Paddy Doherty: The Making of Paddy Mo

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Eamonn (Burns) and Ambrose (Rogers). Ambrose was injured for a lot of the campaign but believe me, his influence was great because he was encouraging people, he was motivating people. It was a bloody year, it may not have been one of the worst but still the guts of 100 people died, that’s a lot of people to die in a war on an island.

The Bundoran man is indelibly linked with the great Ulster Railway Cup side of the sixties. His medal collection was a paltry return for his ability and commitment to Gaelic football. The truth of it is that for the guts of two decades, Ulster teams were routinely beaten when they came down to Croke Park for All-Ireland semi-finals. He was doing it at county level too and scored 11 points in McGrath’s first Ulster campaign in 1990, but a falling out between the two meant that he wouldn’t play another championship game for Down until 1996. HIS name alone is enough to rekindle treasured memories of a time when Down football reigned supreme. As part of this iconic double All-Ireland winning team, his became a household name and his football abilities were respected and feared by opponents. He was part of the great half forward line with Seán O Neill and Paddy Doherty that played a key role in the historic breakthrough of 1960."The book is affectionately written while outlining the circumstances that shaped Doherty as well capturing his still gregarious personality. Martin Clarke – An Ríocht, won an All-Ireland MFC medal in 2005 and an All Star in 2010, in between which played for AFL club Collingwood Magpies. Kerry have always been the benchmark. If we had not beaten them, they would have won another three All-Irelands. That day in June is perhaps a microcosm of Down's 1991 story. Sport and the Troubles. Some 96 deaths related to the conflict in the north were recorded that year and through all that bloodshed an All-Ireland triumph provided an escape, a good news story on a bulletin list dominated by tragedy.

Ballykinlar! The name conjures up contrasting connotations. A bleak Prisoner of War camp in which many Irish patriots spent years of frustration and oppression or the place that produced the legendary Down footballer Paddy 'Mo' Doherty. With our ingrained penchant for leaning towards more pleasant images, there is little doubt that most of us will associate Ballykinlar with Doherty and his magical left foot.

Another encouraging aspect emerged from the Clones curtain-raiser in which the county minors won the provincial title for the first time. At centre-field on the winning team was a certain Sean O Neill, whose display hinted at an upsurge in the county's fortunes. Word had spread of his dalliance with a ‘foreign sport’ however, and Doherty was slapped with a 12 month ban from the Association. Its GAA correspondent was Barney Carr – who managed Down in the 1960 and 1961 All-Ireland Finals. An excellent writer. He also wrote a book called 'Summerhill, Warrenpoint', about his life and childhood – he's an exceptional writer. He had Down match reports and an article every week. That's what we all want to do but in the current climate there are a lot of unknowns so we just have wait and be guided by what the Government guidelines are and then in turn by guided by what the GAA roadmap lays out.” Known as the ‘Daingean Dynamo’, he was of slender physique, but my goodness could he play. Against physically well-endowed opponents, his deft touches and body swerve left them wondering what had passed them.