'Boots' was Dunsany's first

March 14, 2021

Jimmy McGuinness of Meath out jumps Mayo's Colm McManamon and James Horan during the 1996 All Ireland SFC final replay.

Meath eventually saw off the Mayo challenge at the second time of asking and claimed the All Ireland SFC title 25 years ago.

Before the drawn encounter Hoganstand weekly magazine caught up with Jimmy McGuinness. Here’s an extract from that interview.

For a variety of reasons history will be made at Croke Park on Sunday. 

You can take your pick. Meath midfielder Jimmy 'Boots' McGuinness is our choice. 

He’ll be making history because the name of the Dunsany club will be appearing under his name on the match programme. Dunsany has never previously had the honour of representation on All Ireland final day. Jimmy is the first man from the club to play senior championship in the county jersey…the first to win a national league medal…the first to win an All Ireland Under 21 medal…the first to win a Leinster senior medal.

On Sunday he could become the first to bring a much coveted Celtic Cross home to the shadows of Tara’s historic hill. Such an occurrence would represent a mammoth achievement for the man himself and for the club that was founded as recently as 1963.

“Yes I’d be conscious of this being a big day for the club and I look on it as a tremendous honour. I will always be grateful for the encouragement that I got as a youngster from people like Franny Flynn and Tommy Brennan. I can remember Franny transporting about eight of us from Kilmessan to Dunsany to play juvenile football. I was fairly tall and would have to be first into the car. Franny’s fiesta was always choc-a block going to those games. Tommy would also keep you going”.

Jimmy picked up the nickname 'Boots' somewhere along the line as a result of his penchant for wearing high-laced footwear and the name stuck.


Most Read Stories