JOHN GRAINGER CHATTED with Nicky English on Wednesday night.
At this time of year their talks tend to focus on hurling and invariably revolve around the Fitzgibbon Cup.
Teammates on the great UCC team that dominated the third-level landscape in the 1980’s, they triumphed then with frequency.
This afternoon in Carnmore, located on the outskirts of Galway city, they will chat again.
They are in opposition now with Grainger the GAA Officer of UCC and English, a man widely acclaimed for his inter-county feats with Tipperary, steering the fortunes of UCD.
A place in tomorrow’s Fitzgibbon Cup final beckons. For a competition that both hold a special resonance for both, this is a significant prize.
Yet today’s semi-final takes place amidst a backdrop of sadness and regret. Last March Paul O’Connor, a great comrade of English and Grainger, managed UCC to win the Fitzgibbon Cup. In September he sadly passed away.
Fitzgibbon Cup involvement with UCC helped to forge a strong friendship between O’Connor, Grainger and English. That never dulled after their student days ended.
That bond was still evident last March when the trio were feted for their playing contributions when they were named on the competition’s ‘Team of the Century’.
They were awarded that night in the Devere Hall in UCC alongside modern day greats like Henry Shefflin and Joe Canning. Yet O’Connor stood apart for his remarkable records.
That afternoon he had guided UCC to the centenary Fitzgibbon Cup title in the nearby Mardyke. It was his tenth time winning the trophy, split evenly between playing and managing.
During the three-in-a-row winning era (1996-1998) he managed leading lights like Clare’s Frank Lohan, current UCC manager Eddie Enright from Tipperary and the Cork attacking pair of Joe Deane and Seanie McGrath.
More recently O’Connor was at the helm on days of glory in 2009 and 2012. That team from four years ago fondly remember his input.
“He was a great man,” says last year’s Allstar winning goalkeeper Anthony Nash. “I’ll never forget he told us a speech the night before the weekend started in 2009 about a guy who loved Fitzgibbon and revealed at the end it was about himself.
“He made us love the Fitzgibbon. He was complete gentleman and a leader to us. He had a saying about us becoming kings of the castle and that’s what we felt like after the 2009 final.
“Paulo made us feel like we were the best people in the world. When we heard the news last year it was like being on a bus crash, the effect of it. It was heartbreaking to hear.”
Anthony Nash celebrating with the victorious 2009 UCC Fitzgibbon Cup winning team. Pic: INPHO/Neil Danton
“I don’t think he ever walked into a dressing-room and did not capture the attention of players,” recalls Tipperary’s All-Ireland winning defender Michael Cahill.
“There are few people in this life who have that gift but Paulo was most definitely one. He was the coolest, kindest, most influential man in our college careers.
“He stood shoulder to shoulder with us like a brother and he guided us like a father. We will never forget him and he will always be ‘King of our castle’.”
“He did a huge amount for me,” recalls Cork’s Shane O’Neill. “He was a massive influence on how you need to behave on the field and off the field. You train hard and then you study hard. I’ll never forget what he taught me and it’s what I’ll take forward for the rest of my life.”
O’Connor’s death had a seismic effect on the UCC club. For the current team trying to start preparing for a Fitzgibbon Cup campaign was a physical and mental struggle as a result.
But a desire to honour the memory of their former manager has brought them to the last four stage today.
“What this UCC team has managed to do really has been superb,” outlines Grainger. “They lost one of their great mentors and great friends.
“In a dark time they could have sat in a hole but they got up out of it and have got on with it. It speaks volumes about them as they have honoured his memory brilliantly.
“It’s strange then for the likes of myself, Paddy Crowley (UCC Hurling Club President) and Eddie Enright to be going up against Nicky. But there’s great respect and we’ll all remember Paulo. It is a huge tribute to these UCC players that we’re here and Paulo’s spirit has been with them all the way.”
