Páidí Ó Sé

[heffo]

Did anything ever come of the alleged plagarism from an Examiner journalist and the eulogy he wrote/stroked about Paidí?

What was that Heffo ?

See above post Orangeman - Tony Leen used the eulogy about Jock Stein from 1986 and passed it off as his own

[Hardy]

Has anyone got the piece? Has there been any comment from The Times or McIlvanney?

TONY LEEN ON PAIDI O SE (2012) -- Irish Examiner

The larcenous nature of death, its habit of breaking in on us when we are least prepared and stealing the irreplaceable, has seldom been more painfully experienced than on the roads and boithríns around West Kerry last night.



HUGH MCILVANEY ON JOCK STEIN (1985) -- collected in 'McIlvaney on Football'

The larcenous nature of death, its habit of breaking in on us when we are least prepared and stealing the irreplaceable, has seldom been more sickeningly experienced than at Ninian Park in Cardiff on Tuesday night.

Thanks. I'm always ready to extend the benefit of the doubt, but ...

[muppet]

Has anyone got the piece? Has there been any comment from The Times or McIlvanney?

TONY LEEN ON PAIDI O SE (2012) -- Irish Examiner

The larcenous nature of death, its habit of breaking in on us when we are least prepared and stealing the irreplaceable, has seldom been more painfully experienced than on the roads and boithríns around West Kerry last night.



HUGH MCILVANEY ON JOCK STEIN (1985) -- collected in 'McIlvaney on Football'

The larcenous nature of death, its habit of breaking in on us when we are least prepared and stealing the irreplaceable, has seldom been more sickeningly experienced than at Ninian Park in Cardiff on Tuesday night.

Damning.

Tom Humphries used to quote US Sports Journalists all the time. The reason I know this is because he always credited them. What was Leen thinking? Most anonymous posters will provide a link or quote, never mind a professional journalist.

[Denn Forever]

Just watching Imeall on TG4 about the Dingle Film festiva fropm  mid March.

local festival with an international profile finished the weekend off on Monday with a Dingle Day dedicated to locally associated films and a particularly an homage to the late Paidi Ó Sé. This last was an exclusive festival production drawing material made available from RTE and footage contributed by local documentary film-maker Brenda Ní Shúilleabháin.

Let hope TG4 or RTE show it.

[5 Sams]

Missed that tonight...hope it's repeated. You have to admire the Dingle/Corcha Dhuibhne people. They have a festival or event on every other month. Always a party going on...Páidí Sé's comortas, the food festival, the film festival, the Wran, NYE, Tommy Griffin's comortas, the marathon, agus araile arís. loads of others. Great community thíos ansin.

[Ciarrai_thuaidh]

Missed that tonight...hope it's repeated. You have to admire the Dingle/Corcha Dhuibhne people. They have a festival or event on every other month. Always a party going on...Páidí Sé's comortas, the food festival, the film festival, the Wran, NYE, Tommy Griffin's comortas, the marathon, agus araile arís. loads of others. Great community thíos ansin.

Sounds like you're no stranger to the delights of Wesht Kerry yourself 5 Sams?! For a small town, Dingle is a great spot for a night out to be fair and if the weather is any way fair, back around Dunquin or Ballyferriter is as close to utopia as I've encountered.

[5 Sams]

Missed that tonight...hope it's repeated. You have to admire the Dingle/Corcha Dhuibhne people. They have a festival or event on every other month. Always a party going on...Páidí Sé's comortas, the food festival, the film festival, the Wran, NYE, Tommy Griffin's comortas, the marathon, agus araile arís. loads of others. Great community thíos ansin.

Sounds like you're no stranger to the delights of Wesht Kerry yourself 5 Sams?! For a small town, Dingle is a great spot for a night out to be fair and if the weather is any way fair, back around Dunquin or Ballyferriter is as close to utopia as I've encountered.

I spend a lot of time down there CT. The top of an Clasach looking out over the Blaskets is the most spectacular view you will ever see...add in the people, chat about football, an teanga, pints in Maura Bawns or Muiris Dan's, tramping up Mt Eagle or Brandon, catching the odd game at Gallarus or Páirc an Aghasaigh with lads with multiple Celtic crosses in their arse pockets on view....where else would you go?? Heaven for me.

[Ciarrai_thuaidh]

Missed that tonight...hope it's repeated. You have to admire the Dingle/Corcha Dhuibhne people. They have a festival or event on every other month. Always a party going on...Páidí Sé's comortas, the food festival, the film festival, the Wran, NYE, Tommy Griffin's comortas, the marathon, agus araile arís. loads of others. Great community thíos ansin.

Sounds like you're no stranger to the delights of Wesht Kerry yourself 5 Sams?! For a small town, Dingle is a great spot for a night out to be fair and if the weather is any way fair, back around Dunquin or Ballyferriter is as close to utopia as I've encountered.

I spend a lot of time down there CT. The top of an Clasach looking out over the Blaskets is the most spectacular view you will ever see...add in the people, chat about football, an teanga, pints in Maura Bawns or Muiris Dan's, tramping up Mt Eagle or Brandon, catching the odd game at Gallarus or Páirc an Aghasaigh with lads with multiple Celtic crosses in their arse pockets on view....where else would you go?? Heaven for me.

Ah maith an fear!

Its no wonder there's so many good footballers back there really..to quote a former Kerry players when asked why football was so strong, "with the ocean in front of you and mountains behind you, shur there's f**k all else to do!".

[Croí na hÉireann]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4VTn2PCxn8&feature=youtu.be

[seafoid]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4VTn2PCxn8&feature=youtu.be

Den scoth.
It's a pity they didn't go on to to win the All-Ireland.

[orangeman]

1st anniversary is on 15th December

Páidí ó Sé – outstanding in all his fields

As anniversary of Kerry legend's passing approaches, Liam Kelly picks six highlights from a life less ordinary

PÁIDÍ. Gone, but never to be forgotten as long as Gaelic football is played in the Kingdom of Kerry. Next Sunday, December 15, is the first anniversary of his sudden passing at the all-too-young age of 57.



The year has flown. The seasons have tumbled one after the other through 2013 until we now arrive at the end of the first year in which Páidí Ó Sé was marked 'as láthair' from the county and national football scene for the first time in four decades.

Tears were shed, but laughter rang out as well at his funeral and, in the days and months that followed, whenever conversation among Gaels turned to memories of his impish roguery and the scrapes and foibles from which he inevitably emerged unscathed, that same laughter was always in evidence.

I cannot claim to have known Páidí well. I did, however, take notice when I saw him for the first time when the Kerry team of 1975 arrived at the Grand Hotel, Malahide, on the Saturday before they annihilated Sligo in the All-Ireland semi-finals.

Fresh-faced kids, most of them, and Páidí stood out with his pudding-bowl haircut and his stocky build.

By the third week in September that year, with the Dubs beaten and Sam back on his holidays in Kerry, that group of footballers and their manager Mick O'Dwyer, had announced themselves as the new force in football.

A few years later, down in Dunquin for a weekend, at a time when the whole of the GAA knew who Páidí was, I saw him in action as host of Kruger's pub, which he had leased after leaving the gardaí.

It was interesting to watch. Head down, polite, but saying very little, indeed shy in demeanour, Páidí pulled pints.

A group from the North were present and they were watching him, wide-eyed, clearly dying to engage him in conversation.

He wasn't rude at all, but at the time, he hadn't developed the flamboyant, entertaining personality that is expected of 'mine host' when the publican is also a famous sportsman.

So, they stood there and watched him.

Eventually, prodded by his brother Tom, Páidí engaged them in chat, and they were charmed.

It was a skill he went on to master proficiently when welcoming the likes of Dolly Parton, Michael Douglas and hosts of personalities much later in life at his own licensed premises at Ard a' Bhóthair, nine kilometres west of Dingle.

On another occasion, in 1981, again down in Kruger's, Páidí surprised me by asking if I would I like to go with him the next day to Listowel where Kerry were playing Tipperary in, as far as I recall, a challenge match.


At the time I was GAA correspondent of the Sunday Independent. I wasn't sure exactly why he asked. With Páidí, you'd wonder what was his angle, but I said 'yes.'

Maybe it was a bit of a PR investment on his part for the pub. Perhaps it was because I was an All Star selector and he hadn't won one at that time. Who knows?

For me, it was a chance to maybe get to know him better and see Kerry's early season form.

Next day we set off. First stop was at Lispole to collect selector Liam Higgins and then on to Listowel.

As we drew near the ground, Páidí says to me: "Now Liam, boy, I'll drop you here and you can make your own way into the ground. Probably better that I'm not seen with you!"

I smiled to myself. The unexpected. You wouldn't want to be sensitive.

I reckoned Páidí wanted to avoid being accused by his team-mates of currying favour with the dreaded media. Maybe O'Dwyer would think he was revealing secrets.

Anyway, that was it. I watched the match from the terraces. Kerry won. Páidí had arranged to meet me down the town on the way out – again, well out of sight of O'Dwyer and the Kerry squad.

He duly collected me and we went 'straight back wesht' as he put it. No dallying in Listowel.

Out in Ard a' Bhóthair, his mother Beatrice put on a fine big steak meal. We dined handsomely and went back to Dunquin, where Páidí got back to work behind the bar.

Did I glean any secrets that day? Not one. Did I get exclusive comments? Nope. And did I ever find out why Páidí invited me to make the trip with him? Not a bit of it.

But that was Páidí. Unique. His own man.

A man who grabbed life by the ears, shook it hard, kicked it around and up and down the highways and byways, and extracted the most he could from it.

There were so many aspects to Páidí and so many achievements they cannot be all highlighted in one article.

However, I have chosen my personal Top Six of Páidí's landmark achievements.

The criterion was that in my view, they represented his biggest challenges and brought success, not only for himself, but for wider communities in and outside of the GAA.

Managing Westmeath to victory in the 2004 Leinster championship

In this reporter's humble opinion, Westmeath '04 was arguably his greatest feat and I'm not alone in thinking that.

Former Westmeath goalkeeper Gary Connaughton went through that amazing journey and says: "That was the first time in Westmeath's history that we won the Leinster championship.

"For me, it was one of his greatest achievements.

"Down in Kerry you have the tradition, you have the players. There's nothing really matters only gaelic football.

"In Westmeath, there's a big part of the county that's hurling. In Athlone there's soccer and rugby.

"For us to come and win a Leinster was unreal. And we haven't won one since.

"I know that before Páidí there was great work done by Luke Dempsey and Brendan Lowry and Mattie Kerrigan and all those managers before him, but Páidí got us over the line."

To put it in perspective, Páidí knew next to nothing about Westmeath or its football, yet he brought them to unimagined heights in his first season with the squad.

Tomás ó Flatharta, recently appointed as manager of Laois, recalls a pivotal conversation with Páidí just over 10 years ago.

"Páidí was never afraid to step into the unknown or into any challenges," he remembers.

"He went into that with a lot of courage. When you think about it, Westmeath was the unknown, and was it a challenge? By God, it was a huge, huge, challenge.

"He asked me to go with him – he said 'come down with me and pick selectors with me.'

"I said 'Páidí, I don't know anybody in Westmeath. I don't know anyone involved. Do you know anybody there?

"And he said, 'f**k it, I don't. I've heard of Dessie Dolan, but if I met him on the street, I wouldn't know him.'

"So, we knew absolutely nothing about it. But he had the hallmarks of a great leader and he had the capacity to get to know people, motivate them, and get the best out of them."

The two Kerrymen met the Westmeath players for the first time at the Citywest Hotel one afternoon in November 2003.

Later that evening, the Lake County men played Dublin in a challenge match at St Jude's ground in Templeogue.

It was an eye-opener.

"Westmeath were useless, absolutely terrible," says O Flatharta

"Páidí turns to me and says, 'what the f**k have we let ourselves in for?'

"And I said to him, 'Páidí – we?' It's you that got us into this!'"

Fast-forward to mid-November 2012. Though neither of them could possibly have known, it was to be the last meeting between ó Flatharta and Páidí.

"I went down to Dingle and the two of us went out for a meal. We had a great night together," says ó Flatharta

"He wasn't drinking or anything. He was in one of those rare forms you'd get him in. He was full of stories.

"I felt all along that he never kind of understood the significance of the success he achieved with Westmeath.

"He was saying to me, 'how did we manage it? How did we get it out of them that year?' It was only then he was beginning to realise that he had done this big thing in Westmeath."

Kerry v Dublin, 1975

Páidí played in 10 All-Ireland finals, and featured on the winning team on eight occasions between 1975 and 1986.

How to pick the best of those performances? No better man to ask than the great Mick O'Dwyer, who guided the green and gold through those 10 deciders?

"The one that would really stand out for me would be 1975. He was practically a young kid, coming from nowhere. He gave an outstanding display of football that day. We had him in midfield. He wasn't the biggest of men, but he had a wonderful leap off the ground," recalls O'Dwyer.

"Size didn't matter. He had wonderful positional sense – he always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.

"Wing half-back would turn out to be his best position, but he had wonderful games in the back-line as well.

"It would be very hard to pick out any one performance, to be honest, because he never played badly in an All-Ireland final.

"Even when we were beaten by Offaly in '82, he gave a great exhibition that day as well.

"He had a great record, too. In 10 All-Ireland finals only one point was scored off him in general play, and that was a fair achievement for any player.

"He was exceptional, one of the best we've had."

Lifting the Sam Maguire Cup in 1985

Was there ever a prouder All-Ireland winning captain than Páidí when he stepped up to raise the Sam Maguire Cup aloft after victory over the Dubs in 1985?

The winning speech, conducted in Irish, is still remembered by all who heard and watched it live, but viewing it again on YouTube now, one is struck by the absolute fervour and pride of the man as he took centre stage on the podium.

'An-áthas' doesn't adequately describe the emotional intensity he brought to the occasion. Another of his boyhood dreams had come true.

The Kingdom's first All-Ireland in 11 years

Donal Keenan, author of the impressive, newly published authorised biography titled 'Páidí – A Big Life' (HeroBooks €15.99) relates the background to the eventual success.

Appointed in September 1995, Páidí mentored the Kingdom to a Munster final victory in 1996.

It was Kerry's first defeat of Cork in a the provincial decider since 1986 – the Rebels had won seven titles in the previous nine campaigns.

But when Mayo stunned Kerry in the All-Ireland semi-final, there was hell to pay in the Kingdom.

Keenan writes: "A six-point defeat was greeted with shock and awe. The reaction was swift and sour. The manager was derided for what was considered a lack of control, a failure to maintain discipline ... "

Stung by the criticism, particularly by allegations of excessive celebrations after the '96 Munster final, Páidí put the pedal to the metal in 1997.

The National League title was won; the Munster championship was retained and the All-Ireland title success that was craved by everyone in Kerry was delivered.

Páidí 10 out of 10; Critics 0 – and they were lucky to get nil!

The 1984 Kerry County Championship

One of his many dreams was to captain Kerry. To do that, you needed to be nominated by the county champions. One problem remained – Páidí needed to actually play on a county championship-winning team.

What to do? Typical Páidí – he got stuck in and got the job done as player-manager.

ó Flatharta, who was a team-mate of Páidí's with the An Ghaeltacht club at the time, puts it in context.

"In 1984, Páidí had won six all- Ireland medals, so his next challenge – and he was always up for a challenge – was to become captain of Kerry and bring Sam Maguire back to Ventry. He wanted to do that.

"West Kerry was a team of five separate clubs (An Ghaeltacht, Dingle, Lispole, Annascaul and Castlegregory). They could never get on and they could never put a team properly together.

"Páidí got them together, got to know them all and was able to motivate them to get the best out of them.

"He brought West Kerry from nothing to being county champions – and he got to be captain of Kerry," says ó Flatharta.

Bringing the tourists 'back Wesht'

From 1985 when the doors opened on 'Tigh Páidí ó Sé,' the owner was relentless in driving business for the pub and for the wider area around Dingle-Ventry-Dunquin.

Many and varied were his initiatives to attract visitors to the area, but one of the best was the Comórtas Peile tournament, which began in 1989. It was, and is, played annually in February.

From humble beginnings, the tournament grew to the extent of 1,300 people representing GAA clubs from home and abroad, participating in the 2013 event as part of 'The Gathering'.

Páidí, sadly was not there to see it, nor will he be there for the 25th anniversary staging in 2014, but his legacy is proud and enduring.

[orangeman]

I'd say there are plenty of people throughout Ireland and beyond with the same sentiment about loved ones who are no longer with us :

Billy Keane: 'One year on and you still want to ring Páidí'



'One year on and you still want to ring Páidí'

Billy Keane– 14 December 2013


He called the players to one side in the grounds of Blackrock College where the kickabout took place. I snuck over. He spotted me. Said nothing. It was just PO and the players. Maybe he knew, some day, I'd write about it.

At the time, I was a minor functionary in his back-room team. The talk is secret. That is the rule. All I can say is there was no shouting or roaring. It was a calm talk, but after that last few words there was no player in the group who didn't know exactly what his job was. There was no player who didn't know exactly what it meant to wear the green and gold.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "I'm fine," I said. The tears were coming down my face. "Was it alright?" he asked. I couldn't answer. Kerry won the most important All-Ireland ever. Páidí ó Sé saved Kerry football. He had great men with him as selectors and the planner Seamus MacGearailt kept us all grounded, but only Páidí could have won that All-Ireland.

This was Páidí at his best -- in control and beating the demons. There was a chaotic side to him too. Usually when there was drink involved.

It was the snowy January of '97 and I was at Cork Airport without a ticket. Páidí asked me to come on a trip with the Kerry team to the Canaries. I'm not sure what my job was -- and I'm still not sure. Páidí forgot all about asking me to go. Eventually, I travelled under the name of Bernie O'Callaghan. No one bothered to check my passport in the pre-9/11 times.

I blamed PO for two days, then one night he sent me over a drink and a note, it said we're going for walk tomorrow "to discuss tactics". There wasn't a word about tactics, but along with éamonn Breen we had the funniest day ever. He knew all the Africans selling sunglasses by name. Their life stories. They knew him. And he invited them all to Ventry. Jobs and beds for everyone. They sold him a pair of sunglasses the size of saucepans. We told him they were lovely.

You could never fall out with PO. Never. No matter what, because he'd always make it up to you. If you had a puncture outside his front door, it would be very hard to get him to take an interest -- but if your heart was breaking, he'd do all he could to fix it. My old friend was a mind doctor and he had a lovely counter-side manner.


In the end, his own heart broke down because it was too souped up to fit in a human frame and he drove himself too hard.

There were times when I used to feel awful for him. To be Páidí 24 hours a day -- especially in the summer -- was impossible and exacting. Everyone wanted a piece of him.

He was shy, you know. It was his first day in St Michael's in Listowel. PO was 18 and nervous. There wasn't a word out of him. Three months later, we'd have died for him. Our tiny school won all around us that year. Didn't lose a game. We won the Kerry Colleges for the first time ever. Our trainer John O'Flaherty was a football genius and he said some day Páidí would manage Kerry. I was 16 and I knew some day Páidí would win loads of All-Irelands.

Tommy O'Connell and myself walked home with Páidí every evening. There were so many yarns. They were the best days I had with him. When people left him alone, before he was famous, and he didn't have to be Páidí.

I remember bursting into the old man's study one evening, firing the schoolbag in the corner and telling him "I have no life". That was after the walk home, listening to Páidí's outrageous yarns, after a trip to London with the Kerry team.

He could be a meticulous planner and there was never a better fundraiser. His lovely family are keeping up the tradition. They raised thousands for heart equipment and the Páidí ó Sé Tournament, now in its 25th year, takes place next February. The nephews are behind it too and I'd say PO is fierce proud. There's no better weekend anywhere. He was mad about Maire and the kids. PO wasn't your conventional father. There were times when he was put in the bold corner by his girls. Classic role reversal it was. He never chastised his kids. It was all love, funny one-liners, wisdom, holidays, walks, cycles and a soft-spoken gentleness you'd never think he had in him if you watched him playing football.

A couple of weeks ago, I was in bad form. I started to dial 066 915... then it dawned on me. Now, when you'd go ringing PO there wouldn't be a response like "I'll share your pain, man" or "I love you, bro". He wasn't exactly your modern man.

He hated bad news. So the best thing to do was just call him. He'd know from the tone of your voice if the treatment was needed. Then he'd get it going. There would be enough laughter to cure any pain.

He's dead a year tomorrow. Most of all I miss watching that brilliant mind thinking. You could see him winding up. Just to give a bit of himself. It was as if there was an empty thought bubble, like they have in the comics, waiting to be filled up and you would never quite know what he'd come out with.

I see him now in his new going-away-from-home suit with a tie knot as a big as an apple. There's a shine off him and he's as fit as a trout. I can still hear his legacy podcasts in my head.

And I always will.

Irish Independent

[Bojangles]

Brilliant, poignant article by Billy. I have grown to love his articles over the last year or two, the first column I now read in the Indo. Definitely got a piece of his old man's gift, and great at capturing the Kerry take on things.

[Jinxy]

Are you serious?
He's absolutely rubbish!

[Syferus]

..legacy podcasts?