Na Magha's Gearalt aims for Ulster Poc Fada title this evening!

Age is just a number for Gearalt O’Mianain who enters the Ulster Poc Fada this evening, putting Na Magha in the headlines once again.

The 50-year-old was crowned Derry Poc Fada champion last month and now takes it a step further as he takes on hurlers many years his junior this evening, a competition synonymous with his family and indeed, his club for decades.

His days of playing are long gone, but the first still burns for Gearalt, who uses his contagious effort to do whatever he can in his role as Vice-Chairman of Na Magha. That enthusiasm emanates off Gearalt no matter the task or the occasion, and ahead of his Ulster challenge tonight, he is just as keen as ever, even if he will be the oldest competitor there.

“When we did the County Derry Poc Fada, we went over the Carn Mountain and there were boys there who were 30 years younger than me,” he laughed. “Look, age is just a number. It's a good advertisement that if you keep yourself in half decent shape, you can still get out and about and do a bit of running and pucking.

“If you learn the technique of how to hit a ball well when you're younger, it's like riding a bicycle, you have those skills with you all your life. To be honest, it's an opportunity for me to give a bit of positive publicity for the club. The way I look at it, when I'm going up over the mountain and I'm feeling a bit tired, I think of the people who gave us the opportunity like Sean Mellon, Hugh Breslin, Eamon McFadden within the club.

“You're pucking for them and you're pucking for your family and your club. If you get a bit of publicity, and you're lucky enough to be successful; maybe at my age, success is being able to get over the mountain and back down again in one piece.

“Everybody who’s there is taking part on merit, they've all won their own county title. It doesn't matter where you're from, you could be from a small club, you could be from the biggest club in Ulster or the biggest club in Ireland. It doesn't really matter, it's all on the day. It's great craic and it's a great tradition and I think it's very important that we keep that tradition going within our club as well.”

Gearalt will not be the only Derry representative participating this evening, with Bellaghy’s Grace Draine taking part in the Senior Ladies’ event, while Cian Doyle-Kennedy from Ballinascreen will take part in the U16 Boys’ event. Aoife McAteer from St. Patrick’s, Dungiven completes the Derry contingent in the u16 Girls’ event.

“It's great to see people from your own club mentioned out the county and representing your county as well in the Ulster final. I have a great spotter, Daryl Connolly, he was with me last year over the mountain. My brother who also competed in the Ulster Poc Fada took part in 1997 and I took part in the Ulster way, way back in 1998, so you can imagine the type of age myself and of course I'm much younger than him. It brings back great memories of those days. You look back 20 years, more, 30 years from when you did it before.

“As I say, it's good fun, it's all positive and you get to meet, for example, the young fella who's representing County Derry at under-16, Cian Kennedy; his father played for Derry along with me, minors and under-21s. You get to chat about the old days as well. You're no longer competing against those players week in, week out in the Derry league so it's great to get a yarn and a laugh about the old days when we were playing and going hell for leather.”

Tradition

The age range of those participating in the Ulster Poc Fada event this and every year is another example of tradition and lineage in the GAA, behind which is love of the game throughout the county; Gearalt and Na Magha are no exception to the passion which drives local Gaels.

“We're all part of the GAA,” he continued. “You have to always bring in new people. You can't sustain any organisation unless you're getting new people with new ideas.

“Our doors are always open here at Na Magha in the city. That's the whole ethos of the GAA. We're very welcoming to anybody who comes in. You don't have to be the best player in the world, but you could always have a vital role to play.

“You could be the most amazing chairperson or coach or fundraiser. In a way, people who have played on the pitch, they're privileged because maybe they get that wee bit more out of being part of a club, whereas other people who are doing the hard graft, they're on the committee. I don't think people understand the hard work and the hours that people on a committee put in. We all work together in the club. That's what the GAA and the ethos of the GAA is. It's inclusivity and everybody working together.”