Tom Ryan recalls Páidí Ó Sé effect on Westmeath

Like much of the GAA world, Tom Ryan tuned into RTÉ’s gripping ‘A Legacy’ documentary about the life and times of Páidí Ó Sé earlier this week.

Hurling, of course, didn’t feature in the programme and if Ryan is completely honest, his own two-season stint in charge of Westmeath, which corresponded with Ó Sé’s memorable time there in 2004 and 2005, existed largely in the shadow of the Kingdom icon too.

“Sure they went football mad, they hardly knew the shape of a hurley for two years,” recalled Ryan. “It was brilliant for them and for the county but hurling wasn’t top of the agenda. It was the ugly cousin.”