By Seamus Hayden

The following was written for inclusion in the 2010 Roscommon SFC Final match programme

I would like to thank Roscommon County Board for allowing me the privilege to pen my thoughts on the late Dermot Earley who passed away recently. Dermot Earley is for me the greatest Roscommon person I have known.

I first met Dermot Earley in 1966 when I was nine years old and Dermot was eighteen. We met at Fullard’s filling station in Roscommon town. It was a Sunday evening and Dermot was on his way back to the Curragh. I was in the back of my family’s black Anglia. I was so excited to meet this fine, strong Roscommon footballer with the crew cut hairstyle. Even then he made an impression on me. For the next few years playing football at home in Kilteevan and elsewhere I was, in my own mind, Dermot Earley. He was simply my idol.
You can imagine the feelings of joy and awe when years later the then-Roscommon senior team manager Tom Heneghan informed me that I was selected to play midfield beside Dermot in the National Football league of 1978/79. To play alongside my boyhood hero was something special.

We won the League that season and went on to play together in the 1980 All-Ireland Final against Kerry. Our eight-year midfield partnership lasted until Dermot retired in 1985.

Dermot was a mighty man to play with, welcoming us young fellows onto the team, encouraging and praising all the time –“your ball” mighty catch”, and “well done” rang out from him during a game or on the training pitch. His words of encouragement made us younger players feel bigger, faster, stronger, and eager to win all our games for Dermot’s and our beloved primrose and blue.

We all looked up to Dermot and he was a hero and role model for us. That team of the 1970s and 1980s remain very close to this day. We were all stunned and saddened by the passing of Dermot this year.

Even after we stopped playing, meeting Dermot was still a special and memorable experience. With his great handshake, his big smile, his hand on your shoulder, and his genuine words of “good to see you”; we knew we were with a very special man and friend.

He was always upbeat about Ireland and Roscommon and life in general. After spending time in Dermot’s company one would walk away feeling good about life. This was a very special and wonderful gift that Dermot had. He had many other fine qualities also that are all too rare in people and that we could do with finding in the Ireland of today.

In the 1990s when Dermot was asked to manage Roscommon, he did it with great pride and enthusiasm. He invited myself and John McGowan to be his selectors – an honour for both of us. We all loved Roscommon but none more so than Dermot as he proved time and again when he was asked to do so many things for his native county and clubs in and around the county.

Dermot was the greatest ambassador that Gortaganny, Roscommon and Ireland could have. He made us proud of who we were and where we are from. He was proud and emotional about his roots and he delighted in Mary and their fine family yet was humble about his stature in Irish society and the esteem in which he was held in the GAA community.

When news broke that Dermot was not well we all wondered how such a strong man could be brought down like this. Alas for us there will be greater interest in the All Heaven final this year. I am sure Dermot will have some role to play either as a player or team manager or match analyst in the proceedings.

To his mother Kitty, his wife Mary, who was always at his side, his children and grandchild, his brothers and sisters it is difficult to find words that offer any consolation in your great loss but rest assured that we know Dermot will share in the laughter and special memories whenever we meet and recall the many great memories that we have of this very special man.

As for my Roscommon teammates, we were privileged and honoured to have played with such a man on the playing fields of Ireland and especially here in Hyde Park. Every time a ball is plucked from the sky in this great theatre of Gaelic games we will know that we have seen it done more gracefully and skilfully by Roscommon’s mighty No 8 Dermot Earley. We are confident that Dermot will continue to inspire future generations of young players in his beloved primrose and blue.

Many fine, accurate words have been penned to describe Dermot Early, an officer, a gentleman, an ambassador, a legend, and possibly the greatest footballer never to have won an All-Ireland Senior medal. Personally, I know one thing; I have lost a true and genuine friend.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh do anam dilís Dermot.

(Interview by Michael Fahey, then County PRO, in October 2010)

Michael McGuire became Chairman of Roscommon GAA County Board during the summer of 2005 following the resignation of Stephen Banahan. Michael faced many serious problems on taking up office. Michael has now completed his term of office and will step down as Chairman at the convention in December 2010. In the following interview, Michael speaks candidly of the challenges and successes that he experienced during his tenure of office.

When you became Chairman in 2005 what was the biggest challenge facing you as Chairman?

The first and most pressing issue was to become familiar with the causes of the crisis that had hit Roscommon GAA and to try with set about resolving it. As most people will be aware our county was facing huge financial problems and these in turn were impacting on virtually every facet of the GAA in the county. I have no great wish to revisit the crisis but suffice to say that it was a massive job involving work with auditors, solicitors and other interested parties culminating in two EGM’s before we were in a position to move on..

What lessons were learned by Roscommon County Board and the GAA in general from the financial troubles that Roscommon GAA faced in 2005/06?

There were a number of very important lessons;

1. To ensure that the auditor’s annual report and findings are acted upon and that regular financial reports are produced and presented to the county committee.
2. To generate enough income annually to service all the boards outgoings.
3. To ensure that a proper accounts package is in place to allow the board to have regular reports as to the state its finances
4. To engage at provincial and central level regarding all financial matters.
5. To implement an agreed fundraising programme for each year.

What are the major improvements you have witnessed during your period as Chairman.

I suppose I would have to say the major improvement in our finances, also the fantastic progress at coaching and at underage level. Further to that there has been a tremendous improvement in the way the whole GAA operation is run in our county. The ability of our clubs and administrators to embrace the massive changes in IT and other innovative changes has resulted in the county’s affairs being run in a very professional manner.

However one of the most impressive changes has been the number of clubs that have completed high quality upgrades to their facilities. The quality of our club facilities is currently at a very high standard throughout the county.

What were the most memorable moments of your chairmanship

There were quite a few.

1. The trip to New York in 2006 and the famous speech made by the late Dermot Earley.
2. All our provincial successes at county and club level.
3. The great year we had in hurling in 2007 culminating in the Rackard Cup victory in Croke Park.

4. The great goodwill and friendship shown to Maureen and myself as we attended all types of social occasions in our clubs.
5. The provincial success of our U21 footballers this year.
6. The fantastic achievement of winning the Nestor cup this year against all the odds.
7. But for sheer raw emotion and pleasure it would be hard to equal our All Ireland Minor success in 2006. The whole campaign and the homecoming will be forever etched in my mind.

In your opinion what do you see are the biggest challenges facing the GAA at local and national level?

In my opinion there are two major challenges facing our clubs and counties. To maintain player numbers during the current recession and to generate enough income to manage clubs and County Boards.

Nationally I think the biggest challenge continues to be the provision of a fixtures schedule and programme that embraces the requirements of all players.

How do you see Roscommon’s prospects for success at provincial level and national level in the future?

For several years now Roscommon has become very competitive at all levels of underage footballer. With good management, I see this as a stepping stone to eventual senior success at Provincial and National level. We must however continue to work very hard to ensure that the current high standards our coaching and games development do not slip.

For hurling I would very much like to see more by way of national initiative that would help counties like Roscommon to underpin the very good work that continues to be done locally.

Under your chairmanship, a number of exciting development projects are in the pipeline for improving training facilities for the county teams. How important are these for Roscommon and in the current climate can the Board afford them?

Most counties are endeavouring to update their training facilities and county grounds and Roscommon is no exception. Our proposed training facilities development at Runnabracken would put us on a par with most counties and would taken the enormous burden off our managers, officials and clubs who are constantly burdened with the task of providing facilities at the moment. Dr. Hyde Park is also in need of an upgrade and Kiltoom is also embarking on a project that will further enhance their status as our second county ground.

There are still a number of issues to be finalised for all these developments but I am confident that they will be in a position to progress quite soon.

It is fair say that because of our financial commitments that Roscommon’s task will be that little bit more difficult as we endeavour to fund these developments but I would be confident that with National support and the right financial package we will be in a position to progress on all fronts.

You spoke about memorable moments during the past 6 years. Are there any moments when you were worried about the future of Roscommon GAA?.

While there were several difficult moments in the initial years I was never worried. I always felt that once we kept people fully briefed about the various problems, then everything would work out. The Roscommon GAA family is an amazing unit with a huge loyalty to the county and its teams and the support and goodwill that was always there kept me and the board going no matter what the difficulties were.

We had tremendous sponsors, benefactors, supporters and supporters clubs, who were always prepared to dig deep to ensure that we met our commitments.

The club scene in Roscommon is sometimes criticised for the standard of football played. Would you agree with this?

My own view is that our standards are as good as in most other counties. Since the inception of the current format for our championships, we have had some very competitive and exciting fare.

Also our club teams have been competitive in Connacht in recent years and again this year, St Bridgets, Strokestown and Ballinameen are progressing well in their respective provincial championships

In an ideal world is there anything you would wish to see in place or happening in Roscommon GAA?

For our wonderful supporters, I would love to see us winning another National title and maybe bridge the long gap since 1944 at senior level. I would also love to see our major developments completed thus enabling our players and supporters to enjoy the highest standard of facilities.

Now that you will be stepping down shortly how you intend to continue your involvement in the GAA

The GAA has always been a major factor in my life both as a player and administrator so it would be very hard for me to walk away just yet. Within the county I have decided to contest the Central Council delegate position when it becomes vacant. If successful this would afford me the opportunity to represent the county at National level. I will of course endeavour to help our new Co. Committee in whatever way I can.

Whatever the future holds I would like to say that it has been an enormous honour to have served as County Chairman and I would like to express a special thanks to all who have worked so hard during my term, to keep the GAA alive and well in our county. Mo buíochas libh go léir.

(Interview by Michael Fahey, which originally appeared in the 2010 Senior Football Championship Final programme)

Peter Domican Roscommon Senior Football Captain reflects on a season that started badly for Roscommon but, as summer arrived, the performances of the team became part of Roscommon football folklore culminating with the magnificent win in the Connacht Final and a fighting performance in the All Ireland Quarter-Final in Croke Park.

Peter how did find out you were going to be captain for the 2010 season?

Peter Domican: Fergie contacted me before the start of the league and asked me if I would act as captain for a few games and to see how it would go. I accepted and it carried on from there. He wanted me to lead by example on the pitch

Were you surprised?

PD I was. There were a lot more experienced players on the panel besides me. This is only my second year on the panel and it came out of the blue.

Had you been captain before?

PD I had never captained a Roscommon team before but I had been captain of a few underage teams in my club St Brigids.

When you became captain did you see yourself playing any particular role or was it just a matter of just standing in for the toss at the start of the game?

PD. Nothing specific just leading by example and encouraging players around me and talking to players to get the best out of them.

Did the role of captain impact your own game?

PD No not really. I would talk to players around me anyway and also encourage them so it didn’t really impact on game.

Did the role of captain bring extra pressure on you?

PD No I didn’t feel any extra pressure on me at all

The league campaign in the Spring was poor. As captain how did you feel about the team’s league performance?

We were all aware that this was so. It was due to a number of factors-new players, younger fellows coming in, new tactics, a number of experienced players injured It’s hard to gel as a team with this situation and also a number of the team were playing in Sigerson. We improved as the league went on but it’s hard to pinpoint anything in particular to explain our form.

At any stage were you told that you would be continuing as captain?

PD No not really it just continued.

After the league had ended and Roscommon had been relegated did you still feel that the team had turned a corner?

PD. No. We felt that we had a good panel of players. In our last league match against Sligo, we were without seventeen players that we could not choose and yet we lost by a few points. Karol Mannion played his first game of the season that day. We knew that we had a strong panel going into the championship and we could gel into a good side.

Prior to the London game and especially on the day of the game, there seemed to be a sense of apprehension among the panel about the game. As captain how did you feel about the team’s chances against London?

PD We were over in London just to do a job. The media were building up London and we had a lot of players who hadn’t played there before. So we talked to the older players about London and playing in London and we knew if we got on and played well we would win.

Was there any stage in the game when you felt that Roscommon were under pressure?

PD No not really. I thought that we had a good start and were playing well. We may have relaxed a bit in the second half and maybe we should have pushed on a bit more in that half.

Did Mark O Carroll’s injury affect the team?

PD No. We were not aware that Mark had suffered such a serious injury. Everyone was concentrating on their own game and getting on with the game.

Confidence seemed to grow within the camp after the London victory. How did preparations go for the Leitrim game go?

PD Training went well. We were playing a lot of challenges and we were playing well. Training was comfortable as well and there was competition for places. We were pushing each other and this is what you want. Everyone knew that there were places up for grabs and that pushed us on.

There was pressure on us because it was a home game and the pundits had made us favourites. The fact that it was Leitrim we playing probably made us favourites but we knew it was going to be tough; every game against Leitrim is tough.

Did the fact that ye were favourites make it hard for the team or do you pay any heed to that sport of stuff?

PD. No, not really. We knew that if we played well we would beat them and if we didn’t we would lose. It didn’t matter if we were favourites. We had to play well to win.

In the first half Roscommon were tentative. The second half saw a transformed performance. What brought about the change?

PD I felt we played well but they scored a lot of frees. We trended to start a lot of games slowly and then come into it. I don’t know if anything changed. We just came out and played with confidence, confidence in ourselves and won the game.

How did the panel approach the Sligo game?

PD. We looked a lot at the videos of Sligo. We knew that if could dominate the Sligo midfield, keep Mark Brehoney and David Kelly quite we had a great chance. Mike Finneran and Karol Mannion could do the job at midfield while Seanie McDermott and Seanie Purcell could handle Kelly and Brehoney, while Donie could deliver the scores.

Despite Roscommon’s poor competitive record in 2010 there was a huge air of confidence among the squad in the week leading up to the Connacht final. Our last competitive game in Castlebar in 2009 had been very poor .Can you explain the reason for this confidence

PD As I said we had played a number of challenge games in the build up. We had played Down with an experimental team and had played well losing by a few points. You can only beat what is put in front of you so Sligo were there and we felt we would beat them. We had the talent to beat them and the confidence was there to do so.

Your second year on the panel and now captain of a team in a Connacht final. How did this feel?

PD A very proud moment for me and my family. I never expected it and it was great.

At any stage in the final were you uneasy?

PD I knew that they would come back at us and they did. But Johnny Dunning won the vital free towards the end and Donie knocked it over. Then Kevin Higgins made a vital block down and we regained possession from that.

How did you feel when Donie’s free went over?

PD. Brilliant. I found it hard to believe.

The reaction of the Roscommon fans was fantastic. When you looked down on the crowd with the Nestor cup in your hand it must have a special moment.

PD. Marvellous. It brought memories of 2006 and Ennis when the crowd came out on the pitch. It made up for all the hard work and the disappointments of the previous year and a half.

To play well in the championship is important and winning Connacht proved to ourselves and to everyone in Ireland that we were a good side.

You are now Connacht champions. In the All Ireland quarter-finals you faced Cork, the favourites for the All Ireland. What were the expectations among the panel?

PD.WE had looked at their games and we had seen them play Limerick. They hadn’t play particularly well. We had played Limerick a few times in the last year or so and had beaten them and been close to them in every game. We felt we had a great chance against Cork.

We felt if we could stop them getting going and winning possession and prevent them getting the ball into the full forward line that we could win. We needed to put pressure on them and match the level of intensity that they had and we felt we could do that.

The occasion was huge and we were probably a bit overawed. We did play well in the first half but the strength in their panel told. They could bring two All Stars and it is hard to counteract that.

There was a huge sense of disappointment among the panel and management after the game.

PD. People expected us to be blown out of the water but we were level at half-time with them. We were disappointed as we genuinely believed that we could beat them. During the game we felt that also.

The reaction of the media and the Roscommon fans after the game was very positive. Looking to 2011 what are your hopes for the new season given the raised expectations in the county?

PD. Well, we would hope to reach the Connacht Final and win it. We have this year’s U21Ss coming up and the experience we have of playing the likes of Cork will be beneficial. We shouldn’t fear anyone and hopefully, we can do Connacht again next year.

We wish you Peter, you colleagues and team management all the best for 2011 and all Roscommon supporters are genuinely delighted with the memories you gave us in 2010