PHILLY MCMAHON HOPES that his All-Ireland glory will help to inspire the next generation in Ballymun.
The Dublin defender played himself into the reckoning for Footballer of the Year with some outstanding performances this summer.
This evening, he will be presented with the Gaelic Writers Association 2015 Football Personality of the Year prize.
As well as the accolades, and the first Allstar award which is surely inevitable, McMahon’s profile in the city has gone through the roof.
He said: “It’s funny. I had the Sam Maguire a couple of weeks ago and I was coming in the door. The kids were all running around the place and they wouldn’t even have passed notice at me only for they saw the cup.
“Then I was going to do a speech in a youth centre and as I was walking out of the house, one of those kids came over to me and said, ‘You’re a famous footballer.’
“I was initially about to say, ‘No’, but in my head I was thinking, ‘Should I say I am or should I say I’m not?’
“When your profile goes up I suppose you want to be a bit of a role model to kids like that, so ‘Yeah, maybe I am a famous footballer.’
But his next sentence was amazing to me. It stopped me in my tracks. He said, ‘But you’re from Ballymun — you can’t be famous!’
One of five Ballymun players in Dublin’s All-Ireland final squad, McMahon hopes that youngsters in the area take heart from their success.
“I sat down on the path, just where I had the car parked. I couldn’t believe it. I spent about ten minutes speaking with the kid. It probably looked a little bit weird, but I just wanted to talk with him.
“It just shows you the low self-esteem the kids in the area have.
“Definitely, I’ve noticed that a lot of people in the area have recognised me a bit more than they would have.
But I suppose that’s good for the area. It’s good for the kids. It’s good for them to see that there is somebody from their area winning All-Irelands and on the TV and things like that.
“I think that’s what this year has helped me do. It’s helped me build up a little bit of a profile. It’s not something I initially wanted to do – I just wanted to play football.
“But if it helps people, if it can be used positively to help others, then that has to be good.”
Dublin confirmed this week that they will not appeal the one-match ban handed down to McMahon for his alleged eye gouge on Kieran Donaghy.
“Look, the season is over now and we didn’t want to drag it on either,” he said.
“We didn’t want it to overshadow what we’ve achieved this year. That’s what it’s about more than anything, winning the All-Ireland this year.
“It was just a small incident in the game. There could have been 101 incidents from the day that could have been slowed down shot by shot and made big issues out of.
“But look, it’s done and dusted now. We’re moving on, just enjoying what we’ve achieved and reflecting on the year.
You just have to take it and get on with it. I’m not going to let it hang over me or be a burden on me.
“I’m moving on. I’m just looking forward to getting back playing football and setting more challenges and see how we get on with them.”
Philly McMahon has been named as the Gaelic Writers Association 2015 Football Personality of the Year. The GWA awards ceremony takes place in Dublin’s Jackson Court Hotel tonight.
