Certain families are naturally associated with clubs, as Royal County discovered when he tracked Paddy Timmons down. The Timmons name is simply synonymous with the GAA - and sport in general - in Rathkenny. This has always been the case and undoubtedly always will be. Take Paddy Timmons - of three brothers and possessor of one of the sweetest left feet ever to grace Royal County football - for example. Following in the footsteps of his father, Paddy has given a lifetime of service to Rathkenny and his own son, Richie, is already continuing the proud family tradition. Paddy - now 44 - played alongside young Richie (19) for the past three seasons and the former Meath player rates this unique accomplishment as perhaps the finest achievement of his long playing career. Certainly, it's a very rare and special feat . . . and Rathkenny can now look forward to years of service from the son of the son of one of their favourite sons! The original of the species was Jack, who represented Rathkenny for years. Jack's three sons - Peter, Paddy and Noel - have also been good to their local club. Paddy recalls that he started to play with the club at U14 level under the tuition of Master Owens. "He came up to me one day and asked me what age I was," Paddy reveals. "Even though I was only 11, I said I was 12 and he believed me so he put me into the U14 team." That was 32 years ago. Paddy started to play intermediate football with the first team when he was sixteen. In 1971, he went to play with neighbours Garryowen and then with the newly-formed St John's club, an amalgamation of Garryowen and Kilberry. In '74, he returned to Rathkenny. "We then met up with St. John's in the semi-final of the intermediate championship in Kells and they gave us a real pasting," he recalls. Indeed, Paddy and Rathkenny were never able to make the breakthrough into senior football. "In reality, I suppose we just weren't good enough at the time," he concedes. "We did have some very good teams but the overall standard at intermediate at the time was a lot higher than it is today. Good intermediate teams are getting a bit scarce now, but back then it was a very competitive grade. Also, teams were stronger in general and the football itself was a lot tougher." Amazingly, Paddy's playing career continues almost unabated. In 1997, he was goalkeeper on the intermediate team. In '98, he featured on the junior C team which, unfortunately, made an early championship exit at the hands of Dunderry in Navan. As the highlight of his career, Paddy cites the 1984 Junior A Championship final victory over Moynalty, a game in which he figured prominently as full forward for the winners. Soccer, of course, is also strong in this neck of the woods and Paddy has played a lot of the so-called beautiful game. He played with Stackallen who were a very formidable outfit. He won a Leinster Senior League Division Two medal with them in the mid-seventies and also represented Rathkenny in the Meath & District League. Paddy is typical Rathkenny material as most lads from the area play both football codes. The current team is no exception. Indeed, Paddy maintained his close ties with both games in '98, doubling up as manager of the Rathkenny soccer team and selector on the gaelic team. "I just wanted hardship all year 'round," he chortles, perhaps only half-jokingly! Reflecting on 1998, Paddy says it was a "good year" for Rathkenny gaels. "We didn't enjoy the best of luck, though," he says. "We reached a championship play-off and lost to St. Pat's. But that was a game we should never have had to play. In our group we got off to a flyer, winning our first four games. Our fifth game was against Drumconrath and we had to beat them to go through. We only lost narrowly, despite having to field without Donal Curtis. "So, we're certainly there or thereabouts at the moment. But, we've a small enough team and I think we have to get in a few more bigger lads. We lost the three McBrides at the start of the year and I'd really like to see them guys back in the Rathkenny colours again." Following in the footsteps of his fellow clubman Mick White who was on the Meath team in 1968, Paddy soon broke into county team reckoning. He played in a number of tournament and challenge matches but just never quite made the grade. "Mattie Kerrigan was the greatest player I ever played alongside," he notes. "Not only was he a great player but he was also a gentleman. I remember one year, two weeks before we played Wexford in the Championship at Croke Park, Mick O'Brien took a squad of us to Kingscourt to play Down in a challenge. I was picked to play at corner forward and Mattie was full forward. He came over to me before the game and asked me if I was nervous and I said 'a bit'. He gave me some words of advice and I went on to score 1-4. I thought I had played my way on to the Championship team with that performance but I didn't even make the panel which was a huge disappointment." Paddy was called back on to the panel when Sean Boylan became manager and was a little unlucky not to become a regular. He has no complaints about missing out under the Dunboyne herbalist, however. "Sean is an exceptional manager. He was with Rathkenny when we won the Junior Championship in 1984. I can say without any fear of contradiction that we wouldn't have won that championship only for him. He always knew how to handle players." What about Meath in 1998? This time, Paddy has a bit of criticism to impart: "To be honest, I think it was the line that beat us. Both Brendan Reilly and Stephen Dillon were off form in the Leinster final. They weren't in the game and we had Jody Devine and Ollie Murphy on the bench. By the time those two did came in, it was too late! I though after the Offaly game that they'd win Leinster. They never learned from the scare they got against Louth." "I think they should bounce back next year, though. But Leinster is very competitive now . . . and I think that's a good thing. It all became a bit tedious when it was just Dublin and Meath." Proud of the impact being made at intercounty level by Rathkenny's Donal Curtis ("... he has given the whole club a boost ..."), Paddy says he always wanted to play club football alongside his son before he retired and this he has achieved- for the past three years! He also has two girls - Amanda and Ann-Marie - playing ladies football. Looks like the great Timmons tradition will continue for some time to come! Tweet

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