ATROCITY SHADOWS TYRONE MINOR BID
Atrocity shadows Tyrone Minor bid
ADVERSITY has been stalking the footsteps of the Tyrone Minor football team of late.
Last year one of their outstanding players Paul McGirr died from injuries he sustained in an accidental collision during the championship match
against Armagh.
The Tyrone side subsequently endured considerable trauma even though they did manage to win the Ulster title.
Tomorrow Tyrone will be in action in Croke Park again - and once more a giant shadow has been cast over their involvement in a major competition.
As Ulster champions once more, Tyrone will face Leitrim in the All Ireland Minor semi-final but coming just a week after the Omagh atrocity and given that several of the players are from that particular region of the county it is understandable that sporting success has been accorded a more modest slot in life's agenda.
This is acknowledged by Tyrone joint manager Mickey Harte, who along with Fr Gerard McAleer has the task of motivating and priming the squad for what will be a difficult assignment.
"What happened in Omagh on Saturday last has put a different perspective on things.
"There has been a great deal of suffering and grief and obviously the tragedy has been brought forcibly home to us as a number of people with close GAA links were among the victims," says Harte.
In a week dominated by funerals and unprecedented outpourings of grief, the Tyrone squad's preparations have been truncated.
The management hope that the players can focus properly on their task tomorrow but no pressure is being exerted.
"We will be doing our best to win.
"Last year we were beaten at the All Ireland semifinal stage and the lads were devastated.
"If we could get a victory tomorrow, it might be just a very tiny crumb of comfort for our followers," adds Mickey Harte.
Whatever the outcome of the match, the thoughts of the Tyrone squad will be primarily for their friends and colleagues who have been bereaved or injured in the Omagh explosion.
Life may go on but the quality of life can surely be affected by events such as that which occurred at 3.10 a week ago today.
ADVERSITY has been stalking the footsteps of the Tyrone Minor football team of late.
Last year one of their outstanding players Paul McGirr died from injuries he sustained in an accidental collision during the championship match
against Armagh.
The Tyrone side subsequently endured considerable trauma even though they did manage to win the Ulster title.
Tomorrow Tyrone will be in action in Croke Park again - and once more a giant shadow has been cast over their involvement in a major competition.
As Ulster champions once more, Tyrone will face Leitrim in the All Ireland Minor semi-final but coming just a week after the Omagh atrocity and given that several of the players are from that particular region of the county it is understandable that sporting success has been accorded a more modest slot in life's agenda.
This is acknowledged by Tyrone joint manager Mickey Harte, who along with Fr Gerard McAleer has the task of motivating and priming the squad for what will be a difficult assignment.
"What happened in Omagh on Saturday last has put a different perspective on things.
"There has been a great deal of suffering and grief and obviously the tragedy has been brought forcibly home to us as a number of people with close GAA links were among the victims," says Harte.
In a week dominated by funerals and unprecedented outpourings of grief, the Tyrone squad's preparations have been truncated.
The management hope that the players can focus properly on their task tomorrow but no pressure is being exerted.
"We will be doing our best to win.
"Last year we were beaten at the All Ireland semifinal stage and the lads were devastated.
"If we could get a victory tomorrow, it might be just a very tiny crumb of comfort for our followers," adds Mickey Harte.
Whatever the outcome of the match, the thoughts of the Tyrone squad will be primarily for their friends and colleagues who have been bereaved or injured in the Omagh explosion.
Life may go on but the quality of life can surely be affected by events such as that which occurred at 3.10 a week ago today.
Further Information
Publisher: BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Ref: BT/0207
Published Date: 22-Aug-98
Related Images
There have been no images archived for this article.