Dual star says his football exit was difficult to accept
MEATH dual star Mickey Burke will make his 200th appearance for his county when he lines out for the hurlers tomorrow in their Keogh Cup fixture against Down.
Burke’s Meath football career spanned 119 appearances — 23 O’Byrne Cup, 58 National Football League and 38 senior football championship. His hurling career makes up the rest.
In 2018, he was named Meath Footballer of the Year at the age of 33 before being let go from Andy McEntee’s squad after the 2019 season.
He admits that was hard to take. ‘I feel very grateful to the hurlers for asking me back in after the football. I finished in 2020. I’d be lying completely if I said my ego wasn’t hurt a little bit. I found it strange not being a Meath footballer. But I came into a really good hurling setup and I said I was going to drive that on in whatever way I could.
‘You can see why lads fall off the wagon completely, especially in professional sport where there is a lot of money involved. They get up, go to training for a couple of hours, what do they do with their time and they’re finished?
‘I’ll have to throw my hand into something. The pub and the coffee shop at home, I’ll have to dedicate a lot of time to that.’
He has his own plans as well in terms of education after his college days revolved around GAA and not much else. ‘I didn’t go to college — or didn’t finish college I should say. I went to DIT, loosely. I was a real silly young fella — just played Sigerson and Fitzgibbon. Did Business Studies — when adding two pints or two coffees together was about my limit. Just wasted my parents’ money.
‘Got a Sigerson All-Star in ’09. I wish I had the maturity to study — but I didn’t. It was just football, hurling, football, hurling.’ The pandemic though prompted its own type of reassessment, work-wise.
‘I opened the coffee shop at home during Covid when the pub was closed. It was the best thing I’ve ever done.
‘And I’m studying nutrition now online. I’d love to follow Daniel Davey, be a performance nutritionist for a county or for a rugby or soccer team. Work in an elite environment. But I have to finish the course. It’s two or three years.’
Recently, Meath’s iconic all Ireland winning manager Seán Boylan turned 80. Burke pays his own tribute to the man who gave him his first senior break.
‘Sure he’s the only Freeman of Meath, that says everything about him and how popular he is. Seán, when he comes into a room, you know he’s there. He has such presence.
‘He plucked me from the edge of obscurity, a young 18year-old playing junior B. That was one of Seán’s strengths as well, looking down the divisions and picking out lads. I’ve often shook his hand and thanked him. I’ll never forget what he did for me, he kickstarted my journey.’
One that’s not over yet.