"Everyone is enjoying the buildup," - Clann na nGael's Paul Tuite

October 10, 2025

Clann na nGael's Paul Tuite

By Micheál Ó Tiarnaín 

The evenings are getting shorter — and so is the wait for Saturday’s highly anticipated Junior Football Final between Clann na nGael and St Vincent’s. Throw-in is at 2 p.m. in Páirc Tailteann, and every eye in the Athboy and Ráth Chairn parish is firmly fixed on the Peter McDermott Cup. 

Joint-captain Paul Tuite is preparing for a good night’s sleep, having gone about his day as usual — just as he has done every other day this week. He trained with the team last night, and was up at the crack of dawn this morning, heading to his job as an electrician. The same goes for the other 30-plus players and the entire management team. Life goes on as normal, but Saturday’s throw-in is firmly etched in the back of everyone’s mind. 

“Everyone is enjoying the buildup,” said Tuite. “You must enjoy it; you don’t get this far that often. It’s lovely to meet people and get good wishes. The younger lads are thriving on it and they are mad to play in Navan for the first time in their adult football career, it maybe even be the first time ever for some of them. Every one of them have been well able to handle the added pressure of county final week.” 

Paul also reflected on his first county final experience in 2019, when Clann claimed the junior title after a replay in Ashbourne on a cold October night. All but three of the starting fifteen from that game are still pulling on the green and gold jersey. Cian Swaine is now representing a different Clann na nGael in Sydney, Conor Fenton is settled in Dublin, and Rory Tuite is currently residing in London. If or when all three return home, each will have a reputable claim for getting back into the side. 

Six of the starters that night were in their first year of adult football, including Tuite. “The younger lads, the likes of Cormac and Andrew Smyth, would have been there for them games, watching us, the same in 2023. The younger lads watching along and getting involved is so important, and we want to continue that trend.” The fact that so many of those more seasoned players are still in their early twenties certainly helps bring the next crop of young players into a great mindset for the week that’s in it. 

That mindset has been key to Clann’s success this season, and it was evident throughout a strong Division Three league campaign. Clann won seven matches, drew two, and lost two during a run that saw key players such as Ben Corkery, Seán Óg Tiernan, and Thomas Doyle return to the fold in stages. 

“Getting promoted was great; it was a big morale boost in the camp. We set out targets at the start of the year and that was the first one. We finished third and got into a semi-final against Ballivor.” Clann na nGael produced a fantastic performance that night, comfortably beating Ballivor to secure their spot in Division Two next year. Three days later, they faced Intermediate side Walterstown in the league final and, despite a spirited performance, fell short. 

“Of course it hurt, but we took the lessons learnt on board. We knew there’d be more lads to come back in. The semi-final against Ballivor was just as, if not more important than the final. Promotion was the main goal, and we achieved that. It’s always nice to win silverware, but it wasn’t to be that day. Everyone kept head down and it didn’t affect morale too much.” 

The league final came just a few short weeks after Clann’s famous Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta victory — their first title since 1993. This was also the first time the competition had been hosted in Ráth Chairn since that same year. 

“We are very lucky to get the chance to play at the Comórtas every year. The promotion of Irish has come on a sight.” The likes of Aonghus O’Flathartha, Éamon Óg O’Donnchadha, and his brother Diarmaid religiously use Irish in the dressing room, as do many others from the Gaeltacht side of the Hill of Ward. “It’s encouraged all of us to get more involved, especially lads that might have been educated through Irish and lost touch with the language a bit.” 

The Comórtas was about more than language — it brought the whole club together. Everyone in Athboy, Rathmore, and Ráth Chairn could see that the club had never been tighter since its foundation in 2002. Tuite also tipped his hat to the “effort and work put in behind the scenes; it meant an awful lot to see smiles on their faces. It means more winning it on your home turf, it was for everybody who contributed to the success that the tournament was. We might not see it again for another 30 years, and we will never forget it.” 

Manager Niall McLoughlin has repeatedly said that Clann’s performance against Naomh Náille of Donegal in the Comórtas final was their best of the year. It had everything — the running game, accurate shooting, and heavy hits — as close to flawless as you could get. When asked about the display, Tuite agreed, but added two very important words: “so far.” That sums up the mindset of this group — they are always striving to get better. 

When club chairman Cathal Seoighe made his public address after the Comórtas final, he spoke about the legacy the club needed to build after that weekend. He stood tall, aided by the makeshift wooden bar beneath his feet, delivering his message across the 55,000-square-foot marquee that served as the epicenter of the weekend’s craic. Ninety-nine percent of the club’s members must have been there — and those who weren’t will probably regret missing it for the rest of their days. 

As the weeks went by, the focus turned to the championship, and Seoighe’s words stayed in the minds of many. The whole parish expected the lads to push on; some even thought they would walk their way to the title. But anyone familiar with the Meath Junior Football Championship knew that was never going to be the case — especially joint-captains Darragh Griffin and Paul Tuite. 

“We knew we’d be in for dogfights; it was never going to be easy playing junior football. St Brigid’s, Moylagh, and Carnaross are all proud football clubs, and there is a certain steel in North Meath teams that means they are always difficult to play against.” 

Clann were under pressure after two narrow wins against Brigid’s and Carnaross. A draw in their final group game against Moylagh pushed them out of the top two and denied them an automatic semi-final spot. The We Are Meath podcast crew discussed how that might not be a bad thing — and even questioned the competition’s format, noting that a month-long gap between games in mid-championship benefits no one. 

Whatever you make of that point, nobody can argue that a quarter-final clash with local rivals Dunderry was the spark that kicked this team into fifth gear. 

“This game was a massive steppingstone; it was always going to be tough considering the clipping they gave us in the league. We knew we had underperformed coming into it, and we knew we had to go out and perform. If you could pick any team you want to knock out, it’d be Dunderry! We mixed the kicking and running game, we put our bodies on the line. Darragh O’Reilly was a prime example of this — he done it numerous times. Ógi Tiernan even took a bit of a knock, purely from putting his body on the line.” 

Saturday’s opposition, St Vincent’s, had Clann’s number in last year’s semi-final. They are a fit, well-organised, and experienced side. The Ardcath men will fancy their chances — this being their fifth Junior Football Final in the past eight years. When asked about key players such as Adam Tuite and Meath U20 star Michael McIvor, Paul didn’t read much into it. 

“McIvor is a good player, he’s not a Meath U20 for nothing, but we have 15 lads they must look out for too. Our homework is done, and our backs will be well able to handle whatever is thrown at them. We focus on our own game; that’s the most important thing you can do.” 

This year’s semi-final brought a very different result for Clann, who dismantled a strong Slane outfit in last Sunday evening’s clash at Dunganny. Clann found themselves 0-3 to 0-0 down early in the first half, but scored 1-9 without reply to go nine points clear at the break. 

The second half didn’t go as planned. The drop-offs that have hampered Clann throughout the championship seemed to creep back in, but they held firm and ground out a seven-point victory. 

“Slane were always going to go out swinging in the second half; they had nothing to lose. We withstood 10 or 15 minutes of relentless pressure, probably caused by our own mistakes, but we will learn from it. Slane are a quality side; they’re no poor shakes. Our forwards were a massive help defending, Philly Garry’s goal-line clearance was also huge. The right men were in the right places at the right times. It’s a good sign when you can withstand that kind of pressure and come out with a healthy win.” 

When asked what had changed from last year, Tuite was quick to mention the addition of Tony Kearney to the Athboy/Ráth Chairn backroom team. Niall McLoughlin’s decision to stay on for a third year was also a huge vote of confidence in this crop of players. 

“Tony has brought the x-factor in beside Niall; he’s added that bit of intensity we were missing. He knows his football and how to win, as does Niall. They’ve won everything the whole way up in Meath, not to forget the Comórtas titles. He knows how we should play, and he’s very straight. Tony will always tell you where you’re going wrong, straight up, but he will also always let you know what you’re doing right. Everyone in the group is very fond of him; he’s a great character to have about. Niall supposedly was a good footballer in his day too, but I wouldn’t be telling him that! He looks at football the way it should be played — he encourages all to attack and enjoy the game.” 

Robbie Woods also remains part of the backroom staff, and the great club stalwart shows no sign of stepping away. “Robbie is great help to all of us with the equipment, keeping us hydrated and making sure that we always have the right number of footballs — or more — in the bag on the way home!” 

As the clock ticks towards Saturday afternoon, excitement and nerves will continue to build. We hope to see a packed stand in Páirc Tailteann, cheering on our footballers as they bid to take the Peter McDermott Cup back to Athboy and Ráth Chairn. They have given us so many wonderful memories this year — let’s help them give us one more. 

Go n-éirí an t-ádh libh go léir, táimid uilig taobh thiar daoibh. Clann na nGael Abú! 


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