Brendan’s prepare for final voyage

CANON Larry Kelly still retains the passion for Gaelic football he had when a pupil and a staff member at St Brendan’s College, Killarney.

He talks fervently of the great tradition he inherited when he took over as coach to the senior football team in the 1970s. But unlike many of his predecessors, Canon Larry has had the distinction of coaching an All-Ireland winning team in 1992, when the Sem won their second Hogan Cup title. It was their last.

Nevertheless, St Brendan’s has been a tremendous footballing nursery for Kerry. The Spillane brothers Pat, Tom and Mick, the Lynch brothers Brendan and Paudie, John O’Keeffe, Seamus Moynihan and Johnny Culloty are among a host of senior All-Ireland winners who went to school in “The Sem”.

“It was a boarding school then and apart from studies, there was little else to do in your spare time,” says Canon Kelly.

“The Sem was always a very difficult school to beat at colleges football. They might not always win, but they made it very hard for their opponents to do so. Since boarding ceased in the school, standards have evened out.”

The side that lifted the Hogan Cup 16 years ago evokes fond memories.

“The 1992 team was an exceptional one. They played some exceptional football in that All-Ireland final against St Jarlath’s (which they won 0-9 to 0-7). It was surprising that so few of them went on to greater things with Kerry at senior level. Only Killian Burns, Seamus Moynihan and Ruairí O’Rahilly were involved in All-Irelands, while others like Niall Mangan, Brian McCarthy, and Conor O’Donnell played on the senior team but faded from the scene.”

After 22 years on the teaching staff, Canon Kelly was posted to various parishes throughout the county and is currently PP in Rathmore. Despite his ecclesiastical duties, Canon Larry still keeps in touch with his alma mater.

“It’s not easy to get to the games but I did see this year’s Munster colleges final against Tralee CBS and was hugely impressed with St Brendan’s.

“I thought it was one of the great colleges finals between two superb teams. It was pure football all through and Brendan’s deserved victory.

“They have answered all the questions asked of them, but this final is going to be the big test. Northern teams tend to be well prepared but I’ve been very impressed with Brendan’s style of play and if the teams are close coming up to the finish, I would expect our lads to edge it. It’s no secret that when the Sem is going well, so is the county. An All-Ireland victory on Saturday could well be the prelude to greater things later in the season.”

One of the most famous members of the 1992 side was Moynihan, who won multiple All-Ireland titles and All Star accolades along with Footballer of the Year honours in 2000.

“No one would admit it at the time but your schooldays are among the best in life,” the Glenflesk legend reflects. “Looking back now, to win an All-Ireland final with your school pals is something that lives with you for the rest of our life despite whatever else a player goes on to achieve.

“I can vividly recall seeing Niall Mangan lifting the Cup after we beat St Jarlaths in Thurles. It’s an abiding memory. We were given little chance against Jarlaths who were the kingpins of colleges football at the time.

“The day turned out to be a miserable one with driving wind and rain. A dreadful shower of hailstone fell in the second half but we had it our backs and it played a major part in our win.

“When I first entered the college, I quickly became very conscious of those players who had gone before me and went on to become legends for the county.

“You would want to be very hard not to be affected by the history of the place. There is a tremendous bond among school players that last a lifetime, and our team was no exception.

“If you were able to cut it in the Sem, you were never far off the county minor team and that opened up other avenues later on. It was a great learning curve, and I’ll be forever grateful for what St Brendan’s did for me.”

Moynihan has never lost touch with his alma mater and makes a point of seeing them play whenever he can.

“I’ve seen most of their games this year and I’ll be in Portlaoise on Saturday. The present team is as good as any that has gone before.

“I expect quite a number of them to make it to the county minor team later on. While I know nothing about St Pats, Northern colleges teams are always good, but if Brendan’s hit top form, they’ll be very hard to beat.”