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Former All-Ireland winner and All Star Meehan calls it a day

GAELIC GAMES NEWS ROUND-UP : GALWAY football manager Tomás Ó Flatharta has suffered a big blow with the news experienced Declan…

Thu Jan 06 2011 - 00:00

GAELIC GAMES NEWS ROUND-UP: GALWAY football manager Tomás Ó Flatharta has suffered a big blow with the news experienced Declan Meehan is to retire from inter-county football.

Meehan’s decision to retire removes one of the last links with the 1998 and 2001 All-Ireland-winning teams.

The versatile Caltra clubman made the decision after recently undergoing a shoulder operation and he informed the Galway manager of his decision this week.

Ó Flatharta paid tribute to Meehan and said the experienced wing-back would be a huge loss.

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“Declan was a great servant to Galway football. It was a tough decision for him to but he recently had an operation on his shoulder and is facing into three or four months of rehab with it.

“He came to me the other night with his decision and I asked him to take some time and give it some consideration but he had his decision made.

“I informed the players afterwards and told them he had made his decision and it was tough for some of them to take.

“There was plenty of good things said about Declan and a great round of applause for him. He was a very committed player and will be a big loss to us,” said Ó Flatharta.

Meehan won just about every honour in the game, picking up All Star awards in 2000 and 2001, along with his brace of All-Ireland senior medals.

He emerged on the scene as part of a magnificent St Jarlath’s side which won the 11th of the 12 Hogan Cups won by the famed Tuam college.

That 1994 side included his brother Tomás, Michael Donnellan, Pádraic Joyce, John Divilly, Tommie Joyce and Michael Cloherty, all of whom went on to win All-Ireland senior medals when Galway’s 32-year All-Ireland drought ended in 1998.

But perhaps one of the most memorable moments for Meehan was when he was joined by his brothers Noel, Michael, Enda, Séamus and Tomás in guiding Caltra to their first ever Galway SFC in 2003 and then going all the way to win the All-Ireland club title the following March against An Ghaeltacht from Kerry, a team which included the Ó Sé brothers Darragh, Tomás and Marc.

The Meehan link with Galway will continue in 2011 with Michael one of three captains named by Ó Flatharta this week.