PAT GRIFFIN UNDERAGE STARLET IN THE LILY WHITE WHO WENT ON TO BE AN ALL-IRELAND WINNER WITH THE KINGDOM Pat Griffin is a Kerryman with a difference. Having been born in the Kingdom, his family moved to Kildare when he was seven years of age. "I played my club football with Clane and was picked for the Kildare Minors in 1961 and '62, and also the Seniors. I played with some very talented footballers in those teams, such as Pa Connelly, Mick Carolan, Pat Mangan and Jack Donnelly, to name just a few. It was an extremely enjoyable time." Although he always gave 100% while in a lily white jersey, one suspects that the thought of donning the green and gold mad Pat's heart beat that little bit faster. That opportunity came about in 1963 when the family moved to Killorglin. "It was a bit of a wrench leaving Kildare. I had been very happy there but at the end of the day, was always a Kerryman. I played Junior football for Glenbeigh, which would have been the club from where we originally lived in Glencar. They were my home club despite living near Killorglin." A man who performed in midfield and in the forward line but is best remembered for his brilliance on the forty, Pat also lined out for Mid-Kerry, a divisional side, comprising four or five Junior outfits including Glenbeigh in Senior competition. "We (Mid-Kerry) won two county Championships in 1967 and '71 which wasn't too bad. There were some great footballers playing with Mid-Kerry in those times.lads of the calibre of Tom Prendergast and the Lynchs, Paudi and Brendan." Pat wasn't long back in Kerry when he was drafted on to the county panel. His competitive debut for the Kingdom is a day he'll never forget. "I was brought on as a sub in the 1963 Munster Final (in which Kerry beat Cork 1-18 to 3-7). It was a great thrill to come on in front of forty or fifty thousand people. It was great, especially when I was lining out with the likes of Mick O'Connell, Mick O'Dwyer and Tom Long, men who had been my heroes. When I was young I'd go out to the field kicking the ball and pretend I was one of them. All of a sudden, here I was playing on the county team with them!" A Clonakilty based Garda, Pat joined the force in 1965 and was posted to the West Cork town three later. "I played a lot of matches for the Gardai and lined out with some great players, most of them whom were inter-county standard. I've been fortunate to have good employers who didn't hinder my playing career in any way at all..in fact the opposite was the case. They've always been very understanding. My colleagues have been a great help too." By the time the Glencar native first donned his blue uniform, he had already experienced the ups and downs of life at the very highest level. 1964 and '65 saw the Kerry Seniors losing out in successive All-Ireland finals to "a very good Galway team" which had narrowly beaten them in the '63 semi-final and was by this stage on its way to a historic three in a row. These disappointments were eased somewhat by the procurement of a national Under 21 medal in '64. As the years go by this souvenir will become more and more precious, not to mention valuable, for it is historic in that 1964 was the first time the Under 21 Championships were held. "We beat Laois (1-10 to 1-3) in a tough game in Croke Park." As captain, Pat led Kerry all the way to the All-Ireland final in 1968 only to be defeated once again, this time at the hands of Down, or more to the point, the feet of the likes of Sean O'Neill and Paddy Doherty! He would love to have had the honour of lifting the Sam Maguire but is not the type to look back on the disappointments. Being named the Munster Sportstar Award winner was a consolation which he is justifiably proud of. "It was disappointing to lose All-Irelands and in particular when I was captain, but then you always wanted to win every game. Having said that though, I have been fortunate to win an Under 21 All-Ireland, two Seniors ones (1969-70) and three Leagues (1969, '71 and '72) and played with some great players, so I can't really complain. Pat does have one regret however. "I felt we were unlucky not to win a three in a row which would have marked us out as one of the top teams in the history of the GAA and I think we deserved that. We lost in '68 by only two points, were successful in the following two years and got a trip to Australia as a result of that. If we hadn't gone on that trip, we'd have done the three in a row. It took a lot out of us. In the '71 Munster Final we were beating Cork fairly well but in the end we got hammered (0-25 to 0-14). I think we just had too many games and it took its toll." That's not to say that the holiday wasn't appreciated. After all, it gave people who wouldn't otherwise have had the opportunity, the chance to see some of the world. "We had a nice time and played Australia against the likes of Ron Baresi. It was fairly competitive to say the least. We played with their ball in the first half of a game and they told us they'd be so far ahead at half-time, we'd never catch them. In fact we led at the interval and boy did they not like that." Having done so much, Pat's career tapered off to a dissatisfying end, while still in his late thirties. "I played in the Munster final in '71 and got knocked out, I was back for the '72 All-Ireland final when Offaly beat us in replay. I opted out in '73 (at just 29 years of age) but was asked back with Mick O'Connell for the '74 Munster final. We were subs that day when Cork beat us (1-11 to 0-7). I slipped out of the scene totally after that." Having just reached his thirties, Pat Griffin's inter-county career was over. When it comes to the subject of great players, the Clonakilty resident, who also represented Munster in the Railway Cup, without any success is reticent. "I don't like naming players because there were so many brilliant footballers at that time. Mick O'Connell, Tom Long and Pa Connolly would have been my idols. The two best centre backs I would have played against would be the late John Morley (Mayo) and Offaly's Nickey Calvin, who is now a priest." On retiring, Pat got involved in gaelic football on a coaching level. "I have been involved with the Clonakilty juveniles, Minors and Under 21s. I also spent some time with Kilmeen which is a small town about seven and a half to eight miles outside Clon. We had great success there, winning Under 16B and Minor Championships and a county Junior B title. The highlight of my time there was undoubtedly the winning of the West Cork Under 21A Championship and beating a Skibbereen side with the likes of Mick McCarthy and Tony Davis on it, in the final. For a small club - Kilmeen would have a population of around 500 - to beat the likes of Skibb, who have a massive pick, was a remarkable achievement. May main wish now is to get Clonakilty back on top, where they used to be" Garda Griffin's son Padraig is carrying on the family tradition of winning All-Ireland medals. His medal was won however, wearing, horror of horrors, the blood red jersey of Cork! "Padraig was on the Cork team which beat Donegal in last year's All-Ireland Vocational Schools final. My other son, Mark plays for the Clonakilty Under 16's and Minors." Its no surprise that Padraig Griffin is finding success on the football fields of Ireland. Not alone was his father a brilliant footballer, his mother is related to one of the county's finest hurlers. "My wife Patricia is aunt of Kilkenny's PJ Delaney. The breeding is good but that doesn't always follow! We'll see." Having been a star in a different era, it is interesting to listen to Pat talk about modern day football. "it's a different ball game altogether these days. There's more concentration on fitness now and the skills have suffered a little bit. We didn't do that sort of physical training in our time." He just stops himself from saying "Thank God"! Pat puts forward the view that while he wouldn't like to see our national games because full-time professional ones, the players should be looked after better by the powers that be. "They shouldn't be out of the pocket as a result of the unbelievable dedication they are giving to the game today." No stranger to this sort of commitment, Pat used to travel from Clonakilty to Tralee for every county training session and often had to be back for duty that night. He knows what he's talking about. "I think that players from the less successful counties in particular should get something. At least if you're winning something you're fairly happy. It must be very hard to keep going when there's no prospect of that." Speaking of prospects, what are the chances of 'Ogie' Moran's men in 1995? "I was at the county final last year - a nephew of mine, Eoin Moynihan was playing for Austin Stacks - and thought it was disappointing. The people down there don't seem to hold out any hope of an All-Ireland victory. "It seems to me that there are plenty of nice footballers in the county but they are short in physical strength. They'll have to pick it up if they're to do well this year." Finally, any advice to youngsters who have ambitions of making it at the highest level for their respective counties? "The only advice I could give them is to practice. Its disappointing to see good players able to pick the ball with only one foot. Keep at it, kicking for hours with your weak leg. I had to do it. Its worth it in the end." Take note.................................... Taken from Hogan Stand Magazine 17th February, 1995 Tweet

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