Old Tyrone Favourite DES McMAHON Mastermind Behind The new look Croke Park The development of the Cusack Stand continues apace and without a hitch much to the delight of enthusiastic Tyrone born architect and former county footballer Des McMahon (54). Des is the senior partner of the Dublin based firm, Gilroy/McMahon Architects, who drew up the plans for the entire Croke Park project. How did they get the contract? "We were one of the first practices to computerise and that probably had a lot to do with us getting the contract. Croke Park notified all the firms big enough to take on a job of this kind, interviewed them and fortunately chose us. It had nothing to do with my previous involvement in the GAA, although that was useful in the terms of talking with members and knowing the culture and what they would want. I would hope that the new building would express the festiveness of gaelic sport," reveals Des. In fact this aspiration was regularly repeated when he spoke to the HOGAN STAND. "It will not just be a big shed with seats which most stadiums are. The project is a very complex and technical one involving many other disciples as well as me and all my staff. A huge advantage is that we have as our Masterplan Consultants one of the biggest companies of its kind in the world, HOK Sports of Kansas City. They were the advisors to the Manchester bid to host the Olympics and are now involved with the Sydney plan. To have them working for us is a monumental boost." Des names Liam Mulvihill (Director General of the GAA) as the man who has been mist determined to see the entire project finished and on schedule "that this will not be and ad hoc arrangement of outdated stands. When the project is completed Croke Park and the GAA will be standard bearers for stadia throughout Europe." Really? "Its true," he insists. "We are not interested in putting up a place where people walk in and put their bums on seats, as was done in Italy. We want to capture all that is inherent to the GAA. This is a social development as well as anything else. I mean, All-Ireland final day is a pretty unique occasion its something else. We want to capture that in this project. We're taking sport into the modern era and the new Croke Park will be the first European example of the new culture." Showing plaudits on everyone involved in the project, the chief architect names assistants, Donal Friel, Mark McCann, Carol Dockry and Sadhbhanna Ni Fhlionn as deserving of particular praise. "We have all been immersed in the project for the last four years and are hoping to have the Cusack Stand finishing by late spring or early summer. The project date is May 14th for the NFL final). I am happy with where we are with the developments at the moment. We've pulled back most of the lost time which was incurred after the harsh weather of last winter. It was very bad and especially difficult for the cranage but now we're back on schedule." Gilroy/McMahon was established in 1972 by Des and his partner John Gilroy. "I was an Art teacher in St Patrick's Academy in Dungannon for a while before returning to my studies and qualifying as an architect. John was killed tragically in a car accident 20 years ago this month. That was a huge blow, both on a personal and a business level. We have grown from strength to strength despite this setback, building up from scratch. I kept the name Gilroy/McMahon though Colie O'Donoghue has been a partner for the last seven or eight years. We got our first break winning a school competition in 1975. We have done a lot of big jobs since such as the Bolton Street extension and the Sweepstakes Development in Ballsbridge. We have progressed really well over the years and are now doing large commercial work." The quality of this work is unquestionable. Proof of the pudding is the Building of the Year Award which the film scooped courtesy of the Sunday Tribune in 1989 "You are not allowed to advertise in the architectural business so the quality of your work is the only way of doing that. We have slowly built ourselves up. An important factor in our progression is the fact that we have retained our enthusiasm for the job. There is no such thing as nine to five in this office." Success was not alien to Des McMahon however. When Gilroy/McMahon was little more than a twinkle in the eyes of its creators, Des was displaying such skills for his local club Beragh Red Knights that he was chosen to represent his county in Ulster Championship at Minor, Junior and Senior levels. "Beragh have always been a Senior club. We never had any success although we always got to the quarter-finals and semi-finals. At present they supply Paul Donnelly to the country side. I sat behind Paul's father, Gerry in school!" "I played for Tyrone Minors in 1958," he continues. "Junior recognition followed and I lined out for the Seniors in '62 and '63." Interestingly, the Beragh man achieved all these honours wearing the no 6 jersey. "My career with the Tyrone Seniors was a short one as I moved to England in 1964." Short it may have been but it was the continuation of a history in the white jerseys with red trim as his father, James, represented the O'Neill county Seniors between the years 1928-35. Immersed in the Association, James held membership of the Tyrone County Board and the Ulster GAA Council. Obviously this love for the game rubbed off on his son, whose interest in gaelic football remained undiminished, despite travelling cross-channel. "I played with a very strong club in Birmingham called the Mitchels. We went all the way to the final of the British Championship one year but lost the final. We should have won It was thrown away. On my return to Ireland they remained as my club and I travelled over and back just to play with them." A dedicated man. Despite being so busy with his work, Des has maintained his yen for gaelic games, follows its happenings and in particular the fortunes of his native Red Hand County. "Despite getting to the Ulster final, I would say that Tyrone were not good this year. We never got near a great Down team, who could have beaten us blindfold. They had some excellent players, including Mickey Linden who was in a different class. He reminds me of my most difficult opponent ever, Paddy Doherty, also of Down. If he won the ball in front of you there was no way to stop him bar fouling him. He was lethal and could kick and score with both feet a great player, just like Linden. "Tyrone looked to be coming on well a few years ago and there was reason for hope when we got to the National League final, which was lost because Derry got a lucky goal. While they went on to win an All-Ireland, Tyrone have deteriorated. They were poor in Ulster final but I am hoping that they'll win the All-Ireland in 1995 it would be nice timing what with a Tyrone involvement in the development and all that." A regular attendant of games, Des opines that the standard of football is better nowadays than it was 30 years ago, with a few notable explanations. "The art of high fielding is gone missing from the game. If you catch the ball now you are bottled up when you come down and a free is frequently given against you. Its hard to see someone like Mick O'Connell operating as gracefully as he did in the modern game. Maybe there should be a mark. There's also a big problem with the tackle. Also, you don't see many long range points being kicked today. Most scores are got when the forward is driving towards the goals. Sean O'Neill of Down was able to score points going away from goals. Apart from that though, today's game is a better one. Its very fast with a lot of scores." Des McMahon is delighted to be part of the drive to bring gaelic games into the 21st century. He is dedicated to its further-ment and marvels at the high profile it has on the international stage. "I remember being in Manchester once at a hearing this group of men talk about how great a game gaelic football was. They had been at a few All-Ireland semi-finals but never got to a final and they were Mancunians, not Irish! I also know a lad in Stavenger, Norway who is training a gaelic football team. Again, these guys are not Irish and they have no opposition. They're doing it just because they like the game! My wife Ance is Swedish and once she saw football being played she fell in love with it. "If this enthusiasm is transferred to the development of the Cusack Stand and to the Croke Park project as a whole, the finished product as well worth waiting for. Taken from Hogan Stand magazine 2nd December, 1994 Tweet

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