GAA Hard men (all counties)

[paco]

Patsy Bradley? Ticks all the right boxes I think.

[boojangles]

How do you define the GAA hard man, the one for the sly off the ball stuff (no cowardly b**tards in my book), the one who will up front take on and out the opposition in a fair (most of the time) fashion (closer to the mark) or the one who will throwh themselves into things without fear or favour, knowing in many cases that they are setting themselves up for cowardly/false blows (definitely the heroic hard men in my eyes). In the latter category none came close to Dublins Kevin Moran that I have seen, swashbuckling, fearless and left himself open to god knows how many cheap shots that he he got straight up from. On a local level Cavans Pat Faulkner and Damien O Reilly from the 1980's were no slouches. From the 1990's I will take a very local and biased view and give a mention to Bailieborough Shamrocks clubman John Donnellan, the great Geezer will remember him from his Sigerson exploits...........

I presume thats Damien from Mullahoran your talking about? More of a 90's man though Anglo, although I'm in total agreement. Cavan could do with a man like him at the moment thats for sure.
Honourable mentions must go to:

Philip Smith- Crosserlough
Bernard Morris- Gowna

Also do any Cavan posters remember Ciaran 'The Gunner' Brady- from Mullahoran? Always played at Centre-Half for the Dreadnoughts.He played on their Championship winning team in 1998. Was as tough as nails. Got the odd run for Cavan but probably hadn't the required skill but in terms of guts there wasn't too many his equal in Cavan for over a decade.

[Logan]

I'll second Bernard Morris - true hard man but never dirty.





Fergus Caufiled

[Bogball XV]

Darren Fay. I cant recall anybody getting the better of him in a physical battle. hard as nails!

good call RR,
Fay as well as being probably the best full back of all time was an absolute animal.
I cant remember anyone ever starting anything with him,probably out of respect and fear! 

he's not that long retired that you should be resorting to that sort of hyperbole

[moysider]

Brian 'The Hulk' McGilligan was the hardest hooer I've seen on a pitch...fierce hard

Easy to be hard when your bigger and stronger than everybody else. It s the little guys that take a battering through their careers that I d have more time for. Likes of canavan.

[Master Yoda]

Brian 'The Hulk' McGilligan was the hardest hooer I've seen on a pitch...fierce hard

Easy to be hard when your bigger and stronger than everybody else. It s the little guys that take a battering through their careers that I d have more time for. Likes of canavan.

Hard men don't dive, next thing you will be saying Philip Jordan is a hard man. 

[loughshore lad]

Brian 'The Hulk' McGilligan was the hardest hooer I've seen on a pitch...fierce hard

Easy to be hard when your bigger and stronger than everybody else. It s the little guys that take a battering through their careers that I d have more time for. Likes of canavan.

Hard men don't dive, next thing you will be saying Philip Jordan is a hard man. 

Or Johnny McBride      

[Club Rossa]

Brian McGilligan told me that Pat O'Byrne from Wicklow was the strongest man he had ever played with or against.

[GrandMasterFlash]

Gerry McCarville, Scotstown & Monaghan.

[GrandMasterFlash]

Hugo Clerkin, Currin & Monaghan.

[lynchbhoy]

Brian McGilligan told me that Pat O'Byrne from Wicklow was the strongest man he had ever played with or against.

story from Mick Lyons from that infamous tour (fight) v aussies out in Oz- that Pat O'Byrne and Brian McGilligan were the two hardest and toughest men on that tour and ever he seen to play football !

[lynchbhoy]

have some great stories about the grimleys - I played a game and drank with them in NY in 1997.
As they cant hardly read, I'd say I'm safe enough writing them.... (only jokin lads - if yesz are reading this !!). OK I'll refrain from the couple I have , as they will know who to thump next time I bump into them !
they had a fantastic ability of one starting the sentence and the other finishing it.
They also usually went to the toilet together too (maybe they were afraid of being ambushed or something). they almost killed poor Kevin O'Neill (Mayo) from drink as he was in a round with them!!)

but A couple of great stories I heard from a Derry footballer about them :
Two boys in the hotel after Railway cup training - standing at the top of the room , not sitting down along with rest of players having the squad meal.
Selector asks them 'you boys not eating anything'?
John G ' nah, we dont want any, we only'
Mark G 'eat the dinners mammy makes'
Selector 'is there nathin youd eat ?'
two grimleys together 'aye, Ice cream'

+++++++++++++++
Two grimleys rooming with Conor counihan (Cork) for aussie rules squad. Boys stiing in hotel room watching TV. Conor gets bored and asked them if they were going out to meet the rest of the squad for a few pints. Two grimleys said nah, they wanted to watch telly.
As they were first into the room they had the two single beds and counihan had a camp bed out in the floor.
Counihan got back from his few pints to find his camp bed up on top of the wardrobe and a fight broke out between the three of them and hotelmanagement and Irish manager (cant rem if it was heffo /boylan or who) had tocalm things down. Apparantly Counihan gave better then he got !!
he was a hard bustard himself!

Grimleys are nice lads , thugs on the pitch but great fellas off it !

[INDIANA]

Brian McGilligan told me that Pat O'Byrne from Wicklow was the strongest man he had ever played with or against.

story from Mick Lyons from that infamous tour (fight) v aussies out in Oz- that Pat O'Byrne and Brian McGilligan were the two hardest and toughest men on that tour and ever he seen to play football !

The aussies were running away from Mc Gilligan and O byrne during the rows. Some great pics from it. Heffo had a call that went out in each quarter which gave Mc Gilligan special licence to lamp one of the Aussie hardmen if they needed a thump. O Byrne had the same licence down the other end.
O Byrne was a sheep farmer from Wicklow and was the best front row forward the irish rugby team never had. He'd push hayes and horan together into the middle of next week.

[diehard]

Larnapairce, I remember Joe Corcoran from Mayo breaking the Red's collarbone with a shoulder!  Hard to believe I know because Joe wasnt a hard man by any stretch of the imagination.  Nonetheless Red was a tough bit of stuff.
I think Colm McMenamon was as tough as they came.  He could take any gods amount of punishment and brush it off.

[stephenite]

I think Colm McMenamon was as tough as they came.  He could take any gods amount of punishment and brush it off.

Jeez yeah, forgot about that man.