Ill health of old friends puts things in perspective for Daly

GAA: DUBLIN HURLING manager Anthony Daly put the build up to Sunday's eagerly-anticipated Leinster hurling final against Kilkenny into its sporting context yesterday when speaking about the ill health of his former mentors Ger Loughnane and Fr Harry Bohan.

It became public last month that Loughnane – an RTÉ pundit, principal of St Aidan’s national school in Shannon and the former Clare and Galway hurling manager – had been diagnosed with cancer for which he is receiving treatment.

“That puts it all into perspective,” said Daly yesterday. “There are more important things in the world. I’ve a first cousin who did his Leaving Cert last year and he is a year out in St James’ hospital with leukaemia and to go in and see him there in the bed you have to pinch yourself at times and say your health is your wealth and enjoy the bloody thing and it’s sport at the end of the day – make the best of it. It’s very important to us obviously, a huge part of our lives but other things put it into perspective.”

Loughnane, Clare’s first All Star recipient as a player, was manager in 1995 when Daly captained Clare to their first All-Ireland title in 81 years. They repeated the feat in ’97, again under Loughnane’s guidance.

“It was a huge shock and Fr Harry is sick as well; a selector with me there for the three years with Clare (2003-06), a great mentor and friend of mine as well,” Daly continued.

“And the two of them from Feakle, and I suppose the two most successful Clare hurling managers of all time. Fr Harry won the two leagues in the ’70s with Ger playing and ironically they are both struck down – especially Loughnane because he is so fit.

“He’d be out hunting with the dogs there. You’d meet him and he’d be so enthusiastic, ‘Well Dalo!’ and jeez he’d know the name of the Dublin fellas. ‘How’s this fella going? He came on there in the 21s last year.’ The brain on him is unbelievable sure.

“In some ways I always think of Loughnane as nearly indestructible, in his own sort of way. Nothing ever got to him. He has a fight on his hands but (when) he sent me a text back there at the weekend he said, ‘It’ll be tough but tough we can do, Dalo’.

“No better man, no better man. If anyone can turn it upside down he’ll do it.”