…but you'll never take the Monaghan out of the man! Seamus Dooley started a new life in the Big Apple 36 years ago. Emigration could well have signalled the end of his GAA career. However, to the contrary, the Killanny native has immersed himself in GAA affairs across the Atlantic and has given sterling service to both the Monaghan club in New York and the New York County Board. He's also been a driving force behind the redevelopment of Gaelic Park.

Seamus Dooley was guest of honour at the New York ladies' 2009 annual Dinner Dance. Not the first time he was honoured with such an accolade … and it certainly won't be the last. Since leaving his native patch in the early '70s, the man from Killanny has been a brilliant servant to the GAA in New York. He is, quite rightly, regarded as one of the hardest-working gaels in the States. As the Association marked its 125th anniversary in 2009, it's only right that we should acknowledge the selfless contributions of men like Seamus.
Reflecting on the decision of a wide-eyed young man to leave Killanny and set forth on an adventure to New York back in 1973, Seamus notes: "I just wanted to get away. I wanted to come out to New York and see what it was like and play a bit of football over here. There were quite a few coming out at the time, although I didn't have any contacts over here. I came out with Gene McKenna from Kingscourt and you could say we had one arm as long as the other."
There was to be no turning back… "I started bar-tendering and I got a job with Alan Clancy, a great Monaghan man, and then worked with the Considines from Clare for 15 years. After that, I took a course in elevator mechanics and that's what I've been at since, working on elevators in high-rise buildings in New York City."
If anything, Seamus' GAA career took off after he landed in America. He played for the guts of a decade with the Monaghan club in New York and then refereed for 15 years after that. He has remained very active within the club, holding every position from chairman down, and is currently treasurer. Seamus also became involved with the New York board and held every office there as well, including a three-year stint as president and a term as New York's delegate to Central Council. The latter post meant that the Monaghan man returned to Ireland at least five or six times a year. He still sits on the New York board today and has barely missed an All-Ireland final since first witnessing a decider in Croke Park in 1957 (when his neighbours Louth famously got the better of Cork).
As president of the NY board, with tremendous help from Nickey Brennan and Liam Mulvihill, Seamus was instrumental in transforming Gaelic Park to its present status as a magnificent all-weather, floodlit pitch that catered for over 200 GAA matches in 2009.
Seamus always makes himself available to host Monaghan men in the Big Apple and his guests in the past have included Sean McCague and Padraig Duffy. Indeed, before he emigrated, he was co-selector for the Monaghan minor team alongside St Macartan's College men Vincent Lee and Padraig Duffy.
Seamus was educated in Carrickmacross at the High School himself but admits: "School wasn't for me, so I bailed out. I did two years in Dublin after leaving the High School, but I decided to get out of it."
Personal tragedy struck Seamus and his daughter Amanda when he lost his wife at the age of just 39. He showed great dignity and strength to get over this massive setback and his ongoing efforts on behalf of the GAA in New York have certainly not gone unnoticed.
In 2000, he was guest of honour at the New York (men's) GAA Dinner Dance. On St Patrick's Day 2006, he was honoured in Croke Park with the President's Award. This year, of course, he was special guest at the New York ladies Dinner Dance. In a personal message to the ladies Association in NY, dated November 13 2009, Irish President Mary McAleese referred to Seamus as "a Monaghan man who personifies the commitment and dedication of so many men and women to the advancement of our national games at home and overseas. Gaelic Park would not be Gaelic Park without his dulcet Monaghan tones on the sideline." High praise, indeed, emanating from the very highest corridors.
Also a regular visitor to Capital Hill in Washington to try to sort out immigration issues for Irish people who find themselves 'illegal' in the United States, Seamus is delighted to have served the Gaelic Athletic Association so well, describing it as "a great way of keeping people together."
Seamus' first loyalty is to Monaghan and he firmly believes that Monaghan people who go out to New York for the summer should play for the Monaghan club: "It's disappointing to see so many Monaghan players come out and play for different clubs. As a club, we've always taken good care of our players and we'd like to see the Monaghan lads play for Monaghan. Of course, work is a part of it too and you can't blame them in that way, but we look after our players well and I'd like to see them playing for their own county…"
Speaking of which, Seamus would love nothing more than to see Banty's Monaghan seniors capture some major silverware this coming year, though he's of the opinion that an infusion of new blood is required at this stage. Judging by the make-up of the county squad at present, the manager and selectors are in agreement!
"I'd like to see them adding a few new faces to the panel. They were so near in the past few years but didn't get across the final hurdle. I believe there was an All-Ireland in that team but they just didn't do it. When you look at Kerry this year, they beat no-one up as far as the All-Ireland semi-final. They struggled against the likes of Antrim, Longford and Sligo - and Sligo should have beaten them. If they'd scored that penalty, they would have won. We get to see most of the games over here but, to be honest, unless Monaghan are playing, I'd prefer to be down at Gaelic Park with the kids.
"It would be absolutely wonderful before my time is up to see Monaghan winning an All-Ireland. We need five or six decent new players at the moment, though. If we get those, we'll be in with a shout in 2010." Tweet

Most Read Stories