Doire Trasna and Sean Dolan's come out in support of Aaron Callaghan

Doire Trasna players past and present joined together with Sean Dolan’s at the weekend to honour former player Aaron Callaghan, who is currently undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer.

Aaron, who had a successful career playing with Sheffield Wednesday before returning home to play with Limavady, Ballymena, Derry City, Dungannon Swifts and Lisburn Distillery, has been battling the illness since being diagnosed in November.

Still only 37 years old, Aaron was diagnosed after discovering a lump in his throat. Since then he has been undergoing treatment with his family and friends with him every step of the way.

As a show of support for a club legend, Doire Trasna hosted two exhibition games on Saturday, the first of which saw the club’s 2011 champions take on the current team.

Before a ball had been thrown in, there were groans and moans as tired old bodies limped into the ground on Corrody Road, with no player exempt from a good slagging with their best days a long, long, long way behind them.

Following that, Creggan club Sean Dolan’s took on a Pearses Select, in honour of a man who made quite the impact on both clubs.

Best friend Kevin McKenna said everyone is fully behind Aaron.

“Difficult times and difficult things happen in every family so it’s about coming together and people knowing that there is support there for them always,” he explains. “It’s just the opportunity for us boys to show Aaron, Ciara, his girls and all of his extended family that he has so much support here. Derry is famous for it, the club is famous for it, and it’s just our opportunity to show that no matter what happens, we’re always here for one another.

Aaron, currently undergoing treatment in Belfast, was unable to attend on Saturday, but Kevin insists he was very much there in spirit.

“I got a message from him the other night and he’s devastated – that was his word – he’s devastated he wasn’t here, if not for the support then just the sheer comedy factor of seeing us boys attempting to run 20 metres again. He’s in good spirits, the messages have been flying back and forth, and he has kept well in tune. It’s just a pity that his treatment is ongoing at this moment but I’m sure he’ll hear all the stories at the end of it.”

“Aaron Callaghan is one of the most genuine fellas you could meet, and he’s humble at the end of the day. I don’t think he realises how much he has touched people’s lives and how much people care about him. We just want to make sure that he knows we all love him.”

Awareness

The key message from Saturday’s day out was to increase awareness amongst young men across Derry and beyond.

“Aaron wants people to know that, if you do have anything or you are concerned about anything and you’re a fella, it’s always best to get yourselves checked out, and especially these young fells here who mightn’t have that knowledge or mightn’t have that awareness,” Kevin continued. “Aaron is a very young man, he’s only 37, so it’s just getting that message out there, be aware, look after yourself and stay healthy because it’s better to get checked out than be on the wrong side of it.”

Members of Aaron’s family were also present at Pearses on Saturday and his dad Fergal admits that it has been a difficult time for everyone.

“It is a really difficult time because Aaron is the life and soul of the house with his joking,” he said. “We’re just taking it day by day and there’s nothing else we can do. Aaron never smoked or drank, and he was fit and it was just one of these things that happened, bad lucky really. It was a lump on his neck which we at first thought was a cyst. He went to the doctor and within four weeks he had an operation.

“He then got the bad new that it’s incurable but treatable, so hopefully with the treatment he’s getting, he’ll get good news.

“A day like today is a good day for us because all the people have come out to support him and he’ll see it all on the video and hopefully that will lift his spirits a bit.”