Peadar McGeehin of Letterkenny and Donegal fame A prince among half backs, by Cormac McGill Half backs are born, not made. One need only look at the All-Ireland winning teams in the last forty years to realise just what special type of human granite is needed in the good half back's make-up. They have to be tough, indestructible, wiry, hardy, constructive yet destructive, creators and yet destroyers, runners yet tacklers, defenders yet initiators of attacks. Most football men will tell you that a class half back needs a very special level of durability and consistency. Looking back over fifty years we remember Bill Dillon and Eddie Walsh of Kerry, Galway's Tom Sullivan, Mayo's Peter Quinn, Roscommon's Batt Lynch, Meath's Christo Hand and Cavan's incomparable PJ Duke from 'sweet Stradone'. The 50s gave us Louth's Stephen Whyte, Galway's Jack Kissane and Kerry's Micko, and in the 60s we remember the power play of that brilliant Galway duo Martin Newell and John Donnellan. Meath's 'Red' Collier was something special and leave it there if Paudie O'Shea did not win his first All-Ireland from the no. 5 jersey with Ger Power on the other wing. In latter times we remember Kerry's Tommy Doyle, Meath's Martin O'Connell and the recently retired Cavan player Jim Reilly. All the above are rightly enshrined in national football folklore. All were wing half backs. That alone made them special and where football is talked in Donegal strange it is indeed how the name of Peadar McGeehin is mentioned among their all time greats. Maybe not so strange as Peadar was first and foremost a wing half back, a left half back to be more precise. Peadar may never have won the coveted All-Ireland medal as many mentioned above did. But then he is still in tremendous football company as no All-Ireland medals came to Cavan's Jim McDonnell or Ray Carolan, Donegal's Brian McEniff or PJ Flood, Derry's Malachy McAfee or Michael Moran, Armagh's Paddy Moriarity, Monaghan's Vincent Duffy, Carlow's Peeny Whelan etc. etc. The list is endless and who dare say that these were not players of calibre equal to those who won the coveted All-Ireland award. Now into his sixties, Peadar never remembers a time when he was not involved in football. This involvement brought him a minor championship with Letterkenny in 1946. Promotion to the senior team followed that year when he came on in the championship game against Ballyshannon for former county player, Hughie McGovern. Hughie still is an eminent ceili dancer and well known traditional musician. Peadar was sent in to replace the injured Hughie and mark the late Michael Slevin. They lost that '46 final to Gaoth Dobhair 0-7 to 0-6 but a new era of footballing greatness was dawning over the cathedral town. Central to that upsurge for over forty years was Peadar MccGeehin. Minor championships followed in '47 and '48 but were defeated in the minor finals of '49 and '50. Senior championships came as a matter of course. However, Peadar's call up to the county colours came in 1947 against Tyrone at Omagh in a Dr. Lagan Cup game. Wistfully he remembers the selectors in their wisdom, placing him at no. 12. His championship debut came in 1949 against Down, wearing his favourite left half back jersey. This jersey he wore right through his inter county championship career, right until his last championship game against Cavan in '59 when he dropped back to the corner. His story of the '52 championship game against Antrim would make national headlines today but prevalent in the pre-manager era. Peadar had a great season in '52, including a 'blinder' against Cork on Donegal's first ever Croke Park appearance the previous April. On the original selection he was replaced by Christy Hegarty at the last moment, a player from Glen Island in County Mayo. Peadar came on as substitute later in the game. Peadar recalled for me the great Donegal names of the era. Like Hughie Tim in last week's article, I again detected tremendous respect for the players mentioned. With affection he spoke of the greatness of such as Jackie McDermott, Seanie O'Donnell, Patsy Brogan, Jim Gallagher, Jim 'Cookie' Boyle, Hughie Tim Boyle and MJ Gallagher, Willie and Andy Cunningham, Jackie Reilly, Sean McEntee, JC Duffy and the McFeely brothers. Regretfully, I cannot name them all in the space allowed. Again the respect great players have for their opponents was evidenced by the players against whom he played. He spoke longingly of the late Iggy Jones, of Kevin Armstrong, Sean Gibson, Monaghan's Hughie McKearney and the deadly Down duo of Sean O'Neill and Paddy Doherty, starting to make their reputations as Peadar was departing the inter county championship scene. He singled out Kerry's Paddy Kennedy or Mick O'Connell as among the best players he ever saw. The Letterkenny Story A glorious run in senior championships saw Letterkenny win finals in '48, 1-7 to 2-1 against Gaoth Dobhair, '56 against old rivals Ballyshannon 0-8 to 1-2 and again in '60 against Gaoth Dobhair 0-11 to 0-3. They reached the final in 1950 but the game against Donegal Town was never played due to some technical difficulties about a Donegal player of the time. When I spoke to Peadar, he told me that the players of both sides wanted the game to go ahead. Officialdom then as now will have it's way. The finals of '51 and '52 were lost narrowly, Ballyshannon 1-6 to 1-5 in '51 and Na Cealla Beaga 0-9 to 1-5 in '52. Final defeats also in '55 and '58. In the fifteen championships between '46 and '60, St. Eunans appeared in ten county finals. They won again in '67, splitting the St. Josephs threatened five in a row. '69 saw them again beat St. Josephs and they beat Clan an Gael in '72, losing the '74 final to St. Josehs 1-8 to 1-3. In that era Democrat Cup honours (senior league) came in '52, '54, '57 and '58. Peadar the manager The last senior title to come to the town at the head of Lough Swilly was in '83, defeating Ardara 0-8 to 0-3. In that period '67-'82 the track of the McGeehin footballing management philosophy shines forth. He trained the '67 side that beat the hitherto all-conquering Bundoran/Ballyshannon combination St. Josephs. James Larkin assisted. With Austin Coughan, as trainer Peadar managed St. Eunan's to the '69 title. Austin is uncle of great Donegal supporter Mary TD and brothers of deceased TDs Clement and Cathal. Peadar assisted James Larkin in the '72 triumph and in the glories of '83 managed again, this time with James Larkin, Joe Kelly and Joe English as his assistants. That is surely a life time of dedication but Peadar's role of total dedication to the game he loved does not end there. He managed the minor side to two defeated finals in '87 and '88 and I detected a special something in his voice when we spoke of his efforts with the under 12 team, champions in '82 - lucky boys indeed with Peadar in charge, assisted by Joe McManus and Sean McIntyre. No longer a football power Letterkenny have not been in a senior county final since '83 and I wondered why when I spoke with Peadar. It is far and away the largest town in the county. Facilities at O'Donnell Park are good with a fine club house and bar. Membership should not be a problem. Peadar is no longer actively involved in club affairs and feels that at the moment something may not just be right within the club. However, he further emphasised the quality of dedicated player they had in their glory days. He called the roll, many of them school mates of my own, the Halpins, Con, Colm and Joseph, the Currans, Sean, Fr. Dennis, Michael and Tommy, the Dawsons, Pearse and Gerard, the Boyles, Charlie, Paddy and Eddie, Fionn Gallagher, James McGettigan whose sons Paul and Leslie wore the Donegal colours with distinction. A wee memo here to Brian McEniff as I hear that Leslie is playing tremendous football stateside at the moment. Pat English, later to play for Roscommon and Connacht. Hughie Blake, Michael Mellet, Noel and Pat O'Donnell, Michael Ronaghan, John Hannigan, Tommy Ryan, father of Donegal's Tommy, Sean Kelly, Sean McCann, Seamus Hoare and the list is endless. Thrill and disappointment of 1952 Those of us now approaching the biblical three score and ten with Donegal blood in the veins will of course, always remember '52, the year we might have won something. Peader feels that team came good in the Ulster Championship of '51. With the tearaway Peadar wearing his usual no. 7 jersey, Donegal drew with Antrim 2-7 each only to fall for a soft Paddy O'Hara goal in the replay and go out by a point. Antrim went on to the All-Ireland semi final that year, losing 2-6 to 1-7 against Meath. The Letterkenny publican, mine host of "The Hill Bar", regards '52 as the greatest thrill yet, the greatest disappointment of his long and illustrious career. Had Donegal made the breakthrough in Ulster the previous year, he feels Sam would have been in the hills a lot earlier than '92. A sixth decade to his beads With a twinkle in his eye, Peadar told me that while there were five decades in the rosary, he hoped to add a sixth decade to his beads. He has been involved as player or manager with Letterkenny teams from the 40s to the 80s, five decades. He lives in hope that some time in the 90s he will again achieve managerial honours, leading his beloved Letterkenny to a championship win, surely the classic example of a man like Ulysses, better to burn out than to rust out. One thing I will say for certain and that is that if a Peadar McGeehin managed St. Eunan's team takes the field in a Donegal championship decider at any age level, then the groundswell of public good will and genuine emotion will be a major hurdle for their opponents. Peadar, that is a day I too hope to see. As a Donegal fanatic for almost sixty years I salute you but will end with a tribute from a former colleague at club and inter county level, a man who holds you in highest esteem and a man who also served the cause of Donegal football with a dignity and commitment commensurate with your own, corner back Fionn Gallagher. Fionn's tribute "Peadar, I was thrilled to be given this opportunity by the Hogan Stand to pay tribute to a fellow footballer and friend. You were always a tenacious half back but as one who played in the corner behind you, I always noted your greatest footballing strength to be your tremendous positional sense. You always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, always able to turn defence into attack and give midfield good cover. A complete half back in any age. Another very strong quality of yours was your interest in young players. You were always on hand with sound advice and guidance. For this Peadar I will always remember you. God bless you Peadar and best wishes from Fionn." Author's note Presently Mullingar based, Fionn Gallagher, Cloughanelly and St. Eunan's, was corner back for Donegal from 1959 to 1966. His work brought him from Donegal and in 1967 he no longer could give the necessary commitment to training. He attends all the Donegal games and is Chairman of Muinntir Thir Connaill (Lar na hEireann). Taken from Hogan Stand magazine 30th April 1993 Tweet

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