Sean was a brilliant clubman
November 30, 2009For 25 years, Sean Smith played club football and hurling in the Royal County, invariably operating in a low-key manner, far-removed from the spotlight, oblivious to hype and melodrama. He was a clubman in the truest sense of the word, serving Batterstown above and beyond the call of duty, following in the footsteps of his uncle Brian, who famously captained Meath to their breakthrough All-Ireland SFC success in 1949.
Not for Sean the thrill of pulling on the county shirt or lining out at Croke Park, but still he was the kind of loyal, dedicated, dependable clubman who's worth his weight in gold. At grassroots level, it's the clubs that keep our mighty Association afloat and it's members like Sean Smith who keep those clubs ticking over.
Sean's uncle Brian is a historic name in Meath GAA history. He captained the Royals to Sam Maguire in 1949. He also served as a referee, was secretary of the Hurling Board and chairman of the County Board. Brian was also the man who appointed Sean Boylan as Meath manager - and the rest is history! With football and hurling very much in his blood, Brian's nephew Sean Smith embarked on an outstanding club career, most of which he spent operating at junior level.
He played all his football with Batterstown and represented both Dunboyne and Batterstown in hurling, enjoying a remarkable club career that began when he was 17 and continued for the next 25 years. Successes proved few and far between when it came to medals, but there were junior championship victories in 1972 and '92 as well as a few league souvenirs picked up along the way.
Though he played in practically every position, Sean's favourite role was on the 40 and it was as a centre forward that he'll be best remembered. Needless to say, he saw many names and faces come and go during his quarter of a century in the Batterstown colours. "Yeah, there was a lot of change and I played alongside a lot of different lads," he reflects. "When I started playing in 1972, my uncle Noel was on the team and I ended up playing alongside his sons! Nigel Nestor and his three brothers were on the team when I stopped playing…"
The Batterstown lads gave of their all every time they took to the field but, in hindsight, Sean accepts that winning is not the be all and end all of sport. "I enjoyed playing the games and just having the fun with the players. It wasn't always about winning. I have a lot of happy memories from my playing days and I think that's the most important thing."
Unfortunately, due to the demands of his professional career, Sean hasn't been able to remain involved in the GAA since he hung up his boots some 16 years ago. "I played up until about 1992/93," he reflects. "I had also worked as a coach and selector during those years. However, the business forced me to withdraw more and more from the football and hurling and when Batterstown amalgamated to form Blackhall Gaels it seemed like a perfect time for me to call it a day altogether."
Sean still lives in the area and follows the fortunes of the local club in its current incarnation, but his work involves a great deal of travelling and he simply has no spare time. He has done himself proud in the business world, as owner and managing director of L Lynch & Co Ltd., which he has been running for the past 16 years. The company specialises in commercial and industrial mechanical and process engineering work both nationwide and abroad. During the peak of the Celtic Tiger, the number of employees peaked at 600 but that has now evened off at a very respectable 250, many of whom are Meath people.
Of course, having played football and hurling in the county during three different decades, Sean Smith is still a keen follower of the Royal County. He watched on with growing interest in 2009 as the county's footballers regrouped superbly from their Leinster championship defeat to Dublin to navigate the back door and plot a path to the All-Ireland semi-finals. Champions-elect Kerry spoiled the Royal party at the penultimate stage, but the Batterstown man was nevertheless greatly impressed by what he saw.
With a few tweaks here and there, Sean is confident that Meath could once more emerge as a force to be reckoned with: "I think it's fair to say they are in transition at the moment. They definitely lack a couple of strong players in key positions, but they're not too far off the mark. I'd be friendly with Robbie O'Malley, who's a selector with the team at present, and he feels that there's plenty to work with. They did well in 2009 and hopefully they can keep it going in the next couple of years. One of two new players came through this year and they did well in the team, so that would give us hope that Meath football is turning the corner."
Sean is also a keen supporter of Meath hurling and is hoping the Royals can begin to move in the right direction sooner rather than later. Which game did he prefer himself as a player? "I was probably better at the football, but I think I enjoyed the hurling more," he notes.
Sean's son John is keeping up the proud family tradition in sport, having chosen the rather obscure discipline of archery as his area of expertise. John won the national junior indoor and outdoor titles two years ago and is competing at senior level now. Shooting out of the Summerhill club, he is on course to represent Ireland and is hoping to make an impression at the forthcoming College World Championships.
One doesn't have to look too far to work out where he inherited his accuracy from… Tweet
