Tyrone joint-manager Brian Dooher has paid tribute to the legendary Art McRory, following his passing on Wednesday.
Across three spells as Tyrone manager, McRory won five Ulster titles and reached two All-Ireland finals, and Dooher has described the lasting impact that he made on the county’s football history.
“When you talk about people who are synonymous with Tyrone football, he is probably the most out of anybody,” said Dooher.
“From when I was no height, you would have known about him, because he was driving Tyrone football when nobody was driving it.
“He was a big of the success that we had, in the teams with Mickey [Harte], because he set the foundations for it. There were many people involved, but his role shouldn’t be overlooked.
“It’s sad to see him go, because I had a lot of time for him. He was a great football man and a great character.
“He didn’t mince his words with some of the phrases that came out of mouth; but they usually hit the mark. He was never far wrong as far as I could see. He was a very good judge of football, and a very good judge of people.”
It was McRory who brought Dooher into the Tyrone panel in 1995, and having played under him, Dooher explained the lessons he learned from the all-time great, that he still calls upon as manager today.
“He kept football simple – the way it should be,” said Dooher.
“The way that Tyrone football has advanced over the years, he was at the forefront of it all. It was nothing fancy, just a case of ‘go and do your job’ but you would very rarely hear anyone have something bad to say about him, and there aren’t too many people you can say that about.
“He touched a lot of people throughout Tyrone football.”
Having won the All-Ireland three times as a player, Dooher once again scaled the highest mountain in 2021, as he and Feargal Logan managed Tyrone to Sam Maguire success.
The duo have been ratified for three more years in charge, and Dooher says that during their spell as managers to date, McRory was one of the pairs biggest supporters and always happy to lend advice.
“He was one of Tyrone’s biggest supporters, even after he left management. Even to this day, he was supporting Tyrone and backing Feargal and I in the background,” he said.
“I would have chatted with him the odd time, and he would never have been too far off the mark in his assessments. Whatever he said, there would have always been a lot of wisdom behind it.
“You could do a lot worse than listen to Art McRory.”
