Taken from Hogan Stand 2000 Former Clanna Gael and Armagh star Colm McKinstry certainly cant be accused of looking back in anger. Hes adamant that despite losing out in both an All-Ireland club decider and an All-Ireland senior championship final, he enjoyed every minute of his playing days. Armagh old boy Colm McKinstry talks about Gaelic football with the same sort of infectious enthusiasm that he once exuded as a wily midfielder with club, county and province. One of the stars of the great Orchard County teams of the late seventies and early eighties, the former Clanna Gael clubman is the wrong side of 50 now but he still takes a great shot at vividly detailing the special times he enjoyed during his playing days. In the company of other notable countymen, Jimmy Smyth and Jim Kerr, our man McKinstry first caught the imagination of the Armagh football public by helping his beloved Lurgan-based club to pole position in the border county. The one-time underage 'keeper was a part of powerful Clanna Gael sides which won a hat-trick of county minor titles in 1964,'65 and '66 and, under the tutelage of the one and only Harry McGeary, Colm and his peers went on to realise their undoubted promise with some brilliant displays at senior level in the years that followed. Managed by former Armagh great Brian Seeley, Clanna Gael - with young McKinstry on board - bridged a 20 year gap by winning the blue ribband crown in the Orchard County in 1969. The same group of players were later to add further championship titles in 1971, '72, '73 and '74. But who played spoiledsport in 1970? "It was Crossmaglen who beat us that year. They were the county kingpins at that time and some great rivalries were built up between them and us around that time and while losing to them in '70 was bad enough, I think it got worse for us as the years went on because it ultimately prevented us from winning six-in-a-row. "I'd say that defeat in '70 turned out to be the most irritating one of all - for me at least. But I suppose there was no shame in losing to a Crossmaglen team which included the likes of Gene Larkin, Tom McCreesh, Larry Kearns and Paddy Fitzpatrick." Considering the angst and frustration that Colm was later to suffer with Armagh's seniors, it says something about his love of the club that he cites that setback in 1970 as his most painful. That's not to say however that he didnt' lose out on any sleep in reflecting on how the Clans lost out in the 1973 All-Ireland club final to a star-studded UCD team. Or that Armagh's defeat to Dublin in the '77 senior All-Ireland didn't take a jot out of him. "I suppose most players, no matter what level they get to play at, tend to remember their days with their own club the most. "I know when I was playing with Clanna Gael, there was a terrific sense of camaraderie in the club, a great spirit and pride in the jersey among the players. I enjoyed every minute playing with Clanna Gael. Winning ten senior championship medals helped make those days all the more enjoyable of course." Perhaps if truth be told, Colm might tend to revise that summary just a tad for the aforementioned defeat to a Pat O'Neill, Kevin Kilmurray, Ollie Leddy-inspired college team still irks him. "The thing I remember about that game is that with a couple of minutes left in the match, we were leading by a point when a high ball was floated into the square and I rose for the ball with Ollie Leddy of Cavan. "Instead of fisting it clear, I tried to catch the ball and unfortunately Leddy got his fist to it first and flicked over the equaliser. "We ended up losing the replay. I often wondered how things would have been different if I had decided to fist the ball clear," Colm recalls. For Colm, the UCD affair was a milestone in a club career with Clanna Gael which lasted from 1967 to 1985 - the year he collected his final Armagh senior championship medal. Interestingly, he spent a further two years playing for the ambitious St. Brendan's club in Ruislip. Meanwhile, on the county front, he called it quits with Armagh in 1982 before briefly coming out of retirement to help the Orchard County reach the Ulster final of Centenary Year. A Frank McGuigan-inspired Tyrone side blew apart any hope of a fond farewell though for the Clanna Gael man. Overall though, there's no regrets, no tears to cry as far as Colm's playing career is concerned. In this regard, he is thankfull that his father Brian, a Clann Eireann stalwart in his day, was alive to witness Colm's most memorable football times. Certainly, legions of inter-county players would be mightily glad to win just a fraction of the honours which the hitherto strapping midfielder collected at various levels. How many players, for instance, would give their right hand to boast three Ulster SFC medals? Colm's honours in that respect arrived in '77, '80 and '82. In the latter year, he captained the Orchard County when they beat Fermanagh before going onto lose to the mighty, five-in-a-row chasing Kerry team. And his most abiding memories from those hat-trick of successes? "I'd say that Kerry team of '82 was the best team I ever played against. They had hardly any weak links and there was always the sense among teams that played against them that they were beaten even before they entered the ground. "Looking back on those three years, I think 1980 represented our best chance of winning the Sam Maguire Cup. By then we had matured as a team and having beaten Roscommon in '77, we felt we had the measure of them. "I remember we went six or seven points clear coming up to half-time but I had to go off injured at half-time and with the changes in positions and personnel that were enforced because of that, the team just seemed to lose its shape and direction and that was that unfortunately." A players' player, Colm enjoyed some great personal rivalries during his time at the top with Clanna Gael and Armagh. He particularly recalls some great duels with giants of the game back then such as Colm McAlarney, Dermot Earley and Jack O'Shea. He also was pleased to have been given a run at Railway Cup level under Down's Sean O'Neill. These days, Colm is happy to be an observer rather than a player or team-manager. In terms of how his native county will fare in this year's Ulster senior championship, he believes that it will be very difficult for the Orchard County to make it a hat-trick of such successes. "I don't think the players will have lost any of their hunger though and the introduction of Jimmy Smyth as an advisor with the forwards will help matters, I'm sure. I wouldn't rule out another title success but it'll be very difficult." Meanwhile Colm's workmate Eamon Laverty feels that the race for the Ulster SFC is "wide open" and Armagh have as good a chance as any team of securing the crown this year. "Of all the teams though, Tyrone looked that bit more impressive in the national league this year and they would be my favourites to win the championship this summer." A Cargin clubman from County Antrim, Eamon says that he thought the Derry team of 1993 should have added at least one more All-Ireland to their belt and he doesn't fancy them this year to make amends. But what of his native Antrim? "There's definitely an improvement in Antrim football in the last couple of years and Brian White's management style has given the county a lift. Last year's run in the championship was a great morale booster but the county needs to build on that improvement this year with another run." Tweet

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