Pádraic Joyce never did lack for confidence - John Haran

Current Galway manager Pádraic Joyce had a sterling career with Galway over 16 seasons and before that won a Sigerson Cup alongside Jim McGuinness at Tralee IT while at secondary school level he was also a winner, captaining the famous nursery, St Jarlath’s, Tuam to the Hogan Cup in 1994.

There was a strong Donegal connection on that team with two St Eunan’s men involved. Kevin Winston was corner-forward while current St Eunan’s chairman, John Haran, was among the substitutes.

The Hogan Cup final was played at Pearse Park, Longford against St. Pat’s, Maghera, a team that included Sean Marty Lockhart at full-back. The final itself was postponed after a cloudburst made the Longford pitch unplayable and they had to go back the following Saturday and they won by 3-11 to 0-9.

The St Jarlath's Hogan Cup winning team. John Haran is in back row. Kevin Winston 2nd from right second row and Pádraic Joyce seated three from right

It was a star-studded St Jarlath’s team and Joyce was captain, which was something of a surprise choice at the time according to John Haran.

“We have some great memories of the time. We were all First Years together in September 1989. Pádraic Joyce was there, John Divilly was a boarder, Pádraic was a day boy. John Concannon, who is on the line with Joyce, was a day boy. Divilly is with him also up in the stands, so all three are involved now with the Galway senior team.

“Declan Meehan and Tomás Meehan were in First Year too. Michael Donnellan was a year behind us. All of them were involved with Galway in winning the All-Ireland in 1998.

“Tommie Joyce, Pádraic’s brother, was a year ahead of us and he was on that Hogan Cup team as well.

“I always say I was only a sub on that Hogan Cup winning team. Kevin Winston was corner-forward. Kevin was as good an underage player as I had ever seen in Donegal. His scoring record at underage level with St Eunan’s was phenomenal. 

“He had a good St Eunan’s career, and won a few senior championships. The pedigree was there with Kevin

“It was a very good team. There were boys slagging me a few years ago from Omagh CBS when they hammered someone, saying they were the best team ever. I always had it up on my Twitter that the Jarlath’s team was the best team ever.

“What made it special was that they went on to win an All-Ireland within four years. They were very young - Michael Donnellan, Pádraic Joyce, John Divilly, Tomás Meehan, Declan Meehan, Tommie Joyce. It was some step up so they were exceptional players, no doubt about it.

“Pádraic Joyce was captain of that team and the funny thing about it, all the money would have been on Concannon to be captain, because Concannon was going into his third year playing on the senior team in ‘94; Pádraic was only going into his second year.

“Concannon was on the Jarlath’s team beaten by St Brendan’s, Killarney in ‘92; St Colman’s, Newry beat us in ‘93 in the final. Joe Long, the manager, picked Joyce so maybe he saw something in Padraig at that stage. He had captained our U-16½ team to the title in ‘93. I was on that team with Michael Donnellan.”

Hogan Cup 1994 programme

Haran says that Joyce didn’t have any great ambition to be Galway manager but he took the U-20s and they won the Connacht title in his first year.

“Then he took over the senior team and I remember talking to (John) Concannon that it was a big step for him. Concannon would have been helping him with the U-20. I remember him saying to me that they felt they would never get a better chance because Damien Comer and Shane Walsh and Paul Conroy were coming into their prime. That was about five years ago.

“Look, they felt they had to take the chance and while they haven’t won an All-Ireland they went very close against Kerry two years ago. They have as good a chance as anybody now to win it with the four teams that are left.

“Pádraic wouldn't lack confidence, that’s for sure. He was always confident in himself, but I suppose when you can back it up, why not. You could say cocky, but when you can back it up you can’t really argue with it.”

To manage an intercounty team in the modern era is not easy and especially with a team that are expected to be competing at the top level, which Galway are.

“It’s a full-time job. Pádraic has a full-time company, himself and his wife and it’s a very successful company with a lot of people working for him.

“The passion is there for Galway football. They are doing okay so far.”

Haran says that he is a member of a WhatsApp group with a number of the former St Jarlath’s team including Joyce, but there is nothing coming from the Galway manager this week.

“Pádraic is not engaging in any of the banter this week. We would be winding him up about a few things,” says Haran.

Looking forward to the game, Haran feels that this will be the biggest test so far for Jim McGuinness and his new-look Donegal.

“McGuinness knows Joyce well and it will be interesting to see what way he goes. I think it is going to be Donegal’s toughest test, but that’s the way it is; it’s an All-Ireland semi-final, they  (Galway) are going to be better than Tyrone, Derry, Armagh.

“They have big men where we have small men, across the half-back line and maybe the half-forward line. Galway have big men and if they go long with the kick-outs, which they tend to do, they’ll be banking that if they win them or win the break they will be bearing down on goal.

“I can see McGuinness going defensive. I can see him dropping off the Galway kick-out and dropping back. He hasn’t done that all year and I hope he doesn’t but I can see it. Especially if Jason McGee is not fit, we don’t have massive men around the middle.

“Galway do go long and I know they don’t trust their ‘keeper to go with those wee short dinks, so he just bombs it out long. But they have Cillian McDaid, Cein Darcy, John Maher, Conroy and Matthew Tierney; they are all big men.

“I think McGuinness will have some sort of a plan as he always does.”

With the forecast for the weekend fairly positive, the St Eunan’s man is looking forward to a good game of football.

“You’d want a good game and not have packed defences. The new-look McGuinness are getting up the field fast and scoring up to 20 points. Donegal are playing well and you will need 1-17, 1-18 to come out on top,” said Haran, who expects Shane Walsh to be okay for the game.

“During the league Galway had a lot of injuries but they seem to be coming at the right team and they also have a good enough bench.

“The one thing about Donegal is that they are extremely fit and it might suit them if it comes down to the last 10 minutes,” said Haran, who is not surprised that Peadar Mogan is picking up awards this year.

“He is in line for the player of the year; he has been phenomenal. But he has always been a great player. He’s a great bit of stuff. He nearly beat us in the club championship himself a couple of years ago.

“So is Ryan McHugh too, for small men. They give it everything and they’re as brave as lions.”

John Haran is looking forward to meeting up with some of his old St Jarlath’s friends for a pint or two in the Croke Park Hotel on Sunday. There is a 30 year reunion of the Hogan Cup win being planned for September and the weekend coincided with the death of legendary F1 driver, Ayrton Senna.

The Hogan Cup final will be re-lived with Kevin Winston scoring a goal after a minute and another goal from John Concannon before half-time put them on their way.

But most of the focus will be on what will happen in Croke Park between Donegal and Galway when the ball is thrown in at 4 p.m.