My late father always reckoned Tom Yourell was one of the best judges of character he ever came across. In other words, if the nearest I ever knew to a grandfather got a vibe about someone, time would usually prove him to be right. It’s something I’d like to think I’ve inherited from the old… Read More Damien P. O’Reilly 1983-2023
Rivalries are a huge part of how sport becomes such an intrinsic part of many of our lives. As I begin to write this, I’m not long home from the latest coming together between Dunboyne and Dunshaughlin in the Meath Adult Football League. These wheels may not park up at as many matches as was… Read More Rivalries parked once the whistle goes
With profound sadness, I have just learned of the passing of former Meath GAA underage football mentor John (Johnny) Sullivan. May he rest in peace. A bastion of the St Patrick’s club in Stamullen, Johnny Sullivan was a legend when I was growing up, if you know what I mean. As a mentor with numerous… Read More Johnny Sullivan Snr – R. I. P.
I was so very sad to hear of the passing of Phil Leonard yesterday. I first got to know Noel properly at the time of the 1999 Local Elections and have been privileged to visit their home on numerous occasions over the years since. Like their late neighbour Vincent Poleon, the fact the wheelchair couldn’t… Read More Mrs Phil Leonard – R.I.P.
Anybody who has been perusing my output for long enough will surely know of the central role Brady’s Pub in Dunboyne has always played in my life. A minute part of me wanted to document that in the past tense but I refuse to countenance, let alone accept, that certain parts of my ‘old’ life… Read More Peter Darby: 1938-2022 RIP
During my school years, I was truly blessed to be surrounded by the kindest, most understanding and helpful bunch of lads somebody in my position could hope for. Of course, as with any class of 30-plus, there were one or two who, shall we say, weren’t as mindful of one’s circumstances as were the majority.… Read More If phrases are like sports jerseys this one should be retired
This corner has often opined that an idle mind is a dangerous thing. Speaking wholly from personal experience, it can be a grave threat to one’s mental stability. On that score, An Fear Rua never had any such worries. Now read on… Liam Cahill slipped quietly out of the world last week. From what I… Read More This Lad owes his spot in the Press Box to AFR
Where do nicknames originate? Every town, village and city in the country has them to identify characters of note in the locality. If the individual or their kinfolk are long enough established or well enough known in an area, it becomes the case that they become more recognisable by their ‘other’ title than their Christian… Read More John was at the heart of everything good about Dunboyne
If asked to offer a synopsis of what my life is all about in as few words as possible, sport and farming would eternally be central tenets of any such description. Yes, writing and Susie and family would be of the utmost importance too. But it would take somebody or somebody or something exceptional to… Read More He knew me better than I knew myself – now there are four very large paw prints to be filled
Celebrating underage sporting successes with the copious consumption of crisps and minerals is a tradition which, one suspects, extends far beyond these shores. It would be wagered, also, that such practices are utterly frowned upon now by elements of a society far too conscious of itself. Ah, for simpler times…