Mick Carley a popular ‘Hall of Fame' inductee

A standing ovation followed the announcement of Westmeath football legend Mick Carley as the fourth member of the Mullingar Park Hotel/Westmeath Examiner Sports Stars ‘Hall of Fame’ on Friday night.

Widely regarded as the most complete and talented Gaelic footballer ever to come out of Westmeath, the Tyrrellspass native was an integral part of the Westmeath senior football setup for twenty years, between 1957 and 1977, becoming a regular fixture alongside Dom Murtagh in midfield. Described by compère, Robbie Irwin as “the man who kicked [Kerry great] Mick O’Connell out of Croke Park”, Mick briefly went through his illustrious career on Friday night, recalling his Railway Cup days with Westmeath, and his club stints with Mental Hospital (later St. Loman’s), The Downs and Tyrrellspass. “We had matches nearly every Sunday,” he told the audience.

“And when I retired and they stopped, it was like a hole in my life.” But between coaching and observing footballers since the late 70s, Mick has never really let go of his beloved game. He would like to see “more catch and kick” tactics being adopted by today’s football teams.

“There’s a lot of emphasis on running nowadays, and a lot of the training is geared towards that.” Mick joins former Westmeath GAA administrator Paddy Flanagan, golfing luminary Albert Lee, and the late Christy Whelehan as a Hall of Fame inductee.