By Cian O’Connell

Pat Kilcoyne sensed something was stirring in Sligo.

In the 1990s Sligo were on the verge of causing seismic shocks in the west. Despite the near misses Sligo’s potential was evident.

The All Ireland Qualifiers brought some joyful days before the thrilling Connacht triumph over Galway at Dr Hyde Park in 2007.

Sligo had a new wave of heroes. Suddenly the talk wasn’t only about the Barnes Murphy and Mickey Kearins era anymore. Those gifted players had shown what could be achieved.

Kilcoyne always believed that Sligo could deliver. A couple of draws with Galway were recorded, but the maroon and white outfit survived.

“We were close, I was only watching TG4 recently, the '98 game between Galway and Mayo with Padraic Joyce, Michael Donnellan, Jarlath Fallon, Sean Og de Paor,” reflects Kilcoyne, who still works as a Games Promotion Officer in Sligo.

“We drew with them in Markievicz Park before being beaten in a replay in Tuam a couple of years before that. We brought Mayo to a point around the time they were beaten by Meath in an All Ireland Final. In the mid 90s there we were playing against the best of them.”

All sorts of interesting games and adventures were taking place, but solid foundations were being established in the county.

“Mickey Moran had us after then,” Kilcoyne continues. “I remember the divisions changing. I remember playing in Division Four against Kilkenny when they were fielding, but I ended up playing Division 1B against Dublin, Meath, and Kerry. We beat some of those teams, we had a great win down in Kerry.

“You had great young players at the time like Paul Taylor, who is the present manager, Eamonn O'Hara and them lads.

“They were fantastic players, who went to minor and Under 21 finals. Unfortunately they didn't win them, but Eamonn O'Hara got his day in 2007 which was a great day. Unfortunately we left one or two behind us, but that is the way it goes. That was a great team.

“Kevin Walsh came in, he did a good job too, but then it just dwindled away a bit in the end. We had a lot of good days with him, with Peter Ford and TJ Kilgallon, and Mickey Moran.”

Kilcoyne, though, is adamant that Sligo recovery plan commenced under PJ Carroll’s guidance. Carroll worked on focusing both body and mind. “PJ Carroll was probably the first man who got a Sligo team rightly fit when I was playing anyway,” Kilcoyne admits.

“He got us fit and believing a bit more. The fitter and stronger and more skilful you are the better. I think we got better and better.

“Then we had an era of players, there was nobody able to push them out, they held their position. Nobody could push them out so when they all retired there was a bit of a lapse.

“We lost a lot of great players in the last five or six years, you can see it, but we will come again with a young team hopefully.

“If the League resumes and they win two matches they'd be in Division Three next year. That would be a stepping stone, but them games have to be won too. We will keep battling away. You have a lot of quality players there if we can keep them all at home.”

**

That is an enduring issue for Sligo. Even in the past decade nuggets of hope have been available. St Attracta’s and Summerhill College have been highly competitive at the highest level out west.

A talented Under 21 team reached the last Connacht Final at that level. Galway, flecked with current senior stars, just about forced extra-time before prevailing.

Those type of losses hurt Sligo’s development, but also illustrated that important and relevant work was being carried out.

“Yes, that goes back to the schools Summerhill and St Attracta's beating the likes of Jarlath's and Gerald's, all of them,” Kilcoyne admits.

“They are lads who have gone on to represent Mayo too. There is nothing between them, just maybe a bit of belief probably and a little bit more work off the pitch by individuals.

“You have to try to keep everyone at home. Unfortunately we can't afford to lose players such as Niall Murphy and players like that. Every young fellas likes to go away.

“Other counties can lose two or three players, but they have others to step in. We are a small fish in a big pond, but we are trying our best, just like everybody else.

“I think our players are nearly more skilful than anybody else, but the club structure means they maybe don't get enough high class games. That is a big thing. You have Tourlestrane, who have won four or five clubs in a row, but they haven't won a game in Connacht. It is a huge step.

“It is harder with the smaller schools, but we work with them a lot in development. We have won the last two Manning Cups and there was 16 counties represented from Munster and Leinster.

“We play Kerry in challenges, Limerick in challenges. There is no difference between them at all, not even strength wise at that age.

“Probably a lot of travelling is an issue for Sligo, but the Mayo and Galway lads do it.”

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Liam Og Gormley is Sligo’s Games Development Manager and remains eager to build for the future. A small, but hard working team of staff are anxious to keep the Yeats County relevant.

Different challenges exist, but they are embraced. Sligo Rovers’ relevance in the north west shouldn’t be underestimated, a proud club offering hope to the community.

Several have graced the Rovers and Sligo GAA shirts throughout the decades. That is just the way it is. Kilcoyne is hopeful about what is happening coaching wise. “We have Ross Donovan, who is great; Stephen Henry is a Tourlestrane lad, he works in the west of the county, a full time GPO now,” Kilcoyne states.

“Aaron McGowan, who is a Tyrone lad, he is with us for a period now in north Sligo. We have Darragh Cox for the hurling, he is a great man too, he does a bit with Leitrim. There is great energy to him.

“Louise Keane has been brought in from Kildare, she is a full time S and C coach for underage development. Hopefully she will be there for a long term, she has all of the development and school teams under S and C programmes, and is helping clubs.

“That work will pay off. Hopefully we can get our players as big and as physically fit and ready for it as anytime before. We have been just a bit behind in that department, but we are catching up.

It is why some of the Post Primary action carries so much optimism. “There is good work going on,” Kilcoyne acknowledges. “Summerhill won one, they beat St Attracta's, who have reached a few Connacht A Championship finals too and lost them and gone well in a few Leagues. A lot of those players have come through, they have played with Colleges winning Sigerson medals, they have won Freshers medals and represented their county.

“We are in Division Four, but we have a young team. From those Summerhill and Attracta's teams you have about eight or 10 of those teams that won Connacht medals in League or Championship. They are playing senior for Sligo at the moment. We are still in the hunt for promotion. The work is paying off.

“In the last 12 years we have won four Manning Cups so at underage we are doing okay. We have got to Connacht Minor and Under 21 finals, but it is hard against the bigger counties.

“We are doing just as much work, if not more than anyone else. We find that our players are as skilful, but they have been lacking a bit on the strength side of it and depth in numbers. We are working on that now with Louise Keane. It is all sort of little steps.”

For several campaigns Sligo were a seriously respected outfit in the west. Recapturing the drive and desire of those days is the current mission. Kilcoyne, now 21 years in the job, knows what can be achieved on the inter-county playing fields of the country.

Hope existed before and Sligo eventually produced. Now is the time for the next generation to emerge, to show Sligo can be a force once more.