Tyrone v Kerry All Ireland Final 2008

[Over the Bar]

Tearful reading indeed.  Hopefully such tragedies never befall this or any other team again.   

Dia na thoiseach.

[Final Whistle]

It has been confirmed that Sean Cavanagh will be fully fit to line-out for Tyrone in next Sunday week's All-Ireland SFC final against Kerry.

The Red Hands ace had to be assisted off the playing field at Croke Park in the second-half of Mickey Harte's men's semi-final win over Wexford last month, after suffering a reoccurrence of a back injury as well as dislocating some of his fingers, leaving him in doubt for his side's decider with the Kingdom on September 21.

"What was really disappointing is that I was enjoying the game so much and it was devastating that I had to come off. The first thing going through your mind is 'that's it, I am going to miss the final'.

"I could hardly walk at the time and I had dislocated a few fingers."

However, after being interviewed at a press conference in Carrickmore last night (Wednesday) the three-time All Star made it clear that the injuries were not going to keep him from completing a hat-trick of All-Ireland finals next weekend, having already won two.

"To be honest, it's going to take an awful lot more than that to keep me out of an All-Ireland final."

[ziggysego]

small banner I put together , hope it doesnt upset the balance 

First class AFR!

[ONeill]

Never a dull moment when drinking coffee with legends... Heaney in KerryBy Paddy Heaney
10/09/08

Arranging an interview with one of the all-time greats of Gaelic football couldn't have been much easier.

Icons of the game don't come much bigger than Mick O'Connell, yet getting in contact with him was a doddle. His telephone number was in the local phonebook. No ex-directory requests for this prince of footballers. It's there in black and white: O'Connell Mick, Glenleam, Valentia Island.

Two calls did the trick. When I rang, as requested, at 9am yesterday morning, he agreed to meet me in Cahirciveen at 10.30am.

Mick supplied the venue and the directions. He would be in a café in the Cahirciveen Shopping Centre. The title of shopping centre is somewhat misleading, as it constitutes a Eurospar, a clothes shop, a hairdressers and the café.

Unlike his playing days, when he had to row to the mainland, Mick can now make the 15-mile journey by car. When I entered the café, he was already seated – the matinee idol of the radio age, the man who set the standard for all midfielders.

Captain of the All-Ireland-winning side in 1959, he was the Texaco Footballer of the Year when they won again in 1962. Ten years later, at the tender age of 34, he was selected as an Allstar when he won his fourth All-Ireland medal. He was on the Team of the Century (picked to mark the GAA's 100th anniversary) in 1984 and the Team of the Millennium.

It's 50 years since Mick O'Connell made his debut in Croke Park, against Derry in the All-Ireland semi-final of 1958, yet the 70-year-old is in remarkably good health.

At the peak of his powers, he stood six feet tall and weighed 13-and-a-half-stones. He has gained a pound in weight since he hung up the boots.

I had been forewarned that 'Micko' could be a handful to interview. It was good advice.

When the tape started rolling he came out all guns blazing. He's not a fan of the modern game, which he described as "basketball on grass".

There's too much hand-passing, too much negativity. He can't tolerate obstruction and third man tackling.

"When I was playing I loved to get a run up. Nowadays a man would stand in front of you and block your run and he'd get away with it," he fumed.

Mick pointed to Darragh Ó Sé as one of the few

midfielders who upholds the tradition of high catching. He also believes that the absence of players like Ó Sé from other county teams is an indictment on the current state of Gaelic football.

"There are county teams with midfielders who can't catch the ball or certainly never attempt to catch the ball. What does that say to you about the game?"

But those who have read the various interviews that O'Connell has given down through the years will realise that this is all familiar ground.

I wanted to know was there anything about the current game that he likes. Does he still attend big matches?

It turns out that he still goes to Croke Park, but not for any selfish interest.

His 31-year-old son, Diarmuid, who has Down's syndrome, is "fanatical" about Kerry.

"He is the joy of my life,'' says Micko. Father and son take a day to travel to Dublin, a day to watch the game, and a day to return.

Diarmuid is also a rabid Arsenal fan, and therefore, so is Mick. "I got into following them through Diarmuid," he explained, "They play great football, but they don't have enough money to compete with Man United and Chelsea."

Pure football and sportsmanship are constant themes with Mick O'Connell. When he attended an English league game featuring Sheffield Wednesday in the 1960s, he was hugely impressed by the way both sets of supporters applauded good play.

"The supporters mingled together as well, but that has all gone now,'' he sighed.

The Kerry legend clearly loves his sport. The man that rowed from Valentia Island now has Sky TV. The previous night he started to watch the final of the US Tennis Open but went to bed because it was on too late. (He rises at seven o'clock).

Before the tennis, he watched some American

Football although he's not a huge fan of the game. He also claimed "a good, pure game of rugby stirs me more now than a Gaelic football match".

Readers should take that last comment with a pinch of salt. He still watches a fair bit of the game in which he excelled.

When asked if there were any footballers outside Kerry that he particularly admires, he named two.

The first was Galway's Michael Meehan. "Now he is a good footballer. He played Kerry on his own. He can kick with both feet and he can also kick off the ground."

The second man mentioned was Tyrone's Stephen O'Neill -– and he wasn't being

mischievous.

Again, the ability to kick effortlessly with both feet was considered the trademark of a class act.

At this point during the interview, another man entered the café. It was Ned Fitzgerald. Mick O'Connell and Ned Fitzgerald are good friends. Ned was Mick's best man. I later discover that they meet every morning of the week.

Ned is 73-years-old. He has a strong, squat build and a square head covered by a huge clump of grey hair.

"This is another Kerry captain,'' says Mick.

"Yes, I captained them when we lost to

Waterford,'' said Ned with a chuckle.

Ned takes orders for tea and coffee and

refuses to allow The Irish News accounts

department to pay for it. He asks Mick if he would like a croissant. This provokes wide grins from both men. The tea arrives shortly afterwards with a plate of buttered toast. The Kerry captains dig in.

Ned has sallow skin and brown, brooding eyes. The family resemblance is obvious and by way of the conversation, I soon establish that he's the father of another Kerry legend, Maurice Fitzgerald.

But Ned is no giant and Maurice Fitzgerald is six foot two. Ned informs me that Maurice "got his mother's legs".

And so the fun begins. Ned has absolutely no interest in talking about his own playing career.

After a few verses of song, and a smattering of poetry, he tells me about his exploits as a kicking coach. He had two excellent pupils

– Mick O'Connell and his son, Maurice.

He went to Australia with Maurice for a

competition that featured the best kickers from various sports and various countries and they came home with a cheque for Aus $10,000.

He also went to America and acted as

mentor to his friend, Mick, who had been

pitted against Roy Gurelo, the kicker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The competition took place during the interval of a Gaelic football match in the States. Both Gurelo and O'Connell had to take kicks with an oval ball and a round ball. Micko won.

As Ned regaled me with tales, out of the

corner of my eye I see Mick O'Connell

blessing himself when he finishes his toast. These men are old school.

They are also two seriously tough Kerry hombres. Ned had not been well recently, but he still swims in the broad Atlantic Ocean every day of the year.

Not surprisingly, these men take a dim view of the GPA's complaints about the hardship of the modern day players.

"I can't understand these men who talk about sacrifice,'' says Mick. "I loved playing football. And when I played football it didn't cost me anything. I got my passage paid anywhere I went. I only had to pay for my boots. If anyone thinks it's a sacrifice to play football then they should quit."

Ned keeps his counsel, but he doesn't

disagree. As his friend gives vent on another topic, Ned takes out his mobile phone and makes a call.

A few minutes later, Maurice Fitzgerald

enters the café and pulls up a seat. The table now features a former Kerry captain whose best friend and son are former Footballers of the Year? and me.

Maurice allowed his elders to take centre stage. It's hectic stuff. All topics are up for

discussion. We eventually come to the

All-Ireland final. Micko wants Kerry to win, but not at any cost: "I would hate to see a

repeat of what happened in the closing stages of the 2005 final,'' he said.

"Kerry were trying to get the ball down the field when a Tyrone player made a blatant foul. He just dragged a Kerry man down. There was no attempt to tackle him. He just wanted to stop the play."

Once again, Micko's distaste for gamesmanship has risen to the surface: "I am not just talking about Tyrone. I know Kerry could do the same thing and I'd hate any team to play that way. If you're not going to do something properly then you shouldn't do it all."

Micko's serious demeanour doesn't last long when his son, Diarmuid comes into the café.

Diarmuid lives in a home on Valentia Island with other Down's syndrome children. It's called Tíg An Oilean. Mick O'Connell donated the land for the building (estimated by Maurice Fitzgerald, an estate agent, to be worth about E1m) and devotes a good deal of his time fundraising for it.

Diarmuid is with his friend Alan and a

member of staff from Tíg an Oilean. The

already raucous atmosphere in the cafe rises to another peak when Diarmuid stands at the table and is posed a series of rapid-fire questions.

Ned asks: "What year did Mick O'Connell captain Kerry?" "1959"

A roar of approval.

Ned asks a second question, a trickier one. "What's my car's registration plate number?"

There's another cheer when the correct

answer is promptly delivered.

Maurice asks: "What was the score in the hurling final?"

"Kilkenny 3-30 Waterford 1-13."

Another cheer and Diarmuid beams with

delight.

His father then asks him: "What will the score be in the football final?"

"6-16 to 3-10," says Diarmuid. Then, after a considerable pause: "To Kerry."

And then – bedlam.

Irish News

He may be a legend but O'Connell comes across a little bitter.

[filthylittlebeast]

Super Dooher saves Sam from the Kingdom of Evil !!

[omagh_gael]

enjoyable article o neill, today's is good with the bomber! Very emotional article on Paul mc girr, still so hard to beleive that even more tragedy was waitin for this panel when we lost cormac, it's easy to see why SoN was accepted back, these 30-33 men have experienced so much joy and equal amounts of loss to realise that a man like stevie is not coming back for the glory and to add another medal to his collection, he's back to provide whatever help he can in the pursuit of TYRONES third title and I for one wish them all the best!

[filthylittlebeast]

An early prediction of the AI 2008......... !!!

[toiletroller]

dooher is quite possibly the ugliest man in gaa

[lfdown2]

WTF IS WITH ALL THE f**king THREADS FOR THE AIF?

jaysus all the complaints on the non-gaa section the mods are needed over her!!

[ziggysego]

WTF IS WITH ALL THE f**king THREADS FOR THE AIF?

jaysus all the complaints on the non-gaa section the mods are needed over her!!

Who's her?

[T Fearon]

Regarding that banner erected in Omagh bearing the title of Superdooher, does anyone else find the reference to Kerry as "the evil Kingdom" on it, gratuitously offensive, or is Dooher's image on it, just offensive enough?

[filthylittlebeast]

is "her" the cat's mother ??  

[spiritof91and94]

Obviously too many free periods on the new timetables

[filthylittlebeast]

Regarding that banner erected in Omagh bearing the title of Superdooher, does anyone else find the reference to Kerry as "the evil Kingdom" on it, gratuitously offensive, or is Dooher's image on it, just offensive enough?

No ! Actually I find it completely and utterly amusing !! those with no sense of humor will always find something to grumble, moan and complain about.... !!

[Jinxy]

He may be a legend but O'Connell comes across a little bitter.

He's dead right. Ye Nordies have destroyed the game as a spectacle.