Pádraig O'Neill (1966 – 20 July 2024) was an Irish Gaelic footballer. At club level he played with Cooley Kickhams and at inter-county level with the Armagh and Louth senior football teams.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Pádraig Ó Néill | ||
| Sport | Gaelic football | ||
| Position | Full-back | ||
| Born |
1966 Newry, County Armagh, Northern Ireland | ||
| Died |
(aged 58) Beaumont, Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Occupation | Engineer | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
1982-2005 | Cooley Kickhams | ||
| Club titles | |||
| Louth titles | 0 | ||
| Colleges(s) | |||
| Years | College | ||
| Ulster University | |||
| College titles | |||
| Sigerson titles | 3 | ||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | ||
|
Armagh Louth | |||
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Ulster titles | 0 | ||
| All-Irelands | 0 | ||
| NFL | 0 | ||
| All Stars | 0 | ||
Playing career
editBorn in Newry, County Armagh, O'Neill's family moved to Carlingford, County Louth at a young age. He first played Gaelic football to a high standard as a student at the Abbey Christian Brothers' Grammar School in Newry, losing consecutive MacRory Cup finals in 1982 and 1983.[1] O'Neill later attended Ulster University and won three Sigerson Cup titles.[2]
O'Neill's club career began at juvenile level with Cumann Peile Cuchulainn before progressing to the Cooley Kickhams underage sides. Louth MFC and Louth U21FC titles followed. O'Neill made his senior team debut in 1982. He won several Cardinal O'Donnell Cup and ACC Cup titles in a lengthy career that ended in 2005.[3]
O'Neill first appeared on the inter-county scene with Armagh as captain of the minor team beaten by Derry in the 1984 Ulster MFC final.[4] He later progressed to the under-21 team. O'Neill was part of the senior team beaten by Donegal in the 1990 Ulster SFC final.[5] He later declared for the Louth senior football team.
Coaching career
editIn retirement from playing, O'Neill became involved in team management and coaching. He was manager of the Naomh Malachi team when they won the Louth IFC title in 2009.[6][7]
Personal life and death
editO'Neill's nephews, Callum, Rian and Oisín O'Neill, were part of the Armagh senior team that won the All-Ireland SFC title in 2024.[8]
O'Neill suffered a heart attack after attending Armagh's defeat of Kerry in the 2024 All-Ireland SFC semi-final. He died at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, on 20 July 2024, at the age of 58.[9]
Honours
editPlayer
edit- Ulster University
- Sigerson Cup: 1986, 1987, 1991
- Cooley Kickhams
- ACC Cup: 1984, 1987, 1998, 2003
- Louth Under-21 Football Championship: 1982
- Louth Minor Football Championship: 1984
Management
edit- Naomh Malachi
References
edit- ^ "St Pat's put in late burst". Irish Independent. 14 March 1983. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "UUJ Sigerson reunion for 1986, '87 and '91 squads". Hogan Stand. 23 September 2011. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "Twilight dawns on a dazzling innings". Hogan Stand. 20 November 2005. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "Derry's day". Irish Press. 16 July 1984. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "Donegal saved by the whistle". Irish Independent. 16 July 1990. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "O'Neill takes over at Malachi's". Irish Independent. 10 December 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "Third light". Hogan Stand. 30 December 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "'Finally, luck is shining on us' – Armagh overjoyed as 'never-say-die attitude' secures second Sam Maguire success". Irish Independent. 28 July 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "Rian O'Neill has spent his Armagh career trying to live up to his promise and now he can secure it for good". Irish Times. 28 July 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2024.