glory in 2013.
In 2015, the bulk of the team that had won the All-Ireland were on course for six in a row, only to lose to, who else, Clann na Gael in the semi-finals. Clann went on to beat neighbours Pearses in the final.
Ahead of @RoscommonGAA County Final this weekend; GAANOW takes a look to 2015 as Clann Na NGael won their 20th title by a point against Pádraig Pearse's! pic.twitter.com/DwS7Su6ypT
— The GAA (@officialgaa) October 9, 2018
Brigid's bounced back in 2016 under now manager Frankie Dolan and retained their crown last year but Clann have got the better of them in group-stage Championship clashes since and the idea persists that they are the one team who truly believe they can stop the all-conquering Brigid's.
"That would definitely be a feeling in Roscommon and the Clann mentality would be that they’re not afraid to go and beat them," says McManus.
"Clann have beaten Brigid’s a few times over the last couple of years. There would be questions asked of other teams that had chances to beat them and didn’t but if Clann get a chance they won’t be afraid to take it.
"A lot clubs concede to Brigid’s but I don’t think Clann will. Mentally they’ll be tough enough."
McManus' son John, a defender with the county, was on the Roscommon Gaels side beaten 1-09 to 0-11 by a Clann na nGael comeback in the last four. Brigid's weren't particularly impressive in edging Strokestown 0-10 to 0-07.
"Neither of them played well in the semi-finals so both would feel there’s a lot of room for improvement," says McManus.
"I think Clann have a very good chance. Areas where Brigid’s are strong, I think they can match them."
"They’ve beaten us in the Championship the last three or four times. They’ll go into the game as favourites on the back of that."
Curran, who wore the bainisteoir bib for Pearses in those final reverses in 2015 and '16, is now part of Dolan's management team.
He claims Clann na Gael's recent record makes the three-in-a-row chasing Brigid's underdogs.
"They’re a formidable club and a formidable team. It’ll be a difficult game on Sunday," he warns.
"Their recent history against us is quite good. They’ve beaten us in the Championship the last three or four times. They’ll go into the game as favourites on the back of that.
"Donie Shine is flying and Ciaran Lennon is going really well. Cathal Shine is there and the Petits (Darra, Shane and Graham) so there is a lot of experience in that side.
"But finals are there to be won and hopefully we can do well on the day and win it.
"It’s always been the way between Brigid’s and Clann, there’ll only be the kick of the ball between us."
Tony McManus played and lost five All-Ireland club finals with Clann na Gael and one with Roscommon (to Kerry in 1980).
St Brigid's became the first Roscommon club to win a Celtic cross when they beat Ballymun Kickhams in 2013, having lost a final to Crossmaglen Rangers in 2011.
Is that something they lord over their neighbours?
"There’s no need for slagging. They have it and we don't!" laughs McManus. "We would argue that we were successful for a for longer period. They haven’t matched the eight in a row or the six Connacht titles."
"We were fortunate enough that day came for us a number of years back but it’s a chance for the lads that are there now to make their own history," reflects Curran.
"They’re going for three county championships in a row and that in itself is no small feat with a young team."
Goalkeeper supremo Shane Curran and match winner Frankie Dolan celebrate @StBrigidsRos win at the final whistle pic.twitter.com/sak3WEzra2
— Sportsfile (@sportsfile) March 17, 2013
What about the neutral verdict? Roscommon and Boyle forward Donie Smith thinks greater familiarity with the big stage gives Brigid's the edge.
"I’d say the experience Brigid’s have of being in the last eight or nine finals, they probably have the upper hand," he says.
"Clann are a team that don’t fear Brigid’s. In the last five years, they haven’t lost to them in League or Championship.
"That will stand to them but overall I think Brigid’s just have too much know-how and too much experience."
Follow all Sunday's club final action via our live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and the News Now app, or listen to live updates on RTÉ Radio 1's Sunday Sport.
