"These lads gave me a reason to get out of the bed in the morning"

August 07, 2021

The smile on Killian Minogue's face says it all as Dunderry are about to be crowned Meath Junior 2 HC winners at Pairc Tailteann.

“That’s what the GAA is all about”.

The words of Killian Minogue rang true yesterday evening after managing his native Dunderry to the 2020 Meath Junior 2 Hurling Championship title with victory over Boardsmill.

In March 2015, Killian had been walking home from work along the dual carriageway when he was hit by a van and suffered multiple injuries, including a fractured pelvis, hip and sacrum as well as a massive head injury that resulted in a piece of his skull being removed during a craniotomy procedure.

The road to recovery was long and, in that time, his love for the game of hurling never wavered as he would take the reins of the same Dunderry junior hurling side he had lined out for on so many occasions before the accident.

Yesterday, the club scored a comprehensive victory in the postponed Junior 2 HC decider from last year, defeating Boardsmill by 5-8 to 0-11, and their manager had some touching words at Pairc Tailteann afterwards in the below interview.

“It’s amazing what the GAA brings. These lads gave me a reason to get out of the bed in the morning when I didn’t want to get out of bed,” said Killian.

“I was talking to people around the village and they gave women, men, children inspiration to get out and play hurling and come to games.

“To be honest, that’s what the GAA is all about – winning and all is all secondary. If we can all play a part in improving people’s lives and mental health, and all that stuff, by going out and expressing ourselves like ourselves and Boardsmill did today, we’re all doing the right thing and we’re all on the right track.”

Watch the full interview from 45:55 below:


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