PJ O'Hanlon is a busy man between running a successful newsagents and looking after the best interests of his community as a Town Councillor. Despite all this, he still finds time to follow the fortunes of his beloved Carrick Emmets. PJ is a past player and mentor of the club. Despite work taking him away from these shores for a spell, his first question when he would contact home was about how the local team are doing in the league or championship. Recent times have not been so good to the Emmetts and the result of the 2005 campaign was relegation to the intermediate ranks for next year, much to the disappointment of PJ. "It was a blow to be relegated alright, but hopefully the lads can bounce straight back up next year. There are some very talented footballers in the club and it is hoped that the intermediate championship can be won next year," said PJ. The town councillor has played his part in the history of the club. His qualities as a leader were evident when he was chosen as captain of the Coyle Cup under-12 side in 1972. Six years later and PJ was played at full forward alongside the likes of well-known referee Pat McEnaney, Gary Sheehan (RIP) and Declan Finnegan in the county minor football final which the club won for the first time in 24 years.The club marked Gary's untimely death by naming the stand at the grounds after him. "We had a good team around those times and we also played in the 1981 under-21 final against Scotstown, but were unfortunately beaten on the day, which was a great shame," added PJ. Shortly afterwards, PJ began working with Dunnes Stores in Dublin and this halted his football career, although it did not diminish his loyalty towards Carrick Emmetts. Following his spell in Dublin, the Monaghan youngster had spells in Wexford, Limerick, Sheffield and Belfast. During his visits home, PJ revealed that he used to love going up to the GAA club house and catching up with the fortunes of his friends and team-mates, who treated him as if he was never away. "Apart from seeing the family, it really was the highlight of the holidays, going up to see the lads in the clubhouse. When you would walk in the door, it was as if you had never left the country, you were just treated the same as always and I loved that," he revealed. "When I came home for good to help run the family business, I got involved with the senior team in 1993 and '94 and again in 2000. PJ was delighted to see the fortunes of Monaghan footballers take a turn for the better in 2005. Having spent so long in the doldrums, Monaghan picked up their first piece of silverware for almost two decades when they defeated Meath in the National Football League Division Two final. "Monaghan had a great year. It is amazing what a bit of success can do for a county as the crowds that turned out to support the lads were amazing. Meath defeated Monaghan in the Centenary Cup final in 1984 and they went on to win All-Irelands, while Monaghan have struggled since the end of the '80's until now. "It is important that the lads stay in Division One, because that's the only place they will improve. Ulster is a very tough province to win, especially with Tyrone and Armagh being so strong, but with a bit of hard work and given some time, Monaghan can be up there with the best," he stressed. "Seamus McEnaney and his management team have put in a huge effort since their appointment and they have got the perfect response from the players. There are quality footballers in the county and hopefully they can continue to build on their success of this year." The O'Hanlon family are well-known throughout the Carrick community and this is mainly due to their mother's role as shop owner and former County Councillor for 20 years. In 1956, Rosie O'Hanlon rented the local butchers shop from Malones and began running a fancy-good shop on the premises. During the seventies, O'Hanlon's bought the shop and over the years, it has turned into convenience store and toy shop. The family have also extended the premises when they purchased the adjacent pub and converted the buildings into one. "My mother has worked very hard all her life and she deserves great credit for what she has achieved. Even though O'Hanlon's is over the front door, the shop has always been known as 'Rosies'. The young people of today still refer to it as that, which is something in itself," said PJ. With so many big shops and supermarkets opening all over the country, it can be hard for the smaller businesses like 'Rosies' to compete against their rivals and although PJ admits that it is hard to contend with the low prices some of these outlets display, he believes that every customer is treated with the utmost respect in 'Rosies'. "We provide a very good service and our hours are from 7.30am to 12.30 most nights. Business is very competitive these days, but we offer that personal touch and any problems that customers have with our products will be dealt with immediately, unlike when they buy off the bigger shops. PJ has had a life long interest in politics and when he was approached to run for the position of Town Councillor, it did not take long for him to decide to go ahead with the election. As part of his role, PJ has to deal with social housing and any local issues that may concern someone from the community, which leaves him with a very responsible position among the townsfolk. "I enjoy my role as Town Councillor and I like to think it's my way of giving something back to the community. I am always pleased to help anyone anyway I can and will do my best for them. I'm lucky to have a great staff in the shop to help out and this creates more time for me to devote to my political devotions." PJ has also his wife Pauline to thank for being so understanding when it comes to time away from home. The couple have a four-year-old son Oisin and PJ admits that he hopes the youngster will show an interest in playing football for the Emmetts, although he stressed that no pressure would be applied in his decision. "I really do hope he plays football, but it will be his decision to make, already he is kicking a ball around, so who knows we might see him in the Emmetts' colours in a few years time," admitted PJ. On a final note, PJ is hopeful that the footballers can use the memories of past members to spur them on in their quest for glory in the intermediate championship in 2006. "The club have lost a number of good people in the last couple of years including former Presidents Joe Patton and Joey Gartlan, and also long-serving clubman Tony O'Kane to name just a few, and hopefully the intermediate team could use that as motivation for next year's campaign." Tweet

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