Derry's Mickey Lynch Thirty something and still going strong One commodity Derry were not lacking when they took the field against Cork in last year's All-Ireland was support. As the underdog, there was few neutrals who did not want them to win and claim their first senior All-Ireland title ever. Swept along on a tide of goodwill, the lads from the Oak Leaf County produced a brilliant display to deny the Munster champions and bring Sam into Ulster for the third successive year, and barely can a greater cry of joy have greeted a winning captain as when Henry Downey lifted Sam Maguire over his head and into the Croke Park air. Happiness was written across the face of every Derry player and supporters and nobody was more delighted than Banagher's Mickey Lynch. More than most he knew what it took to win an All-Ireland, he knew what it would mean for the county and he could have been forgiven if he had looked back fifteen or sixteen years and sighed 'if only'. Lynch was on the Derry teams that claimed Ulster titles in 1975 and 1976 but when it came to the All-Ireland semi finals, the boys in red and white came up against the might of Kerry and Dublin teams at their peak. In 1975 the Derrymen put up a good performance before losing to Dublin 3-13 to 3-8 and the following year Kerry was the stumbling block, 5-14 to 1-10. "We were unfortunate to meet those two great teams at that time. We had a very good team but it was hard to get the better of sides like that. If it was a few years later we might have gone on to win an All-Ireland maybe," he says. As it was, Mickey had to be content with his two Ulster medals and the many memories from an eventful inter county career that spanned almost fifteen years. And at 38 the former Derry star is still going strong, appearing regularly for his beloved club - St. Marys Banagher. "Mickey has been a great servant to the club and county and even after a long and distinguished career, his enthusiasm for the game remains as great as the day he first kicked a football. He is a fine example to any young player. You can use only two words when describing him - totally committed. He is certainly one of the greatest footballers ever produced by this club," says Banagher Chairman Eddie O'Kane. Mickey's exceptional talent as a fast and skilful player was recognised early in his career. He was playing senior football for Banagher at sixteen years of age and able to mix it with the 'big boys' in the senior grade. He not only was able to match the physical demands of the senior grade, but he excelled in the top flight. He played for the county minors before getting the call up to the seniors at eighteen but his first appearance in the red and white shirt was not an auspicious one. "I made my debut in '74 in a national league game against Mayo in Ballinascreen and I was taken off at half time. I didn't get back on the team again until the following year when we played Antrim in the Dr. McKenna Cup. I didn't do so well in my first game but against Antrim I was determined to do as well as I could. I must have done ok because I stayed on the team for the championship against Monahan which went to a replay. I remember I was marking Eamon Tavey. I was playing at centre half forward where I usually played for Derry." One of Mickey's biggest strengths was his eye for goal and combined with his speed, he always proved a handful for any defence, especially one showing any lack of resolve and commitment. In 1975 Lynch was still a relative newcomer to the inter county scene when he made his appearance in his first senior Ulster final, playing a big part in Derry's 1-16 to 2-6 victory over Down. Just how big can be gauged from the fact that he won the Man of the Match award, a huge accolade for a young player just starting out. "Before the game my legs were like jelly but once the action started I settled down. And things seemed to go very well for me," he recalls. In the All-Ireland semi final the Ulster champions put up a highly credible show against Kevin Heffernan's Dublin but in the end they could not match their opponent's experience and the disappointed Derrymen had to troop back home empty handed. The following year Lynch and his Derry team mates achieved something no Ulster county has done since. They retained the provincial senior title, defeating Cavan by 0-22 to 1-16 in a replay, only to fall in the All-Ireland semi final again, this time to Kerry. 1976 is a year the Banagher player looks back on with very mixed emotions. He not only won the senior Ulster title, he also captained the Derry under 21 side to a provincial crown (beating Down by 1-6 to 1-4, only to lose to Kildare), and earlier in the summer he was on the Derry team that reached the National League final. Once more, however, defeat was to his lot as Derry fell to Dublin on a 2-10 to 0-15 scoreline. "It was very disappointing not to win at least one of the games against Dublin or Kerry, because we had put in a great deal of effort and time. Looking back though, I would say the National League final was probably the most memorable because even though we lost, I had a good game and I won the B&I Player of the Month award soon after. We had a very skilful team in those years, especially in the forwards and I would say we had an even better forward line than today's side," he opined. Losing finals, however, was something Mickey Lynch had become accustomed to in his club career. In all the years playing in the maroon and white of Banagher, he has still to get his first senior county championship medal. But on three nerve tingling occasions he came within a kick of a ball of winning the coveted prize. "Since the early 1970s we have been a senior club but we haven't been able to win the title yet. But we came close on three occasions only to lose each time. The first final was in '74 when we lost to Ballinderry. We should really have won that game because we had a lot of chances. I missed a good few myself, but we were a very young team yet we only lost by two points. In '78 we played Magherafelt in the final but again things didn't work out for us. We had Gerry McElhinney, Seamus Stevenson, Fintan McCluskey and myself on the county team so we were no pushovers, but we still lost and in ;81 Ballinderry beat us again. They were our bogey team, who we could never get over but we should have won that game as well. It was very disappointing losing three finals," he recalled. That litany of heartbreak was only broken for Banagher and Mickey Lynch by the odd success in the Kerlin Cup, a competition confined to the clubs in the north Derry area. In recent years Banagher has made it to the county semi final only to lose yet again to Damian Barton's Newbridge. Yet all these disappointments have in no way dimmed Michael Lynch's love for football. While he is busily engaged in running his thriving construction business, he tries to keep in top shape and even now in his late thirties, he eagerly looks forward to every game." I have always loved playing football and I have got an awful lot out of the game, so as long as I keep on enjoying it I will keep going, for another while anyway. My enjoyment is playing, not being on the sideline." Not surprisingly, Mickey's remaining ambition is to help Banagher to that coveted county title. He points out the team is going through a difficult rebuilding process but the future holds the prospect of greater awards. "There is quite a few good young players at the club and with the average age of the team only about twenty two, we can look to the future with some optimism." One of the players for the future is Mickey's own son Ryan who, at fifteen, is already showing much of the old flair and talent that was his father's trademark. So far Ryan has won Rananfast and Dalton Cup medals with St. Pats in Maghera. Married to Kathleen, Mickey has three other children, Carol Ann, Mark and John. Although he never experienced the feeling of winning an All-Ireland in his own inter county career, Mickey Lynch was overjoyed to be at Croke Park last year when Derry achieved that famous victory over Cork. The memory of that triumph is still cherished and hopes are high a similar success can be repeated this year. "We were the last team to win two Ulster titles in succession in '85 and '76 and there is no reason why this team cannot do it. They certainly have the ability and they have a good coach in Eamonn Coleman. If there is anyone who can show them the way he can as he puts in an awful lot of work into it. I would really like to see them do it." Whatever happens, Mickey Lynch will be there urging on the heroes in the red and white. Taken from Hogan Stand magazine 18th February 1994 Tweet

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