Brothers in Sport by Donal Keenan Read Free Book Online

however, was littered with disappointments in the latter years of the 1980s. He played in four Connacht finals, plus one replay, between 1985 and 1989 and lost three times to Mayo (‘they paid me back in spades for those years when Roscommon beat them when I was a schoolboy’) and once to Galway. The loss in 1989, after a replay, by just two points, was particularly frustrating as they watched Mayo go so close to winning the All-Ireland final against Cork.
    In 1990 they finally got it right and beat Galway in the provincial final before losing to All-Ireland champions Cork in the semi-final. A year later Paul helped Roscommon to another provincial title. Meath, champions of 1987 and 1988, provided the opposition in the All-Ireland semi-final. It was a tight, tense affair, the highlight of which was a brilliant Derek Duggan goal. It was not sufficient. Brian Stafford’s free-taking proved the undoing of Roscommon. ‘Looking back,’ says Paul, ‘you realise that when you lose a number of finals and then win one, the satisfaction levels are much higher. I had lost four, so to go on and win two Connacht finals back to back was incredible.’
    By then his body was showing signs of wear and tear. He played on until the mid-1990s, but it was a struggle. ‘Because of the number of injuries I had I didn’t enjoy it as much. If I had some of that time over again I would have retired earlier because I was in so much pain that I didn’t enjoy it.’
    Between 1987 and 1991, Dermot served as deputy military advisor to the secretary general of the United Nations, based in New York. Despite a schedule that brought him to the strife-torn corners of the earth, Dermot kept himself informed of events back in Roscommon and in Paul’s career. On his return, he immersed himself again in the life of the Sarsfields club in Newbridge and paid close attention to Roscommon. When a managerial vacancy arose at the end of the 1992 Championship, Dermot was approached and subtle pressure was applied. Paul’s presence on the panel made the decision a little easier and, though success eluded them, the Earleys enjoyed their short period together in different roles. Dermot also managed Kildare and assisted at different levels and in various roles with Sarsfields.
    His eldest son David enjoyed prolific success with the club, winning county titles at minor, under-21 and senior level. Dermot Junior began to mock the supposed burden of a famous name when he won a Kildare Minor Championship in 1996 and by 1998 he was a member of the Kildare senior team under the management of Mick O’Dwyer. Despite being one of the best supported counties in football, Kildare had not won a Leinster title for thirty-two years. But the Earley family was out in force in Croke Park on 2 August when Dermot Junior played a major part in their victory over Meath. They beat Kerry in the All-Ireland semi-final and played a huge role in one of the most entertaining finals of the modern era, losing narrowly to Galway. He joined his father and uncle Paul on the All Stars roll of honour that year and won a second award at midfield in 2009. Uniquely, the youngest Earley, Noelle, was named on the Ladies’ Football All Stars selection just weeks later. Dermot and his wife Mary have three other children, Conor, Paula and Anne Marie.
    Paul also caught the coaching bug. He returned from Australia in 1998 and immediately became involved with the Allenwood club in Kildare. ‘I had no experience at all but I tried to combine all that I had learned during my time with Roscommon with what I had learned from the professional game in Australia and I thoroughly enjoyed my three years with the club.’ During that time, Allenwood reached the Kildare senior football final. Inevitably, their opponents were Sarsfields of Newbridge, for whom Dermot Junior and David Earley were playing, with Dermot Senior a selector. Sarsfields took the laurels. Paul enjoyed another three-year spell with the Celbridge