"We were energised by his spirit and his legacy"
October 25, 2016
Slaughtneil captain Chrissy McKaigue lifts the Ulster club SHC silverware.
©INPHO/Presseye/John McIlwaine.
Captain Chrissy McKaigue says the spirit of the late Thomas Cassidy drove Slaughtneil to victory in Sunday's Ulster Club SHC final.
Club stalwart Cassidy died last Wednesday and was laid to rest on Friday, two days before Slaughtneil became the first Derry club to land the Four Seasons Cup:
"I owe a lot to Thomas Cassidy. He made me captain of the Under 12 team that won the Championship for the first time in 2000. People tend to forget those things. It snowballed from there," dual ace McKaigue told The Belfast Telegraph.
"He was the man that was coaching, he was the man that was driving us around. He was the man who was fighting the lone battle when hurling wasn't that fashionable. Football was the main kid in town, so Thomas drove hurling. And it's just so sad that he is not here to see this.
"We tried to keep emotion out of it as best we could. He had a son playing and his son had to play his own game too. But it was at the back of people's heads. We didn't need to talk about it as such. We will talk about it now and honour his memory in the club, and all the stories that go along with him.
"We were energised by his spirit and his legacy. This is part of his legacy, end of."
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