The late Noel McGuinness Say it's only yesterday. A balmy summer's evening in Hollymount. Beyond the famous hill, nothing exists. Claremorris and Ballinrobe locked in some epic struggle, perhaps a South Mayo U-16 final. World affairs pale into insignificance. There wasn't a Cuban Missile Crisis at the time, but even if there happened to be, so what. Those Cubans could point all the missiles they wanted, wherever they wanted. We had much more for worrying about in south Mayo. It's less than 25 years ago, but it seems like yesterday. And there, in the midst of it all, Noel McGuinness. Rangy, skilful, thoughtful. A forward with the knowledge. Perceptive, accurate, modern. And, most of all, forever young. He had the childhood you dream about. He won things in the blue of Claremorris. He lined out with distinction in the red and white of St. Colman's. The Senior A team, you know, the very words implying a higher standard than your common or garden footballer. He was a Mayo minor, a wearer of the green and red, the very essence of glamour for a sporting teenager. And last week, they laid Noel McGuinness to rest. They carried him on their shoulders from the funeral home, his former football and soccer colleagues; they carried him down the town, and up to St Colman's Church. They formed guards of honour and the bowed their heads and they wondered how a man so young could be taken from their midst. He was only 40 years of age, a husband, a father of four young children. Noel fought a brave battle these past few years. But there was no shaking off the illness which had attacked his body, no last-gasp winner, no 'and with one bound, our hero was free' happy ending. Over Christmas, word of his fading health spread, and you can be sure many more were transported back to balmy summer evenings in Hollymount. And you can be equally sure many considered their own morality, and thought back to the once-were-kings days of their youth. Because maybe we are all - in our hearts - still 16 years of age, still locked in epic struggles on football fields, still forever young. Our deepest sympathy to his wife Lucy, his heartbroken family, and all who knew and loved him. Liam Horan Courtesy of Mayo News 10 January 2007 Tweet

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