Legendary Dublin goalkeeper Paddy Cullen dies, aged 80

Cullen was his county’s No1 across 13 seasons and won three senior All-Ireland medals.

The late Paddy Cullen in 2016. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Dublin’s three-time All-Ireland SFC winning goalkeeper Paddy Cullen has passed away at the age of 80.

Cullen was his county’s No1 across 13 seasons during which he claimed six Leinster medals, two National League honours and four All-Stars.

The O’Connell Boys clubman’s All-Ireland senior football successes came in 1974, ‘76 and ‘77. His save from Galway’s Liam Sammon in the 1974 final was considered a seminal moment in not just securing Dublin’s first Sam Maguire Cup in 11 years but paving the way for the county’s successes later in the decade.

That win against Galway was the first of six consecutive All-Ireland final appearances for Cullen and Dublin. His All-Stars came in 1974, ‘76, ‘77 and ’79, the last of them a sweet one after the fallout from the ’78 final when Mikey Sheehy famously lobbed him with a quick free to score a goal.

Dublin Senior Football Paddy Cullen (Manager Dublin) © INPHO

Born in Stoneybatter, Cullen was a soccer player of note before he captained Dublin's U21s in 1964, the first year of the grade. He made his senior championship debut in a Leinster quarter-final against Westmeath in 1967 and his final SFC game for Dublin was the 1979 All-Ireland final against Kerry.

The affable Cullen took over from Gerry McCaul and manager Dublin for two years in 1991 and ’92. He led them to a Division 1 title against Mick O’Dwyer’s Kildare before their incredible four-game Leinster SFC saga against Meath in the former. He later guided his county to a provincial title in ‘92 before they lost out to Donegal in the All-Ireland final.

Cullen is survived by his wife Ann, daughter Liz and sons Anthony and Andrew.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin was among those paying tribute to Cullen today.

Extending his sympathies to the Cullen family, Mr Martin said: "In many ways, he was an iconic figure in Gaelic football, personifying what was a wonderful era in the 1970s, with the great Kerry Dublin rivalry.

"When you look back at all of the clips of that era, Paddy Cullen is in quite a number of them, both when Dublin were victorious and when Kerry caught them once or twice, as we know, with quick free kicks and so on.

"For me, it is a sad day and for anybody who supports sport and particularly Gaelic football, we thank him for the memories."