The right man at the right time

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Westmeath's Leinster success

by Gerry Buckley

I will always remember the precise moment in October 2003 when I heard that Páidí Ó Sé was to become the new Westmeath senior football manager.

It is no secret that it was Des Maguire – to his eternal credit – who displayed the initiative necessary to lure the Kerry native to this success-starved county just a matter of days after he had been dismissed from his dream role of managing his beloved Kingdom, the shock sacking coming despite Páidí’s considerable achievements in the green and gold bainisteoir’s bib, including the ending of an 11-year Sam famine in 1997.

It was Des who rang me at 12.30am – yes half an hour after midnight – when I was leaving a local hostelry after a few (i.e. less than usual!) settling pints ahead of my Hogan Cup book launch that afternoon. I knew by Des’ voice that it wasn’t a prank and he will confirm that the next time I met him I said, “I’d kiss you if you weren’t a man”, so certain was I that this coup was the final piece of the jigsaw. Indeed, another friend will vouch that I had been similarly excited when Jack Charlton unexpectedly got the Irish job in 1986. In both cases, I just knew that the aura of the job recipients would sort out the egos in their respective camps. And I was spot on!

As secretary-in-waiting of the excellent Westmeath Football Supporters Group then in existence, I was privileged to get a junket to Sunderland FC in the early weeks of Páidí’s reign. Indeed, the recent death of Roker Park legend Charlie Hurley, who was present in the Stadium of Light for the game that we watched against Burnley, reminded me of those few heady days.

For us hangers-on, the weekend was a doss, but it most certainly was not for the players who were almost flogged to exhaustion by Tomás Ó Flatharta, already making his mark as a no-nonsense ‘uimhir a dó’ to Páidí, on the Sunderland training pitch, kindly allocated to Westmeath by then-manager Mick McCarthy, a pal of Páidí’s.

As it happens, within days of his appointment, I had been introduced to Tomás by my brother, who was his boss in AIB Bank. Tomás knew nothing about the Lake County – I actually had to give him directions! – but I did assure him that “we had a team more than capable of winning a Leinster title”. At the risk of sounding boastful – a trait I detest – I was spot on again!

Two specific memories flash back about the trip which copper-fastened my belief that Páidí was the right man at the right time. Firstly, there was a meeting of all who had travelled to Sunderland, and Páidí went berserk at the sound of some brief childish tittering at the back of the room. Secondly, when permission was given for the players to have a few pints on our last night – the scared approach to him reminded me of young Oliver ‘wanting some more’ in the film of that name! – one key player asked the Ventry legend what he did for a living. “I make coffins for left half forwards,” he instantly replied!

The ins and outs of Páidí’s OBE (out before Easter) league campaign – the secondary competition means nothing to Kerry folk – and the magical championship adventure are well documented. Yours truly had near-daily chats with him in 2004, over the phone and in person, about requirements for funding by the Supporters Group. Between attending meetings, ticket distribution etc etc, I certainly did 15-20 hours a week voluntary work during that heady summer – a real labour of love.

I have a particularly fond memory of travelling to a range of national schools in the county with him and the late Denis Coyne, a man who gave enormous administrative service to the county. The school visits idea was something Páidí instigated, and I often wonder how many of the star-struck kids that swarmed around him went on to play for Westmeath.

The format I devised was simple, an intro from the headmaster, a few words from the great man himself, a very brief Q and A session, and autographs – and on to the next school with Denis as chauffeur. One kid asked Páidí: “Daddy wants to know do you think that Seamus Darby pushed Tommy Doyle in the back before scoring the winning goal in the 1982 final?” Páidí eyed up the questioner, before he asked: “What does your father think himself?” The young boy responded: “Yes, he thinks it was a foul.” In trademark Kerry fashion, the eight-time Celtic Cross winner ended the conversation thus: “Sure you’ve answered the question yourself!”

I strongly feel that the aforementioned 15-20 hour ‘workload’ removed the ‘hanger-on’ status from me for the South African trip in November 2004. Indeed, many of us who made the trip also helped with the serious fundraising necessary for the players’ totally deserved holiday.

Páidí had a magnetic personality and we were regaled by his stories throughout the vacation – even if some of them were repeated. And more than once! And some were hard(ish) to believe! Unquestionably, there are oodles of ‘what happened in South Africa stays in South Africa’ stories, but the memories are priceless.

Tanked up with cheap (by Irish standards) beer, several of us – on a near-daily basis – invited the porter at the posh hotel in Cape Town where we were staying to visit us sometime. Taking us at our word, the nice gentleman rang me some months later about his plans to come here. My cowardly response was to pawn him off with phone numbers of others who had made the trip - I guess I was never brave enough to make coffins for left half forwards! Rest in peace Páidí.