A lot changes in three years. Prince William was unmarried. The Arab Spring uprisings were in their infancy. And Lorcan Mulvey was just settling in London.

Since then, the Cavan native has been a mainstay in the Fulham Irish football team and was part of the London team that reached last year’s Connacht Championship final. Despite having previously represented Cavan at senior level before moving across the Irish Sea, he was unsure about his footballing future.

“I didn’t know what to expect when I came over first,” he said. “I played a year with Fulham and then Paul (Coggins) asked me into the London setup. I blended in fairly quickly – I suppose I was used to the inter-county training. I didn’t really know what to expect from London but I suppose you realise the standard of player here is as high here as it is at home."

In his earlier years, the 28-year-old had represented Cavan in football at all levels before breaking into the senior panel. So it was with a wry smile that he realised London would face his home county at, of all places, Croke Park.

“Playing against Cavan was a very funny feeling. Between playing at Croke Park and against friends that I’ve trained with for years, it was a funny feeling. It was a proud moment for both me and my family. There was a lot of stuff going on in my head at the time but it (the game) went OK. A six day turnaround from the Mayo game didn’t help us but I suppose if we had them on another day it could have been different.”

While he openly admits that his performance against Cavan was not his best, his performances in last year’s All-Ireland Championship earned him an All Star nomination. Most players would be delighted to be told their achievements had been recognised but Mulvey at first thought it was part of an elaborate prank.

“I honestly thought it was a joke. It was funny the way a journalist just rang me and asked me my reaction to getting nominated. I thought it was one of the lads messing! It was surprising enough at the time but with London’s success that year the limelight was on us and one of us was bound to get some sort of recognition. It could have been the pick of a few of the lads.

“Hopefully long may it continue and more guys will get nominated. Maybe even one day (one of us) might actually get an All Star which would be the Holy Grail.”