Small in stature, perhaps . . . big in heart, definitely! Royal County traces a remarkable career - which isn't necessarily over yet! Former Meath goalkeeper Paddy Quinn hurled in the sixties, seventies, eighties and nineties. His association with his beloved Killyon dates back to 1966. That was the year in which the club started up its first juvenile team under the guidance of new Chairman Kitt Mitchell. Paddy was a member of that fledgling underage side and his hurling career simply took off from there! He reflects: "We all just went down to the park and started to hurl with the new team which was a welcome development. I was about eleven at that stage and played in goal from the very start. I just ran in to the goals the very first evening. With such a big field, it just seemed the best place to run to!" In the beginning, Killyon juveniles were well beaten in virtually every game. The early years were lean but eventually they began to hit upon better form and more successful times. "We had a big pick," Paddy recalls. "There was a much bigger population in the local school than there is now and we had 25 or 30 lads to choose from." As they found their feet, a schools championship was won in 1968. A much more significant breakthrough was made four years later, however, when Killyon won the Meath Minor Hurling Championship. To prove that this was no flash in the pan, the county U18 crown was successfully defended in 1973. If any doubts remained about the fact that Killyon were here to stay, they were emphatically banished as the club rattled off five consecutive county U21 triumphs in the years 1972-76. Paddy Quinn was on all these teams, captaining the 1972 side to glory when he was only sixteen! Other players very much to the fore on those U21 sides included Martin Dempsey, Billy Dixon and Paddy's brother Christy. Paddy Quinn featured on the county underage scene between 1972 and 1977. While he was with the county U21s, Meath won a Leinster U21 Special courtesy of wins over Carlow and Westmeath. This qualified them for the Leinster Championship proper, wherein they defeated Offaly before losing to Wexford in Portlaoise - where Joe Cassells was among those representing the Royals! Paddy was nineteen when he broke on to the Killyon first team which was then competing in the intermediate grade. He can still remember the disappointment of defeat to the great Donaghmore team of that era in the 1976 decider. However, Killyon returned to the intermediate final in 1977 and this time they proved too strong for Longwood and subsequently progressed to senior ranks. At this stage, Paddy went to England for eighteen months, thereby missing out on the 1978 campaign and most of the 1979 one. In '78, Killyon lost to Kilmessan in the county semi-final. Paddy Quinn was substitute goalie the following year - having just returned from England that March - as Killyon won the Meath SHC for the very first time at the expense of Boardsmill. Killyon won the senior championship again in 1980 and '81, with Paddy captaining the latter team to SHC and Feis Cup success. In 1991, he was to captain the club to victory in the same two competitions! After '81, Killyon had two quiet years before returning to win both the senior (beating Rathmolyon in the final) and intermediate championships in Centenary Year. They reached the senior final again in 1985 but lost to Navan O'Mahonys. Feeling the effects of emigration, the club had lean times between 1986 and 1990. Then came '91 . . . and Paddy Quinn captained them to a county final win against Trim as well as Feis Cup success. Paddy continued to hurl with the club between 1991 and '97. During this time, Killyon reached a couple of semi-finals but were really playing second fiddle to the likes of Rathmolyon, Kilmessan and Trim. Due to a change of job and the pressure and demands which came with it, he didn't hurl at senior level in 1998, but did line out with the intermediate team. Brought on to the Meath senior team on the back of the club's intermediate breakthrough of 1977, Paddy soon won his No.1 jersey back on returning home from England two years later and remained first choice netminder in the county up until 1989. One of the highlight's of his spell on the county team was the All-Ireland B home championship success of 1985, achieved with a team which boasted such talents as Frank McCann (Trim), Sean Garrigan (Boardsmill) and Pat Priest (Kildalkey). Then there are the great tussles which Paddy and Killyon have enjoyed in the Leinster club championship. In 1984, for example, Killyon got to the second round where they only lost narrowly to a strong Buffer's Alley team - featuring Tony Dunne, Mick Butler et al - in Trim. They also had many great clashes with Ardlough from Kildare whose star player was the magnificent Johnny Walsh. Did Paddy ever have aspirations to play outfield? "I wanted to get out of goal at the start alright," he admits. "But the selectors persisted with me and as we started to win, my confidence grew and I got to like the position. It all just clicked into gear - not just for myself but for all the young lads who were coming along to play with the Killyon juveniles. Eventually, we had a very strong team with many players who were expert in their particular positions. The bones of that five-in-a-row U21 team stayed around and were instrumental in all Killyon's success over the next ten years." Paddy is 42 at the time of going to press. He played three intermediate games in 1998 but, as Killyon don't appear to have unearthed a replacement for him just yet, will probably represent the seniors once more in 1999. But he's not counting his chickens! "I've the first year of the new job over me now and have found my feet there so I might have a bit more time on my hands next year. Whether I'll get back on to the senior team or not, I don't know but the intermediate team of '98 went down to junior and I'd be quite happy to play for them." Indeed, Paddy's son Stephen (16) is coming up through the Killyon ranks at present as a goalkeeper of considerable talent. The club has another superb goalkeeper in Mark Gannon - Paddy's cousin - who is simply too useful outfield to be 'wasted' between the sticks. It seems that Paddy has been in goal for Killyon for so long that nobody else even thought about coming in to replace him! Such is the service he has provided the club, they could be forgiven for thinking he would never have to be replaced! But he will, one day. What does he think the future holds for Killyon? "Looking at the 1998 county final, I think both Trim and Kilmessan are going to take serious stopping for a few years. It might take Killyon to the year 2000 to get back to the county final because we have a young team now. However, depending on the draw, I can see a semi-final spot in 1999. If they stick together, who knows? After 1981 and 1991, maybe I'll get to captain them to championship and Feis Cup glory in 2001!" Now, that would be another great story. Tweet

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