JOHN MAUGHAN HAS tasted many great days as a manager and plenty of painful ones over the past few decades.
All-Ireland senior final heartbreak with Mayo, not once or twice but three times will always be regrets of his. But before Mayo came calling he announced himself as manager with Clare — winning the 1992 Munster final against Kerry.
Maughan is still managing and on Sunday he tasted more provincial success — this time with Lahardane, a small north Mayo junior club from the foot of the Nephin mountains who won the Connacht junior club football championship with a win over Ballymote from Silgo.
It might not be as glamorous as the senior inter-county game, but it has given him the same kind of feeling as he had all those years ago when Clare were the kings of Munster football.
“I think about Clare in 1992, with Seamus Clancy he was up in my house a few days ago and we were talking about it,” Maughan says.
“Winning a Munster title against Kerry in 1992 it was a bit of a fairytale, I had some great days with Mayo — unfortunately never got one the big one with them. But this kinda reminds me about Clare, I spent four years down there with them it’s similar.
“They’re honest lads no ego, just honest to goodness lads who love their football and get on with it and we’re lucky enough and privileged enough to have landed two big medals this year and it’s great.”
Getting back involved with an adult club is something that Maughan hadn’t been looking for, but family connections and a little push from his brother — who happens to be chairman of Lahardane — saw him take the reins of the side who had never won a Mayo junior title before and now they find themselves just 60 minutes from Croke Park.
“My lineage, on my mother side is in the village. It’s an honour to be asked to coach a team – any team in any club. I refused initially to be involved, I’d been involved with underage sides in Castlebar in the past few years.
“But my brother is chairman and he kept asking and they could get no on. Out of loyalty to him and the respect I have for the village and I know a lot of people there and knew that the players were talented, I said yes and it’s been great since.
“One of my first memories is watching Lahardane play in a north Mayo junior final against Crossmolina. Great lads and the club is not that old, and on a day like today you think of those who fostered and kept the club alive and all that kind of stuff and they deserve it. There is great excitement in the village.”
The42 has just published its first book, Behind The Lines, a collection of some of the year’s best sports stories. Pick up your copy in Eason’s, or order it here today (€10):