I was delighted that my personal tribute to Canon Michael O’Brien was published in The Irish Examiner. ‘The Canon’ coached me on six teams between 1979 and 1984. The tribute revolves around The Fitzgibbon Cup of 1983 hosted by The Ulster University at Coleraine. You can read it here. Photo taken in Bellaghy after the win, courtesy of Mick Lyons. That’s me behind the cup.
March, 2021. Piece in the Irish Examiner on the 40th anniversary of UCC’s Fitzgibbon Cup win of 1981 in Croke Park when I was playing for College. I interview four old team mates: Nicky English, John Grainger, Mick Lyons and Noel Leonard and pay tribute to our old friend and mentor, Dan Beechinor.
To commemorate the 175th anniversary of UCC’s founding in 1845, UCC Alumni and Development has commissioned a short story competition with all stories featuring the famous and lovely UCC campus. I was very happy to be one of the judges for the competition along with Dr Éibhear Walshe, Director of Creative Writing at UCC and author of The Last Day at Bowen’s Court and Danielle McLaughlin, author of Dinosaurs on Other Planets and The Art of Falling. There are various prizes for the winners who were announced in April 2020 along with their citations, here.
It’s been a great few weeks for UCC and for sport in the college. It’s wonderful to see photos of young people with smiles on their faces and silverware in their hands. As someone who was once lucky enough to have my hands on such silverware (The Fitzgibbon Cup, many moons ago), it’s bringing back a lot of memories. I know I’m not the only one thinking back, and I know I’m not the only one remembering old team mates and friends. I know too that I’m not the only one remembering one special person in particular these days – that special person being Paul O’Connor, whom we lost in 2012.
