Famous inter-county minors

feargale

I would like to compile a list of people who played county minor ( or under 21), never progressed to senior, but found fame elsewhere. Contributions are welcome. Let's keep the bar fairly low where fame is concerned. We're not talking Nobel Prize winners.
Offhand I can think of the following:

TYRONE FOOTBALL:
Barnie Eastwood, boxing promoter and one-time mentor of Barry McGuigan.
Austin Currie, Stormont M.P. and Fine Gael T.D.
Tommy Corr, Olympic boxer.

DOWN FOOTBALL:
Patrick Kielty

DERRY FOOTBALL:
Martin O'Neill,
Neil Lennon.


KERRY FOOTBALL:
Brendan Kennelly.

LIMERICK FOOTBALL:
David Hanley.

KILDARE FOOTBALL:
Paul Mescal played under 21, but did he play minor?

OFFALY FOOTBALL:
Brian Cowen.

WICKLOW HURLING:
Dara O'Briain was on the field for 20 or 30 minutes.

MAYO FOOTBALL:
John O'Mahony T.D,

DUBLIN HURLING:
Niall Quinn.

CORK HURLING:
Denis Irwin,
Tomas O'Leary.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

Chris O'Dowd played minor football for Roscommon

Rob Kearney for Louth

Shane Horgan for Meath

Robbie Henshaw for Westmeath (pattern developing)

PTH2009

Shane Long played hurling for Tipp before he moved onto soccer

Could be wrong but i think Stephen Hunt played for the Waterford minors

The_Kew_Tour

Dennis Taylor Snooker player played minor for Tyrone.

Damien Delaney played Minor for Cork in 1999

Alvin Holler

Pretty sure Packie Bonner played senior for donegal when he was still a minor. Obviously he played minor too.

Neil Lennon is from Armagh not Derry.

golfball37

PTH2009 wrote: »

Shane Long played hurling for Tipp before he moved onto soccer

Could be wrong but i think Stephen Hunt played for the Waterford minors

Shane Long scored 2 goals in successive Munster Hurling finals in 2003 and 2004 for Tipp vs Cork. I was at the second one, the same day of the classic senior match where Mullane was sent off and Waterford beat Cork.

golfball37

Paul McGinley played for Dublin (F) before committing to Golf, was supposedly very good.

golfball37

Martin Ferris won an u21 All Ireland with Kerry on a team where many of them would go on to win multiple senior All-Irelands such as Paidí and Pat Spillane. Martin took up sailing instead of staying with the football !

Exiled1

Pat Jennings - Down

Gael85

Danny O'Reilly from The Coronas played with Dublin minors in 03.

bruschi

Kevin Doyle played minor football for Wexford. Not minor, but Tadhg Furlong was full back on the last Wexford team to win the Tony Forrestal.

afro man

Niall Breslin -Bressie football with Westmeath

tommy bowe - Monaghan football I think

Ciaran fitzgerald - Galway minor football went on to have a decent rugby career with Ireland

Uncle Pierre

bruschi wrote: »

Kevin Doyle played minor football for Wexford. Not minor, but Tadhg Furlong was full back on the last Wexford team to win the Tony Forrestal.

Widely believed all right that Doyle played for Wexford minors, but it's not actually true. Bit like how Socrates never really played soccer for UCD.

He did play for Good Counsel (New Ross) under the same man who also manager of Wexford minors at the time, so maybe that's where the story came from.

You're spot on about Furlong, though. Bit about his GAA prowess here, including a couple of video clips -
https://www.sportsjoe.ie/rugby/tadhg-furlong-gaa-154386

Uncle Pierre

Also, it's not minor or Under-21, but Paul Nolan (racehorse trainer, with a couple of Cheltenham winners) has an All-Ireland Junior Hurling medal, won with Wexford in 1992.

MfMan

Did Seamus Mallon play underage for Armagh? Also, one of the Cardinals of Armagh or Derry?

feargale

golfball37 wrote: »

Martin Ferris won an u21 All Ireland with Kerry on a team where many of them would go on to win multiple senior All-Irelands such as Paidí and Pat Spillane. Martin took up sailing instead of staying with the football !

. . .

feargale

Alvin Holler wrote: »

Pretty sure Packie Bonner played senior for donegal when he was still a minor. Obviously he played minor too.

Neil Lennon is from Armagh not Derry.

Packie Bonner is disqualified if he played senior, as is Dick Spring who played both SF and SH for Kerry. That's one for all of you who are busy setting lockdown pub quizzes. He notoriously and ingloriously dropped the ball in a rugby game againist Wale, with disastrous consequences. Many years later someone accused him of making politi
cal capital out of his rugby career, and he countered that if he wanted to capitalise on his rugby career he should stand for election in Wales.
Can you confirmnthat Neil Lennonnplayed minor for Armagh?

Incidentally, can you all come up with more people outside of sport, such as poets, politicians or even people who did well out of the unprescribed pharmaceuticals trade?

PTH2009

I always imagined playing numerous sports could get a bit confusing

feargale

MfMan wrote: »

Did Seamus Mallon play underage for Armagh? Also, one of the Cardinals of Armagh or Derry?

Not sure about Seamus Mallon but I think so. Can anybody confirm?

I wouldn't be surprised if Tomás Ó Fiaich played for Armagh. I don't know.

The Ulster schools cup is named after Cardinal Joseph MacRory, but he would have been a hairy minor as he was born in 1861.

If Cathal Daly played for Antrim I would say it was at tiddlywinks.

feargale

PTH2009 wrote: »

I always imagined playing numerous sports could get a bit confusing

It can have its advantages. A Meathman scored a try against Louth in a Leinster final.

castletownman

feargale wrote: »

Not sure about Seamus Mallon but I think so. Can anybody confirm?

I wouldn't be surprised if Tomás Ó Fiaich played for Armagh. I don't know.

The Ulster schools cup is named after Cardinal Joseph MacRory, but he would have been a hairy minor as he was born in 1861.

If Cathal Daly played for Antrim I would say it was in tiddlywinks.

I have a one of those GAA history fact books at home here, and one section addresses a few urban myths. This was one them- a Seamus Mallon did play for Armagh but it was someone else entirely who happened to share the same name.

Mr. Incognito

David Clifford Kerry

feargale

Mr. Incognito wrote: »

David Clifford Kerry

Best to read OP before posting.

Gael85

Lee Steacy sub goalie for Dublin minors in 2011. Now playing in goal for Longford Town. James Madden Dublin minor in 2017 now playing Aussie Rules with Brisbane Lions. Zach Tuohy plays Aussie Rules with Geelong played minor with Laois in 07. Declan Boyle who played soccer with Celtic and Sligo Rovers was a Donegal minor. Damien Delaney(Cork) and Gavin Duffy(Mayo) both played in 99 minor AI final. Michael Schlingermann Mayo minor goalie in 09 playing soccer with Galway Utd now. Northern Ireland soccer international Niall McGinn won AI minor title for Tyrone in 04.

theoneeyedman

Jack Carty Connacht Rugby, played minor for Roscommon.
Also represented Ireland in soccer up to U15 or 16 level IIRC.

Exiled1

Archbishop Sean Brady played minor football with Cavan.

Hesh's Umpire

Padraig Amond, lower league soccer player in UK, hit the headlines in the last couple of years with big FA Cup goals is a former Carlow minor hurler (possibly footballer too).

Down9194

Kevin Lynch captained Derry U16 Hurlers

feargale

Hesh's Umpire wrote: »

Padraig Amond, lower league soccer player in UK, hit the headlines in the last couple of years with big FA Cup goals is a former Carlow minor hurler (possibly footballer too).

Was he on the Carlow minor hurling team that got to the Leinster final?

feargale

Down9194 wrote: »

Kevin Lynch captained Derry U16 Hurlers

Did he play minor?

Central Services

Jim Stynes - Dublin.

Hesh's Umpire

feargale wrote: »

Was he on the Carlow minor hurling team that got to the Leinster final?

He was. 2006 I think.

Gael85

feargale wrote: »

Was he on the Carlow minor hurling team that got to the Leinster final?

2006 Leinster minor hurling final. He started full forward for Carlow.

DanielODonnell

Soccer manager Michael O'Neill played for Antrim football minors and his father was Antrim hurling goalkeeper for 15 years.

My father remembers Martin O'Neill playing for Derry minors in late 60s. I was in Kilrea a few months ago, it is an odd little town on the Antrim border, I once saw Paddy Bradley buying ice cream in Kilrea in 2005, a random memory.

MfMan

Exiled1 wrote: »

Archbishop Sean Brady played minor football with Cavan.

Might be the one I was thinking of.

Mick McGraw

DanielODonnell wrote: »

Soccer manager Michael O'Neill played for Antrim football minors and his father was Antrim hurling goalkeeper for 15 years.

My father remembers Martin O'Neill playing for Derry minors in late 60s. I was in Kilrea a few months ago, it is an odd little town on the Antrim border, I once saw Paddy Bradley buying ice cream in Kilrea in 2005, a random memory.

Interesting. What type of ice-cream was it?

Hammer Archer

I'm not 100% sure on this, but I think that Gary Rogers (Dundalk goalkeeper) played with the Meath minors. I know he played with the Seniors a couple of times and was sub goalkeeper when the Juniors won the All Ireland championship in the mid 2000s.

rrs

Cillian Sheridan played with Cavans Minors. He was offered a AFL contract before joining Celtic.
Gavin Duffy former Connacht player,
played Minor with Mayo and returned to Mayo panel at end of his Rugby days.

MfMan

John Muldoon, Connacht rugby legend, played minor hurling for Galway.

Uncle Pierre

Chris O'Dowd (actor) in goal for Roscommon in the 1997 Connacht minor football final:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hx3DR-R1bww

Edit: Sorry, didn't see at first that Chris O'Dowd was already named in post #2. But at least there's a video of him now as well...!

Gael85

Hammer Archer wrote: »

I'm not 100% sure on this, but I think that Gary Rogers (Dundalk goalkeeper) played with the Meath minors. I know he played with the Seniors a couple of times and was sub goalkeeper when the Juniors won the All Ireland championship in the mid 2000s.

Think Rogers played with Meath minors in 99.

Loafing Oaf

feargale wrote: »

OFFALY FOOTBALL:
Brian Cowen.

Seriously?:eek:

feargale

Did Enda Kenny play minor for Mayo?

Did one Charles J. Haughey play minor for Dublin, or did his minor years coincide with disqualification? He did play Gaelic and his brother won a SF all-Ireland in 1955.

Last Sunday's Times had a photo of Enda playing golf sporting a lockdown beard and long lockdown hair with the bubble: "I'm not cutting it until Mayo win the All-Ireland." I'd say he will be in demand to do Santa Claus for decades of Christmases to come.

pipelaser

Xabi Alonso played both Minor and Senior for Meath. Hit one of his long range specials from inside his own half, to draw the '96 All Ireland final, denying Mayo the win. It all ended with him battering the head off Ray Dempsey in the Schmozzle the next day, getting sent off and back he went, on the boat to Spain. He couldn't even speak English.

feargale

pipelaser wrote: »

Xabi Alonso played both Minor and Senior for Meath. Hit one of his long range specials from inside his own half, to draw the '96 All Ireland final, denying Mayo the win. It all ended with him battering the head off Ray Dempsey in the Schmozzle the next day, getting sent off and back he went, on the boat to Spain. He couldn't even speak English.

Se no incorpora jugando como señor. Usted tambien tiene que leer el OP, burro.

Loafing Oaf

feargale wrote: »

MAYO FOOTBALL:
John O'Mahony T.D,

He did play senior for a few years. Generally though, much better known as a 'GAA man' than a politician...

pipelaser

Gearoid Adams(Gerry Adam's Junior) Played for Antrim Minors

Gavin Duffy(Former Ruby player for Connacht and Ireland) played for Mayo and made it to an All Ireland Minor Final

Actor Paul Mescal played for Kildare Minors

Comedian Dara O'Briain played a game of hurling(in goals apparently)for Wicklow Minors

Rory O'Connor of Rory's Stories was a Meath Minor

Quinn played for Fermanagh

Gael85

pipelaser wrote: »

Gearoid Adams(Gerry Adam's Junior) Played for Antrim Minors

Gavin Duffy(Former Ruby player for Connacht and Ireland) played for Mayo and made it to an All Ireland Minor Final

Actor Paul Mescal played for Kildare Minors

Comedian Dara O'Briain played a game of hurling(in goals apparently)for Wicklow Minors

Rory O'Connor of Rory's Stories was a Meath Minor

Quinn played for Fermanagh

Gearoid Adams played senior for Antrim for a number of years.

pipelaser

Gael85 wrote: »

Gearoid Adams played senior for Antrim for a number of years.

Did poet Patrick Kavanagh play for Monaghan minors and perhaps seniors?

feargale

Gael85 wrote: »

Gearoid Adams played senior for Antrim for a number of years.

And famous for what?

Gael85

feargale wrote: »

And famous for what?

??