I knew the lad. Not well but I went to national school with him and knew him from around Mohill during the drinking years. He wax a barman in one of the pubs for a while.
I wouldnât be alone in saying that Philly was a lovely fella and the consensus is that he couldnât have been anything else. His mother is a lovely lady and his two brothers are as sound as you get. I didnât know much about his Dad as he died young but was a terrific footballer like his sons.
@anon67715551 would be able to share about Michael Snr - and some drinking stories no doubt.
For once youâre 100% correct on every call, the McGuinness name if football royalty.
The late Mick Snr. was a super physical old style full forward with silky skills to boot.
We would have enjoyed nights of conviviality together in times past indeed, a fine singer and tremendous company with a myriad of witty yarns. RIP Mick.
I think that Michael Snr or maybe his father, also called Philip, played for Eslin at one stage.
The current McGuinness clan are steeped in Mohill now obviously but would be great Eslin supporters as well, unlike many others at the top of the Mohill GAA tree. Wankers basically.
I deputised for McGuinness the elder in the boys school in Mohill for 3 months - Sept-Dec one year while he was hospitalised. Naturally I had no notion of what teaching entailed and took my cue from and enjoyed after school pints with my âcolleagueâ the late Dinny Mannion.
I gave a brief outline one morning into the intricacies of hand-rolling a cigarette complete with a practical. I heard roaring and shouting after lunch and was subjected to the wrath of Patrick Sparky Bardenâs mother complaining about the time wasting. Between Dinny and myself we righted the ship and sailed on. Gas fucking times. Lord have mercy on them all.
It was a terrific Galway team, the nucleus of the 3 in a row team were all there.
Colm OâRourkeâs brother Fergus was midfield for Leitrim RIP.
It was the 1st.day that Iâd ever seen Dermot Earely (on the Rossie minors )
None of the Leitrim minors ever made it, though the goalie had a long run in the sticks.
Packy McGarty lined out despite being totally unfit, kept up morale
3 of the starting Leitrim 15 were on the team of the millennium.
Future GAA President Mick Loftus reffed the senior game.
The fu**ing stink from the bacon factory could be smelled a mile outside the town, it was a boiling hot day. A gentleman with a black had rose from his seat sporadically to impair our view of the goalmouth.
Boxty the Elder rooted up a scraw with his foot and knocked his hat off when he transgressed again. An elderly cleric recovered his hat and looked back searching for the perpetrator. Oulâ Boxty told him to keep his effinâ head down or âtwould be a rock the next time.
He never stirred but it was a Phyrric victory, Galway stuffed us. The oulâ lad was a gas man when heâd get riled up. We were in scrapes all over the place, even ploughing matches.
Sighs⌠4-11 to 1-08. We were beaten by Galway and the referee (Principally) in 1958 in the old ground in Roscommon in what was McGartyâs greatest ever hour 2-10 to 1-11.
Even then 12 scores was out maximum.
We missed a penalty in the last 5 minutes the year after(1959) to take the lead before a massive collapse⌠When we got up out of our seats at the end the man beside me was stone dead, he just fell down outaâ the seat. Mick Geelan RIP, had the garage in Mohill where Patsy Walpole is now.
Your heart would be broken following them, truth be told but Iâd hate to die at a match.
Iâd rather kill some of the fuckers than them be the death of me.
Nice one. A couple of great memories:
The night of the B championship victory in Ballinamore - epic portering and conviviality, we knew there was more to come. Mickey Quinnâs performance in Newbridge aginâ Mickoâs flourbags and inevitably the Gerry Flanagan moment.
Heady days indeed, theyâre about to roll again I think.
Where would Mickey Quinn be in the pantheon of Leitrim greats? I saw the end of his career and he was brilliant in his mid 30s.
Mickey Martin from Carrick was another from slightly earlier that people rave about.
Seamus Quinn is easily the best I have seen. A monster of a man who could be played anywhere on the pitch. A memorable moment was around the early noughties where he was picked centre forward against Michael Donnellan, a bit of movement beforehand meant he was at full forward with Donnellan marking him. First ball in, Quinn wins it, Donnellan on his arse and the net nearly lifted from the goals.
He done the same thing against Sligo in 02 Togged out at HF goes into FF and we lob a high one in, bang back of the net.We fell apart after that but that was a decent Sligo team who ran Armagh to a replay while Armagh went on to win Sam.
