Tickets for the Bord Gáis Energy Legends Tour with Kieran McGeeney on Saturday September 17 can be purchased on-line here. Advanced booking is advised. 

By Cian O'Connell

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Kieran McGeeney’s sporting journey continues. Since taking a call to join the Armagh senior panel in 1989 McGeeney has remained involved at inter-county level in some capacity or other.

Tough and thrilling days have followed, but McGeeney’s passion for Gaelic Football endures. McGeeney’s current brief as Armagh manager is to restore the Orchard County back to the top table where they dined for a vast chunk of his playing career.

“I started in 1989 when I was at school, but it was 1999 before I won my first medal when we won an Ulster title,” McGeeney recalls about Armagh’s long and winding road to become an established force back then. “It was a long time. I won another Ulster in 2000, but we got beat and went into the backdoor system in 2001 and we were beating by Galway by a single point.

“At that stage you were wondering were we ever going to make it through. Then in 2002 Joe (Kernan) came in and Paul (Grimley) and we gave it another rattle again.

“We were able to keep going right through until 2008 when Armagh got to the quarter-final. We were there or thereabouts during that particular era.”

The 2002 All Ireland success over Kerry following an epic battle will always be recalled, but McGeeney has other fond memories from the spell. “Any time you played in Croke Park was a big day - I try not to look back or pine for it too much, we all move on, we all get older, it is just somebody elses time now.

“It is funny, you have different memories from your career. I suppose 2002 was a great year, but some of your outstanding memories from your time in Croke Park don't necessarily fall into the year you won it.

“For example in 2000 we played Kerry twice. In the replay even though the Hogan Stand was gone we went a point up with a minute to go. The whole place erupted. That was a moment.

“Another one would be playing against Dublin in 2002 in the Semi-Final. When Dublin play in Croke Park it is always a special buzz. They missed a free kick in the last minute to draw the game, moments like that stick out more than most. The final tends to become a bit of a blur.”

When Armagh finally cleared that last hurdle McGeeney was the captain so now during an occasional reflection how much satisfaction can be derived? “It is probably fair to say when you win a title for a county for the first time that it is a bit different,” is McGeeney’s assessment.

“Other counties are probably well used to it, getting people to think differently can be hard. That is one of the things that Mayo are nearly faced with at the minute. It is that long it nearly feels like a first for them, that sort of feeling is there for them. For us to break it was a big thing.

“Most people say it isn't all about the destination more the journey to it. The effort that led to it probably made it mean more to the likes of myself, McGrane, and Marsden, guys who had soldiered for a long time before it actually came.

“That journey is the part that builds the memories and furthers the bonds. That time really solidifies the friendships that you have long after. When you look back that is the thing you are probably most grateful for.

“The medals they come and go, but the legacy that you were part of, that was left in the jersey. The one thing you probably bring away with you is the friendships and the memories that those 17 years gave me.”

The jersey and why it matters is something McGeeney identifies as one of the chief reasons regarding the rise of Dublin, who are seeking to earn a fourth All Ireland title in six years on Sunday. Why have Dublin developed so much during the past decade?

“There are a whole lot of different reasons, like anything in life it is never as simple as people would make you believe,” is McGeeney’s verdict. “It is a complex myriad of different interventions and permutations as a result of different people coming in and out.

“I've great memories of playing club football in Na Fianna. Dublin were there or thereabouts around that time. They really came to the fore around Pat Gilroy's time. Pat probably brought to Dublin what he brought to business and most of the things he gets involved in. He is very organised, very meticulous in their approach identifying where they were failing. He changed that. He made it that it wasn't about wearing the Dublin jersey, it was about representing it in a way that people would be proud. I think he brought that back into it.

“They are a very hard working team now. They are very much a team. The jersey always comes first for that group of individuals. I think that all stems from that era. Jim Gavin has obviously brought his own stamp in terms of what he can bring to it aswell.

“He brings a professional approach to everything. There has been big changes, but a lot of people who went before helped set things up like Tommy Lyons and people like that. The thing about Dublin is they are always going to be there or thereabouts, they are like Kerry, who have been there or thereabouts for the last 130 years.

“In this particular cycle Dublin are very, very strong. They are very aggressive and fast moving with an attacking brand of football. It is very hard to stop.”

Mayo are the team charged with stopping Dublin this weekend. Stephen Rochford has assembled a high profile management team including a former Armagh colleague of McGeeney’s, Tony McEntee.  “He is a good fella, he was involved in club football with St Brigid's for a couple of years.

“He managed them for a couple of years so he will know Dublin football inside out. Stephen has put together a strong backroom team like any management set up will be now. What I know about Tony is that he will be an addition to any backroom team or frontroom team whatever way you want to put it.

“He knows his stuff, he is very meticulous about what he does. He is very much into the man management side of things. I suppose everything is going to depend on Sunday and who gets the credit. As we all know history books be written by the victors. Depending on what happens on Sunday we will see who has the right answers to all of the things that are involved in Gaelic Football.”

Ratified for another campaign in the Armagh hotseat McGeeney acknowledges that his brief stint working with former Tipperary manager Eamon O’Shea was a rewarding experience. “It is always good to see other sports and to see other people working,” McGeeney admits.

“Eamon is a huge thinker about the game, he is always trying to look outside the box, trying to look at the different facets of the game both on and off the pitch which can make a difference.

“To be fair, without taking anything away from Michael (Ryan), who put his own imprint on it, Eamon had a huge influence on all of those players.

“I only dealt with a couple of individuals, but I can say from the ones that I did deal with they were always keen to make that step.

“Once you have that, the want or desire, the rest can come quite easy. It is having that initial want or desire to be able to take good out of any situation, to push yourself on regardless of what is put up against you. I think eventually they showed that was the case. They really put in a display that was probably one of their best ever.”

That is precisely what Tipperary achieved, delivering when it mattered most of all. Armagh did so in 2002 and McGeeney’s achievements will be celebrated and discussed at Croke Park on Saturday.

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All Bord Gáis Energy Legends Tours include a trip to the GAA Museum, which is home to many exclusive exhibits, including the official GAA Hall of Fame. Booking is essential as the tours sell out quickly.

For more booking and ticket information about the GAA legends for this summer’s tours click here. Bord Gáis Energy customers can be in with a chance to win two places on the tours by signing up to the Bord Gáis Energy Rewards Club where regular competitions will take place.