Gneeveguilla Giant Ambrose O'Donovan steps down after a glorious decade in the green and gold of Kerry Previous to the incessant advance in the print media industry which with it has brought imperial financial rewards, written recollections highlighting the achievements of sports men and women were modestly confined to column inches in provincial news press. The rewards of sporting achievement, especially within the confides of the GAA's staunch amateurist ideals, were limited to self satisfaction and maybe a clap on the back. Rewards of a financial nature resulting from the binding of biographical notes were certainly not heard of. While journalistic skills in some cases form hidden talents of many of sport's great achievers, many other less apparent writers form subjects for these print media specialists. But only a certain pleiad, particularly in gaelic games, can form such imperial subjects. The biographical industry within the GAA is the place to be and with potential candidates for profile like Kerry's most recently retired legend Ambrose O'Donovan, it's future beneath the headlines of the book reviews remains incontrovertibly intact. Mere analysis of the preamble to his relatively short but sweet career in the green and gold of the Kingdom greets the prying eye with a prestigious list of historic and enviable achievements. Most notable of all, which seems to have lost itself in all the hype about the magnificent Kerry team of the time, is the Gneeveguilla giant's role as captain in 1984. Mingled between a group of legends, the rookie in the pack looked unfamiliar to the millions that watched him make history as he lifted Sam high above his long and bony frame. A mere twenty two years old making just his third championship appearance, the lofty title as Centenary Year captain was penned gracefully upon him as a far off dream was being realised. A couple of months previous, Killarney clubman Diarmuid O'Donoghue was sidelined due to an untimely injury which saw him imperatively relinquish the captain's role. The county champions went into emergency session to nominate the only remaining east Kerryman on the panel for the perquisite role of captain. Five days prior to the Munster Final clash with the Rebels, Ambrose O'Donovan was brought one side by Mick O'Dwyer who informed him of his position on the starting fifteen. The following night, the news that he had assumed the skippers tag was made known to him. The peculiarity behind the system of electing a captain in Kerry wafted high above the heads of those types 'in search of a story' who proceeded to enter into polemics and suggest that ill-feeling blotted O'Donovan's appointment. However, he displays a sense of surprise in retorting that there was any bad feeling. The opposite greeted his unanimous double promotion. O'Donovan goes back to the Cork game, highlighting the brilliant sense of pride he felt in captaining Kerry to glory in front of the home crowd in Killarney. The feeling he felt upon receiving Sam a couple of months later defies any form of description. Suffice at that, especially when consideration is given to his position a year previous as just another contented onlooker. During O'Donovan's honeymoon years in 1983/84, he was the only east Kerry representative on the Kerry team ... it was at that stage that O'Dwyer injected a sense of self-confidence into him, highlighting another wile aspect of O'Dwyer's management strategy. Index, it was a big help to O'Donovan who was living so close to the Cork border. At first hand he experienced the 'very intense rivalry' between the two counties. In 1984, having lost out in Munster a year earlier to Cork, defeating the Rebels on a sweltering hot Sunday in Killarney gave the Gneeveguilla clubman extra pride. Only his first championship game, he lifted the title in place of Diarmuid O'Donoghue, a first cousin of his wife Mary. Today Ambrose and Mary O'Donovan reside in Killarney with their two sons Diarmuid (4) and five year old Ambrose Jnr. Before moving to Killarney, where he works as an ESB linesman, O'Donovan resided at home in Tureencahill, with parents Cain and Hannah, along with his brothers Pat, Maurice, Nealie and John. His sister Kathleen is a British Rail employee. Local businessman and Tureencahill resident Danjoe O'Keeffe remembers travelling north to the capital in the company of Cain O'Donovan, to watch a Kerry minor team which included Nealie O'Donovan. Cain O'Donovan, a regular polka set dancer to be seen often stepping it out with Danno Keeffe and John O'Leary at Dan O'Connells, Knocknagree, always took pride in watching his sons wearing the county jersey. Son Ambrose made his breakthrough in 1978 and in 1980 won an All-Ireland minor medal with Tom Spillane. He clearly remembers marking Damien Barton of Derry in their final thirteen years ago. Following that he won two Munster under 21 medals, one as a seventeen year old, before getting the senior call up in 1983. During his teenage years, he won two All-Ireland Vocational Schools medals with The Kingdom, setting the foundations for the years to follow. As a mere fifteen year old, Ambrose lined out for Gneeveguilla at senior level and while a case study deriving from such an early introduction and ending in such an early senior county retirement may point the finger at the powers that threw him a senior jersey at such a tender age, O'Donovan dismisses the idea, showing no regret, yet not condoning such actions today, conceding that in this day and age many young, free and easy fifteen or sixteen year olds are turned off by too much competitive football as evidenced most especially at junior level. However, O'Donovan enjoyed the smooth as oppose to the rough of football with the big boys as Gneeveguilla operated from the speedy and skilful loft of senior fare. With Gneeveguilla, Ambrose enjoyed a wealth of success, winning medals at every level but even at that, he never thought that he would share the dressing room with the men he idolised on the county team. Nevertheless, despite the massive elevation to the county team, O'Donovan found it relatively easy to blend in, reflecting on the lads as a great bunch. Three All-Ireland medals in a row with O'Donovan operating from his favourite position of midfield, was a real baptism of fire. 1986 and a narrow victory over complete outsiders Tyrone signalled maybe an end to an era. Bitter defeat versus the Rebels a year later quenched the fire that had blazed for so long and thereafter began the gradual retirement of the stars. Thought of retirement never entered O'Donovan's mind, after all, it had only seemed a little while before that he made the big breakthrough. A record fourth Munster Final defeat to Cork in 1990 etched the epitaphs of the few remaining bar the immortal Jacko and still young O'Donovan. Micko Dwyer headed north to Kildare, paving the way for the arrival of Mickey Ned O'Sullivan. The latter stages of O'Dwyer's administration brought about an air of criticism and downright cynicism in GAA circles down south as success was scant. Such lack of patience continued into Mickey Ned's term as O'Donovan distinguishes between any real dislike of Mickey Ned and the general air of discontent which has reeked all pockets of the Kingdom during the last few years and which was the hindering factor during O'Sullivan's term. Never since his arrival had O'Donovan been dropped as he was looked upon as a staunch father figure alongside Jacko to lead the new batch of frisky youngsters. The Gneeveguilla giant, however, predicts a pretty bright future for Ogie Moran and co. Defeat to Down in 1991 was somewhat of a blessing in disguise for the fledglings according to O'Donovan, who thought that the team was in perfect nick to launch a fair attack on the championship in '92. The rest is history as O'Donovan, in hindsight, cites Kerry's demise in their pre championship preparations. While Clare's success and subsequent rise is gracefully accepted by him, he dares to suggest that Kerry seemed like the 'heirs apparent' after defeating a pretty strong Cork team in their own back yard in the first round. A series of challenge games followed and when Kerry took on Limerick in the semi final, O'Donovan felt that they had gone back a little. By the time that fated Sunday in the Gaelic Grounds, Limerick came, the general atmosphere was none like previous final encounters. Preparations were brisque during which time O'Donovan sustained a niggling ankle injury which was to prove to be the perfunctory death kneeling of the O'Donovan legend. News the Wednesday previous to the final that he had been dropped for the first time in his inter county career was met with a deep sense of disappointment. Because of his condition, he decided not to take part in a session a week before the final, this was the excuse used to define the rather crazy decision to drop O'Donovan whom many saw as the potential match winner beforehand. To this day, O'Donovan still hasn't recognised who dropped him as the five man selection committee which was merely led by O'Sullivan, contributed on an equal basis to the choosing of the team and dropping of players. Nevertheless, continual investigations into who dropped him doesn't rate as radical nor intelligent duty as O'Donovan dismisses that incident from his mind in credible fashion. Subsequent defeat to Clare was a bitter pill to swallow for all Kerrymen. Pride is priority in GAA circles around Kerry and no matter how good Clare are, which they undoubtedly were, it's a hard fact to accept. O'Donovan surmises the 1992 Munster final as somewhat of a fiasco. Going back to the series of challenge games, he suggests that the players were tired. With fifteen minutes to go, he was introduced as a sub at wing half forward, a decision he found hard to understand, considering that he seldom played along the wings throughout his career. The final whistle was met with an outburst of boisterous cheering from the Banner County but as O'Donovan and Jacko trekked wearily towards the dressing room, retirement was foremost on their mind. Jacko stuck to his decision with immediate effect, while O'Donovan held off for a short while. Categorically a connection between dropping and retiring is agitatedly retorted, as the lingering thoughts of making the ultimate decision were being considered by O'Donovan long before the Munster final. While a sense of disappointment settled in following his dropping, O'Donovan got no satisfaction from seeing his colleagues smother under the blanket of Clare's unprecedented talent. Mickey Ned received a certain amount of abuse, however O'Donovan defends the Kenmare man, supposing that the cynicism which exists at an uncomfortable level within the county anyway brought about a lot of Mickey Ned O'Sullivan's problems. His retirement allowed Ogie Moran to grip the reins and but for pleas from Moran, O'Donovan may have retired far earlier. AS a mere fuel to help light Ogie's managerial baptism of fire, O'Donovan used the freedom of thought during Yuletide to finally announce his retirement. While initially he suggested that the finish of the league would round off his ten years in the green and gold, his decision to do so midway through the campaign is excused by his learned and generous belief that adequate time must be allowed for Ogie to fill the vacancy left by O'Donovan before the championship commences. General progression hereafter among 'erstwhile Kerry legends has been to the ranks of county management, a position O'Donovan would like to think about in the future, the distant future. For now, commitment to Gneeveguilla and their efforts to eventually make the big breakthrough, are foremost on his mid as he twins the future riches of club and county together. Mere survelance of his athletic being coupled with a glance at his efforts and displays of determination and grit on the park, would probably force many to shy away from delving into conversation with the legend that is O'Donovan, however as a gentleman and a scholar, few will ever encounter a more genial and articulate sportsman, family man and popular gentleman. No quips or qualms, a long and illustrious career is reflected on with a sense of happiness an pride as the hard times and the good times are blended to form an opulent GAA curriculum vitae. Shame on football and the world as it goes on to force the unwelcome decision made those weeks ago. A hard decision has been made and it's one which O'Donovan projects to uphold firmly but then the Bomber is back. To question his approval or disapproval on Liston's decision seems rhetorical and irrelevant as the answer is most apparent. Who knows, the Bomber could easily turn out to be a perfect role model for O'Donovan. Taken from Hogan Stand magazine 19th February 1993 Tweet

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