St. Michaels GFC have had many players represent the club in the green and gold colours of Meath on both male and female teams down the years, the most notable being Martin O’Connell who achieved all that was to be won in the game and who was also named on the Team of the Millennium. We congratulate all the players named hereunder on having been selected to play on the various Meath teams especially those who were fortunate enough to be involved with successful Meath teams during their stints and were able to bag a medal or two, long may this trend continue and hopefully I’ll be kept busy adding to this list in the years to come.
I’ve set out hereunder the list of club players who have represented our small club at county level down through the years and those who continue to do so, if by chance I’ve left out anyone, it’s certainly not intentional and I would appreciate if you to make me aware of my error and fill me in with the relevant details and I will be delighted to update the list. The same goes for the stats listed, feel free to update me on same…….. thanking you, Pascal Reilly PRO.
MARTIN O’CONNELL
(1)…..Martin O’Connell……1982 ~ 1997, Martin O’Connell has the distinction of playing in every position for Meath since he made his debut for the senior team in the National Football League against Cavan on the 30th November 1982 when he lined out at left half forward. He was part of the team which won their first trophy under Sean Boylan a few months later when the 1983 O’Byrne Cup was claimed by the Royal County and when Meath claimed the Centenary Cup in 1984 he was an established member of the panel. He made his championship debut against Westmeath in Mullingar and he also won the ” Young Player of the Year” award in 1984 while he took the senior equivalent in 1990. He won his first Leinster SFC medal in 1986 when Meath bridged a 16 year gap and he won six Leinster medals when Meath clinched the 1996 provincial title. That success helped him achieve his third All-Ireland medal and he maintained the link between the two-in-a-row team from 1987 / 1988 and the 1996 success. Martin also lined out in seven All-Ireland finals, including replays in ’88 and ’96 and he also won 4 Allstar award.. He also enjoyed success with Leinster in the Railway Cup competitions. He made his debut for St. Michaels in the old Division 3 FC and played in the 1981 JFC final, he was also on the Meath minor team that year. He eventually helped St. Michaels to the senior grade winning the Intermediate championship in 1989 ( article courtesy of The Meath Chronicle ) and he has won many titles with his club in his career which came to an end on a sunny Saturday afternoon in Moynalvey on March 7th 2015 when a shortage of players for a “B” league game forced him to don the St. Michael colours once more so not to let his club down.
Martin’s honours include: 3 x All-Ireland SFC’s 1987, ’88 & 1996 , 6 x Leinster SFC’s 1986, ’87, ’88, ’90, ’91 & 1996, 3 x NFL’s 1988, ’90 & 1994, 4 x All-Star Awards 1987, ’88,’90, & 1996, 1 x Railway Cup 1987, 1 x Centenary Cup, 1992 O’Byrne Cup Medal, 1991 Man of the Match Award, 1994 NIB GAA Personality of the Month Award, 1990 Meath Footballer of the Year, 1996 Texaco Footballer of the Year, 1996 All-Ireland final Man of the Match award, 1991 Gaelic World Consistency Award, 1971 ~ 2000 Eircell Vodafone Supreme GAA All-Star, 1992 Meath senior team captain. 1999 chosen at left half back on the Team of the Millennium.
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DAITHÍ REGAN
(2)…..Dáithí Regan…….1992 ~ 2007, U-15’s, U-17’s, minors 1995, U-21’s 1997 ~ 1998, Meath juniors 1999 ~ 2001, Meath seniors 2002 ~ 2007, honours: 1 x Leinster U-21 championship 1997, 2 x O’Byrne Cup medals 2004 & 2006, 1 x Railway Cup medal with Leinster 2005, Man of the Match award v Wicklow SFC 2004.
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(3)…..Christy Regan…..1997 ~ 2000, Christy managed the Meath senior ladies team for 4 years and what a successful 4 years they were, he brought 3 x Leinster senior titles and 1 x League title during the three year period of 1997, 1998 & 1999.
(4)…..Tom Halpin……1988 ~ 1993……honours….1 x Ulster minor league 1988, 3 x Leinster U-21 championships 1989, ’90 & 91, 1 x Junior Leinster championship 1990, 1 x O’Byrne Cup 1992.
(5)…..Sean Briody…….1982 ~ 1983 Meath Seniors
(6)…..Nigel Regan…….1993 ~ 1996, honours: minor Leinster championship 1993, beaten minor All-Ireland finalists 1993, Leinster U-21 championship 1996.
(7)…..Robert O’Connell……..Meath juniors & seniors, Leinster junior medal 1988 & 1990, All Ireland junior medal 1988.
(8)…..Michael O’Connell…….Meath juniors, Leinster junior medal 1988, All Ireland junior medal 1988.
(9)…..Paul Curran……….Meath juniors, Leinster junior medal 1988, All Ireland junior medal 1988.
(10)…..David Moran……..Meath minors 1993.
(11)……Donal Keenan…….Meath U-21’s 1998
(12)…..Peter Clinton,
(13)…..Gavin Meehan……honours: U-14 Fr. Bannon Cup 2003, U-16 Gerry Reilly Cup 2006.
(14)…..Ciaran Lynch……honours: 1 x U-14 Leinster League, 1 x U-16 Leinster League, 1 x North Leinster school league
(15)…..David Lynch……Meath U-14’s.
(16)…..Derek Flood,
(17)…..Robbie Briody……
(18)…..Philip Rogers……honours: U-14 Fr. Bannon Cup 2003, U-16 Gerry Reilly Cup 2006.
(19)…..Jim O’Reilly……Meath juniors 1990.
(20)…..Matthew Halpin……2009 ~ _ , Meath U-13’s, U-14’s, U-15’s, U-16’s, U-17’s & minor…..honours: U-16 Gerry Reilly Cup medal.
(21)…..Jamie Reilly……Meath U-21’s and juniors 2016.
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CLUB PLAYERS WITH MEATH TEAMS
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LADIES
(1)…..Gillian Bennett…..1994 ~ 2011…..Gillian has won everything in the game except the BIG one, an All-Ireland medal, she tells me she is not quite sure what her medal collection consists of so here is a list of the Moynalty native’s medals that she does know of….. 2 x Leinster Junior championships 1994 & 1997, 1 x All-Ireland Junior championship 1994, 1 x U-16 Leinster championship, 2 x National League, 1 x New York Junior Championship 1999, 1 x New York 7’s championship 1999, New York Budweiser Player of the Month for April 1999, 1 x Sean Faherty football championship winner with Cavan in New York, 2007 Green Star Award at full forward, Lucozade Player of the Month Award April 2006, Republic of Ireland U-16 squad member 1995 – 1996, Republic of Ireland European Championship squad member 1996, Republic of Ireland senior squad member 1997 – 1998, Meath senior team captain 2003, MBNA Ladies Kick Fada competition winner September 2oo6.
GILLIAN BENNETT
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(2)…..Terri Kiernan……1991 ~ 1998…..honours: 2 x Leinster Junior championships, 1 x All-Ireland Junior championship, 1 x Senior National League,
(3)…..Ann-Marie Maher,…….1991 ~ 1998…..honours: 2 x Leinster Junior championships, 1 x All-Ireland Junior championship 1994, 1 x National League 1994,
(4)…..Audrey “Sue” Bennett……1997 ~ 2000…….honours: 3 x Leinster SFC, 1 x National League,
(5)…..Sharon Callaghan (nee Lynch), 1995 ~ Sharon played underage and senior football with Meath before emigrating to London in _____. She then signed up for the Parnells GAA club in London with whom she played all her football with until her return to Ireland in 2013…….honours with Meath: 1 x senior Leinster championship, 2 x U-16 Leinster championships, 2 x minor Leinster championships…..honours with Parnells of London: 13 x senior championships, 13 x league titles, 1 x All-Ireland Intermediate club championship, 5 x London All-Star Awards.
(6)…..Elaine Coyne (nee Lynch)……1994 ~ 2007…..honours: 1 x U-14 Leinster championship, 1 x U-14 All Ireland championship, 1 x U-16 Leinster championship, 2 x Leinster minor championships, 1 x All Ireland senior championship, 1 x Leinster secondary school championship.
(7)…..Mandy Shipp (nee Carr)…….1993 ~ 1997…….honours: 1 x Leinster minor championship 1996, 2 x Leinster Junior championships, 1 x All-Ireland Junior championship 1994, 1 x Leinster U-16 championship.
(8)…..Lisa Keenan…….honours: 1 x Leinster minor championship, 1 x Leinster senior championship,
(9)…..Ailish Fitzsimons………1998 Meath seniors.
(10)…..Carol O’Connell…….1994 ~ 1998….Meath U-16’s, Meath minors & seniors
(11)…..Sinéad McCormack…….2011 ~ 2013 Meath seniors
(12)…..Aisleen Harte (nee Regan)…….2011 ~ 2012….Meath U-14’s and juniors & Aisling McGing tournament 2011
(13)…..Alicia Curtis…..2010 ~ 2014, ………. U-14, U-16 and minor, honours: 1 x Leinster U-14 championship 2010.
(14)…..Megan O’Brien……2006 ~ 2014, honours: 1 x U-14 Leinster championship, 1 x U-16 Leinster championship, 1 x U-21 Leinster championship, 1 x U-16 All Ireland championship, 2008 Meath Ladies Green Star Award winner.
(15)…..Fiona Nevin…….2011 ~ 2013 Meath seniors 2011.
(16)…..Edwina Olwill…..Meath U-16’s 2011
(17)…..Alana Kernan……Meath U-16’s 2012.
(18)…..Rachel Lynch……Meath U-16’s 2011.
(19)…..Leanne Lynch……Meath U-12’s 2006.
(20)…..Patricia Owens…….2012 ~ 2015, U-12’s, U-14’s, U-16’s, honours: U-12 Player of the Year 2012, 1 x U-14 Leinster championship, Player of the match in U-14 Leinster final 2o11, 1 x U-14 Leinster silver medal 2013, 1 x U-16 Leinster Championship 2014.
(21)…..Marion Farrelly……honours: 1 x Leinster Junior Post Primary Schools “B” championship 2014, 1 x All-Ireland Post Primary Schools “B” championship 2014, Leinster inter county MFC & team captain 2016, All Ireland inter county MFC & team captain 2016.
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