In his Irish Independent column last month, Billy Keane penned a piece entitled 'Old places and faces take me on a trip down memory lane'.
In it, Keane, a graduate of UCC, described a series of thoughts which rattled through his head during a stroll through Cork City Centre.
We've all been there. The scenario that is, if not actually buying hake fillets from the effervescent Pat O'Connell in the English Market or strolling around the manicured university quadrangle.
Just off the Shore road in rural south Derry straddling the western shore of Lough Neagh is located 'The Field' (you get the feeling Keane would approve), home of St Trea's GAA, Ballymaguigan. For anyone who was there on 7 June 2008, it is impossible to drive past the location without thinking back to that day.
Blisteringly hot, the day sparkled as many of Ireland's finest came to pay tribute to one of Derry's finest. Strike up a conversation with any follower of the Oak Leaf county about the Eamon Coleman memorial game and within thirty seconds of conversation the name of Maurice Fitzgerald will arise. Go on, try it out to see.
The first thing the Derry person will tell you is that Maurice Fitzgerald left his home in Cahirciveen at 4am to drive to 'The Field' to take part in the memorial game. The tones will be hushed and reverential, yet full of pride, that a man who many regard as 'the prince of Gaelic footballers' would hold one of our own in such high esteem.
The game featured a 'Rest of Ireland Select' against the ageing All-Ireland champions from 1993, including Eamon's own son, Gary.
Taking charge of the Ireland select team on that day was Ballymaguigan's Paddy Crozier, who takes up the story :
"There was never any question of him [Maurice] not coming. There were three of them, Maurice, former Kerry legend Donie O'Sullivan and Tom Quirke the well known Cahirciveen business man, who left Kerry that morning to make the long journey North".
Having spent the night at Eddie Crozier's home (Paddy's brother ) perusing old photographs and talking of great days gone by with neighbours and old friends, the men departed for home the following morning but left behind them lasting memories among the GAA faithful in the heartlands of County Derry.
Memories of that day and those names and faces, also set in motion a series of recollections in Crozier's mind. The St Trea's man is no stranger to Derry and Kerry games having been Derry senior football manager from 2006 to 2008 following years of success at underage level with the county.
"We took the Derry seniors to Killarney in 2008 and lost with the last kick of the game. Little did we know that two months later in Parnell Park in Dublin we would get our revenge by beating them in the national league final", says Crozier.
Currently tasked with bringing through the next generations of Derry footballers as under-21 manager, Paddy Crozier is a man who eats, sleeps and breathes football – just like his late friend and club mate, Eamon Coleman.
"When Eamon died in 2007, thoughts quickly turned to the funeral. The Sam Maguire had to be there. I remember getting in touch with Kerry County Board through my good friend Donie O'Sullivan to explain the situation. Kerry were All-Ireland champions at the time, they were very good about the whole thing".
Crozier continues the story with:
"A member of our club met the officials at Limerick Junction where the cup was handed over. He left Ballymaguigan at three in the afternoon and returned twelve hours later with the Sam Maguire – a perfect example of the GAA family working at its best. I know that the gesture from Donie and the cooperation from the GAA in Kerry was really, really appreciated by the Coleman family at the time of the funeral. It was a very poignant moment to see Eamon, his Derry team and The Sam Maguire re-united for one last time. "
It's February and it's the league, it's not Croke Park in September but it's these occasions and others like them which Gaels up and down the country enjoy. On Sunday, some of the new generation of Derry and Kerry footballers will begin to write their own chapters into the minds of those who come to watch.
It's worth recalling the final words of Keane's piece: "Some day soon, we will return to their story."
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