FORMER Tyrone defender Hugh Pat McGeary will wear the red and black of Down next year, The Irish News understands.
McGeary - part of the Red Hands’ 2021 All-Ireland winning squad - relocated to Rostrevor in recent years, and played for his adopted club in the Down intermediate championship after transferring from Pomeroy. The Reds lost out to Clann na Banna at the semi-final stage.
The 32-year-old will bring plenty of experience to a relatively youthful Down panel, having been part of a Tyrone panels for a decade, as well as helping Pomeroy to the Ulster intermediate crown in 2016.
The Mournemen have made steady progress under Conor Laverty in recent years, earning promotion from Division Three and winning the Tailteann Cup to ensure there is no sweat over a place in the chase for Sam Maguire.
Down face Fermanagh in next year’s Ulster quarter-final, with the winner taking on either defending champions Donegal, Derry or Monaghan.
McGeary won’t be renewing acquaintances with Tyrone and younger brother Kieran any time soon, however, after Malachy O’Rourke’s men came out on the other side of the draw, facing Cavan in the last eight, with either Antrim or All-Ireland champions Armagh lying in wait at the semi-final stage.
Indeed, last month McGeary revealed Kieran – the 2021 Player of the Year – had tried to talk him out of transferring to Rostrevor, a move which ultimately opened the door an inter-county switch.
“I didn’t join Rostrevor until January or February - it took right through the whole pre-season for me to make up my mind,” he said.
“But Pomeroy and Rostrevor were both very good to me. If I couldn’t get up the road to training with Pomeroy, Rostrevor let me train with their senior team. It was a massive help because it’s an hour and 20, hour and a half back, and I was doing that two or three times a week.
“Kieran tried to talk me out of it, God aye. Obviously he took my point on board, and then I had meetings with the club managers at the minute… I can understand their point, they were trying to keep me.
“It just wasn’t easy and it took a long time.”
McGeary called time on his Tyrone playing days in the wake of that unexpected All-Ireland triumph three years ago, admitting that the travelling to training from his new home had been a major consideration.
“Brian [Dooher] and Feargal [Logan] were very accommodating, they did try and talk me out of it, but it was just the commitment; at that level there is literally is no point being there if you can’t give 100 per cent to it.
“The five or six years before, I give 100 per cent and every minute I could spare to it. But I had started to build a house, I was planning to get married that summer, it all just adds on stress.
“I had been a fringe player, I was always guaranteed nearly to come on but when you’re up against the like of Paudie Hampsey, Michael McKernan and Ronan McNamee, three Allstars in the full-back line… obviously I’d love to have been starting, but I was willing to give everything I could in training and on the game day, even if I only got five minutes, I’d have given everything to get myself onto that field.
“The boys knew that.”
Meanwhile, All-Ireland winning goalkeeper John Devine is the latest former Tyrone player to join Malachy O’Rourke’s Red Hand backroom team.
The Errigal Ciaran clubman was goalkeeping coach with Down this year, working with John O’Hare and Kevin Anderson as the Mourne County earned promotion from Division Three and won the Tailteann Cup.
However, Devine has now returned to his native county, joining former team-mates Colm McCullagh and Chris Lawn on O’Rourke’s new look management team, alongside the familiar figures of Ryan Porter and Leo McBride.
