A few of the hurlers (even one I'd had a bit of "history" on the pitch with!) and one footballer came to visit my daughter when she was very sick in the hospital.

It really brighten her day (and mine) when it was needed.

I'll never forget it.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13717 - 29/07/2014 13:41:04    1627911

waynoI
County: Dublin
Posts: 9727

1627889
Suppose being at the post-match All Ireland final meal and subsequent celebrations at the Gibson hotel last September would be mine.

Had you the bodhran with you?

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 29/07/2014 15:33:18    1627988

Took a sweet off Ger Henderson at a game once ! And a pint with both Eddie Keher and Cha Fitz on separate occasions.

AnFearDonn (Kilkenny) - Posts: 65 - 29/07/2014 15:56:42    1628009

Ahead of the All Ireland final in 1992 (when I was but a 12 year old), watched a training session for the team in Donegal town. When it came to target practice, Anthony Molloy nearly decapitated me taking a shot on goal. I was closer to the sideline than the goal at the time. They were sound lads, signed autographs for me afterwards and had a bit of chat for everyone who showed up to watch

Most bizarre was chatting Diarmuid 'the Rock' O'Sullivan late in the night after the All Ireland football final in 2007, outside Mulligans of Poolbeg Street. He was dressed in a full Cork kit, shorts, socks and all. Great craic, and what a way to support your team

petejoeduff (Donegal) - Posts: 329 - 29/07/2014 16:02:42    1628016

A few of us had a great night out on the lash with an ex Dublin player Coman Goggins a few months ago. Top bloke. Well able to sing a few songs he is. We rocked the residents bar till all hours of the morning with The Rare Ould Times and a few more classics.

aidan64 (Kerry) - Posts: 665 - 29/07/2014 16:02:46    1628017

Supporting Tipp (during the lean years) in a Cardiff pub only having to sing that damn Lee song after Cork battered us again (lost bet). Thought I'd get away from them for one game. Revenge in the semi's though...

Termon (Tyrone) - Posts: 58 - 29/07/2014 20:43:10    1628210

yew_tree
County: Mayo
Posts: 5871

Went on the beer with some of the Dublin Ladies team after they won the All Ireland a few years ago...thats all

No better group of girls yew_tree.

I assume you had a great night.

if_in_doubt (Kildare) - Posts: 3685 - 29/07/2014 21:17:41    1628243

My 7 y/o son is a huge fan of the dubs an could even tell you the names of all their clubs and the positions they play in but he also is a big admirer of the gooch who he knows is a living legend so lo and behold was i killarney on holidays a few weeks ago and sauntered into tatler jacks for a pint and who walked in only the great man himself! My son had been going around the pub looking at all the football photos and was enthralled by any of them featuring the gooch i think one of the girls tipped of gooch (who works in the bank a couple of doors up) that he had a little admirer in the pub so when he finished work he came into the pub and came up to my son and had a nice chat with the little fella and my wife and I then he asked my son would he like a photo! Absolute class player on the pitch and absolute class off it as well! Made my sons holiday! Also too many great moments with dubs players to mention! Top guys also!

DUBJOHN (Dublin) - Posts: 932 - 30/07/2014 08:34:01    1628302

Half time of a league game in Wexford park a good few years ago me and a few mates went out to puck around at the goal. One ofthe boys placed a sliotar on the spot so I got in the goal. As he went back to take a run at it the players came back out and damien fitzhenry belted over and drove it !! I dropped to the ground vut stuck the hurl up. Saved it and caught the ball on the ground. Fitzy game me the ball and a stick. Still have them both

Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 2682 - 30/07/2014 08:38:20    1628303

As an 8 year old in 94 was in the dressing room after Limerick beat Clare, had a chat with Ciaran Carey and got to hold the cup, magic. Was a big Meath football fan also and they played a challenge in my club early in 1997. Tommy Dowd was unloading his car as I walked past and asked me to give him a hand. Took a few footballs into the Meath dressing room for him and he got all the team to sign my autograph book. Top man. Years later met Trevor Giles at the Kilmacud 7s, they beat Dublin in a legends game. He was in great form, saying you could never beat the Dubs enough! Top man!

S Man (Limerick) - Posts: 229 - 30/07/2014 10:20:38    1628338

As a kid going for a drives out West towards Ventry and stopping off in Paidi's where Dad would always get me to say hello to the Ard Ri behind the bar, got a good few family photo's with the Legend outside the pub.

Getting to know Jimmy Deenihan over the past year as he helped me out with a project, and sitting in his ministerial office one day last November listening to him tell me some great stories about his playing days with Kerry and Finuge while his secretary pleaded with him to get into the car as he was already late for some function up in Derry. Great man and a decent man.

Two of us roaring out the Rose of Tralee in the Raheny GAA club-bar the night after we stuffed the Dubs in Q-final in 2009 (they took it well god bless em), Ciaran Whelan walked in half way through my 'rendition' and came over and had a chat with us after. They all got their own back in 2011, when I kept my promise and strolled in in my Kerry gear after the All Ireland final.

TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts: 6354 - 30/07/2014 10:52:44    1628347

Being outpaced badly down the wing versus liam hassett in a club game despite him being 10 years my senior(even though i was tired from bringing the turf from day before the game).Always thought he was slowish but maybe says more about me. Had the craic with him afterwards. Huge respect for athleticism of county players after that.

KY4SAM2013 (Kerry) - Posts: 7 - 30/07/2014 14:46:12    1628494

Have quite a few of them. An encounter with Vinny Murphy after the 95 final in the early hours of Monday morning where he was signing jerseys 'Vinny Murphy. I am crap' as he didn't get his game.

One of the most memorable was in a pub in Meath where myself and a mate were playing pool. Looking on were Barney Rock and Dave Sinnott. They decided to take the two of us on in doubles with the losers buying a round. Myself and the mate whipped them and enjoyed a couple of cold ones on the two boys. Stick to what you're good at lads!

Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4700 - 30/07/2014 18:14:17    1628649

I met michael donnellan last night in Galway. A man of great humility and modesty. One of the all time greats on and off the field.

StopTheLights (Galway) - Posts: 343 - 30/07/2014 20:39:22    1628725

I back up that point about Mikey Donnellan, a lot of that Galway 98/ 01 All Ireland winning team are gentleman.. Outside of my own county, i was on a stag some years ago in Westport and we met up with Pat Holmes early in the day and he stayed with us all day and night, a gentleman and great crack... He had a few stories too!!

Belclare1 (Galway) - Posts: 1626 - 31/07/2014 08:18:19    1628761

Jack Sheedy gave me a mars bar in Parnell Park when i was a kid (prob around 94/95), to this day the best mars bar ive ever had.

Funny one was when again as a young fella going to the local garda station to fill out some form - my da recognised the gard and told me it was Derek Duggan from Roscommon. Coversation while filling out the form went like this:
Me Da: I see your name is Derek Duggan, there's a Roscommon footballer with that name
Garda: Is there now?
Me Da: Yeah, he's a gard based in Dublin
Garda: Is he now?

Never admitted it was him nor denied it, but had that wry garda smile - classic stuff
, always looked out for him from then on.

HenryHill16 (Dublin) - Posts: 249 - 31/07/2014 09:43:42    1628794

Pete Finnerty served me a burger in Tuam the other night!!!!

Belclare1 (Galway) - Posts: 1626 - 31/07/2014 09:53:03    1628801

went to Estonia a few years ago for Paddys Day, all very random, went out the night before (a Wed I think)to some Irish bar and getting chatting a lad at the bar, says he is from Laois, chatting about ball and he is saying stuff about playing against the likes of Canavan and Paul Curran, so I ask did he play county, turns out it was Mick Lawlor from Laois, he was out there on work, ended up going on a pub crawl for the night with him and another lad. Next day all was a blur, checked my pockets and last receipt I had was from some bar at 5;30 in the morning.

Rosineri1 (UK) - Posts: 2099 - 31/07/2014 10:02:54    1628810

Have a few of these. Best one was a few years back in Kerry when we went down for the league game and we'd managed to get in contact with the late Páidí Ó'Sé god rest him, we went to his pub and he ended up taking us over to his house where he showed us, mainly my brother, his All Ireland medals. We ended up back over in his pub to meet Darragh - a real gentlemen and had the Craic with him and eventually the next morning met Tomás walking over to mass, again he stopped and had a conversation with us and got photos etc (consequently making him late for mass)

Keeping in with Kerry, I read jack O'connor's book one Christmas and when we went back to Kerry last year my daddy had organised to meet jack because I'd loved his book so much. Long story short, we ended up getting Jack up to take our club minors for a training session in Down before he came back to our house for a bit of a feed.

Also a few years back I used to study journalism so I really ripped the backside out of having to do interviews for coursework with down past and present players and met up to interview paul mccomiskey (whom I had a huge crush on at the time), paddy mo doherty, James McCartan and Ross Carr. Also stole the thunder on my sister communion day years ago because his niece was in my sisters class and he was there, so whilst everyone else was taking pictures of the beautiful 8 year olds in their dresses I was over reminiscing with mickey linden about Down's glory days.

May shock a few Tyrone folk here but Daddy and I travelled up to Quinn's corner to meet Peter the Great and i have to say he was nothing but a gentleman! Also met up with mickey harte last winter in Mayobridge and ended up sitting in his car for half an hour conducting yet another interview - safe to say my teacher loved me!

I went up to the Lagan courts one day 2 years ago to interview the man himself - Mr Joe Brolly! It was 2012 and out of everyone I'd interviewed joe was the only one to predict that Donegal would win the all Ireland. He was class, definitely one of the most charismatic and eccentric people I've ever met!

Bumped into Ciarán Whelan one day in Croke park and nearly had a heart attack, again he stopped for a picture and was so so decent. Met Spillane on the same day in the shop in Croker with his son, he talked for a good 20mins whilst dad I think just stated at him in awe.

Lastly - save the best to last - people say you should never meet your hero because they'll disappoint you but Benny coulter was the opposite, he totally exceeded my expectations! Again dad had organised for Benny to come to our primary school years ago and from that we've remained in close enough contact with him and I can definitely say that even when I meet him now it's like meeting him for the first time all over again!

MissDownFanatic (Down) - Posts: 411 - 31/07/2014 11:19:56    1628845

MissDownFanatic
County: Down
Posts: 354
___________________
I hope you didn't serenade Mickey with THAT song MDF!

brendtheredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 10897 - 31/07/2014 16:30:23    1629024