McGarrity heritage on hold for West side story

IT’S been an emotional championship in the household of Mayo midfielder Ronan McGarrity.

His mother Regina is from Tyrone, the side the Connacht champs defeated on their last outing to Croke Park.

But the divided loyalties do not end there, as his father Martin was born and raised in Fermanagh, their opponents in Sunday’s first Bank of Ireland SFC semi-final.

Martin, a bookmaker in Ballina, is from Irvinestown and played underage for Fermanagh, while an uncle on his mother’s side is chairman of the Tyrone club, Killyclogher.

“If we had been playing anyone other than Tyrone in the quarter-final we would have had a huge Tyrone flag in the house,’’ he admits, adding the Erne County would have received similar treatment.

“There’s a great buzz, but we can’t afford to get carried away. We have to keep our feet on the ground, stay focused and keep working away.’’

McGarrity came in for special praise from manager John Maughan for his effective “marking” job on Sean Cavanagh in the surprise quarter-final win over the All-Ireland champions.

One of the management targets was to nullify Cavanagh, and that task was accomplished with spectacular success.

Considering that he spent four years in the US playing college basketball, Ronan’s rise has been meteoric.

Returning to Ballina last September, he made steady progress in the winter months. In March, when Tyrone played Mayo in the League in Castlebar, he was taught a lesson by Cavanagh, who scored 1-3.

“He made a fool of me that day, embarrassed me,’’ he recalled. “This time around we had prepared well and every aspect was covered.

“The real enjoyment for me came when it was all over and I was able to take time to reflect on it all.’’

Maughan agrees that the midfielder’s development has been remarkable. His selection against Galway in the Connacht semi-final was his first championship game for Mayo at any level.

“In Mayo you normally start off in the School of Excellence and graduate to the minors. I was never part of that set-up and there was a time I concentrated more on basketball,’’ he said.

Maughan added: “He has been wonderful for us, a very confident young man. He has a positive attitude, something that seems to be inherent in basketball players. Ronan has made progress right through the championship. I hope he continues on that upward curve.’’