'Deise Blue & White' writer Tony Comerford, pictured with Waterford manager Derek McGrath and selector Dan Shanahan at Walsh Park on Wednesday last.
Well-known local musician Tony Comerford (of Comerford Brothers fame) has answered the call in the guise of ‘Deise Blue and White’, which will make its broadcast debut on WLRfm this week.
Tony told The Munster Express: “The idea came from WLR when I was listening to Timmy Ryan and people were texting in, suggesting we needed an alternative to ‘Don’t Stop Believing’…I texted in, said the idea of an original number for all Waterford’s GAA teams would be a great idea and that I’d be willing to come up with one.”
Tony added: “I didn’t want to come with a song that was anybody in particular, one particular player or year, it needed to be something general, an anthem, so I locked myself into a room for over four hours and came up with ‘Deise Blue and White’, made a recording of it, gave it to (WLRfm Big Match commentator) Kieran O’Connor and he was very enthusiastic. He played it for Derek McGrath and the team and they liked it and then he got in touch with Club Deise Chairman Tom Shanahan and Tom liked it too! It really snowballed – and what the team liked about it was the fact that it didn’t mention a name or time – it’s a timeless song and it can apply to all our GAA inter-county teams and I’m thrilled and honoured that it’s been adopted as Waterford’s new GAA anthem – and all in the space of just two weeks!”
According to Club Deise’s Tom Shanahan: “Tony’s anthem has the full support of manager Derek McGrath and the team and I would call on all Deise supporters to get behind the song and make it heard loud and clear, from the terraces and the stands.
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to wish all teams representing Waterford the very best over the coming weeks and months – Club Deise will be there to support our teams in every way we can.”
Tony added: “If this song (the original track has been performed by the Comerford Brothers) took off and ended up being sung from the stands and in the terraces, well, I mean, that would be dream come true stuff. It’s short, it’s catchy and it’s easy to sing along with – and as a songwriter, that’s what you always aim to achieve: to get a hook in there that people can latch onto, get a song into their head and it will always stay there, so hopefully it will become an anthem for the Deise.”
So here’s a suggestion: let’s have ‘Deise Blue & White’ played before all inter-county matches in Walsh Park and Fraher Field from now on and make sure that copies of the CD are relayed to Semple Stadium, the Gaelic Grounds, the rebuilt Páirc Uí Chaoimh and Croke Park so it can be played following a Waterford victory. We’ve got an anthem. at long last, so let’s make it stick! Well done to Tony and the Comerford Brothers on the track and we wish them well with it.
