Cathal Lee of Colmcille and Longford fame A home practise and a couple of medals would do nicely for the Dunfermline based Doctor in 1993 Long after Armagh had initiated the first rumblings of an Ulster rebellion in 1977 and well before Clare's coup in Munster some fifteen seasons later, Longford did more than most to rock the boat which had for so long cradled the status quo in football circles countrywide. By the Autumn of 1985 the great Kerry team were on the slippery slope to banality while Dublin were much poorer than the 1983 All-Ireland winning side but still the second best team in the country. It was in the midst of this scenario that one Cathal Lee, a 20 year old Trinity Medical student from the Colmcille club in Longford, entered onto the inter-county stage. Enter Lee stage right, exit Longford mediocrity stage left. Making his Senior debut for the Leinster minnows in October '85 against Galway in a home National Football League tie, the flying defender could not have foreseen the emergence of any great changes to the team's persona during his "breaking in" period at the highest level. Managed by Longford town Bank Manager and Cork native John Murphy, Longford began the 1985/'86 season in blistering fashion, whipping Galway by 0-18 to 0-3 in their opening encounter. To this date, that fifteen point landslide win represents Cathal Lee's most favoured memory in his beloved but low profile Longford jersey. "The Galway game made it a dream debut for me and provided the team with a whirlwind start to the season. The game didn't reflect the team's form beforehand and in hindsight I sort of had the feeling that it was too good to last", remembers the Dunfermline, Scotland based General Practitioner. Colmcille's best known Scottish import was sadly spot on with his prognosis. Inconsistency, Longford's constant companion and well-documented Achilles heel, would make real Lee's whispered words of wisdom. For a time though, the fairytale season continued unabated for the Blues with a second round League victory over the Metropolitans earning the likes of messrs. Lee, Toher, O'Shea and Casey wild reviews in the national papers. Kevin O'Rourke's input into the team's Croke Park heroics was especially recorded. Mooted by some to have been in danger of being called aside as the second half progressed, the Granard giant proceeded to suddenly tear Garry Hargan apart. O'Rourke rammed in 1-3 and before you could say promotion contenders, the 1985 All-Ireland finalists were handed a shock home defeat. Thereafter, a blundering defeat in Pearse Park against Cavan would herald cries of déjà vu from the Longford faithful. There was, however, no major inquest. Champions of Leinster back in 1968 (3-9 to 1-4 versus Laois) and two years before that of the National League (0-9 to 0-8 versus Galway) Longford expectations had snowballed downwards by the advent of the athletic Colmcille student onto the Senior county side. Longford's failing in 1985 has been repeated too often for their own good, Cathal Lee muses. "We just can't seem to maintain our better performances. I think it's something to do with the psyche of counties like us which hasn't got the custom or tradition of winning things regularly like Meath or Dublin. It's a mentality inherited by every player who plays for Longford. It needs to be overcome in the early stages and for that reason we badly need success at underage level". Cathal Lee can appreciate more than most the value of juvenile success in generating a firm self-belief and an appetite for more of the same. A product of the Jackie Flanagan school of coaching at Colmcille, Cathal was a winner at home and at school in the famed Gorman football nursery. Teaming up with the likes of Declan Rowley, Gerard McKeown, Damien McBennet and Pat Duggan, a Colmcille/Killoe combined effort rewarded the loping defender 'cum midfielder with a prized Under 16 county Championship medal. In addition Father Robert's tuition of young Lee in the finer points of hurling helped elevate him onto the college first team and provided him with Under 16 and Minor Dublin 'B' Colleges hurling medals. More than anything though, it was Lee's sojourn at Gormanston under Joe Lennon's wing which was to orchestrate the Longford lad's basic philosophy on the game. Getting fit to play rather than playing to get fit was the message from the Down guru. The Colmcille cavalier was a ready-made disciple of Lennon's Law…"he taught me to make physical fitness the basis of playing the game". Although his time at Gormanston coincided with the college's lean times on the football field following their Hogan Cup triumph of 1973, Cathal Lee still reflects back with great fondness on his football days alongside such players as Kildare's Pauric Nolan at Gormanston. More particularly he remembers captaining the Senior College side to victory over the then defending All-Ireland champions Carmelite of Moate in a first round Leinster tie back in 1982. Even Gormanston's subsequent defeat to Marist, Athlone couldn't blemish his mature recollections of such a feat. From 1977 to 1982 Cathal Lee's star in the sporting and academic sphere's spiralled upwards as if almost fated to succeed in both departments. It wasn't only playing alongside, the likes of Cavan's Clan Murtagh and Kerry's Noel O'Mahony at Trinity that Cathal Lee glowed and prospered. Whatever rough edge needed to be rounded after completing his term with messrs. Smyth and Larkin, there were two more high-profile mentors waiting in the wings to polish the innate talents of the ever-improving wing half back and often midfield. On the county front, the highly respected Brendan Hackett instilled into a thoroughly manageable Lee the necessity to believe in one's ability and to aspire towards a mental toughness to compete with the best attackers around. On the club front, the much in demand ex-Offaly manager Eugene McGee has employed his coaching talents to good effect at Colmcille. Cathal Lee is self-confessed admirer of the Eugene McGee (also a Colmcille native) style of football. "Play the simple ball, get things moving forward as fast as possible and perfect the basics, that's what he (McGee) believes and I go along with him", confirmed the fully qualified 5'11", 13 stone doctor. Destined to remain on at his adopted practise in Dunfermline until his contract expires in August next, Cathal Lee is a Senior citizen these days for club and county. Four years before being elevated on to the Longford side he was co-opted on to the Colmcille Intermediate side in conjunction with other rising local starlets such as Andrew Smith, Gerard McKeownand Kieran Williams. It was a top heavy Colmcille team though with too much asked of veterans P.J. Devine, Pat Brady and Josie Murtagh. Defeat to Legan in the '81 Intermediate Championship final hardened young Lee's resolve and at the same time prompted some belated re-grouping at Colmcille. Five years later, Colmcille's new blood helped reap a rich harvest and with the Scotland-bound midfielder ruling the roost with partner Seamus McKeown, the Intermediate crown was lifted in deference to Abbeylara's claim. During 1982 the Gormanston boarder was made Player of the Year in the County Meath nursery. Eight years later Colmcille would accord the self same award to their loyal defensive servant. The youngest of three sons, (Barry and Sean being the others), born to Charley and Kathy Lee and brother of Aine, Bronagh and Ita, the former Combined Universities panellist has confirmed to Longford supreme Eugene McGee that he will be available for his county's forthcoming O'Byrne Cup duel with Laois and in addition the team's remaining three National League games. He loves the game but his gradh for club and county made such a commitment a fait accompli. Cathal Lee, it transpires, would like nothing better than to be employed as a pawn by McGee alongside club colleagues Seamus Smith, Gerry McKeown and Richie Culhane in the game of recapturing the glory of Colmcille's County Championship success of 1958. Losing out on inclusion in McGee's Australian Rules panel of 1990 was a "disappointment". Colmcille's Division One Leader Cup win that year was "tremendous and more than adequate compensation". Cathal Lee expresses the hope that 'cum practise on home ground and a Senior provincial medal. Such a state of affairs would be "unbelievable", he honestly remarks. Watch this space for relevant updates! Taken from Hogan Stand Magazine 22nd January 1993 Tweet

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