Age: 62, unfortunately. But if you don’t grow old, you die young.
Club: Sarsfield’s
Position: Goalkeeper
When did you play for Armagh?
1975-1990, and then I managed them with Brian Canavan from 1995-2001
What do you do nowadays?
We own a kitchen company, BMA Kitchens, and have done since 1978, based in Derrytrasna. My son Thomas – who won an All-Ireland minor medal with Armagh in 2009 - is working with us at the minute too.
Are you still involved in Gaelic football?
I did a bit of goalkeeping coaching with Paul Grimley and Kieran McGeeney for a couple of years but now I’m just a spectator. My oldest girl, Magdalene, captained the Armagh ladies when they won the All-Ireland [in 2012] and Catherine was the goalkeeper. Grainne unfortunately took a year out that year to get married and missed the big day. My wife Joanie is the backbone of the family.
What do you remember about your first game for Armagh?
It was a challenge match against Longford and we were hammered. I think four or five goals went in. Peter Makem was the man who introduced me, and he put the organisation and professional skills in to get Armagh going because prior to that Armagh couldn’t field a team.
But I’ve tried to forget about that first game.
What’s your best memory from your playing days?
The Ulster final in 1977 when we stopped Derry winning three in-a-row and won our first title in 24 years. Later that year we went to a replay against Roscommon and we won that to get into an All-Ireland final. I won the save of the season for a save in that particular match from John O’Gara.
Managing the team to beat Down in the 1999 Ulster final was special too, and to manage a team in Croke Park is a great memory, even though we didn’t win.
And the worst?
Probably losing that All-Ireland final when we came up against a professional outfit in Dublin, who were just a bit ahead of us.
They were a well-oiled machine and had the experience of having been there and played against better opposition, the likes of the great Kerry team, whereas we were really coming from nowhere.
Biggest character you played with?
Ah, there was loads of them. ‘Nudie’ Hughes is still a very good friend, and he would’ve been a big character. I played with him in the Railway Cup and, whether he was playing with you or against you, pressure in a match never seemed to bother him.
He was a joy to play with and a joy to play against because while you felt he wasn’t taking it serious, he was one of the top performers in Ireland without a doubt. He was just a class act – a real bubbly person and great to be with.
Are you glad you played in your era rather than today?
Yeah, probably. If you look at videos of our era, the modern player would probably think it was crude, but I don’t think it paints the right picture because if you take the likes of Mikey Sheehy and Bernard Brogan snr, Jimmy Keaveney, Pat Spillane, ‘Bomber’ Liston, all those guys were a treat to watch and there’s no way they wouldn’t be at the level of today’s players.
From a goalkeeping point of view, I would’ve been a possession kicker, no way would I have been kicking a 50-50 ball into the air and what Stephen Cluxton and those guys do now, we would’ve been doing then.
Any regrets?
I tried to make sure I wouldn’t have any regrets. In terms of disciple and preparation, I felt I would’ve been as good as there was about.
