‘What the f**k? What is going on!’ – Shelbourne fan who gave team talk reflects on viral Damien Duff gesture

Reds season ticket holder Ciaran Harmon went viral on social media this weekend after Duff plucked him from the jubilant Riverside stand and into the team huddle on the Tolka Park pitch following their big Dublin derby win over St Patrick’s Athletic.

Swords native Harmon, who has been following Shels for over a decade, admits he wasn’t expecting to be brought onto the pitch and credits Duff for the bond that has grown between the team and Reds faithful.

“I didn’t expect it at all. I was on the barrier on the Riverside and one of the lads had a megaphone. Duffer came over and put his hand out and we thought he wanted the megaphone,” said Harmon, speaking to the Irish Independent with the viral clip attracting over half a million views since Friday night.

“But he said, ‘I don’t want that, I want you'. He pulled me down and I was thinking, ‘What the f**k? What is going on!’’ He brought me over to the team and was like ‘You are making a speech’.

“I was like, ‘Mate, I have no voice left from singing in that stand, what do you want me to say here?’ He told me to just say anything. To be honest, I couldn't even remember what I said at first, then I said what I said in the video.

“It felt like half an hour but only lasted about 30 seconds with the adrenaline and all. I’m from Swords, so I know JJ [Lunney] and Seán [Boyd], and they were saying, ‘Go on, Ciaran, make a speech!’.

“I was just looking at them saying, 'I don’t know what to say, lads'. Then Coyler [Mark Coyle, captain] took over and everyone was just on the same buzz, the players and the fans.

“I've never seen it like this at Shels before, how tight the team are with the supporters. Damien has brought us together.”

Harmon explained how his phone has been buzzing non-stop since Friday night, with many friends and fellow supporters sending their best wishes after the memorable moment.

“All the lads are delighted for me and just saying that no one deserves it more,” said Harmon.

Damien Duff pulls supporter out of the crowd and into Shelbourne's team talk

“They know I have been up and down the country following Shels over the last 10 years. It’s overwhelming, you don’t even know what to say back to people. I’m not blowing my own trumpet, though. There are many other lads who I would say the same about.”

In his first season at Tolka Park (2022), Duff led Shels to their first FAI Cup final in 11 years before guiding them to a fourth-place finish last season and a first European qualification in 17 years.

With the Drumcondra side currently sitting three points clear at the top of the Premier Division after a strong start to 2024, Harmon says it has been unbelievable to witness the club’s journey over the past decade.

“I have been following Shels since 2014 and I started going at the worst possible time. I was going when there were only 300-odd people at games at Tolka Park. There were times when I thought, ‘We are going nowhere here’,” he added.

“The last three years, I can’t even explain it, it’s just mental. It means more having gone to games back in the day during the bad times. I have seen days like losing to Cabinteely away, so for all this to happen, it’s unbelievable. It’s like a resurrection story. Now there are 4,000-5,000 people at Tolka Park every week, I never thought I’d see the day.”

Shelbourne’s last Premier Division title triumph was back in 2006, and despite the strong start, Harmon isn’t getting ahead of himself.

“Everyone is riding the wave. You don't want to get your hopes up too much and say, ‘We’re going to win the league’. We’ll just take every game as it comes and hope for the best. If we stay injury-free, I don’t see why this team can’t be up there [in the title race].”