For many, the emergence of Westmeath as a footballing power began in 1995 when the Lake County lifted the All-Ireland minor title for the first time in the county's history. However, the Midlanders have had provincial success at this level twice before, while in the early eighties, they lost two Leinster finals to Dublin in the space of three years. A member of the defeated side in 1982 was former Rosemount footballer Mick Lynam and he reminisced with the Maroon and White about his playing career and also gave his thoughts on the modern game. 2007 saw Rosemount capture the junior football championship and then go on to reach the Leinster junior club final where they lost out to Meath side Clann na nGael in an enthralling encounter played just before Christmas. The fact that Rosemount were relegated to junior the previous year was a surprise to many outside the club, but Mick revealed that it was something that players, mentors and supporters alike feared for some time. "It was great to see the lads win the junior championship at the first attempt and winning breeds confidence, so hopefully they can go on from here and have a good crack at the intermediate title," said Mick. "There had been a concern in the club for some time with the fact that the team was reaching the latter stages of the intermediate championship on a regular basis without and success and I think that knocked the confidence out of a lot of the players, which contributed to them being relegated. "However, there are a number of talented footballers in the club and they certainly have what it takes to make a real impact on the intermediate championship. There has been great work done at underage level in recent years and that is beginning to bare fruit at adult level and if this current side sticks together and maybe a few more come through the ranks, I believe it will not be too long before they are senior once again." Mick's footballing career began in the late seventies and he revealed that he was involved in a very successful underage team that obtained titles on a regular basis. "We had a fairly good team all the way up. We lost the under-14 championship to Moate, but won the under-16 and minor titles. We hadn't much luck at under-21 though as we were beaten in four finals with Athlone and Moate being victorious." Having attended the renowned Carmelite College in Moate, Mick admits that he learned a lot from playing under the team's manager Fr Cremin who guided the College to All-Ireland glory on three occasions in 1976, '80 and '81; the latter two saw Mick in the line out. "Fr Cremin was certainly ahead of his time. We trained five days-a-week and it was done with military discipline. I use to take the frees and he would have me taking 60 frees every session, my leg would be ready to fall off me by the end of it, but it certainly improved my scoring ratio. "In 1980, we beat St Patrick's Maghera in the final by a point in what was a very close game, but it was great to win the first one, especially after the work we had put in." Mick has particular fond memories of the 1981 final against St Colman's Claremorris, who had beaten the Carmelites in the 1977 decider and were favourites for the title. "It was a low scoring game and a very tense affair from what I can remember. We were trailing by two points with time almost up, when we were awarded a penalty. At the time I was taking them and I knew I had to score if we were to win; fortunately it went in and were crowned champions for the second consecutive year." The side of that time had some players that were to go on and make a huge name for themselves in football as the likes of Galway's Val Daly and Mayo's John Maughan lined out for Carmelite College. In 1982, Mick made the Westmeath minor team and due to his excessive practicising of taking frees, he was given the same role with the Lake County and this was to help the side to the Leinster final. "It was great to play in Leinster final at Croke Park and it was a shame that we lost. I had the small consolation of being top scorer in the championship, but I would rather have a Leinster medal, however, it was a huge occasion and something that I will remember forever." Having finished school, Mick went on to attend UCD where his football and academic career were to flourish once again and in 1985 Sigerson Cup glory was achieved. "We played Queen's in the Sigerson Cup final and Greg Blayney was in their side, while we had Bill Sex (Kildare and later Mullingar Shamrocks star), Former Mayo captain Dermot Flanagan, while The Downs' Senan Maguire and Mullingar Shamrocks defender Peter Smith was also on the side." After graduating from UCD, work took Mick to Scotland where he worked for BT on an oil refinery and was away from home for ten years, but still managed to win more silverware in football. "I played a bit over there and won a Scottish championship. I missed out on playing with the club and their last senior championship win in 1989, but that was the way those times, a lot of people had to leave the country to work. "When I returned home, I lived in Dunshaughlin and played football for a few years with Drumree, but that was at the latter end of my career," he lamented. The Lynam family has a strong tradition with the Rosemount club as Mick's grandfather Noel was part of the side that won three senior football titles in a row from 1951-'53, while his brother Frank won a senior medal in '89 before winning junior and intermediate titles with Ballynacargy later on. These days, Mick's son Matthew wears the club jersey with distinction and is set for a bright future in the game. Away from the football, Mick is operations manager with the PM (Project Management) Group, which is Ireland's largest engineering design, project and construction management and technical services consultancy. The company was founded 30 years ago and is owned by the employees. Over 1600 are employed by the PM Group and it has been involved in many of the country's biggest development projects including the new terminal at Dublin airport and the construction of Lansdowne Road. Based in Tallaght and Loughmahon, Co. Cork, the company operate on a worldwide scale and have offices in Poland where 400 people are employed. "We operate in the world market and concentrate on commercial work. We have completed a number of projects in the pharmaceutical industry also, while the company has been involved in projects as far away as Shanghai and Singapore." Tweet

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