Jinking Joe’ as he was called, due to his agility on the ball, was a terrific score-getter during a glittering career. The Ardnaree clubman was a balanced player who was adept in using either foot. We always seemed to know what was in each other’s minds. We played so often together that we developed a pattern and understanding. I was a schoolboy in 1960 and for some reason found myself in my grandparents' house in Keady where it was half-time in the game. I counted nine visitors there sitting very tense-faced listening to the high-pitched voice of Michael O'Hehir who kept repeating that Down were ahead by two points. There was no Sunday Game in those pundit-free days. RTÉ didn't cover GAA matches on TV until 1962 and all those confined to listening to the radio saw the events at Croke Park in their own imaginations conducted by O'Hehir. Excitable Down was not regarded as a football stronghold when Queen's University won the 1958 Sigerson Cup, and some of its leading players turned their thoughts to Down's county team dilemma. The former footballer is a retired dentist whose practice was based for many years on the Andersonstown Road in west Belfast.

He was our captain in 1968, though he did not play in the second after getting injured. He was a great captain and a terrific leader. Joe placed a great emphasis on fitness and pioneered new coaching practices. He thought greatly about the game and was possibly ahead of his time. He was a very talented player. It really was a privilege and honour to be offered the role and for the Down clubs to ratify the management team at the county board meeting,” he said. For Down boss Pete McGrath, the extra baggage that came with preparing a GAA team during the Troubles may have appeared immense and intruding on reflection, but he said that the reality was much different.

This was a long and dirty war. Okay there were peace talks, but it still seemed that the violence was not at an end. We also had plenty of ball practice, and for some reason we played a lot of tennis. The club coaches said it would improve our legs, eyes… reflexes. I don't believe I ever saw Paddy Doherty play, but I did an introduction about my father, Pat, who was a big Down fan. He went to the '60 and '61 All-Ireland Finals, he was a big fan of Paddy Doherty." He’s only a few days old, he seemed all good’: Stuart McCloskey shares World Cup debut with newborn son

One of those in attendance at Croke Park for the final was Burren player John ‘Shorty’ Treanor, the man many consider to be the best club player to ever operate in the Mourne County. Talking to men like Paddy and Martin Og, who's in his late 80s, they talk like they're in their 20s, vivid memories, and they have the confidence of men in their 20s. Suddenly you realise you're opening a treasure trove of memories and to capture those has been a great honour.

Teenager in serious condition and four others injured after two cars collide on Irish road

Pete McGrath’s side were the dam busters for Ulster football and from absolutely nowhere the province would soon become one to be feared. Donegal in 1992, Derry in 1993, Down again in 1994 and then, oh so very nearly, Tyrone in 1995. All those successes and that near miss had their roots in what Down did three decades ago. During his trial, the court heard how John Paul McDonagh sustained a fatal wound to his lower leg during what the prosecution described as a “street battle” outside the Enniskillen home of Joe Joyce in April 2020. Down have done that – the Nineties team, I got close to getting my hands on 'Sam' in '91 but Paddy O'Rourke got there in front of me. There are so many similarities between those Down teams of the Sixties and the Nineties when you read about them, the characteristics of both, it's amazing." That's what we all want to do but in the current climate there are a lot of unknowns so we just have wait and be guided by what the Government guidelines are and then in turn by guided by what the GAA roadmap lays out.”

Down reached the 2010 All-Ireland SFC Final after a narrow win over Kildare in the semi-final. However, Down lost to Cork in that game, the first time Down experienced defeat in an All-Ireland SFC final. Cork trailed by three points at half-time but improved in the second half and won by a scoreline of 0–16 to 0–15. Down captain Benny Coulter's effort on 70 minutes and a fisted Daniel Hughes effort one minute into added time left one point between the teams. That was the way it stayed, as Cork collected its seventh All-Ireland SFC crown in front of a crowd of 81,604. Those great memories will never fade. Their great deeds and achievements will live on. In the mind’s eye, all of those men will never grow old. The rest of us simply have the pleasure of living and knowing them… James was one of those people who helped make us the proud. He was an iconic figure in the annals of Down GAA, and was known throughout Ireland by generations of people who marvelled at his exploits on the playing field.A towering figure in Connacht football in the sixties, John could play in almost any position. A good player, always fit, no frills or fancy stuff, and certainly could look after himself. Midfield The Ban’– the rule, introduced in 1905, which prohibited members of the GAA from playing or watching ‘foreign sports’– was always there, he recalls, lurking in the shadows. Its GAA correspondent was Barney Carr – who managed Down in the 1960 and 1961 All-Ireland Finals. An excellent writer. He also wrote a book called 'Summerhill, Warrenpoint', about his life and childhood – he's an exceptional writer. He had Down match reports and an article every week. As late as 2012, Down had a history of not appointing "foreign" managers, though Martin Breheny suggested Down might be the most likely from the cohort of football teams that traditionally appointed a manager from inside to ask for "outside help". [7] Since then, the county has recruited Jim McCorry and Paddy Tally from outside.