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Irish Daily Mirror
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
'It wouldn't go down well' Tyrone closing in on unique 50-year Kerry GAA record
Next Thursday evening, Mickey Ned O'Sullivan will share a platform with two men with whom he shares a unique link going back 50 years. In 1975, Kerry completed the treble of All-Ireland senior, under-21 and minor football titles, the first, and only, time that it has been done. It is worth noting that the under-21 grade was only introduced in 1964, so it's not a feat that counties had been striving for since the formative years of the GAA, but the fact that it hasn't been done in the intervening five decades affords Kerry's achievement increasing prestige. O'Sullivan captained the senior team, albeit he didn't get to lift the cup in the Hogan Stand (more on that later), Kevin O'Donoghue skippered the under-21s, while Robert Bunyan lifted the Tom Markham Cup for the minors, who beat Tyrone just before O'Sullivan and Co led the seniors out on the same afternoon in Croke Park. O'Donoghue's club, Glenflesk, are getting the three of them together in Barraduff to mark the achievement 50 years on. 'They obviously decided to bring the three captains together with Radio Kerry just to have an interview and to reflect on the year and that's on next Thursday. Robert Bunyan will be there, Kevin O'Donoghue and myself. We wouldn't have met in the intervening years, you know. Everybody goes their own way.' The treble was completed a fortnight after the senior and minor finals, as the under-21s beat Dublin in the All-Ireland final in Tipperary town, with Mick O'Dwyer managing both sides, who trained together given the considerable overlap of players. Páidí Ó Sé, Tim Kennelly, Denis 'Ogie' Moran, Mikey Sheehy and Pat Spillane were starters for the seniors and under-21s. Another under-21, Ger O'Driscoll, scored a goal in the senior final after replacing O'Sullivan. Others would graduate to the senior team in time. From the minor team, Jack O'Shea, Sean Walsh, Mick Spillane, Charlie Nelligan would each win seven All-Ireland senior medals. Essentially, what unfolded over that period set Kerry football in good stead for more than a decade afterwards. 'It was a reflection, I suppose, of the work that was being done at underage level, probably in the previous maybe five or six years, and it just all came together and as it turned out, that the minors won, the under-21s and the seniors,' says O'Sullivan. 'It's a significant thing if it can be done because I was just looking, in the under-21 team, 10 of those went on to play with Kerry, and five of the minors did. 'There was a big celebration at Christmas for the three teams and it was a reflection of what had been done for Kerry football during the course of the year.' There is, however, a possibility that O'Sullivan, O'Donoghue and Bunyan could be emulated by Mattie Donnelly, Joey Clarke and Pádraig Donaghy this year. Under-21 became under-20 and the minor grade shifted from under-18 to under-17 in 2018, and Clarke and Donaghy have already captained Tyrone to those respective titles, beating Kerry en route in both. If they were to beat them in the senior semi-final today, they would become just the second county, after Cork, to lower the Kingdom's colours in the three grades in the one year, while leaving Donnelly on track to lift the Sam Maguire Cup and emulate Kerry's feat of 50 years ago. 'It wouldn't go down well,' O'Sullivan acknowledges. 'Because the track record in the past 25 years against Tyrone isn't great. So I think that's the incentive for Saturday.' With '75 in mind, it's been a poignant week with the passing of Seán Doherty, the former Dublin captain with whom O'Sullivan shared a close friendship. Famously, Doherty poleaxed O'Sullivan in the 1975 final while he was on a weaving run towards goal, leaving the Kerry captain concussed and in hospital for the evening. But there was never any lasting rancour between the pair, who were in contact only last week. 'We had a great friendship and we would meet a number of times every year, and we'd either go for lunch or a drink, so we kind of kept up the friendship and, as a result, the teams kind of kept up the friendship as well. 'And it was all about friendship and respect rather than what they'd achieved or didn't achieve. We had similar journeys and we enjoyed each other's company and only two months ago we had a reunion to celebrate the 50th here in Kenmare for two days. 'We all stayed in Sheen Falls and played golf, went on boat trips and everyone had their partners. So it was exceptional. It was great to have done it and Seán and Alan Larkin organised the Dublin side of it, I organised the Kerry side. 'I was speaking to him last week. So we had a chat and we had arranged to probably meet next week and, obviously, things didn't work out and it was very sudden and everyone was shocked, really, because he was in great form.' In 2005, Doherty came to Kenmare to present O'Sullivan with the Sam Maguire Cup, an acknowledgement of how his intervention had robbed him of the opportunity to accept it from Donal Keenan, the then GAA president, 30 years earlier. 'We had a fundraiser in the club in Kenmare and the fundraiser was titled 'Play It Again, Sam'. We had 1,300 people sitting down. We made 80 grand for the club on the night. 'It was developing a whole new sports hall and everything at the time. And it was a continuation of the friendship and the bond that existed between the two groups.'
Irish Daily Mirror
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Kerry v Tyrone LIVE score updates from the All-Ireland minor final
Kerry and Tyrone clash in the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship final today. Throw-in is at 1.30pm, with the game taking place at Cedral St Conleth's Park in Newbridge. The game will be shown live on TG4, with their coverage starting at 1pm. The Kingdom last lifted the Tom Markham Cup in 2018, while Tyrone's last All-Ireland minor success came 15 years ago. Here are the teams for this year's decider: Kerry: Ruairí Kennedy, Ronan Sheridan. Eoghan Joy, Tadhg Ó Slatara, Danny Murphy, David Sargent, Marcus Clifford, Maidhc Ó Sé, John Curtin, Mark O'Carroll, Gearóid White, Alex Tuohy, Ben Kelliher, Kevin Griffin, Tadhg O'Connell. Subs: Seán Sargent, Nick Lacey, David McCarthy, Pádraig Ó Mainnín, James Kissane, Liam O'Brien, Conor McGibney, Dylan O'Meara, Seán Kiely. Tyrone: Ronan Donnelly, Elliot Kerr, Padraig Goodman, Ciaran McCrystal, Aodhan Quinn, James Daly, Thomas Meenan, James Mulgrew, Padraig Donaghy, Darren McAnespie, Peter Colton, Cathal Farley, Joel Kerr, Eoin Long, Pearse McDonald. Subs: Aodhan Corry, Brian Óg McGuckin, Charlie Meenan, Diarmuid Martin, Harley Patton, Jack Gartland, Logan O'Connor, Peter Garrity, Matthew C Daly, Matthew F Daly, Michael Hughes, Michael Lennon, Michael Mullin, Odhran Carroll, Odhran Curran, Owen Griffiths, Mark Kennedy, Rian Biggs, Sean Óg Quinn, Vincent Gormley. Good afternoon and welcome to our live blog for the 2025 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship final. Six days before their senior sides do battle in the semi-finals of the Championship, Kerry and Tyrone's minor sides face each other in the minor decider. Of course this game would have been the perfect curtain raiser ahead of next Saturday's semi-final. However, the schedule was already in place prior to last week's draw which pitted the Kingdom and the Red Hands together in the last four in the race for the Sam Maguire. Kildare and Limerick will face each other in the Tailteann Cup final prior to that game. Tyrone defeated Cork in the quarter-finals before overcoming Roscommon in the last four to reach today's final, while Kerry saw off Cavan in quarters before defeating Mayo in the last four. Throw-in is just under an hour away.
Irish Daily Mirror
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Time and TV info for Tyrone v Kerry All-Ireland minor football final today
There appears to be more than the Tom Markham Cup at stake for Kerry and Tyrone on Sunday afternoon as they clash in the final of the All-Ireland MFC. The game is sandwiched between two other huge Championship meetings between the counties. Tyrone are already one-nil up following their semi-final win over the Kingdom at the U20 grade before going on to retain their All-Ireland crown with victory over Louth in the final. Next weekend, the seniors of Kerry and Tyrone go head-to-head at Croke Park for a place in the All-Ireland SFC final later this month. There are some who feel today's minor final would have served as the perfect curtain-raiser for that game, but the date has already given the Red Hands one major headache with continued doubts over the availability of star forward Joel Kerr. The Rock clubman signed a contract to join Premier League outfit West Ham from Glentoran earlier this year and his three-year term was due to start on July 1 and Tyrone have been engaged with talks with the London side to try to come to a resolution that will allow him to line out in today's game. Gerard Donnelly's side defeated Cork in the quarter-finals before overcoming Roscommon in the last four while Kerry got the better of Cavan in quarters before edging out Mayo last time out. Here's all the information you need to know ahead of the All-Ireland MFC final. . . Kerry vs Tyrone is on Sunday, July 6 at Cedral St Conleth's Park, Newbridge. Today's game starts at 1.30pm Today's game is being broadcast live on TG4.
Irish Daily Mirror
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Family silverware: Incredible story of Markham family and their minor miracle
TOM Markham is making his way up the steps of the Cusack Stand. The two-year-old has just escaped from a photo with his grandad Tom Markham and his dad Tom Markham and the Tom Markham Cup — all pictured together for the very first time. 'It's a special moment for us,' says grandad Tom (or Tom III) as he heads after the youngest. This is the story of five Tom Markhams and a trophy that's played for the Electric Ireland GAA Football All-Ireland Minor Championship every year. The first was as a gun-runner and spy for Michael Collins, the second played for the Dublin minors for five years, the third played with some of the biggest names in Irish sport, the fourth works with some of the biggest names in soccer, film and video games. The fifth? Well, he's just getting going… But let's start with the trophy. On Sunday Kerry and Tyrone meet in Newbridge in the 2025 minor decider. The winner will collect the Tom Markham Cup. It has passed through some famous hands — from future All Stars to TV presenters and movie stars with everyone from Sean Cavanagh and David Clifford to Paddy Kielty lifting it down the years. Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe was even pictured with the cup after partying with the 2012 victorious Dublin minor team. But there was little contact between the Markham family and the trophy for decades. 'I was invited to the Roscommon celebration dinner in 2006,' says Tom III. 'And that happened by accident really. I just happened to meet a Roscommon man on a building site and he contacted the Roscommon PRO. 'It was an amazing night. They put myself and my wife Deirdre at a table with the only living survivors from the last Roscommon minor team that won the All-Ireland in the early 1950s. 'These men were all in their 80s by then and they were seriously emotional. They were all wearing their medals pinned to their lapels and it was such a memorable night. 'That was what sparked me to start finding out a bit more about my grandfather.' The first Tom Markham was born in Ballynacally near Ennis in 1878. In a 2020 lecture for Clare County Library, the writer Joe Ó Muircheartaigh described his colourful life and times: 'He was a British civil servant, but an Irish Volunteer and an IRA man. A gun runner, a veteran of Easter Week, a social activist, a champion of the sick during a global pandemic, an Irish language activist, a youth worker, a newspaper editor and a writer.' Tom Markham I was in Croke Park with the Dublin team on Bloody Sunday and set up GAA clubs in the city. He also worked in Dublin Castle and became one of Collins' key intelligence men during the War of Independence. 'My grandfather died 13 years before I was born, but I'm immensely proud of him,' says Tom III. 'I think it was an extraordinary era to be living through. 'My dad was quite a quiet man and there is only one story from that whole era that he ever mentioned to me. 'My grandad was bringing my father home from school and they came to a British checkpoint somewhere near Ballybough. 'My grandfather actually had a pistol on him and it wouldn't have been an option to turn around or whatever. So he slipped the pistol into my dad's school bag. 'They searched him, but they never searched the school bag. 'The hair is standing up on my neck thinking about that and how people lived on their wits. It's extraordinary. 'Imagine the pressure of dealing with that on a day-to-day basis if you were involved.' Tom Markham I was the chairman of the Dublin Minor Board and founded the Desmonds and Crokes clubs. He died in 1939 and the Tom Markham Cup was presented to the All-Ireland minor football winners for the first time the following year. By this point, the second Tom Markham had already carved out his own little piece of history by playing minor football for the Dubs for five consecutive years from 1929 to 1933. He also played in a match at Croke Park in the 1930s to raise funds for 1916 veterans and the medal from that game is something Tom III holds dear. 'An old boy came up to me at his funeral and said, 'Do you know your father at 13 used to take the 50s with an old leather ball and could put them over the bar,' says Tom III. 'I just couldn't believe that. 'There's a great photo in Humphrey Kelleher's book 'GAA Family Silver' of the Dublin minor team in 1930. My dad is in the front and my grandfather is in the back.' As a kid, the third Tom Markham was brought to Croke Park and knew about the cup and the connection, but went to rugby playing schools in Cork and Dublin and amazingly never played GAA. Instead, Tom III played rugby for Clontarf alongside Dublin GAA legends David Hickey and Brian Mullins and with Brian O'Driscoll's dad Frank before lining out with former Ireland captain Ciaran Fitzgerald on the Army team. 'I played with Dave (Hickey) in UCD and in Clontarf. He was unbelievable,' he says. 'He would run flat at somebody and they would just bounce off him. He was so strong. 'I lived on St Lawrence Road and Brian Mullins lived on the next road. We played soccer together in one of the street leagues where the two streets combined. 'He was playing centre-half and he was about two years younger than me, but he was more than holding his own with the older kids. 'In the air he took everything out and he was a talented rugby player too.' Tom III ended up playing rugby for Athlone and was selected for Connacht, only for injury to deprive him of the chance to play. But he got to play alongside Triple Crown-winning captain Fitzgerald during their time together in the Army. 'His ability to motivate players was exceptional. He seemed to be able to get into people's heads,' he says. When the fourth Tom Markham was due in 1982, Tom III and his wife Deirdre discussed the topic of names. There was an obvious choice, but he wasn't convinced. 'I remember saying, 'You know, maybe we've had enough of all this Tom Markham stuff. Maybe we should call him something else,' he says. 'Deirdre obviously mentioned that to her mum and I got a phone call about two or three days later saying, 'Tom, it's not for me to say, but this is a very important family name and I think he should be called Tom.' 'So it was probably my mother-in-law who was the biggest driving force.' And along came the fourth Tom Markham. He's a huge Arsenal fan — there's a family connection on his mother Deirdre's side through her uncle Billy Duffy who was at the club in the 1940s — and he lives in the grounds of the old Highbury Stadium. After working for a bank in Dublin, he did a PhD in football finance and has become one of the most respected figures in the business side of the beautiful game, brokering deals between major clubs and prospective owners. Tom IV even had a spell as CEO of Wigan Athletic. He was also head of strategic business development at the company behind the Football Manager video game and more recently has been producing hit documentaries about Brazilian footballers — Kaiser in 2018 and The Phenomenon, the story of Ronaldo in 2022. 'He heard this story about a footballer in Brazil who had a long career without ever playing a game,' says Tom III. 'Tom actually went into the favelas and found him and got him to agree to tell his life story for Kaiser. 'Then he was involved in a film about Ronaldo. We went to the premiere in Madrid and that was a great night. (Carlo) Ancelotti was there and quite a few other big names.' Tom III served in Lebanon with the UN in the 1980s before setting up his own business as an engineer. He's still working, but his current job for Ballyboughal GAA club might be his last before retirement. That will leave more time for researching his grandfather Tom I and for trips to London to see his grandson Tom V. The fifth Tom Markham covered the back seat of the car with his breakfast on arrival at Croke Park, but then he wouldn't be the first to have a jittery stomach before taking to the famous field. Thankfully his dad, Tom IV, had a change of clothes at the ready. On the side of the pitch the famous cup has caught the eye of Tom V. It's gleaming in the morning sunlight after a fresh lick of polish. Maybe he'll be back to pick it up again one day as a player... 'That really would be something,' says Tom III, laughing. 'We might need Tom (IV) and his wife Eleanor to move back from London for that to happen. But you never know.' With his name, anything is possible.
