Priest tells of early life at Red Devils before switch to God’s team

Growing up in the grim uncertainties of 1980s Belfast, football was the great escape for young Philip Mulryne.

But he never imagined that the people who stared out at him from the posters on his bedroom wall would become his teammates. Even more unlikely to his young mind was the idea that some day he would turn his back on it all to become a priest.

Philip, or Fr Mulryne since his ordination last year, told his remarkable story at the World Meeting of Families yesterday, where he joined former Munster rugby great Ronan O’Gara, Kerry footballer Aidan O’Mahony and Olive Foley, wife of the late Anthony, to discuss sport and family in the context of Catholic faith.

Fr Mulryne was spotted by a Manchester United scout at the age of 14. “I was a huge Manchester United fan. I grew up with my dad telling me stories about George Best and Denis Law,” he said.

If his dad taught him how to play, it was his mum who taught him how to pray.

That’s a lasting memory I have, my mum making sure I said my prayers. It was instilled in me that no matter what I did, no matter how I succeeded in life, what was most important was your character, the kind of person that you become.

Settling in at United was tough. “It was very daunting. I was one minute in my bedroom with posters of Roy Keane and Eric Cantona and David Beckham and the next minute I was sitting in the changing room with them.”

Philip later learned that Alex Ferguson was secretly phoning his worried mum to update her on his progress.

After six years at United and another six at Norwich City, Philip began to feel a void in his life. “I had everything materially yet there was something missing inside.”

He was inspired by captain Malky Mackay, who regularly went to Mass, a habit Philip had left behind, and he decided to take a year out. He never went back, deciding to train as a priest.

Now a chaplain at rugby-mad Newbridge College, Philip still gets to indulge his love of sport. “There is no contradiction,” he said. “Faith and sport have been gifts from God.”

Aidan O’Mahony, a five-time All-Ireland winner, and more recently winner of Dancing with the Stars, spoke of how sport brought joy and pride to his family but also became his family in tough times.

He recalled that when his father died suddenly in 2012, the GAA community rallied around. “The support was amazing. You’re never on your own. It’s a family.”

The next year, he was determined to reach the All-Ireland final and win it for his father, but he suffered a season-ending injuring. “I was an emotional wreck,” he said. Again, the GAA was his rock. “The manager came in and said, ‘You’ll get back.’ That’s what I needed.”

In 2014, Aidan had the same goal — and this time achieved it. “Sport has great days and bad days. It tests your faith,” he said.

But it’s not about what you win. It’s about the memories. It’s about family and community.

Ronan O’Gara, now coaching in New Zealand, also spoke of the support that comes from being part of a team and club. “It’s a cliche but the family that Axel [Anthony Foley] led was incredibly tight. It was a special dressing room and the dressing room becomes your family,” he said.

“Sport has enriched our lives and the most important thing is it helps us to deal with real issues. It helps us to share thoughts, our worries. It creates values of respect, caring about each other.”

Ronan said he wants dressing room culture to be extended to the wider community. “We need to talk, we need to look out for each other. People are suffering all around us, many in silence, many can not talk.

“Become ‘the guy’,” he said. “Don’t be reactive, be proactive. There’s too many young people needlessly dying. It’s good to talk, sport makes you talk, it’s a great medium. Life is there to be lived. You’ve got to make the most of it, we’ve got to look after each other.”