Roscommon football fans are experiencing a degree of angst and frustration these days which veterans of better days can scarcely come to terms with. For his part, county old boy and erstwhile star defender Tom Heneghan has vivid memories of Roscommon's halcyon days in the seventies and early eighties. What John Tobin wouldn't do to have the likes of his good friend Tom Heneghan on board for this year's Connacht championship. In these days of panels, squads and back-up crews, any county football boss using the 'oul grey matter would likely as not give his eye teeth to be able to avail of the services of the former Castlerea, county and provincial star - even for the last 15 minutes, socceresque-like. In slotting in our man Heneghan into our fantasy football line-up, no slight is intended on the present set of players who man Roscommon's rearguard. Fact is, the one-time ace full-back would arguably make the first fifteen of any current county senior team. Heneghan was a star player with the primrose and blue of Roscommon and beloved Connacht from the sixties to the early eighties, picking up an U-21 all Ireland in '66 when Roscommon overcame Kildare. He repeated this feat in '78, this time as manager of the Roscommon under-age team that beat a star studded Kerry side. From '72 to '80 he manned the edge of the square in imperious fashion and along with clubmates Harry Keegan, John Kerrane, Jimmy Finnegan, Adrian O'Sullivan, MickeyFreyne, and others like Pat Lindsay, John O'Gara, Dermot Earley and the McManus brothers Eamon and Tony, fairly inspired some glorious days for ambitious, hungry Roscommon. These days though Tom is a lot more than a few 50s removed from Roscommon, Castlerea or even Croker. Instead, he's literally thousands of miles removed from the cockpit of the world's GAA scene due to his work with Bord Failte in the USA. The city of the angels called on Heneghan many moons ago where he is the current Marketing Director for Bord Failte with responsibility for the organisation's business across the whole west coast of America. Ensconced way out west for the last 18 years, Tom is a very busy man but he still manages to make it back to the 'oul sod several times per annum. Married to Newry lass Stephanie, the Heneghans have two children, Jill(24) and Shane (21). The now 50-something is still very much in love with the Gaelic game but admits his knowledge of the GAA scene in Ireland is a tad short of that which it used to be when he was often the rock on which highly-vaunted attacking units floundered. "I don't get to see many top-class football matches live these times but nowadays I try to see as many as possible courtesy of satelite, albeit at 7am on Sunday mornings". It's been a long while too since the former All-Star kicked a ball for club or county. A sterling Castlerea St. Kevins clubman, Tom retired from the inter-county scene way back in 1981 but not before he had collected a handful of Connacht senior championship medals with the then western kingpins. It's fair to say that our man Heneghan was part of the best period Roscommon football ever enjoyed since the county's most glorious days of 1943 and '44 when they lifted the Sam Maguire Cup. For his part, Tom collected his first Celtic Cross in 1972 when Mayo were outgunned by 5-8 to 3-10 in a real thriller. Heneghan's peers left their best wine 'till later though, careering to a four-in-a-row success. Who will ever forget the team's gladitorial clash with Armagh in the 1977 All-Ireland semi-final? "We were bitterly disappointed to have lost out in the replay and though not taking anything away from that Armagh team, I think we would have done pretty well against Dublin in the final had we made it through," Tom reflects. Not that Ros went into a shameless exhibition of mourning thereafter. Fact is, they came back with a fire in their bellies passionate enough and fierce enough to fuel another three provincial title successes. And then there was the (in)famous meeting with the almighty Kingdom in 1980. Ironically, the rock-solid, effervescent Heneghan was marked absent for the clash with cute Kerry having decided earlier in the championship to leave the left corner position to up and coming Gerry Connellan. He was, instead, 'happy' to sit in the player-manager's chair, directing operations. "There really is'nt much directing to do on the day because, like most teams when they go out on the field , the Roscommon players play their own game. "In fact, if the team had played to plan for the entire duration of the match the way they played the first 20 minutes, I know we would have beaten Kerry. "The talent was definitely there but somehow or other some players had difficulty concentrating for part of the match and allowed the referee's performance to distract them. "The final of 1980 was one which we should have won. That remains my abiding memory of that game but I have always felt that had we beaten Dublin the previous year, getting to the '79 final would have given us untold experience and would have prepared us really well for the game with Kerry the following year. There was only one point in it in the end against Dublin but that's enough to make all the difference. However, we did win the national league title in '79 beating Cork in the final". Part of a tremendous set of Roscommon backs which included the aforementioned Keegan, Pat Lindsay, Gerry Fitzmaurice, Tom Donlon plus the galloping Danny Murray, Tom Heneghan is actually a native of Dunmore, Co. Galway, and related to the great Brendan Nestor of Dunmore and Galway fame. For club and county Tom led the way when the battle was at its fiercest and his enthusiasm and passion for the game was never less than infectious. He had a good grounding at home in Castlerea. He won a handful of county championship medals with 'Kevins at various grades and in the likes of Jimmy Finnegan and John O'Callaghan - among others - he had numerous icons to look to for inspiration. "I thoroughly enjoyed my playing days with Castlerea. There was a great spirit in the club and a tremendous level of camaraderie. There were some tremendous people involved with Castlerea when I was growing up. For instance, the driving force at underage level then was a gentleman called Danny Burke. Very few people have devoted more time over the years to GAA and community affairs in general than Danny and I and a lot of others owe him great deal. I was delighted to hear that he was recently chosen as Roscommon Person of the Year, a tribute he richly deserves. Interestingly however, the 1979 All-Star (left corner-back) and much decorated Railway Cup medallist isn't one for looking back in time. It's a pet hate really in some ways. "I can never fathom how they picked those Centenary teams or the teams of the Millennium. How do you compare a player who played in the thirties with a player who was in his prime during the nineties? "The game of Gaelic football has changed and evolved tremendously over the years changing in a radical way every 20 years. It really does'nt matter as long as players maximise their talents and continue to enjoy the game." So has his native Roscommon any chance of making it big in the current climate? "I wouldn't know enough about the current set-up to be able to make any predictions but anything is possible. "It's a very level playing field in Connacht right now. You only have to look back at last year and see the way Leitrim beat Roscommon. But if Roscommon hit top form they would be well able to beat Galway and once that's done anything is achievable. I just hope Gaelic football doesn't go the way of American Football where making money is the ultimate goal for those involved. Players should be treated well and not be out of pocket but I don't think anybody is seeking to be paid to play. I wouldn't like it to go that way and anyawy the population is too small to support such a system ." Always enlightening, always faithful to the game he once graced . . . that's former Roscommon great Tom Heneghan. Tweet

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