Why pitch construction was as much a vocation as a job for Joe Pat Prunty

Joe Pat Prunty, who died recently, was the veteran owner of Prunty Pitches, the company he literally built with his two hands out of mud and soil over 50 years ago

PITCH PERFECT: Kerry players race out onto Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney. Joe Pat Prunty oversaw the redevelopment of the pitch surface there in the mid-‘80s. ‘The pitch would still be regarded as one of the best surfaces around, it can still cope with a lot of water,” said current Fitzgerald Stadium committee chairman Der Brosnan. Picture: Inpho/Cathal Noonan

Just beneath the surface in the centre of the Brewster Park pitch in Enniskillen lies a holy medal, placed there to keep the players safe.

It was only recently, following the death of Joe Pat Prunty, that Greg Kelly began to think about the day the medal was buried.