Darragh O Se to retire

[johnpower]

Thanks Darragh for a fantastic career in the Kerry jersey.

http://pix.ie/mipix/album/369288  A few pics from All Ireland final day 2009 

We have been blessed in Kerry with great midfielders over the decades and Darragh's name will shine brightly amoungst any of them.
The 1920's gave us the legends that were Bob Stack and Con Brosnan in Midfield
The 1930's gave us Miko Doyle and Johnny Walsh
The 40's had Paddy Kennedy and a list of supporting players in Midfield
The 50's gave us John Dowling and a young lad from Valentia
In the 60's the great Mick O'Connell took centrefield by storm supported by host of great names
In the 70's we started out with Micko and DJ Crowley, then Paudie Lynch & John O'Keeffe took up the batton before passing it on to two young bucks Jack O'Shea and Sean Walsh.
The early to mid 80's were all about Jacko with help from Seanie and Ambrose.
90's had a handful of players filling the midfield berths until a young O'Se came along from An Gaeltacht
The 00's were all about Darragh ably supported by William Kirby, Donal Daly and Seamus Scanlon
The 10's: who will be the next Great Kerry Midfield General to step into these shoes of giants

Great memories of a great footballer and a nice guy too off the field. Enjoy the retirement.

Thanks for the memories .a great career

[mylestheslasher]

I first came across O Shea when he cleaned out Dermot McCabe in 96 All Ireland U21 semi. He's been at the top of the game ever since and has 6 AI medals. A tremendous servant for Kerry and a great player. He deserves a break!

[the Deel Rover]

a true legend hope he enjoys his retirement . spent a great night in his company many years ago with himself and Thomas down in his uncles pub in Ventry, as nice a fella that you could meet.

[Rosie McCann]

How could any man be okay after being told facts of life by his Uncle Paidi'

   
Saturday February 20 2010

Darragh O Se was four. He was with his dad Mick and they were walking past McKenna's Corner in Listowel. I called my father to the window of the pub.

"Who does Mick's young lad remind of you of Dad?"

"He has the 'gache' of Paidi," he said in an instant.

And we got a fierce fit of laughing. Then Dad said: "Look at him, look at him. He's like he was marching behind the Artane Boys Band."

Thirty years later we wished Darragh the best on his retirement and then asked how he was bearing up.

There was a boyish lilt in his voice. Relief almost. It was as if he tossed the satchel off his back for the last time on the day exams finished. It can't have been easy carrying a county"s expectations on your shoulders for 13 years.

"How could I be alright?" he laughs.

"How could any man be okay after being told the facts of life by his Uncle Paidi?"

Jokes

He doesn't give away too much. Jokes hide what's going on inside.

When he came on the scene Darragh was conscious of the fact that Uncle Pa, as he calls him, was his manager. The 19-year-old midfielder knew a losing Kerry coach had the longevity of a mayfly.

There were some who said Darragh was only on the team because he was the manager's nephew. Pressure already -- and more when Mayo beat us well in 1996. Paidi knew his man, though. After all he trained him for Croke Park from the time he was kicking off the blankets in his cot.

Darragh didn't say too much at the team meetings that year. It was like being the teacher's son. You didn't put your hand up for fear of embarrassing the both of ye.

Jack O'Connor said it was Darragh's lack of fear that inspired his team-mates more than anything else, but he had his worries before the '97 final. Darragh cut loose. He went from a boy to a man and conquered his inner doubts.

The young O Se was a graduate of the St Brendan's College school of Gaelic football where the emphasis was on skill and sportsmanship. You never hit an opponent. Football beat them, but Darragh was targeted.

If you stopped Darragh O Se, you stopped Kerry.

Bit by bit, he became more belligerent. If you wanted to play football -- fine --but if you didn't, that was fine too.

Some complain about his physicality, but ye who knock him now made him what he is. For years Kerry players were given no protection from the officials. What did ye expect us to do? Sit back and take it?

The players understand him. Nicholas Murphy is a friend. Darragh and Ciaran Whelan had some savage battles, but O Se felt for his pal when he retired without an All-Ireland medal.

Whelan often matched him, as did Tyrone's Sean Cavanagh and the underrated Murphy on occasion, but none lasted longer or won more.

O Se's home is at the foot of Sliabh an Iolar, Mount Eagle.

It's a place to see while you're still able for the climb. There's a marsupial lake half way up a mountain that changes colour and shade with every passing cloud. Rest there for a while.

Listen to the music of the silence and baptise the soles of your shoes in the gently lapping waters.

The view from the top looks back west out over Ballyferriter and to the Blaskets, with the Sceilig a day's rowing to the south west.

This was the shortcut the islanders took on their way to Dingle. For many, it was their last sight of home. Their hearts must have been broken.

To understand the O Ses, you must go to this place. They love where they come from and they speak a language more expressive and beautiful than any. It is a land and a culture worth fighting for. Football is one of the sources of that fierce pride.

Darragh is a Listowel man too and he came to coach our U-10s. Publicly he only shows what's going on in his inner sanctum when he's with the kids.

"Darragh," confided a small boy in a whisper short of a tear, "I'm only a sub."

Darragh went down on his heels. "Don't mind that," he said gently. "I couldn't get on the Gaeltacht under-age teams. Play away and keep at it. Don't give up." There was a few more minutes of chat. And then they had a few kicks.

He's very much himself at home with the lovely Amy and their little baby, but I think he'll miss the banter at training and the challenge of the big days out.

Comeback

Yesterday we met with Ger Power in Tralee -- he still looks like he could play in a boy band. Darragh pulled over. "Powery, I"m thinking of making a comeback."

Powery laughs.

An impatient taxi man beeps.

Two young lads shout: "Hey boy, that's Darragh O Se you're beepin' at."

Darragh drives on.

One of the young lads nods towards Powery, who, in an instant, is half-way up Castle Street, "whose your man?" he asks. "I kind of know him."

"Ger Power", I reply, annoyed. "He only won eight Sams".

That's Kerry. There are many greats and far more saints than Pattern Days. Retirement isn't easy. Some 13 years of a footballing life is over and for good. Football, rightly, is all about the here and now.

Then again Darragh never took himself too seriously.

It was this night last week at the St Michael's College 130th celebrations here in Listowel. Eric Browne, Owen and Bryan McMahon were picking their greatest team of all time.

"Did you make it?" I asked Darragh.

"Just about."

"Are you coming back into the function room?"

He rubs under his jaw with the back of his hand as if he's giving the invitation serious thought.

"No. I think I'll stay for a while longer. I'm afraid if I get outa here, I'll be dropped."

No fear of that, Darragh. You're on for good.

Irish Independent

[ross matt]

Read it.
The usual load of c**k from Mr "I'm tryin to copy my dad & I'm best friends with everyone that's famous in Kerry" Keane.
(I see he had dropped "Our Tadgh" as his favourite topic).

No reflection on Dara though. Great footballer. Man's man. Best of luck to him in his retirement.

[KIDDO 4]

Ó SÉ THE END OF AN ERA - By Weeshie Fogarty




Ó SÉ THE END OF AN ERA
By Weeshie Fogarty

I have been watching Kerry footballers in action since my first All Ireland final in 1955 and in that time Kerry have produced some of the greatest mid fielders the game has ever seen.

Many men have worn the number 8  and 9 jerseys since that memorable year when Kerry won their 18th All Ireland title and their 39th Munster title include the following legends: 
John Dowling, Denny O'Shea, Jer D O'Connor, Jimmy Lucy, Mick Fleming (Currow), Din Joe Crowley, Johnno O' Keeffe, Pat McCarthy, Paudie Lynch, Sean Walsh, Vincent O'Connor, Ambrose O' Donovan, Noel O'Mahoney, Donal Daly, William Kirby, Michael Quirke, and Connor Kearney. There were others of course who were chosen in the middle of the field for just a few games when necessity arose however not being "Natural" midfielders they soon returned to their more adaptable positions on the team.

While in my personal opinion it is impossible to determine who was the greatest of all it is easy enough to state that the three greatest midfielders I have seen since 1955, and I have seen them all, were without argument Mick O' Connell, Jack O' Shea and now as he retires from the game he has graced so magnificently Darragh Ó Sé  who joins these two Kerry midfield giants as one of the greatest I have ever seen.
While it is a very dangerous statement to make in relation to Kerry football, I firmly believe we will never see his likes again in a Kerry jersey. Ó Sé  has set a record that will never be equaled.
81 championship appearances, all in the same centre field position and 77 as a starter. Now 34 years of age Darragh has made more championship appearance than any other player in the history of the game. He began away back in 1994 against Limerick in Killarney scoring one point. Noel o Mahoney was his partner and Kerry won 2=19 to 0-8. He would go on and hold the most onerous of positions in any field sport and not alone that but you would have to really think very deeply before you could say that "Darragh was very poor today".
So what made Darragh Ó Sé such a magnificent mid-fielder? Well first of all he had the breeding and as the old adage says "an ounce of breeding is worth a ton of feeding". He fielding of the ball high in the air was immaculate and a joy to behold. To see him rising high over friend and foe in Croke Park and other venues brought joy to the heart. He was big, strong, always in superb physical condition and looked after his body as would a professional sportsman. He had tremendous vision and as his career unfolded his foot kicking and passing became near perfect. And also and most importantly Darragh had the temperament for the big occasion. Without this, performing to ones greatest ability on the big stage on the biggest day of all would be impossible.
So what was his greatest performance ever? For once I am stumped. Watching him playing with his club since I first saw him against my own Killarney Legion under 14s many moons a go I have seen too many memorable displays from the Gaeltaght star to single out on apart from all others. I fear he is the end of a dying breed. The majestic high fielder. The game has changed beyond all recognition. Now it's a case of swarming, fouling and stop the opposition from scoring. In many ways Darragh  is lucky to be getting out as the game deteriorates further.
He has left us a legacy of wonderful memories. We thank him sincerely for that. We wish him his wife and family all the best as they enjoy more time together. One last near unsolvable problem for me and I leave it to the readers to decide, if that is humanly possible.  Mick O' Connell, Jack O' Shea and Darragh Ó Sé. My three greatest of all midfielders. But who are the two you would like to have on your own little club team???
Darragh Ó Sé played championship football for Kerry from 1994-2009 scoring 1-31 in 81 appearances.
And while all the media focus has been on those championship appearances let's not forget the he played 96 league games for Kerry and had 18 different partners. He scored 1-31 in the league for Kerry while he played 14 times for the Kerry under 21 scoring 6 points and he also played once for the Kerry minors scoring one point. So in his glittering inter county career now at an end Darragh wore the Green and Gold on 192 magnificent occasions.

So a huge buíochas to him 'laoch den scoth' he gave us immense enjoyment. Gach dea ghuidhe leis 'sna blianta as seo amach.
Weeshie Fogarty 18th February 2010