The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Ó Sé’s day as Gaeltacht triumph
Man of the match, centre-back Pádraig Ó Sé, gave a performance of grit and determination,
IT’S something you want to avoid if at all possible, talking about one person in relation to another. To treat everybody as you find them is a good way to go through life. Let them impress, or not, on their own terms. Let them be their own man or their own woman for that, surely, is what they are.
In this game, writing about footballers and hurlers, it can sometimes be difficult to avoid. There’s nearly always the son or a daughter or some famous footballer or hurler out there.
To write or talk about them with reference their famous parents – the son of X or Y – always feels more than a little unfair. It puts an undue burden of expectation upon them when all they’re trying to do is their own thing, to forge their own path.
Sometimes though it’s difficult to avoid. The resonances are so clear, the resemblance so striking that you feel compelled to talk about those resonances and resemblances. Pretending they’re not there isn’t an option, it would be dishonest and even foolhardy to do so.
Anybody watching last Sunday’s county intermediate final would have seen what we saw. They would have seen a young man stamp his authority all over a county final, doing so with a grit and a determination that could not fail but to bring to mind his late father, Páidí.
Pádraig Ó Sé is his own man and his own footballer. At the same time he’s undeniably his father’s son. They look alike, around the eyes especially, and on the basis of what we saw at the weekend they share that famous warrior spirit.
Pádraig was the key man in An Ghaeltacht’s victory over Templenoe. He was the one who, more than anybody else, held the line. There were times when this game threatened to get away from his team.
There were times when Templenoe threatened to break the line, only for Pádraig to get a well-timed challenge in. In the game’s scrappier moments it wasn’t uncommon for him to emerge with ball in hand, driving out from defence, driving his team on, leading from the front... remind you of anybody?
Being who he was, being related to who he was related to, to his dad, to his first cousins, there were always going to be a lot of eyes on whatever he did on the football pitch, lots of that ‘son of’ talk too.
It says a lot for his strength of character that he’s developed into the player he has. It didn’t overwhelm him, it seems clear that just the opposite was the case. He drew strength from it and from his famous kin.
“I grew up watching my four first cousins involved with this club,” he says.
“Fergal [Ó Sé] trained the club, Darragh, Tomás and Marc they used to be involved, so I was always brought to training to witness that from back then. My four first cousins have been a huge help to me in my few years playing with the Gaeltacht so it’s great to bring it back again.”
It was just last week – two days before this final – that the new Kerry jersey was launched with Pádraig’s help. The video of him with the number two green and gold jersey, synonymous with Páidí, on his back emerging from the tunnel in Fitzgerald Stadium was hugely evocative.
Past and present and future all coming altogether as one.
“That was a huge honour,” he says.
“It probably wasn’t ideal to be coming out the week of the final. It was done a few weeks ago, but it was a huge honour to do it. Paul Galvin designed the jersey and asked me to do it and Mick O’Dwyer, who was like Páidí’s second father... to be able to do that was huge for me as well.”
To win on Sunday and to win in the manner An Ghaeltacht did was the cherry on top of a pretty special week for this young man. That he was the key man – although obviously not the only player to stand up and be counted – must make it all the sweeter.
“Absolutely unreal. Absolutely unreal,” he says.
“For the last couple of minutes I thought it was going to go to a draw or that we were in big trouble. We lost our momentum and Templenoe were all over us the last few minutes. We wasted a few chances up front, we lost the ball and they drove at us.
“Seán Ó Gairthí put in a big block there as they came along the sideline. Look we got the late point. I’d say it was sixty five, sixty six minutes when we got it over and we managed to hold onto the ball the last minute or two.
“The likes of Rob Ó Sé, Éanna Ó Conchúir, we were looking even to get Marc [Ó Sé] on the ball and he kept a cool head for us so we were absolutely thrilled.”
This intermediate title has been on the radar for Ó Sé and his colleagues for a couple of years now. Last year they just missed out on a place in the final, coming up short to their opponents in this year’s final, Templenoe.
“This was the big one,” he admits.
“We went last January and we spoke. Templenoe beat us last year, there was only a kick of a ball between us last year, the same this year, they’re a terrific side. Similar sides I suppose. Both of us have young teams with a crop of players who are absolutely outstanding.
“We started it off by winning the Comortás Péile na Gaeltachta last June and that gave us real confidence. Division 1 games went well for us this year. There was a good lot involved with West Kerry and that all helped in the end.
“It’s huge. Our management team, they all played together, they were all on the great team of the 2000s that won the county championships. Tomás Ó Muircheartaigh, Marc [Ó Sé], Conall [Ó Cruadhlaoich], Dara [Ó Cinnéide] it meant so much to them and it means so much to the people of the Gaeltacht.
“I’m looking forward now to bringing the cup back to the Meadowlands as we used to go long go and meeting every one and getting the celebrations started.”
Given the quality of footballer they have at their disposal, it would be no surprise whatsoever if An Ghaeltacht were to go all the way to Croke Park and claim an All Ireland title to go along with their county crown.
They’ve got Mallow – who saw off Dungarvan in Fraher Field at the weekend by three points – in Mallow for the semi-final of the Munster championship in a couple of weeks time.
“I think we only want to go celebrating now to be honest about it,” he says when asked about it.
“We’ll think about that next week. I think it’s Mallow we’re playing in the Munster championship, but this [the county title] is something we’ve been going for the last two or three years. The players we have there that won Hogan Cups and All Ireland minors.
“Brian Ó Beaglaoich, who was absolutely outstanding as well today. PJ Mac Láimh. Tomás [Ó Sé] who got injured two or three weeks ago and did everything he could to be fit for today and that really helped us.”
It means so much to them and it means so much to the people of the Gaeltacht – Pádraig Ó Sé