If there was a High King of Irish sport who would it be?
Kerry supremo Mick O'Dwyer would surely walk it?
As a player and then manager Mick O’Dwyer won 12 All-Irelands, 11 National Leagues and 23 Munster titles.
So it was great to see him honoured by his own at a civic reception in his honour in Tralee. The idea was proposed by Cllr Mike Kennelly, brother of former Kerry captain, the late Tim, who presented Mick O’Dwyer with the Sam Maguire Cup, which was 'borrowed' from Dublin for the day.
Locals say it had been smuggled out of Croke Park on Sunday after what had not been a good day at the office for the county, with the Kerry football team being well-beaten by a rampant Dublin in the National League.
There were two standing ovations in the packed council chamber for the man described as “one of life’s great winners. Team captains and many of the players who distinguished themselves under Micko’s reign as manager turned out and they included Mickey Ned O’Sullivan, Tommy Doyle, Pat Spillane, Ogie Moran, Jimmy Deenihan, Eoin Bomber Liston and Ger Power. Padraig, son of the late Paidi Ó Sé was there to represent his late father.
Cllr Mike Kennelly greets Mick O'Dwyer who is being afforded a Civic Reception by Kerry County Council today pic.twitter.com/jXufZka4M9
— Kerry County Council (@countykerry) 12 March 2018
Kerry legends hold him in high esteem.
I love Kerry football because of the likes of Micko. Epitomises everything I love about it. He breathes it. I’d listen to him all day. Would have loved to have played under under him. And one of the finest rogues we ever produced!!! #thegreatest 💪ðŸ¼ðŸ
— Tomás Ó Sé (@tomas5ky) 8 January 2018
For anyone querying Mick O'Dwyer's cult status, surely this is a piece of telling evidence.
Micko has a long memory too and admits that Kerry’s last-gasp, 1982 All-Ireland senior football final defeat to Offaly still haunts him and he contemplates the setback at least 'once a week.' Whatever about blanket defences, Dublin's big population and sponsorship resources, to bring Kerry back to its glory days, Micko advised Tim Murphy, chair of the Kerry County Board, to forget about pastas and “all that rubbish”. “Our meals were plenty steak, and plenty milk and plenty steak and plenty milk, I can assure you, is as good as any of these pastas and all that rubbish.' And there you have it the secret of Mick O'Dwyers success!
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