My thoughts are with his family, a gent and a legend.
RIP Dermot
surely someone should put more detail on the subject line here...Dermot Earley Snr maybe ?
RIP Dermot. A true gent and a fantastic player
A class player and an important leader. I first attended Croke Pk as a long haired teenager when Armagh played the two games against Roscommon and remember being impressed by Earley. RIP.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0623/earleyd.html (http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0623/earleyd.html)
A true Gaa legend.
I will always remember him being carried off shoulder high by Mayo players after his last game for Roscommon, I think it was the 1985 Connacht Final. I cannot think of another player that was afforded such a tribute by any opposition.
RIP.
RIP, very young at 62.
RIP.
A class act
Terrible news
RIP Dermot
RIP Dermot, a true legend of the game.
A great GAA man.
RIP
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a ainm. I'd the pleasure of meeting him on a number of occasions - fear uasal den scoth. RIP
We don't have that many famous faces from Roscommon past or present because we are a small county, population wise.
But by God when we do produce legends we do in it style. Dermot was an absolute legend, gentleman and officer and more so he was an extremely proud Rossie too.
Roscommon don't have too much to be proud of on the GAA scene in recent years (with a few obvious exceptions) but one of the main things that has always made me feel proud of my county was the name Dermot Earley and the qualities he exemplified both on and off the pitch.
He is no longer be with us in body but he will forever live in the hearts and minds of all true Gaels regardless of where they come from.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a ainm.
A sad day a man too pure for this world god rest you dermot
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a ainm.
A legend of a man in the west and was undoubtly the best footballer in these parts for the best part of 10 years from the mid 70's. RIP Dermot.
would like to add my condolences to his family and those who knew him
R.I.P.
Today FM confirmed it about 20 minutes ago. First of all sympathies to his wife, children, family etc who had the hateful experience of witnessing a man of such mental and physical prowess succumb so quickly to this illness.
Like all Rossies in their late 30s onwards I grew up wanting to be that man. I first watched him play in the late 70s. By then he's been playing for a decade having played minor, u-21 & senior for the county in the same year. He won an u-21 AI medal in the mid 60s, 5 connacht seniors, an NFL in '79 and 2 Allstars. More than all that though he won universal respect as a footballer and a person throughout the entire country.
Dermot embodied a decency and honour that was linked to the past. The primrose and blue of Roscommon and Green, white and gold of the national flag clearly meant so much to him and he seemed aware of the responsibility of never tarnishing either during his football and army career.
The man had so much presence. Powerful, athletic build. Jet black hair. Ramrod straight military stance particularly evident during national anthems or when he was squaring up to a free. The complete footballer. He could soar like an eagle for a high ball, solo through a defence like a bull dozer, kick with both feet and was a prolific free taker.
So many memories..... the one Muppet just mentioned. That was was his last match. The 1985 connacht final. The mayo players did indeed shoulder his off the pitch. A sporting gesture that was unheard of by the mid 80s. His last act before the final whistle was to clip a 14 yard free over the bar. The score had no bearing on the result but everyone present knew the future historical significance of it. In the match leading up to it v Galway he gave an epic display at wing forward in his 37th year. At one stage he caught a ball over his head with one hand . The late Enda Colleran drew great attention to it that night on the sunday game. He broke his jaw in that match and went iff to a standing ovation from both sets of supporters. I remember him fighing to keep our hopes alive in the 2nd half of the 19080 final when he was marking a young jacko. He buried the late great Tim Kennelly with a shoulder in that match that Aldridge pulled him up for. Summed up that day. "The fear of losing overcame the desire to win" was Earley's apt take on Roscommon's agonising lossthat day after such a great start. His last chance to win the celtic cross he so deserved. I rember him being shouldered off by jubilant supporters after the '79 league win over Cork. later that year they lost the all ireland semi by a point versus the Dubs. I clearly remember Bernard brogan senior taking off on a solo run only for Dermot to cleanly snatch the ball off him from behind without touching him and taking off on a solo run of his own in the opposite direction. If anyone goes to u-tube and looks up great gaa goals they will see the rocket he fired in against galway in the '81 league final.
he was so far aheadd of his time in terms of his fitness and how he looked after himself. He practiced the skilss of the game tirelessly. He played 20 years intercounty footballl. Then managed Kildare and Ross. His army career gave all people hwo supported him as a player so much pride. He was also a very proud connacht man as anyone who heard him speak about provincial pride will recall dureing his time with the united nations in new york.
Despite all the above he remained a complete gentleman who had time for evryone. True Gael, patriot & legend. RIP. We will never see his like again.
RIP Dermot. Don't remember him play but my dad said he was one of the finest players that ever graced the playing fields of Ireland.
I started a thread on this yesterday, but the gaaboard mods decided to take it down, anyways rip dermot a true gentleman on and off the field, you will be missed but never forgotten
I was at that game as a young lad in 1985 - one of my earliest GAA memories.
One of the all time legends of Connacht Football without any doubt - RIP
Quote from: ross matt on June 23, 2010, 01:51:44 PM
Today FM confirmed it about 20 minutes ago. First of all sympathies to his wife, children, family etc who had the hateful experience of witnessing a man of such mental and physical prowess succumb so quickly to this illness.
Like all Rossies in their late 30s onwards I grew up wanting to be that man. I first watched him play in the late 70s. By then he's been playing for a decade having played minor, u-21 & senior for the county in the same year. He won an u-21 AI medal in the mid 60s, 5 connacht seniors, an NFL in '79 and 2 Allstars. More than all that though he won universal respect as a footballer and a person throughout the entire country.
Dermot embodied a decency and honour that was linked to the past. The primrose and blue of Roscommon and Green, white and gold of the national flag clearly meant so much to him and he seemed aware of the responsibility of never tarnishing either during his football and army career.
The man had so much presence. Powerful, athletic build. Jet black hair. Ramrod straight military stance particularly evident during national anthems or when he was squaring up to a free. The complete footballer. He could soar like an eagle for a high ball, solo through a defence like a bull dozer, kick with both feet and was a prolific free taker.
So many memories..... the one Muppet just mentioned. That was was his last match. The 1985 connacht final. The mayo players did indeed shoulder his off the pitch. A sporting gesture that was unheard of by the mid 80s. His last act before the final whistle was to clip a 14 yard free over the bar. The score had no bearing on the result but everyone present knew the future historical significance of it. In the match leading up to it v Galway he gave an epic display at wing forward in his 37th year. At one stage he caught a ball over his head with one hand . The late Enda Colleran drew great attention to it that night on the sunday game. He broke his jaw in that match and went iff to a standing ovation from both sets of supporters. I remember him fighing to keep our hopes alive in the 2nd half of the 19080 final when he was marking a young jacko. He buried the late great Tim Kennelly with a shoulder in that match that Aldridge pulled him up for. Summed up that day. "The fear of losing overcame the desire to win" was Earley's apt take on Roscommon's agonising lossthat day after such a great start. His last chance to win the celtic cross he so deserved. I rember him being shouldered off by jubilant supporters after the '79 league win over Cork. later that year they lost the all ireland semi by a point versus the Dubs. I clearly remember Bernard brogan senior taking off on a solo run only for Dermot to cleanly snatch the ball off him from behind without touching him and taking off on a solo run of his own in the opposite direction. If anyone goes to u-tube and looks up great gaa goals they will see the rocket he fired in against galway in the '81 league final.
he was so far aheadd of his time in terms of his fitness and how he looked after himself. He practiced the skilss of the game tirelessly. He played 20 years intercounty footballl. Then managed Kildare and Ross. His army career gave all people hwo supported him as a player so much pride. He was also a very proud connacht man as anyone who heard him speak about provincial pride will recall dureing his time with the united nations in new york.
Despite all the above he remained a complete gentleman who had time for evryone. True Gael, patriot & legend. RIP. We will never see his like again.
+1 to all of that.
RIP Dermot Earley.
RIP and my sympathy's to his family.
Very sad to hear this....I remember him playing like it was yesterday. It is no exaggeration to say he was an all time great....up there with the great midfielders of the 70s such as Mullins, O'Shea, Walsh McAlarney, etc.
RIP Dermot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eB4RrJ4duU
RIP
Watching him on All-Ireland Gold he stood out as an outstanding athlete and footballer.
He truly was one of the all-time greats.
My condolences to his family & friends.
RIP Dermot.
R.I.P.
A true Roscommon legend and a great friend of Sarsfields and Kildare GAA. He will be sadly missed.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal.
A truly great footballer, a gentleman, a credit to his family, his county, the GAA and his country.
Go ndeana Dia Trócaire air.
Awful news, that Roscommon team with himself & Tony McManus always comes to mind when I hear the name Roscommon, a tragedy he never got to enjoy his retirement, ar dheis Dé go raibh a ainm.
I think he stood out not just as a highly respected footballer but also in terms of what he achieved in his career as the head of the Defence forces.
Even today 30 years on you can feel the buzz from that 1980 match.
I don't think we'll read a more eloquent and moving tribute to Dermot Earley than the one Ross Matt wrote. God have mercy on Dermot Earley. A hero to so many, free of Earthly cares now. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal, agus suaimhneas síoraí ar a chroí dílis Gaelach.
RIP to a true Gentleman
Quote from: muppet on June 23, 2010, 01:17:22 PM
http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0623/earleyd.html (http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0623/earleyd.html)
A true Gaa legend.
I will always remember him being carried off shoulder high by Mayo players after his last game for Roscommon, I think it was the 1985 Connacht Final. I cannot think of another player that was afforded such a tribute by any opposition.
RIP.
Fantastic player, I only saw the end of his intercounty playing career in the flesh, but I was told that he was a legend by family who where older than me.
On the radio they said they could only remember it was only being done once before for an inter-county player, Christy Ring was lifted of the pitch by the Wexford backs. So Dermot is in good company.
RIP
As humble a man as youll ever meet as was evidend with his emontional speech when being honoured by roscommon county board in New york four years ago.Seven hundred people were in tears when he broke down an said it was his greatest day to be honoured by his own
Sad news about Dermot Earley. A few years ago the armed forces came on a tour or Oz and came to Perth. Combined WA football and hurling games were arranged and afterwards my son and I got to meet the man himself. He struck me by his incredible modesty and interest in what the exiles were doing over here and we chatted for about 15 minutes about life in rural Australia especially the desert country where I had been working. My son had his wee AFL ball with him (as always) and Dermot got him to tell him all about footy, his favourite team and player. I took a few pics and in years to come I'll show the lad the pics of the day he met one of the greatest players to play our game and lead our forces. He was a fierce build of a man too.
Condolences to his family.
Quite simply, one of the greats
RIP
May he rest in peace. A true legend. As Croi na hEireann said, when you hear Roscommon mentioned my mind automatically springs to the picture of a tall,tanned and lean looking Dermot Earley.
RIP. One off the greatest.
Despite knowing the great one was nearing the end I still cannot take it in that such a powerful legend of a man has gone from us.
Thanks for the memories Dermot ( esp that goal against Galway mentioned by Matt) and please God you'll guide our young lads and help them through their trials as they try to restore Ros football to where it was in your day.
My condolences to Mary and the family.
Of him we can truly say " Ní bheidh a leithéid ann arís"
very sorry to hear this, its a name that has brought a smile to my face many times. may he rest in peace
Quote from: armaghniac on June 23, 2010, 01:15:04 PM
A class player and an important leader. I first attended Croke Pk as a long haired teenager when Armagh played the two games against Roscommon and remember being impressed by Earley. RIP.
I was there as well and he, along with paddy Mo were the outstanding players, Early commanded respected, he earned it and he was truly one of the GAA greats.
RIP Dermot, we will not see many of your like again and we are poorer for your loss.
We watched Dermot playing for Ros from the time we were first brought along as young kids to see Ros playing. Quite simply, he was our hero when we were growing up. When we'd go out kicking ball of an evening, which was more or less every evening, the player we always aspired to be was Dermot Earley.
I remember when I was about 8 or 9, the older brother remarked that I should start trying to kick with my left foot. I quickly laughed at very idea of it, but when he pointed out that Dermot Earley himself was as good with one foot as the other I immediately changed my mind. Well, I must have kicked my right shin black and blue in the process but, eventually, I somewhat mastered the aul left foot and damn proud I was to be a two footed player like our hero Dermot.
There are so many memories of Dermot's playing career it's impossible to recount them all, but suffice to say the older supporters will remember the big Ros flag emblazoned with 'Earley To Rise' at games during the seventies. It spoke volumes for the regard and pride Ros people had in Dermot. We were extremely proud of him and his achievements and always felt he could inspire us to greater things. He was a natural leader.
Whoever said 'you should never meet your heros' obviously hadn't Dermot in mind! He took a great interest in people and always made time for everyone. He'd chat away to you and take an interest in whatever you up to. Invariably, it'd turn out he knew some of your relations scattered in far-flung places abroad and he'd always be sure to ask after them. He was one of life's true gentlemen as well as being a sportsman of the highest calibre on the playing pitches.
It's a sad time for Rossies, both at home and abroad, who watched and followed Dermot's football and military careers. He was an iconic figure for us and his passing leaves a void in all our hearts. His contribution to Roscommon, Irish and International life will forever be recalled with warmth and pride not just by the present generations but also by many future generations of Rossies.
Very sad news. Dermot was a hero to Rossies everywhere and was the cornerstone of our finest side since the war.
My sympathies to his family and friends. It should be some small consolation that their loss is shared amongst avery great number of admirers.
RIP
Nice to read so many fantastic tributes to a legend of the game.
God bless you Dermot, legend of a man
Rest in peace - excellent post Matt
Very sad loss, he was a great inspiration to many players of the game in many counties and, indeed, countries.
RIP Dermot.
http://www.gaa.ie/gaa-news-and-videos/daily-news/
RIP Dermot
A true legend.
I had the pleasure of meeting the man and having a few pints with him on one occasion.
RIP.
Just logged on this morning to hear this sad news. My thoughts are with his family at this time
I myself was too young to remember him play, but it is fantastic to read the tributes here.
I remember 1985 and my father (who's not from Mayo, or indeed Connacht) pointing out that only true greats get that honour. RIP
RIP Dermot , legend on & off the field
Felt a terrible sadness and shock at this news today. A true gentleman if ever there was one. You'll never be forgotten in Rossieland Dermot......RIP.
RIP Dermot. A leader on many different fronts.
In football terms Dermot Earley was before my time but it is so clear from the legacy he left how iconic he was as a player. An awful loss to the GAA. Sincerest sympathies to his family and to all the Rossies.
RIP to an absolute legend
RIP to Dermot Earley, his passing leaves the world a lesser place. I first met him when Armagh played Roscommon in 1977. I was a member of the Armagh squad and found him to be a true gentleman, we then came accross one another during my time as an umpire at a few Roscommon games in the last decade. My sympthies go out to his wife and family,and to all Rossies fans who have lost a father and a footballing legend.I am honoured to have known him.
Was at that game in 85 as a youngster as a Mayo supporter. For previous few years i was a Roscommon supporter (legacy of having parents from both counties) and Earley was my first GAA hero. An absolute legend may he rest in peace.
There's a book of condolence and some photos on www.gaaroscommon.ie (http://www.gaaroscommon.ie)
RIP Dermot. Thoughts to family at this time.
RIP Condolences from all Antrim gaels.
Quote from: ross matt on June 23, 2010, 01:51:44 PM
Today FM confirmed it about 20 minutes ago. First of all sympathies to his wife, children, family etc who had the hateful experience of witnessing a man of such mental and physical prowess succumb so quickly to this illness.
Like all Rossies in their late 30s onwards I grew up wanting to be that man. I first watched him play in the late 70s. By then he's been playing for a decade having played minor, u-21 & senior for the county in the same year. He won an u-21 AI medal in the mid 60s, 5 connacht seniors, an NFL in '79 and 2 Allstars. More than all that though he won universal respect as a footballer and a person throughout the entire country.
Dermot embodied a decency and honour that was linked to the past. The primrose and blue of Roscommon and Green, white and gold of the national flag clearly meant so much to him and he seemed aware of the responsibility of never tarnishing either during his football and army career.
The man had so much presence. Powerful, athletic build. Jet black hair. Ramrod straight military stance particularly evident during national anthems or when he was squaring up to a free. The complete footballer. He could soar like an eagle for a high ball, solo through a defence like a bull dozer, kick with both feet and was a prolific free taker.
So many memories..... the one Muppet just mentioned. That was was his last match. The 1985 connacht final. The mayo players did indeed shoulder his off the pitch. A sporting gesture that was unheard of by the mid 80s. His last act before the final whistle was to clip a 14 yard free over the bar. The score had no bearing on the result but everyone present knew the future historical significance of it. In the match leading up to it v Galway he gave an epic display at wing forward in his 37th year. At one stage he caught a ball over his head with one hand . The late Enda Colleran drew great attention to it that night on the sunday game. He broke his jaw in that match and went iff to a standing ovation from both sets of supporters. I remember him fighing to keep our hopes alive in the 2nd half of the 19080 final when he was marking a young jacko. He buried the late great Tim Kennelly with a shoulder in that match that Aldridge pulled him up for. Summed up that day. "The fear of losing overcame the desire to win" was Earley's apt take on Roscommon's agonising lossthat day after such a great start. His last chance to win the celtic cross he so deserved. I rember him being shouldered off by jubilant supporters after the '79 league win over Cork. later that year they lost the all ireland semi by a point versus the Dubs. I clearly remember Bernard brogan senior taking off on a solo run only for Dermot to cleanly snatch the ball off him from behind without touching him and taking off on a solo run of his own in the opposite direction. If anyone goes to u-tube and looks up great gaa goals they will see the rocket he fired in against galway in the '81 league final.
he was so far aheadd of his time in terms of his fitness and how he looked after himself. He practiced the skilss of the game tirelessly. He played 20 years intercounty footballl. Then managed Kildare and Ross. His army career gave all people hwo supported him as a player so much pride. He was also a very proud connacht man as anyone who heard him speak about provincial pride will recall dureing his time with the united nations in new york.
Despite all the above he remained a complete gentleman who had time for evryone. True Gael, patriot & legend. RIP. We will never see his like again.
A great post ross matt , i was at that connacht final with my dad when dermot was shouldered off the pitch, i can't recall ever seen a similiar jesture done since by opposing players which shows you how well thought of Dremat Earley was .
May he Rest in Peace
Quote from: spectator on June 23, 2010, 07:50:19 PM
Whoever said 'you should never meet your heros' obviously hadn't Dermot in mind!
Succinct epitaph.
Of all of the nice comments here that seems the most fitting.
This is a sad loss. Dermot Early was a very reassuring presence to have around - even when he was beating the bejaysus out of your team.
The Hyde in 85 was the first time I ever saw Mayo beat Roscommon in championship. What was remarkable in those years of defeat was the respect - indeed fondness - we all felt for the man that did more than most to make our football lives a misery. I remember Eugene Lavin and Willie Joe, I think it was, carrying him shoulder high from the pitch on the Athlone Road side. I was just after invading the playing area there and it was a special moment.
Top player. I ve thought about this and I m convinced he was the most complete player I ve seen play. Older people compared him favorably with Purcell and Carney as an all rounder. He could catch, carry, kick with both feet and score and kick frees from the ground. Throw in great temperament, courage, leadership and discipline and you had some player.
Condolences to all belonging to him. Roscommon people can always be proud of him.
KFM tribute programme:
http://www.kfmradio.com/kfm-podcasting/sport-podcasts.html (http://www.kfmradio.com/kfm-podcasting/sport-podcasts.html)
RIP Dermot. He was slightly before my time but my old fella always said he was one of the all-time greats. Nice piece in the paper today.
QuoteFORMER Galway midfielder Billy Joyce tells a story of his first encounter with Dermot Earley, which encapsulates the quality of sportsmanship that ran through everything Earley did during a 20-year career with Roscommon.
It was the summer of 1969 and, although still only 21 years old, Earley was already a household name, having established himself as a senior inter-county and interprovincial star.
Joyce was on the Galway U-21 team and some weeks before the Connacht final, John 'Tull' Dunne -- then 'Mr Football' in the county -- came to him and said: "You'll be marking a young fella who's as good as anything I've ever seen. Get ready for him."
Conscious of the challenge which lay ahead, Joyce trained on 22 successive evenings for the big clash with Earley and did extremely well against him in a game that finished level. Roscommon won the replay after extra-time and, as a forlorn Joyce sat on the pitch afterwards, he was joined by Earley.
"He sat down beside me, said we should have won the game and chatted on about it and little things that had gone on. It wasn't just idle talk and I knew straight away there was something fierce genuine about him.
"As he got up to walk away, he turned and said with a smile on his face, 'By the way, I don't want to see you in a Galway jersey ever again'."
It was the start of a 15-year playing rivalry and a friendship which lasted ever since. The warmth and affection with which Joyce speaks of Earley is reflected all over the country but then he made a big impression on everybody he met on and off the field.
Having served his time as player, manager and administrator at various times with the Michael Glavey's club, Roscommon, Sarsfields (Newbridge) and Kildare, he maintained a huge interest in young people.
Despite his busy Army schedule in recent years, he would always take time out to address parents at Sarsfields, especially those interested in helping out as coaches. By way of impressing the need to master every skill, he usually told the story of how his father, Peadar, a founder of Michael Glavey's in the 1950s, had a cunning method of encouraging his son to practise.
He would promise to join Dermot for a kickaround in the garden once he could kick the ball properly with his weaker left foot, which prompted long hours of work out in the fields. He would always impress to young and old alike how important it was to practise the kicking skills of the game with both feet. His talks would inevitably end with the need to respect young talent: "Mol an Oige agus Tiocfaidh Si."
It's rare for any player to have earned such widespread and genuine respect nationally, but then Earley was the consummate sportsman. There wasn't a mean sinew in his body and even when faced with cynical opposition, he regarded good discipline as a matter of honour.
distraught
Unsurprisingly then, he was very upset when, for the only time in his career, he was harshly dismissed in a NFL game against Dublin in 1975. He was distraught, but could see the funny side of it later when a dispute arose over whether he was eligible to travel with the All Stars because of the dismissal.
As the GAA considered the situation, he received a telegram from John Kerry O'Donnell -- the top power broker in New York GAA. Addressed to 'Dermot Earley, Croke Park, Dublin' it read: "Cordial invitation hereby extended to Dermot Earley to travel with the All Stars. All expenses paid by me. Red-blooded men always welcome in Gaelic Park."
Almost every reference to Earley mentions him as one of the best players who never won an All-Ireland senior medal, and while he was deeply disappointed to have missed out -- especially in 1980 -- it in no way detracted from the majesty of what he achieved.
While the All-Ireland medal may have eluded him, he gained so much honour, respect and admiration in a glorious career --both on and off the field -- that it counts as a far greater legacy than a medal locked away in some dusty drawer.
Haven't logged on in a long time but had to to express my condolences to the great man. I won't attempt to top Matts post, I don't think anyone can but will just add that Dermot was finishing his football carear as I was starting off as a youngster going to games. I have a vague recolection of 1985 but have watched those YouTube clips that were mentioned earlier on many occasions and I cannot begin to tell you how much pride they have given me. Perhaps one day we will get back to that level.
R.I.P. Dermot
I liked this bit in today's Indo as above :
It's rare for any player to have earned such widespread and genuine respect nationally, but then Earley was the consummate sportsman. There wasn't a mean sinew in his body and even when faced with cynical opposition, he regarded good discipline as a matter of honour.
Unsurprisingly then, he was very upset when, for the only time in his career, he was harshly dismissed in a NFL game against Dublin in 1975. He was distraught, but could see the funny side of it later when a dispute arose over whether he was eligible to travel with the All Stars because of the dismissal.
As the GAA considered the situation, he received a telegram from John Kerry O'Donnell -- the top power broker in New York GAA. Addressed to 'Dermot Earley, Croke Park, Dublin' it read: "Cordial invitation hereby extended to Dermot Earley to travel with the All Stars. All expenses paid by me. Red-blooded men always welcome in Gaelic Park."
Some wonderful reading there Matt and GBB. Thanks, and RIP Dermot Early Snr.
Yesterday Roscommon lost there king, he was to us what ghandi was to the indians an mandela to the south africans. Heaven is a better place now
Superb piece by Liam Horan in today's Examiner. Does great justice to the late Dermot Earley.
http://www.examiner.ie/sport/gaa/dermot-earley-as-close-to-perfection-as-a-man-can-be-123213.html
Dermot Earley – as close to perfection as a man can be
By Liam Horan
Thursday, June 24, 2010
DERMOT EARLEY dashed our every childhood dream, and yet we can never recall feeling any resentment towards him.
Our memories now are of all those Mayo-Roscommon clashes of the late 1970s following a wearyingly familiar pattern: Mayo starting off all guns blazing, maybe a Joe McGrath goal to inspire hope we knew we shouldn't really entertain, and then the inevitable, inexorable Roscommon rally in the final ten minutes, leading to yet another forlorn journey home.
And, each time, Dermot Earley, bestriding McHale Park or Dr Hyde Park like a Boy's Own hero, so elegant he shouldn't be durable, so durable he shouldn't be elegant, a man as close to perfection as a man can be.
You watched intently his every move because everything he did transmitted a message: for Roscommon people, he was the very embodiment of their county.
Dermot Earley didn't just play for Roscommon: in an era when Roscommon had an outstanding team, Dermot Earley transcended all to achieve an iconic status that followed his name since his final day in 1985, and one which death will not diminish either.
Dermot Earley didn't just play for Roscommon.
Dermot Earley was Roscommon.
He was their timeless symbol of daring and defiance. Say the name out loud.
Der-mot Ear-ley! Those four syllables are simply magical, still.
For the rest of us, he was an inconquerable peak, a chilling reminder that though you hoped against hope, they still had Dermot Earley and you best be prepared for disappointment yet again.
Jet black hair, he stood tall and erect, an impossibly handsome Hollywood film star transported into our two-channel world.
In the parade, he marched properly. Old-style, proud, affording the occasion the respect he knew it deserved.
Going up for the toss, he shook firm hands with the opposing captain and the referee. There was never anything mediocre about Dermot Earley: he did everything the way it should be done.
Dermot Earley was conscious of the heritage of which he was a part, and he could never besmirch that tradition. He treated opponents with courtesy and respect. Trash talk and silly mind games were anathema to Dermot Earley: he was manly and fair.
His entire life could be characterised as incontrovertible proof that the concepts of manliness and fairness need not be mutually exclusive.
Leaping high, powering through the middle, racing back to avert a crisis: Dermot Earley did whatever had to be done, because, for all the glorious talents he possessed, he was the ultimate team player.
Meet any Roscommon person this week, and expect to find a tear in the eye. This death shakes the county to its core.
It wasn't just that he was their greatest player for half a century or more: it was that Dermot Earley was a rare type of hero.
He was utterly at one with his own people. He had a meaningful word for everyone. He genuinely believed in helping others.
There was never any discrimination in how he inter-acted with people: you were delighted to get a minute with him, but, yet, he was delighted to get a minute with you. Into every gathering, he injected a sense of nobility. We will never know how many people he consoled with a thoughtful visit or a kindly word.
Former colleagues have been utterly devastated by his sudden decline. Some I met not so long ago almost didn't want to talk about it. Dermot Earley is wrapped up in the memories of so many great days in their lives that the notion of him passing on so young is almost too much to bear.
They will turn in their thousands to lay him to rest. There will be nothing false about the outpouring.
When the time came just over three years ago to bury Jimmy Murray, Roscommon's All-Ireland captain of 1943 and '44, they turned to Dermot Earley to deliver the graveside oration: Dermot Earley was the most appropriate man to send a noble hero on his way.
"It was a privilege to have known him. People from all over Ireland asked about Jamesy when they knew you were from Roscommon," Dermot Earley told the gathering in Knockroghery's hillside graveyard that sunny January afternoon.
He might have been penning his own epitaph.
In 1985 Dermot Earley played his final game for Roscommon, on a losing Connacht final day. The significance of the occasion was not lost on the Mayo players, many of whom were almost 20 years his junior.
They set aside their own celebrations to carry him off the field on their shoulders in a powerful recognition of a wonderful man.
All who came into contact with Dermot Earley were enhanced by the experience.
He was the hero you were glad you met.
May be rest gently, one who led and inspired so many.
This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Thursday, June 24, 2010
Read more: http://www.examiner.ie/sport/gaa/dermot-earley-as-close-to-perfection-as-a-man-can-be-123213.html#ixzz0roDVCNA8
QuoteJoyce was on the Galway U-21 team and some weeks before the Connacht final, John 'Tull' Dunne -- then 'Mr Football' in the county -- came to him and said: "You'll be marking a young fella who's as good as anything I've ever seen. Get ready for him."
From what I know of JohnTull Dunne, involved with Galway at various levels for 40 or 50 years I think, thats high praise indeed.
a true legend and gentleman and even tho he inflicted so many defeats on us in the seventies we had nothing but admiration and respect for the man in mayo .i had the great pleasure of playing football with the man many years ago and i will always treasure those memories.R.I.P DERMOT
We were very fortunate in Roscommon that just as Gerry O'Malley's long county career was coming to an end, along came Dermot Earley. Ros Matt and Liam Horan's wonderful pieces say it all. I still use the phrase: "practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect." Earley told a gang of us youngsters that out in a field one day many years ago as we were trying to execute a perfect footpass like only he could do. I never followed the advice, but I never forgot it either. He was also a great man for the stories. The mention of John Kerry O'Donnell sending an invite to Dermot Earley to join the All-Star tour probably followed an earlier incident in the 70s. Roscommon and Kerry had been invited out in the early 70s to compete in the Cardinal Cushing games. The players were put up in Manhattan college. It was an awful hot Summer and the players were dying with the heat and there was no air conditioner in the rooms. They were also supposed to get an allowance that was slow in the coming so they were short on money too. Some of them looked for alternative accommodation. When O'Donnell heard about the rumblings he got very annoyed and called the whole games off. The GAA asked Earley to intervene and after a conversation between the two, John Kerry O'Donnell said the games were back on, saying to Earley, "but only because it's yourself that asked."
Rest in Peace.
RIP Dermot and condolences to the big mans family
Mickey Harte, in today's Irish News:
I would like to join with all in the GAA to extend my sincere condolences to the Earley family on the passing from this life of Dermot Snr.
I always admired him as a genuine sportsman with exceptional talent, and in recent years I was fortunate to meet him on a number of occasions and it came as no surprise to discover that he was a true gentleman off the field too. Ar dhéis Dé go raibh a anam.
Everything I could say about Dermot has already been said in the tributes on this thread. I still can't believe he is gone and the past 2 days have been a bit of a haze. Not alone a great footballer and sportsman but a truly great person who made us proud of our county.
My sincere condolences to all of his family - their loss is enormous. But I hope the knowledge of the warmth and deep affection that was felt for Dermot throughout the country and beyond will be some solace at this difficult time.
Thanks Dermot for all you gave to your county - ní bheidh bhúr leithid arís ann.
Out of computer contact for a few days and just catching up. Only met him once and like Awrlick it was in WA - on a boat trip down to Freemantle - he was on a tour with an Army team and what stood out was both the respect and admiration all yhe other Army lads had for him. AS an Armagh man I well remember all the tussels back in the 70s and early 80s.
A wonderful tribute from Matt but I think he may have got the ref wrong over the shoulder with Kennelly - I don't think it was Alderidge - was it not the Murray idiot from Monaghan ?
In any event a huge and sad loss to both the GAA and the country.
Quote from: zoyler on June 28, 2010, 04:24:38 PM
Out of computer contact for a few days and just catching up. Only met him once and like Awrlick it was in WA - on a boat trip down to Freemantle - he was on a tour with an Army team and what stood out was both the respect and admiration all yhe other Army lads had for him. AS an Armagh man I well remember all the tussels back in the 70s and early 80s.
A wonderful tribute from Matt but I think he may have got the ref wrong over the shoulder with Kennelly - I don't think it was Alderidge - was it not the Murray idiot from Monaghan ?
In any event a huge and sad loss to both the GAA and the country.
Pretty sure it was Seamus Aldridge Zoyler but could be wrong.
Great tribute to the man on last night's Sunday game. McStay in particular was excellent.
Quote from: ross matt on June 28, 2010, 05:07:26 PM
Quote from: zoyler on June 28, 2010, 04:24:38 PM
Out of computer contact for a few days and just catching up. Only met him once and like Awrlick it was in WA - on a boat trip down to Freemantle - he was on a tour with an Army team and what stood out was both the respect and admiration all yhe other Army lads had for him. AS an Armagh man I well remember all the tussels back in the 70s and early 80s.
A wonderful tribute from Matt but I think he may have got the ref wrong over the shoulder with Kennelly - I don't think it was Alderidge - was it not the Murray idiot from Monaghan ?
In any event a huge and sad loss to both the GAA and the country.
Pretty sure it was Seamus Aldridge Zoyler but could be wrong.
Great tribute to the man on last night's Sunday game. McStay in particular was excellent.
If ye're talking AIF 1980 ...that unmentionable from Monaghan was Ref that day.
McStay was excellent last night alright. Fair play to him.
Earley shows up 'exhausted' stars
Without question, the heroic sporting endeavour of the week belonged to Dermot Earley Jnr, who played so well for Kildare against Antrim just hours after burying his father last Saturday.
That he performed so powerfully at the end of such a tiring, emotional and traumatic week is testament to his remarkable physical and psychological endurance.
It makes some mockery of Fabio Capello's suggestion that the pampered England players, who performed woefully in defeat to Germany on Sunday, were too exhausted to do themselves justice in the World Cup.
Indeed, the next time you hear any complaints over the demands placed on players, just mention Dermot Earley's week. That should end the debate pretty quickly.
http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/earley-shows-up-exhausted-stars-2239497.html (http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/earley-shows-up-exhausted-stars-2239497.html)
Well said. A truly moving occasion in Newbridge on Saturday night that I certainly won't forget in a hurry. Dermot showed tremendous courage that was characteristic of his father. Also, fair play to the Antrim squad who went over to the sideline to allow the Kildare team to line out in the centre of the field during the minute's applause. I thought it was a great gesture.
(http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/images/tile/2010/0628/1224273469385_1.jpg)
Quote from: armaghniac on June 23, 2010, 01:15:04 PM
A class player and an important leader. I first attended Croke Pk as a long haired teenager when Armagh played the two games against Roscommon and remember being impressed by Earley. RIP.
My first game at Croke Park was the 1977 semi final replay. Earley and that late 70s/early 80s Roscommon team were unlucky to come up against the Kerry/Dublin teams that had moved so far ahead of the other counties at that time.
Thought this was brilliant - John Waters in today's Times
Soldier was among our nation's greatest
The death of the former chief of staff reminds us that our highest offices are still amenable to the highest values, writes JOHN WATERS
THERE WAS a moment last Saturday afternoon in Newbridge, Co Kildare, just after the completion of the military honours, when the crowd gathered around the last resting place of Dermot Earley did not know whether to remain or disperse. In that moment of hesitation, a male voice was raised in final salute: "Up the Rossies!"
Although the immediate reflex was to laugh, it was in truth a devastating moment, perhaps the most achingly sorrowful of Roscommon's saddest week for a long time. Instantly, the gathering was transported by that verbal reveille from the uncertain sunshine of Co Kildare in the high summer of 2010 to the dancing light of some indeterminate 1970s summer afternoon, and a different crowd, perhaps emerging euphoric from an encounter at which the all but superhuman powers of Earley had been on display, to a world indescribably enhanced on that account. Or perhaps back to a Roscommon streetscape on some half-remembered summer's evening, and the shouted accounts of triumph or heroic failure carried breathlessly from mouth to mouth, and the intense pleasure of being part of that family of which Earley was such an adored elder brother.
That cry spoke of football as metaphor, as agent of communal cohesion, as the drama of the tribal march towards an unknown destination. It conveyed defiance, nostalgia, hope, love, supplication, but also the merest hint of fear for a future without the chieftain about to be interred.
It is striking how deeply Earley's death has resonated, and not just on account of his relatively youthful and unfathomable striking-down. It is difficult to think of a comparable sporting figure, who had not achieved the primary honour, but who withal, as has emerged here, could scarcely have been more revered had he a display-case of All-Ireland medals at his back.
I met Earley only once, last year, just before the onset of his illness. Since his death, his handshake has become one of those clichés in which the media tends to excel, but I have no conscious memory of any vice. I remember a deeply impressive man who for an extended moment connected with me as surely as anyone I have ever met.
I remember his ease and confidence, a manifest capacity for affection, an exceptional sense of authority without aggression, as though he was so aware of his own strength that he matched it with a deliberate gentleness. He possessed in abundance the classical qualities of manliness: strength, energy, fearlessness, honour and physical grace, but carried them with a humility that was instantly distinguishable from false modesty.
In a time when leadership of almost every kind is disintegrating around us, Earley bore witness as Army chief of staff that the qualities of a sublime sportsmanship could be available to the public realm. By his pedigree and record, he provided reassurance, even as the State seems increasingly to turn into a nuisance or a monster, that the higher offices in the land are still amenable to the highest values of humanity.
Earley was a shining light of an Ireland that, if you stayed in Dublin and relied on the media for your sense of things, you might imagine had disappeared. But it is still here, in the countryside and smaller towns, an Ireland where people are easy about being unfashionable, where values relate to the fundamental principles of existence rather than ideological agendas, where "parish pump" is not a pejorative metaphor. This is a disarming Ireland – garrulous, ironic, exuberant, but with a compassionate heart that derives from a deep but comfortable sense of its own centre.
Earley's personality, grace and bearing spoke of that place which, at the level of formal discourse, we have spent several decades trying to dismantle.
A memorial card handed out at the funeral outlined the five points of his Plan for Life: "1. Enjoy time with my family; 2. Give the best to my work; 3. Give back to my community; 4. Spend my leisure time well; 5. Make time for God in my life".
These are the tentpole values, without which everything collapses, and yet they adumbrate a worldview that, in the hubris of our recent period, has been pejoratively designated "conservative".
Earley's life and personality demonstrated how wrong this is. A thoroughly modern man in the persona of a mythic hero, he could step on to the world stage without changing anything about himself, exuding – without affectation or self-consciousness – a nobility unmistakably forged in the fields and byroads of west Roscommon. He was intensely proud of his origins in Gorthaganny. When he spoke of his home place, it was as though it was the centre of the universe.
He embodied an Ireland that we urgently need to stop taking for granted. His passing has allowed us briefly to look in regret at the waning of values we are no longer permitted to mourn for their own sake.
He was Roscommon's gift to the nation in our time, the very best that we could give. And that was something to behold.
i was just going to post that article declan, like you said brilliant...
22 minute interview done with Dermot in 08, podcast through link below
http://www.newstalk.ie/downloads/the-late-dermot-earley/
Divine intervention??? He's still playing a blinder ;)
I was thinking of Dermot all through that game today. Well done the Rossies. Mighty.
The manner and spirit of that win today would be a fitting tribute indeed to a Rossie hero.
Some people might know this already but there is a special commeration of the life of dermot and his football career going on at the moment in the GAA museum in croke park.
I was chatting a county board delegate and he told me it started last week or two and will run till march.I believe Michael Glaveys club in roscommon had a big input as well as Roscommon and Kildare county boards.
A smaller commeration will be ever present in the museum after march as a permanent fixture.
I know this will be of great interest to the roscommon and kildare posters on here but im sure that alot of gaels on here will also be intrigued by it so hopefully you all can get time between now and march to visit it.
The great man deserves to be remembered like this and its a credit to all concerned who organised it.
Today is the first anniversary of Dermot's death:
http://www.kfmradio.com/kfm-podcasting/sport-podcasts/gaa-dermot-earley-19-6-11.html (http://www.kfmradio.com/kfm-podcasting/sport-podcasts/gaa-dermot-earley-19-6-11.html)
Actually didnt realise that when i posted about the museum commeration.
To describe reading back through this thread as a tad emotional would be an understatement.
Quote from: ross4life on June 23, 2011, 03:33:07 PM
Yes first anniversary of Dermot's death today.
To quote the great man. "Your attitude is more important than your ability. your motives are more important than your methods. your courage is more important than your cleverness. And have your heart in the right place.
RIP
Nice one.
Also I always remember what he said about losing the '80 AI final.
"The fear of losing overtook the desire to win".
Programme on Shannonside about Dermot now, just started.
http://powerlink.powerstream.net/002/00187/live2.asx
Gorthaganny Community Council revealed the Dermot Earley monument today & a fitting piece to honour a great man
(http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee432/ross4life/339856_2111927351094_1032948030_32295956_2738766_o.jpg)
Very nice Ross...won't be the last I'd imagine.
Quote from: ross4life on August 27, 2011, 03:54:35 PM
Gorthaganny Community Council revealed the Dermot Earley monument today & a fitting piece to honour a great man
(http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee432/ross4life/339856_2111927351094_1032948030_32295956_2738766_o.jpg)
Excellent.
Thanks for posting Ross.
I went to the Dermot Earley memorial unveiling ceremony in Gorthaganny yesterday, there was a great turnout from around the county, Kildare and the army. Most of the 70's-80's team that played with Dermot where there, as was Micheal O'Muircheartaigh (who's an even greater man in the flesh than he is on radio) and even Kildare people, not least of which being Johnny Doyle and Kieran McGeeney.
The President unveiled the statue - of Dermot eternally in action for Roscommon - and gave a great speech, as did David Earley, Dermot's eldest son. It gave the people who grew up with him in Gorthaganny a chance to honour him and to say good-bye - my father had the honour of playing kick-about with Dermot when they were young as well as with him for Michael Glavey's - which was no mean feat given his stature. Few men are great enough to deserve a statue in their image but none could argue that Dermot's life and impact on so many didn't deserve one.
The memorial itself a very special place - right beside his family home, where his 91 year-old mother still lives, adjacent to the primary school that he went to (and the reason his father moved to Gorthaganny in the first place) and across the road is the field where he kicked his first football, so it's as fitting tribute as you could imagine to perhaps the greatest Roscommon player of all time, and easily one of the greatest men ever to be born on these isles. I don't think there's a single person who met him that doesn't have something good to say about him. On the field he was a true sportsman who always tried to be fair and honest and in turn was the heart that inspired the great Roscommon team of the 70's and 80's. He embodied everything good we want to see in ourselves and he is, rightfully, nothing short of a hero to the people of Roscommon.
The memories will live forever.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v602/Syferus/TheField.jpg)
There is also an excellent Dermot Earley exhibition in the GAA museum at the moment. I don't know how long it is there for, but I was impressed with it when I saw it during the week.
Quote from: Louth Exile on August 28, 2011, 11:00:34 PM
There is also an excellent Dermot Earley exhibition in the GAA museum at the moment. I don't know how long it is there for, but I was impressed with it when I saw it during the week.
It's going to be there until March and it's a lovely collection of items from both sides of his life, sporting and the army. I made a point of getting Cusack Stand seats for the Tyrone match to see the exhibition and it was well worth the effort.
Mighty
Great day on Saturday.
Privilege to be there but I would much prefer if there hadnt been a need for it till about 2020 or 2030. :'(
Just thought I'd throw up a few pictures of the monument as a whole and the plaques for anyone that's interested but not able to get there in the short-term:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v602/Syferus/Memorial.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v602/Syferus/SportingPlaque.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v602/Syferus/ArmyPlaque.jpg)
Syferus thanks for the pics. The monument looks very well done. Will deffo pay in a visit in the near future.
I just came across this website. It's Glynn photography in Castlerea and they have a great selection of historical images from around the town and the county including a good few football ones.
http://historical.glynnsphotography.com/showcase/h3b906c4e#h22410d8f
Nice to see this thread back on the first page in the week when Sarsfields won their first county title since Dermot passed away.
Quote from: Donnellys Hollow on October 24, 2012, 10:20:32 PM
Nice to see this thread back on the first page in the week when Sarsfields won their first county title since Dermot passed away.
And Michael Glavey's lost the junior final here last weekend..! Dermot would have been split in two last Sunday if he was still with us.
One of the real greats.
Arrah sure why wouldn't you sing about number 8? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J99Ql0QBfPo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J99Ql0QBfPo)
And a recent article while I'm at it:
QuoteDermot Earley: An Officer and a Gentleman
TUESDAY, 11 JUNE 2013 12:34
A trip to Gorthaganny evokes Dermot Earley's memory
by Willie McHugh
CHAMPIONSHIP time. They live for days like this along a tract of land where Mayo and Roscommon share more than a nodding acquaintance. Football is the common denominator in a region where a pole points signs to places in both counties. Ballyhaunis and Ballaghaderreen, Castlerea and Kilkelly. Ballinlough, Coney Island and Loughglynn of the famed woodlands celebrated in song and story.
A healthy rivalry exists. Rival flags unfurl in neighbouring houses. In places like Carrowbehy they flutter in the same front garden.
The Roscommon border crossing is just beyond the ball alley in Brackloon North. Travel a barrel of tar and a dumper load of blinding chips stretch of road and you're in Gorthaganny. It was to here Mayo native Peadar Earley came to take up a teaching post in the local national school. Martin Walshe from Errew remembers the day of Peadar's arrival in the classroom because it also coincided with his first day at school.
Little could he or even the greatest visionary have envisaged all those moons ago the lasting legacy Peadar's son Dermot would bequeath to this tiny outpost. Gorthaganny became home to Dermot Earley, soldier and footballer. The young Dermot was a few classes ahead of Martin but it was in this school playground a friendship that lasted a lifetime was first forged.
After finishing secondary school in Saint Nathy's College in Ballaghaderreen, Dermot joined the Defence Forces in 1965. He rose through the ranks and served as a Military Observer with the United Nations Troop Supervision Organisation on the Golan Heights and later in the Sinai Desert.
Dermot's career path led him to the highest office and in February 2008 the young man from Gorthaganny was appointed Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces. In April 2010 he received the highest accolade of all when he was awarded a Distinguished Services Medal.
Following Dermot's untimely passing that same year, the people of Gorthaganny made a vow to honour the memory of their most famous son. They were true to their word.
But it wasn't in his military attire they dressed him in a statue of bronze in the front garden of his Gorthaganny home. They cast him togged in the jersey of his beloved Roscommon, the other uniform he wore with immense pride. It was in the primrose and gold he became a household name and an instantly recognisable sportsman, even in an era of limited media exposure.
Mention Roscommon in any football gathering and Dermot Earley's name instantly rolls off the tongue. When Roscommon appeared your eye was immediately drawn to him. He was their inspirational leader and the heart and soul of Roscommon football. A tower of strength who always used but never abused his natural physicality in the pursuit of victory.
A sportsman to his fingertips and with Dermot Earley what you saw was what you got. The great fetch, the giant stride forward, the well-hit long-range frees regularly landing on target. Dermot Earley could point a '45 even back in the day when they were 50's.
IN Gorthaganny this week Martin Walshe recalled days of summers past.
1985 when Mayo beat Roscommon in a Connacht Final in Hyde Park and an impromptu sporting gesture that will never be forgotten. At the final whistle Eugene Rooney, Martin Carney, TJ Kilgallon Willie Joe, Noel Durcan and the other Mayo stalwarts carried him shoulder high from the field.
The 1972 Connacht Final in McHale Park on a sweltering hot day was probably Dermot Earley's finest hour as he drove Roscommon to victory.
A cameo from the game was when he and John Morley of Mayo got their bootlaces tangled in a race for possession. As the outcome of a Connacht Final unspooled around them, Earley and Morley sitting on the pitch laughing as they unravelled their shackles is an abiding memory. And Martin Walshe has no hesitation in staying within Mayo and citing the late John Morley as probably the only player comparable with Earley in everything that's good about Gaelic football.
Dermot was Gorthaganny to the core. To the family home he came to rest on nights before championship encounters. His charismatic nature a magnetic attraction and Dermot always made time to stop and chat. And that unique hooking handshake that enveloped you with its sincerity.
When they were opening an extension to their school in 2009 it was to their most famous past-pupil they turned to perform the official function. It was to be Dermot's last public function in Gorthaganny. In his usual captivating eloquent delivery he recalled times growing up in the village and playing club football with his beloved Michael Glavey's.
He remembered three former classmates that day; Joe Gorman, Michael Mahon and Tom Flanagan lost their lives at Ballyclare railway crossing beyond Ballymoe returning home from a Roscommon/Sligo championship match in Hyde Park in 1977.
In Tony McNulty's field in Gorthaganny, Dermot spent many an evening honing his football skills with those departed friends and other lads from the neighbouring townlands.
Gorthaganny has done his memory proud. Their project is a credit to the community and the spirit therein. Attention to detail was the priority. It had to be because it was Dermot's mantra in life. It's an image that snatches and transports you back to the playing fields of Roscommon, Tuam or Castlebar. It's a brilliant piece of craftsmanship by that great sculptor Seamus Connolly from Loop Head on the coastline of Clare. Set in the surrounds of Lacken stone, the famous footballer is ever aiming the free he's lining up towards a goalpost somewhere in Mayo.
In Gorthaganny they'll never forget one of their own who walked the road of life as an officer and a gentleman. But on days like this when the furze bush sports yellow flowerings and the whitethorn blossoms in bloom, it's Dermot the footballer they remember fondest of all.
He's among them forever and a day now set in stone in his own front garden. It's an almost lifelike image. Or as near as makes no difference.
http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17955:dermot-earley-an-officer-and-a-gentleman&catid=14&Itemid=100008 (http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17955:dermot-earley-an-officer-and-a-gentleman&catid=14&Itemid=100008)
When ever a Rossie is feeling down they just need to think of Dermot and everything feels a little better. RIP big man.
(http://s3.thejournal.ie/media/2013/05/dermot-early-1471985-320x500.jpg)
Fantastic piece
It is a pity he is not around to see the Rossies this year
A memorial card handed out at the funeral outlined the five points of his Plan for Life:
1. Enjoy time with my family; 2. Give the best to my work; 3. Give back to my community; 4. Spend my leisure time well; 5. Make time for God in my life".
Ah don't make me well up Seafoid. The way the team are playing football at the moment would make Dermot very proud.
Quote from: Syferus on March 14, 2016, 02:24:01 PM
Ah don't make me well up Seafoid. The way the team are playing football at the moment would make Dermot very proud.
This is very good
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdI5sEKGWtE&ebc
anyway Syf it is about time !
Thanks for that seafoid, class.
Quote from: seafoid on March 14, 2016, 02:15:33 PM
It is a pity he is not around to see the Rossies this year
A memorial card handed out at the funeral outlined the five points of his Plan for Life:
1. Enjoy time with my family; 2. Give the best to my work; 3. Give back to my community; 4. Spend my leisure time well; 5. Make time for God in my life".
If Dermot Earley was alive today i think he would be president of Ireland instead of Michael D Higgins.
What a legend, thanks for posting.
He was some man for one man alright.
A huge loss. But a great man to have as a reference now the young lads are playing a nice style of football. Ros aren't there every year but when they do find a good team they can be very good.
What music would be appropriate for the return of the rossies ?
I was thinking of this. Carolan was a Rossie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBiTDLpTUxY
Quote from: seafoid on March 15, 2016, 09:53:20 AM
What music would be appropriate for the return of the rossies ?
I was thinking of this. Carolan was a Rossie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBiTDLpTUxY
surely 'Men of Roscommon'.
Men of Roscommon are marching again.
http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/roscommon-s-rise-adds-intrigue-to-connacht-battle-1.2572975
Roscommon's rise adds intrigue to Connacht battle
Kevin McStay happy to admit that his side look every inch a Division One outfit
Keith Duggan
1
Roscommon joint-managers Fergal O'Donnell and Kevin McStay. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
Roscommon joint-managers Fergal O'Donnell and Kevin McStay. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
The Allianz Football League is threatening to become more unpredictable than the All-Ireland championship. When the fixtures for this year's programme were announced, the smart forecast was that Roscommon would probably need a win against neighbours Mayo in order to survive.
Instead, Kevin McStay will return to MacHale Park in the knowledge that a fifth win in a stunningly confident campaign might well consign his home county to a year in Division Two. Given he went for the Mayo post two years ago along with current Roscommon selector Liam McHale, the day is bound to stir mixed emotions.
"It's not personal," McStay says. "I don't want to understate me playing my own county, or overstate it either. These are very important games but in terms of excitement these games are what they are. For our team, it's another great part of their development. Mayo . . . great team, Mayo. It'll tell us in two weeks' time how far we are behind, if we are even behind."
Straight bat
McStay has played a straight bat all through this league, understandably crestfallen after Roscommon's narrow loss on opening day and delighted with the returns since. It wasn't so much the fact of Sunday's win in Letterkenny against Donegal that impressed as the manner of it. This was no dour, hang-on-for-dear-life scrap on the road. A playbook of 1-19, filled with quality scores and just four wides. Their confidence could not be higher.
"We started looking like a Division One team who deserves on merit to be here," says McStay of their latest win. "That's my sense of it. This win – of the wins – is the best of them. When we beat Kerry we weren't 100 per cent sure where they were. I'm not sure about Killarney; there were shocking conditions.
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"But I think we know Donegal were trying to get points there. Look at the players they used. It was a good day for football and now we know we can play a brand of football that can survive in this division.
"Maybe I'm going to get a rude awakening or we're going to be found out. But I don't think so. We're just giving it our best cut all the time. We're a very honest group."
League form comes with all kinds of health warnings – many of them issued by the form teams themselves. The refreshing thing about Roscommon is that they are not disguising that these games matter in their own right.
McStay and co-manager Fergal O'Donnell have made no secret of the fact they were prioritising a strong league season. Under John Evans, the Rossie's climbed from Division Three to Division One. Staying in the top eight matters. Mickey Harte's observation – that winning an All-Ireland from Division Two is all but impossible – carried clout. People are watching Roscommon now with one eye on the Connacht championship, which Mayo are seeking to retain for the sixth successive summer.
With Galway on a roll in Division Two, Roscommon are forcing the bookies to review their early price offers. It is March, yes, but Roscommon are travelling at a rate of knots. Castlrea's Geoffrey Claffey is back in the team after a couple of season's absence. The Roscommon defence was so sticky that the goalkeeper didn't have a single chance to practise his shot-stopping skills. That action was at the other end. If Roscommon can scold themselves for anything, it is for not leaving Donegal with more goals.
"I think their goalkeeper did quite well for a few of them," says Claffey. "So at least we are creating the chances. We kept doing the simple things well and kept to our gameplan. That is something that we are probably learning from the better teams . . . they keep doing the simple things well.
Simple things
"Monaghan, in the first round of the league, although I suppose they were under quite a bit of pressure at the time, kept trying to do the simple things well and it got them over the line. So we are just trying to do that ourselves. And we are conscious that if we get it in there, our forwards are able to kick the scores."
McStay acknowledges Roscommon were clearly on a different plane of fitness to Donegal. "They can look further down the year than we can. And that's fine. They deserve that as they've been champions."
Those discrepancies will have disappeared in the summer. The league is all about smoke and mirrors: most teams aren't willing to fully show their hand just now. Roscommon are at the place where Donegal were in 2011: running hard and with enthusiasm, discovering as much as they can about themselves. They are the first team out in the championship, with a visit to New York on May 1st.
"I don't want to talk too much about other teams," says McStay. "For us, [the Donegal game] was championship Sunday. That's the only way we can go. Who would we be to take anything lightly?"
I doubt if we'll be playing them in McHale Pk even if the Hyde gets wet again.
Noelle Earley doing the family proud in Croke Park this afternoon.