Tony never forgot roots
GURTEEN’S TONY CAPTAINED HIS LONDON TEAM TO ALL-IRELAND GLORY
ALL -Ireland medals are scarce in the Keash/Gurteen patch but Tony McDonagh had one.
Hard earned it was too as he was his team’s true leader and captain.
Gurteen-born Tony captained his London team to junior All-Ireland glory against fancied Kildare in Newbridge in 1970.
Youngest son of Bertie and Mary Kate McDonagh, Tony was born August 3rd 1944 into the licensed premises now known as The Hill Hotel in Gurteen.
Having attended local schools Tony was fascinated by Gaelic Football from a very young age but sadly his emergence as a future star coincided with a period of decline in football locally as his beloved “Red of Gurteen” struggled to piece a team of fifteen together to participate in junior club football in Sligo.
But participate they did and Tony had wonderful memories from those years in the 50s and 60s of matches and melees, manoeuvres and mishaps that occurred between Gurteen, Keash, Knockalassa and others where the rivalry was always intense and occasionally bitter with physical encounters a norm.
Objections and counter objections often followed with boardroom battles as intense as those on the field. By the time Tony reached nineteen years of age he was already a smashing young footballer, wonderful pace and skill allied to fearless commitment in defence plus accuracy in attack shone forth as features of his game.
However sadly his talents for the most part went unnoticed as Gurteen now struggled more than ever to field a team.
With emigration rife it was pretty similar in Keash where around ten fine footballers existed but to get fifteen togged proved so difficult.
Nevertheless Co Board registrar and Keash native, that resolute spellbinder Michael Francis Regan had a remedy as at the draws for the Sligo senior club championship of 1964 he stunned Co Board officers and other club delegates by issuing the immortal statement of “Put my name in that hat”.
Following some laughter he was asked for the name of his team and without consulting anyone from Keash or Gurteen he replied “Just call us St. Kevins”. Regan of course had Tony McDonagh in mind along with four or five others from Gurteen to boost his stronger Keash contingent.
It worked a dream as both parishes for once gelled and the team performed brilliantly winning the first couple of rounds handsomely. Expected to be beaten in the semi final by a Mickey Kearins inspired St Patricks/ Ballisodare it didn’t happen as a brilliant second half goal from Tony McDonagh saw “Regans Rookies” as the local press called them reach an unexpected senior county final. Sadly the dream ended there as St Kevins were defeated by Curry in the final.
Like many others of the era Tony emigrated to London where he started work in the insurance industry eventually joining brother TJ to combine their now flourishing insurance and accountancy professions.
He joined Garryowen football club where he enjoyed many club successes allied to his most notable achievement of winning that aforementioned All-Ireland with London. To be selected for his native county of Sligo at senior level is also on his C.V. and indeed Tony played at wing back against Roscommon in the 1969 Connacht senior championship in Markievicz Park..
A profound gentleman at all times, Tony assisted many Sligo youngsters in various ways as they first arrived in London while he was always there to buy a ticket or sponsor a horse for Eastern Harps fundraisers, following the club’s fortunes week in week out.
Sligo GAA too always enjoyed his support as he never missed a championship match while he enthusiastically remained a Club Sligo member to the very end.
Sadly Tony passed on to his eternal reward from this life on September 23rd 2018. His many cousins from Gurteen allied to his legions of friends from London, Dublin and Gurteen attended his memorial mass and final journey from Blackrock Church to Shanganagh cemetery in south Dublin where he was laid to rest among hundreds and hundreds of graves of neat and equal dimensions and neat and equal grave stones. “Neat and equal” How appropriate for genial Tony. “All men shall be equal”. Now that is something Tony would have endorsed.
To his wife Mary, daughter Emma, son James, brothers TJ and Sean, their extended families and his London and Irish friends we extend our deepest sympathy.