Having retired five years ago, following a club career that spanned two decades, Aghabog native Barry McCarville has taken a well earned break from the game, but that has not stopped him from following the fortunes of both club and county since.

For this year's edition of the Monaghan Yearbook, we profile his career, while he gives his thoughts on the 2010 GAA season and the Farney County's chances of glory.
Barry has resided in Dublin for the best part of 20 years now and throughout that time made the long commute back home to Aghabog for training and games. For the majority of that time he was either single or married without kids, however the arrival of three children during the intervening years made him change his priorities.
"My wife Kiera was very understanding when I was playing and she deserves great credit for all that she had to put up with. When I was training with the club, I could be gone from early morning and wouldn't be back until midnight," said Barry.
"When our first child Jamie came along, things had to change and the football had to take a backseat. We now have three children following the addition of Keelyn and Emilie. I have great memories from the GAA and made so many friends, but it's time to let the younger lads at it now," added the 36-year-old.
Barry acknowledges the fact that the commitment players give to both their clubs and counties now is more intense than it ever was as training and preparation for games has changed over the years.
"There is certainly more emphasis on training these days and physical training in particular. Players have to mind themselves a lot more too and it is a big ask for many lads. However, it is a great social outlet and one that will continue for many, many years to come."
Barry picked up a few honours right from underage up to intermediate level and despite retiring and living in Dublin, he still tries to get down to see the club play every year.
"I was only at a couple of their matches this year, but I'd be in regular contact with the lads from home. You develop a bond with them over the years and I don't think that will ever go away.
"The club are plying their trade in the intermediate grade, they were relegated two years ago, but came straight back up last year. There a rural club and numbers are always tight. Hopefully the recession will not force a lot of lads to move away. I think a lot of clubs are concerned over that. There is speculation that a few of our lads are going to Canada. You can understand why they feel the need to go, but hopefully the club won't lose too many."
During the last few months Monaghan manager Seamus 'Banty' McEnaney has been busy putting his backroom team in place for next year. The high profile appointment of Paul Grimley as Banty's number two added to the fact that Martin McElkennon is staying on as trainer has whetted the appetites of all Monaghan gaels for yet another season and Barry is no different.
"I think its next year or bust for this current side. They have been together for a few years now and everyone is excited by the management team that Banty has put in place.
"Personally I would like to see a few more players coming into the squad just to freshen things up, especially in the forwards where Tommy Freeman needs more help on the scoring front. It would be great to see that happen as on their day they are as good as anyone and they have proven this over the last few years.
"I just feel that Monaghan don't have the same resources as some of the bigger counties and it's harder to unearth quality county players as the numbers are not there. I do believe that this bunch of lads are good enough to win something. This year, the bounced back after the Armagh game and they played very well against Derry in what was one of the games of the year.
"Ulster is probably the most difficult province to win, but hopefully Monaghan can produce the goods next year and really fulfill their true potential."
Barry works as a Sales Engineer with Refrigeration Distributors Ltd (RDL). The company was formed in 1981 by managing director and Cork native Pat Cummins, who along with a reliable and efficient staff has built the business into one of the largest and most respected wholesalers in Ireland.
RDL specialise in manufacturing compressor racks and are a nationwide distributor of equipment and components to the refrigeration and air conditioning trade. The company has their head office in Cork, while they also have a branch in Dublin. Their staff of 20 are highly qualified and are more than capable of dealing with any situation that may occur.
"Over the last few weeks, business has picked up a good bit. Like all businesses, the market has been slower for the best part of the year, but we're reasonably busy now for this time of the year," concluded Barry. Tweet

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