FORMER OFFALY HURLING manager Michael Bond was becoming embarrassed whenever he ran into people he knew. 

He had lost a lot of weight, almost to the point where he was becoming unrecogniseable. Fatigue was a major issue for him. Breathing was difficult as well. The chemotherapy sessions he was undergoing once a week were leaving a considerable mark. So too were the lengthy hospital visits between August and Christmas.

“The point is that we had to do it in order to stop the flow of the amyloidosis – of the amyloid protein,” Bond explains of the diagnosis he received in 2021.

Amyloidosis is a rare, incurable and dangerous condition that impacts the organs. If left undetected, the prognosis can be fatal. There are different strands of the condition, and thankfully for Bond, his form of amyloidosis is treatable with chemotherapy. 

But there were some complications with his case. The All-Ireland-winning manager had a pre-existing heart condition, and the symptoms he was experiencing caused a delay in reaching a diagnosis.

“I was detected, maybe four or five years too late,” Bond continues.

“The fact that I was having so many stents put in, I was going to my cardiologist up in the Mater Private and telling them, ‘I have another blockage.’

“He said, ‘No.’ So that’s why for a number of years it wasn’t detected.

“From August to Christmas 2021, I was in hospital nearly all the time. I had fierce problems with breathing because my heart capacity was reduced. 

“If you read the website for the Royal Free Hospital in London, that generally somebody with cardiac amyloidosis will get an average of four years. So on 15 August this year, I will have got my four years. So I’m lucky. And unlucky.”

Health is an important, and insightful aspect of Bond’s Laochra Gael programme which will be televised tomorrow night (Thursday, 9.30pm) on TG4.

And by appearing on the show, he can raise awareness about the importance of early detection.

Michael Bond pictured on Laochra Gael. Cian Dalton Cian Dalton

But he also wanted to pay homage to Offaly, and the wonderful memories he has from his time as manager of the victorious 1998 team. A native of Loughrea in Galway, Bond took over the Offaly hurlers in the wake of a highly publicised fallout with manager Michael ‘Babs’ Keating.

Bond, who was not a well-known mentor at the time, was in America when Keating departed the role following Offaly’s defeat to Kilkenny in the Leinster final.

Bond’s appointment sparked an unlikely revival that would result in All-Ireland glory for the Faitful County.

“I’d be nowhere without Offaly,” he says. “I did nothing. They did everything.

“They were the minnows going back the years, like Galway were. Going back to the ’60s, even the ’70s. So it was great to see Offaly to the fore.”

Offaly’s path to winning a second All-Ireland since 1994 included a controversial All-Ireland semi-final replay against Clare. Referee Jimmy Cooney blew the final whistle prematurely when Clare were leading by three points, prompting Offaly fans to gather on the pitch in Croke Park for a sit-down protest.

Another replay was called and Offaly defeated Clare in the third game in Thurles before going on to beat Kilkenny in the final.

Despite the furore, Bond and Cooney remained close until Cooney’s passing in 2023. Bond also feels the official, who was also a neighbour of his, was treated poorly by the GAA after that season. 

“The only fallout is that the GAA totally ignored him. You know, he was cast aside, which was, I thought, very, very unfair. It was just unfortunate on the second Clare game that happened. He was a very good referee, and he seemed to have great kind of camaraderie with the players and got on with the game. So I never, in all the times they refereed, club games or county games or even school games, I never had any issue with him.” 

Bond never managed his native county at senior level, although he was part of the backroom team of the Galway U21 side who won the All-Ireland in 1983. He made an approach for the senior position in the hope of taking over from Ger Loughnane but ultimately was not selected.

“I don’t regret anything, but I think that we could have done a little bit better than the people who were there. Just at the time.

“I think that the only people that I take on board are the people who kind of buy into this whole idea of a direct turning method, and skill in first touch and attacking the ball at speed, just like the Offaly lads did. They were well trained in that before I came in.”

Bond’s backroom team included 1988 All-Ireland winner Michael Coleman, who sadly passed away last week.

“There’s two members of that team have gone – Tony Keady and Michael Coleman. It’s desperate. God almighty, it’ll take us a long time to get over Michael Coleman, because he was really a very special person, you know? Great player, great player, you know? Very unassuming, but by God, he did the work on the field.”  

Galway’s 2017 All-Ireland-winning captain David Burke features on Bond’s Laochra Gael having attended the St Brigid’s College in Loughrea where Bond served as principal.

Bond feels that Burke’s red card against Dublin in last year’s Leinster championship was a “travesty of injustice” and anticipates an impact role for the midfielder this season.

“I honestly don’t know. I don’t even know how he’s going training-wise. But he could be a very important impact sub in the last 10 minutes. While Galway are doing well now with a lot of young players, and some of them, it’s great to see them from Loughrea, but you don’t know until the ball is flying in May, June, July.”

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Michael Bond’s Laochra Gael will be shown this Thursday on TG4 at 9.30pm