ARMAGH’S triumph in Sunday’s Sam Maguire decider against Galway added two more All-Ireland medals to the rich footballing history of the O’Neill family.
Rian O’Neill and his older brother Oisin both scored as Armagh saw off the Tribesmen by a single point to bring ‘Sam’ back to the Orchard county for only the second time.
The win meant the Crossmaglen duo became the third and fourth members of arguably Ulster football’s foremost Gaelic Football family to win All-Ireland medals.
Their great-uncles Kevin and Sean O’Neill played together on the Down side that became the first county from north of the border to win the Sam Maguire back in 1960.
Sean O’Neill is still regarded as one of the greatest players ever to play the game and he went on to win bring his haul of Celtic Crosses to three when he spearheaded the Mournemen in the finals of 1961 and 1968. Sean scored in all three finals and was named at right half-forward on the GAA’s Team of the Millenium in 1999.
The O’Neill family’s roots can be traced to Carnagh, near Keady in county Armagh which was the home place of Paddy and Mick O’Neill.
Mick O’Neill settled in Newry where his sons Kevin and Sean sharpened their football skills with the Newry Mitchel’s club and went on to great success with Down throughout the 1960s.
Meanwhile, Paddy O’Neill remained in Armagh. His son Brendan played on Armagh’s All-Ireland minor-winning team of 1949 and his brother Pat was centre-back on the Orchard County’s 1953 side which was the first Armagh team to reach an All-Ireland final.
Pat was also captain of the St Patrick’s Armagh team that won the first All-Ireland college’s Hogan Cup in 1946.
Gareth O’Neill – Rian and Oisin’s father - and his brother Padraic, who so sadly passed away before last Sunday’s game, both played for Armagh. Gareth was an All-Ireland Club winner with Crossmaglen and he also played for Louth.
He was joint-manager alongside Tony McEntee on the last two All-Ireland club-winning Crossmaglen sides.
Belleeks clubman Callum O’Neill, son of Gareth’s brother Ogie, was also part of this year’s Armagh panel and might well have featured in the All-Ireland-winning run had injury not ruled him out.
Rian and Oisin’s football genes have been further enhanced by their mother’s McConville family. Armagh 2002 All-Ireland final goal-scorer Oisin McConville is their uncle and the Armagh panel also included Cian McConville, son of former Armagh and Crossmaglen star Jim.
