Keeping the Faith has served Galway’s sideline hero well

Talking Sport with Stephen Glennon

GALWAY’S former double All-Ireland winning manager John O’Mahony, who launched his autobiography entitled ‘Keeping the Faith’ earlier this week, says while he does not think he will take charge of an inter-county side again “you never say never”.

That is the essence of O’Mahony. That old saying of GAA being in the DNA is very much applicable to the Kilmovee native, who led Galway to a historic All-Ireland senior football title in 1998 before reclaiming Sam Maguire with the Tribesmen again in 2001.

In many respects, that journey, as he calls it, links in very much with the title of the book, ‘Keeping the Faith’. It was a phrase he first coined in the late 1980s when he took over his native Mayo and led them to their first All-Ireland final appearance in 38 years, before narrowly losing the decider to Cork.

In the darkest hours of that campaign, O’Mahony had urged everyone to ‘Keep the Faith’. It was a mantra he would use time and again when addressing supporters or the local and national media . . . both in Mayo and the teams he managed beyond.

“My sister-in-law then started off with a banner at one of the matches and that banner followed me around all of the various places from Mayo to Leitrim to Galway. On the pitch, after the final whistle in ’89, there is a picture of me – and it is in the book – with the banner of ‘Keep the Faith’ behind me.”

Jump forward to ‘98 and O’Mahony leading the Tribesmen across the Shannon with Sam Maguire in tow following victory over Kildare in an historic All-Ireland decider. As you could imagine, the celebrations were still in full swing back West when O’Mahony decided to slip home to Mayo for a few hours’ respite.

“I remember going home to Ballaghderreen and bringing the Cup into my school, St. Nathy’s College at the time and down into the Square. It was the first official – or unofficial – sighting of Sam Maguire in Ballaghderreen since 1951.

“My sister-in-law was there and she held up the same banner behind me. However, this time it read ‘We Kept the Faith’,” says the former teacher, now a sitting Fine Gael TD who has been nominated to run again in the next General Election as a candidate in the enlarged Galway West constituency.

While the book is his autobiography, he stresses it is not just about him but rather about the people who accompanied him on the journey. “I have been privileged to work with some of the greatest players that ever adorned any of the pitches in this country or Croke Park on Championship Sundays.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.