We look back on the remarkable career of Fr. Michael McManus, the Milltown Rathconrath native who brought so much glory to Meath football. Ask any middle-aged Westmeath person who was Westmeath's greatest ever GAA player and he'll probably say the 'Jobber' McGrath (Hurling) and Mick Carley (Football). There is absolutely no doubt about the 'Jobber' but long before Mick Carley, who starred for Leinster so many times in the early 60s, there was another great footballer from Westmeath even though he had limited opportunities to display his talents and when he did so it was mainly in the green and gold of neighbouring Meath. The man was Michael McManus, born in Milltown Rathconrath in 1901, who became Father McManus when ordained to the priesthood in Paris in 1927 and is still a legend in the Royal County even though there are now very few around who actually saw him play in the Leinster Championships of 1929 and 1930. McManus was still only a student at St.Finian's College when he was first chosen for the Westmeath senior team in 1920. After a brilliant debut in a challenge match, he was picked to play in the Leinster Championship v Kildare, a match which the lilywhites won. There was no National League in those days - it didn't come into existence until 1925/26 - so it was a case of one competitive match per year if you happened to lose. In 1921 the brilliant young footballer set out for Paris to study for the priesthood and although records are a bit sketchy he doesn't seem to have been home in time in any year to assist his county in the championship. He did help his club Milltown in the Junior Championship of 1923 and although that club won the Westmeath Senior Championship in 1923 he seems to have been absent for the event - presumably still in Paris. In 1927 he was ordained and returned to Ireland where his first curacy was in Drumconrath in North Meath. This is when his football talents and indeed his organising ability really came to the fore. Drumconrath won the Meath Junior Championship in 1928 but along the way his midfield displays attracted the attention of the Meath selectors. He was picked at midfield for the Royal County for the 1929 Leinster Championship match v Kildare at Drogheda. Kildare were All-Ireland Champions of 1927 and 1928 with heroes like Jack Higgins, Paul Doyle, Paddy Martin and Matt Goff among their ranks, but apparently Fr Mac (playing under a false name as priests weren't allowed to play at the time - by the Bishops not the GAA!) gave an exhibition. The match went to a replay which the lilywhites won by five points. They went on to retain the Leinster title. The Meath midfield priest had made such an impact however, that the Leinster selectors picked him for the Railway Cup of 1930. Fr Mac didn't line out however for fear of being 'found out' by his ecclesiastical superiors. When championship time came around he was back again at midfield as Meath recorded a famous victory over Dublin at Drogheda. This put them through to the Leinster final v Kildare when the midfield priest again gave an exhibition as the game ended all square, Kildare 0-6 Meath 1-3. There are different opinions as to what happened next. Some say the Bishop heard about it, others say that the Meath officials actually approached the Bishop looking for official permission which was refused. In any event, Fr Michael McManus missed the replay, Meath lose by seven points as the lilywhites gained their fifth title in a row and the midfield priest never played again. That may have been the end of one chapter in his life but Fr Mac didn't opt out of the GAA - the very opposite in fact. He started to train and coach teams and as he moved from parish to parish as a curate, success seemed to follow him everywhere. In 1931, he moved to Skryne who had just a moderate Junior team at the time. By 1933, due mainly to the new Curate's enthusiasm and driving force, the club had won the Intermediate Championship. Since then they have always been a Senior Club, not alone winning 10 Senior Championships but supplying players to every All-Ireland winning Meath team, amongst them legends like Paddy O'Brien, Colm O'Rourke and Trevor Giles. Fr McManus started it all. In fact, the pitch in Skryne is named McManus Park in honour of the man who helped acquire it for posterity when a large estate was being divided up by the Land Commission. From Skryne Fr Mac moved to Longwood, a parish in South Meath with a hurling tradition. Straight away they won the Senior Hurling Championship in 1936, a feat never accomplished by the club either before or since. Next port of call was Duleek in East Meath and no sooner had he become involved than they won the Intermediate Championship in 1939 to be followed four years later by Senior Championship success. This has never been repeated in that parish either. During all of this time Fr McManus was also very active in County Board affairs. Meath won the National Football League of 1933 beating All Ireland Champions Cavan in the decider. Fr Mac was team trainer/manager and even had 'Collective Training' for two weeks before the match. In 1938 he became Chairman of the Meath County Board where he reigned for almost a decade. During that time Meath reached the All-Ireland final of 1939 only to lose to Kerry and retained the Leinster Title in 1940. They also won the National League in 1946 under his stewardship. When the Royal County eventually made the real breakthrough in '49, the great man had retired from active participation. In the early 50's he became PP of Multyfarnham and so returned to his native Westmeath. Meath County Board honoured Fr Mac by selecting him for the 'Hall of Fame' award in 1976. On that occasion a young reporter from the Meath Chronicle was dispatched to Multyfarnham to interview the now elderly PP. He asked Fr Mac was it true that high catching at midfield was his greatest asset as a player some 50 years earlier. Apparently this was very much so. Old timers recalled that Fr Mac could take them down out of the clouds. The good man himself agreed that this was so and then added the immortal words "I used to be afraid that the Ref would blow me for overholding the ball before I hit the ground." He got such enjoyment from telling this story that some people felt he had begun to believe it himself - he was never one to underestimate his own ability and accordingly demanded high standards from others. In 1984 Meath played Westmeath in the Leinster Championship at Cusack Park in Mullingar. A week earlier the Royal County had just won the Centenary Cup. A very frail Fr McManus, now living in retirement in Clonard, was brought to the Meath dressing room at Cusack Park. He had asked to meet Sean Boylan and the players to offer his congratulations and his request was granted. A few weeks later Fr Mac, the footballer that Westmeath gave away to neighbouring Meath passed away. He is buried in Multyfarnham and even though he was 30 years gone from the county, hundreds from Meath journeyed to the North Westmeath village to say their goodbyes to a man who had really become a legendary figure - Michael McManus, rival to Mick Carley, for the title of greatest ever footballer from Westmeath. Tweet

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