Meyler family story a tale of two sporting codes

John Meyler, former Cork and Wexford dual player and hurling manager, recalls the moment when his son David forsook Gaelic games for soccer.

“There was a clash and he was down to play in the county minor game with St Michael’s but there was an under-21 soccer match and he chose the under-21 and that was the match that got him seen. Damien Richardson [then Cork City manager] was watching him.”

Things moved quickly and a full-time contract with the League of Ireland club was followed in quick succession by an offer from Sunderland and so a decent career in professional sport beckoned – including captaining Ireland to a crucial 2017 qualifier win against Wales in Cardiff.

The idea behind collaborating on a memoir was that the strands of two very different sports careers had tangled.

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“When David’s career was unfolding, I paralleled my positives and negatives and was concerned about the negatives – where I had gone wrong and not taken opportunities at certain times. I tried to influence him rather than impose my experiences.

“I remember being in Páirc Uí Chaoimh in 1983 when there was two players left out of the 26 to play Galway in an All-Ireland semi-final. I was one and tried to relay to him. You’re not given opportunities –- you have to take them.

“Also in the middle of cup finals and playing for Ireland, don’t get too high when you’re up or too low when you’re down.”

Huge synergy

It wasn’t a one-way process either. Professional soccer has rapid-fire scheduling and disappointments fade into the rear-view mirror quite quickly. These lessons had application for John as Cork manager in 2019 when Tipperary comfortably beat them on the first day of the Munster championship.

“He always said, ‘Dad, the game is over. Move on. Forget about it. You’re playing Limerick in the Gaelic Grounds next Sunday so forget about Tipperary. That was the big lesson I learned from him.”

Cork travelled to the All-Ireland champions and beat them a week later.

“There was huge synergy between us. You learn an awful lot. I was over there for Christmas and was able to go down an watch them training. I loved it, loved being over in England.”

A highlight? The match in Wales and the Welsh national anthem.

“The hair was standing on the back of my head. I was singing the Irish anthem but I was even singing the Welsh one as well!”

Meyler: A Family Memoir – with Fintan O’Toole, launches this Thursday and is published by Hero books, retailing at €20.