Niall Cahalane

Niall Cahalane talks about a hugely successful career as a GAA footballer. He recalls his youth in Castlehaven, County Cork, where he played for the local team, following the example set by the generation that preceded his and winning various titles. He later got on the Cork panel at minor, Under-21 and senior level, enduring his fair share of heartbreak before eventually getting a taste of All-Ireland success. A dedicated club man who grew up in a tightly-knit community, he made sure that his children played football with Castlehaven even though the family was based in Cork city. Open and articulate, Niall recalls the titanic battles that Cork had with Meath in the late 1980s and into the 1990s, and talks candidly about his burning desire to get the better of Kerry's Pat Spillane and his deep sense of regret over a 12-month suspension he received in 1997, a defining moment in his life that has continued to haunt him as the years go by.