Terry Doolan saw all the greats
October 1985
ROUND every club there are a loyal and dedicated few who, through the good and bad days, desire only to serve for the good of their club.
One such clubman is Terry Doolan, from Drogheda’s Chord Road, who has served Oliver Plunketts, first as a player, later as a selector, and now as an official and club masseur.
“Plunketts have been my life,” said Terry who is the club’s Hon. President “and I can never repay the enjoyment that the club has given to me.”
Terry is now retired from his lifetime job of a driver of bulk cement lorries and has now more time to devote to his sporting passion — Gaelic football.
Having played alongside the best, legendary figures like Bobby Beggs, Mick Higgins, Paddy O’Brien, Terry has some strong views of the game to which he has given so much.
“I never agreed with the change in rules which allowed players more than one code,” he said and always maintained that players should make their choice, for they can’t serve two masters.”
Sadly he doesn’t rate the standard of football very highly in Louth nowadays, but reckons that the top teams, Kerry and Dublin would now be more than a match for the best of his playing era.
“The difference now is that the are much fitter and better coached,” said Terry “and some of the great players from the past would get it hard to survive in the modern era.”
One player however, would have little difficulty. He’s Cavan’s Mick Higgins, who played much of his club football in Droghcda with St.
Magdalene’s and Plunketts. “He was ahead of his era” said Terry “for his speed of thought was that much superior to the players round him. He was the best I have ever seen and a privilege to know and play against.”
Terry blames England’s success in the World Cup of 1966 for soccer mushrooming in this country. “I travelled the country as a lorry driver and in villages all over, I saw how that exposure given to England’s success on TV affect young boys. Before that they carried their boots in any old bag. After that they wanted Manchester United and Liverpool bags.”
A unique fact about Terry’s inter county days was he played for three counties, Louth, where he was born, Meath where he resided for a time in Mornington and Dublin where he was domiciled during the war. “I only played a few games with
Dublin and a few with Meath,” he said “Louth was my county and I remember being dropped at one stage for Tom Walsh, who was Larry’s son. I didn’t think I deserved to be dropped on many occasions, but although I could alaways get a goal or two when I played full forward, I wasn’t the most popular man with some selectors.”
Terry likes nothing better than talking football, recalling the characters and the game that were and still are his life. He’s hoping that he will have another golden memory to cherish on Sunday’s Oliver Piunketts return to their rightful place in senior ranks.
“That would be something special,” he reflected.