Brendan Cahill held the distinction of captaining the first Meath team that claimed All-Ireland MFC honours in 1957. The Navan De La Salle player lined out at left half-forward 59 years ago in the 3-9 to 0-4 final success over Armagh. "It was a memorable year and it was probably that bit more enjoyable because it was such a surprise to us all," he recalled on the 50th anniversary of the historic win in 2007. The success came out of the blue really and there was no expectations at all at the start of the year but we just seemed to gain a bit of confidence with every game we played." 

The Parnell Park native progressed to don the green and gold jersey at senior level, 1958-'64, but his football career was brought to a premature end in his early twenties by a recurring knee injury. At club level, he was also a vital cog in the great five-in-a-row Navan O'Mahonys winning team (1957-'61) and his medal collection included six Meath SFC and four Feis Cup souvenirs. His commitment to Navan O'Mahonys never waned and he was a long serving member of the Brews Hill club's executive committee, serving as chairman from 1965 to 1968. Brendan's nephew, Neville Dunne, followed in his footsteps when winning an All-Ireland MFC medal in 1992. Two years later, Neville was part of the Royal County team that claimed NFL honours. A minute's silence was observed in Brendan's memory prior to the Meath IFC final between St Colmcille's and Dunderry.