Like the Connors in Walsh Island, the Whelahans in Birr and the Lowrys in Ferbane, the Foys are synonymous with Clonmore Harps. A small, rural club which straddles the Offaly-Meath border and is sandwiched between two bigger clubs in Rhode and Ballinabrackey, Clonmore faces a constant battle for survival, but has made a habit of defying the odds thanks to the hard work and dedication of its members.

"Anyone who is involved with Clonmore Harps are fierce proud of the club," explains Seamus Foy, whose sons Jimmy, Stephen and Philip all play for the east Offaly outfit.

"A lot of it is down to the fact that we have Rhode one side of us and Ballinabrackey, who play in Meath, on the other side of us. Because of our location and the fact that we're such a small club, we have lost a lot of players to our neighbouring clubs, which has been a sore point over the years.

"In many cases, those who left have regretted it because they weren't getting the games they would have been guaranteed if they had stayed with us. It's not nice to have other clubs coming into your territory, but that's been the reality for Clonmore Harps, unfortunately."

Seamus, who is a well-respected building contractor, actually played his club football with Ballinabrackey, despite being from over the border in Offaly.

"My brother PJ and I played with Ballinabrackey because there was no club in Clonmore at the time," he recalls.

"It had disbanded before I started playing due to emigration before being reformed over 20 years ago. I was a half forward and played alongside the late Peter Moore, who won an All-Ireland with Meath in 1967, his brothers Fr. Dan and Paddy, Jim and Tom Connor, Kevin Conlon, Pat and Christy Cooney, Danny and Criostoir Flynn and Brendan Lucey. The Moores were also from Clonmore, but like myself, played for Ballinabrackey because it was the nearest club to us."

Another brother of Seamus', John, didn't play football but was a driving force behind Clonmore's rebirth. "John has a huge interest in the GAA and was the person most responsible for getting the club going again. He is still very active within the club and goes to all the county board meetings," Seamus explains.

When the Harps defeated Rahan-parish club Shamrocks at Geashill to lift their first Offaly JFC title in 94 years in 2010, the Foys backboned the team with Jimmy, Stephen and Philip being joined by their cousins Jack and Theo (John's sons), Adrian (PJ's son) and Enda, who is a great clubman. Jimmy had a fantastic game at centre forward, accounting for 1-6 of Clonmore's final tally of 1-10, while fellow half forwards Stephen and Philip scored 0-1 each.

"That was probably our finest hour," Seamus fondly remembers.

"We went from junior 'B' to intermediate football in the space of three years which was a wonderful achievement. Sadly, we were relegated back down to junior last year, but that won't stop us from trying to get back up to intermediate next year."

Since 2010, Seamus' youngest son Philip has emerged as one of Clonmore's brightest prospects. He followed in older brother Jimmy's footsteps by representing the Offaly minors this year, but his biggest sporting achievement to date was winning a Hogan Cup medal with St. Mary's, Edenderry last April. To top it all off, Philip was chosen as the All-Ireland final man of the match after a brilliant display at centre back against St. Michael's, Enniskillen.

"I was delighted for him and the rest of the Edenderry players because the effort they put in was unbelievable," Seamus continues.

"Their manager Emmet McDonnell had them running up the town at 6 o'clock in the morning! They're the first Offaly school to win the Hogan Cup and hopefully it will give the county a boost now. Mick O'Dwyer came up from Kerry to present the players with their Leinster and All-Ireland medals at the Johnstown House Hotel in Enfield recently, and everyone had a great night.

"Philip is only starting out with his football career, but already he has won an All-Ireland Colleges medal and an U21 medal with Rhode, who Clonmore join with at underage level. Jimmy and Stephen won three U21 medals each, so he'll be hoping to emulate them."

Married to Theresa, who is an avid Clonmore supporter as well, Seamus also has two daughters, Bridget and Fiona. He has worked in the construction industry for the past 42 years, having carried on the family tradition from his late father, Tommy Foy. Another inspirational figure in Seamus' life has been his 92-year-old godfather Willie Anderson, who lives beside Clonmore's pitch.

"Willie's a legend around these parts. He may be 92, but he still cuts his own turf, is as active as ever and hasn't got a grey hair on his head. I wouldn't mind having a head of hair like his!" the affable builder jokingly concludes. Tweet

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