St Eunan's manager Barry Meehan pays tribute to club stalwart Aidan McGlynn

St Eunan’s manager Barry Meehan paid a glowing tribute to team mentor and club stalwart Aidan McGlynn who sadly passed away last Thursday following a long battle with illness. 

McGlynn was a crucial part of the Eunan’s backroom team serving as a statsman alongside his brother Gareth under the management team of Richie Thorton and Rory Kavanagh. 

The club’s championship match against Downings last week had been brought forward from the originally 3pm thrown-in time on Sunday due to McGlynn’s passing. 

And it was the Cathedral town who emerged victorious with St Eunan’s proving too strong for Downings, on Saturday evening in Páirc na Dunaibh.    

Ciaran Moore scored a goal and three points while Eoin McGeehin, Oran Winston, Eoin Dowling, Conor Morrison, Conor O’Donnell (Jun), and Lee McMonagle were among the other St Eunan’s scorers.   

While Meehan was satisfied with his side’s win, it proved irrelevant on the grander scale with an emotional St Eunan’s manager speaking of the effect McGlynn’s death had on the team and the club saying his passing had put a whole different perspective on life and sport.  

“It has been a difficult day for us and a difficult weekend for the club,” Meehan said. “Aidan is one of us. He was part of the management team and was working behind the scenes as long as he could. 

“He has been part of the management teams in the club for years. He was a huge part of our club and it is devastating.  

“I told the boys at training on Tuesday night that Aidan knew before they knew that they were going to be senior footballers themselves. 

“It was never about their talent and football ability as far as Aidan was concerned. It was always about their character. That is what he always spoke about.” 

Speaking to Donegal Live after his side’s win over Downings, Meehan further explained the impact that McGlynn had in spotting underage talent in the club and how dedicated he was to St Eunan’s  

“You would get a text from him about such a player at underage on how well he was playing. He never missed a game whether it was underage or senior,” Meehan said. 

“I’ve been involved at underage since 2001 and 2002 and he was going to games back then. 

“His death is a huge blow for his wife Kathy, his parents Peter and Bernadette, his brothers Gareth and Brendan, and his sister Shauna and all his family. 

“But it is also a huge loss to the St Eunan’s family and we will miss him terribly.”