Maybe not a lot of people know it, certainly not a lot of my generation, but it’s a fact – when Louth won the All-Ireland football title in 1957, there were two Mayo men on the team. And the two of them – Dan O’Neill and Seamie O’Donnell – actually played the entire second-half at midfield together, after Seamie moved out there from the half-forward line. Together, they drove Louth forward in what was a titanic struggle and, with their help, the Wee County’s perseverance paid off. Sean Cunningham scored a late goal to help them overcome Cork in the final that saw Padraig Harrington’s father, Paddy (since passed away, RIP ) lose his second All-Ireland final on the trot.
Last week, I attended the launch of Divided Loyalties, the life and times of Dan O’Neill. Co-written with Liam Horan, one of Ireland’s foremost Gaelic games journalists, this book offers an excellent insight into Gaelic football, and, indeed, Irish society at that time.
Dan left Mayo over an expenses row. A garda based in Co. Louth, he used to borrow a car to come home for Mayo matches. (He didn’t have the recourse of the GPA in those days to contest any grievance ) However, when the county board queried one expenses claim, Dan declared for Louth. It was as simple as that, and he now accepts he acted impetuously. But he was clearly aggrieved, particularly as the expenses claim was to reimburse a close friend who was kind enough to give him the loan of his car.
Mayo’s loss was Louth’s gain.
The book chronicles Louth’s march to glory in 1957. The team featured a few newcomers (including Dan and Seamie – Dan joined Louth in 1956, and Seamie happened along in an unrelated move a year later ). It also featured a few players who had come out of retirement. As one who has been involved in management, these are familiar themes: the effort to build a team, coaxing a player to give it another shot, prevailing on another to come back again, and all of it goes to producing, what you hope will be a force to conquer the land.
Dan’s career as a garda, in private business, and also in the tourism industry is dealt with in full. As a Mayo man, I particularly enjoyed his accounts of his five senior championship triumphs with Castlebar Mitchels. Reading it, I found myself wondering how they would have fared had there been an All-Ireland club championship at that time. The accounts of the trips to England and the United States of America are very entertaining. Times were different. There was a huge controversy over Dan travelling to New York with Mayo in the aftermath of their 1954 NFL win. Dan was scheduled to pass out as a garda, but the passing-out ceremony coincided with the trip. For quite a while, it looked as if he would not be able to go. Eventually, the authorities relented. Dan made the trip. The Cork hurlers were on the same outing – Christy Ring is captured in a splendid photograph taken on the boat. It was an incredible perk at the time to visit New York. Dan is the first Mayo or Louth footballer to write his autobiography. He has done an excellent job, and anyone with an interest in the GAA will find it a compelling read. It may even help fill a Christmas stocking or two. Divided Loyalties, Dan O’Neill is published by Low Ball against the Wind publishers (aka Liam Horan! ). If you’ve a problem getting a copy in your local bookshop, phone Liam on 087 918 5867, or email him at [email protected].
A few hours with a fascinating man
I spent a few hours in the company of a fascinating 70-year-old Crossmolina man, who has coached 26 Olympic athletes in a glorious athletics career stretching over four decades. John McDonnell, the retired head coach of Arkansas University, gave a talk last week to over 150 like minded sports enthusiasts in Breaffy House Hotel. I met John the previous Monday and at short notice he readily agreed to share some of his experiences, provided I was in a position to organise a group at such short notice. Through the Sports partnership at Mayo County Council and a very proactive PR campaign we managed to get a fantastic turnout. John is a legend in American athletics, having coached at six Olympic Games. He is currently training five athletes for the 2012 London Olympics. Everyone at the talk would have taken some little nugget of information away with them, which was the purpose of this evening. John answered a series of questions from the floor on a variety of topics. I was interested to hear what he had to say about the use of a substance called creatine, as I am aware of its use by some GAA players and others.
For those of you who do not know anything about the substance I will enlighten you briefly. It is an amino-acid based compound that is produced naturally in the human body. The body produces half the required creatine endogenously from internal amino acids and the rest is produced from the food we take. Creatine is found largely in fish and red meat. Creatine is produced by the liver, pancreas and kidneys and is sent to the muscle tissues through the blood. It is converted to store energy in muscule tissues. This allows the body to release large bursts of energy when the body is exerted. Creatine supplements are generally taken by people participating in sports like weightlifting, wrestling and sprinting, as these sports require sudden bursts of energy for short periods. Tony Ward wrote exclusively about its widespread use among Leinster colleges rugby players a number of years ago. There was absolutely no doubt in John’s mind that creatine has been found to have a lot of side effects and it is currently banned in American athletic circles. The most common side effect is weight gain due to more water retained in the muscle tissue, dehydration, muscle cramps, nausea, diarrhoea, and seizures. In people with existing kidney or renal disorders, creatine was found to cause additional renal stress. Now if that isn’t enough to turn you off using, or considering to use, the substance I don’t know what is!
It was also fascinating to hear what he had to say about the use of ice baths as a method of recovery after workouts. His athletes in the early 80s were using the traditional hot tub. On Sundays when his athletes went for a 12/14 mile run they jumped into the hot tub to ease aching muscles. They subsequently changed this routine and used iced baths, as that was the advice from experts in the late 1990s and early 00s. He has now returned to the hot baths as a recovery tool, after being advised by two visiting medical scientists that cold water was not the best way of shifting lactic acid from aching muscles. My philosophy is, if ice baths work for you, stick with them. He ruled out the widespread use of supplements, suggesting that a good balanced diet was so much better. I could see Darragh Quinn, that well-known pharmacist, visibly shifting in his chair as he counted up potential losses of revenue at his many stores throughout the county!
Well done Carnacon on an incredible victory last Sunday. You have embellished your reputation even further with an enthralling victory.
