WHEN GALWAY and Derry meet this weekend to commence their All-Ireland series, memories of an ancient battle may cross the minds of Paul Conroy and Chrissy McKaigue.
The year was 2007 and the date was 16 September. Munster rivals Cork and Kerry were slugging it out in the Sam Maguire final in Croke Park, and the curtain raiser saw Galway and Derry contest the minor All-Ireland final.
Paul Conroy, the Galway captain, was playing in his routine midfielder role. McKaigue is more commonly known these days as a defender but he too was playing midfield that day. And for 57 minutes, it looked like his county was on course for a fifth minor title. But it was Conroy who climbed the Hogan Steps in the end after a late Damien Reddington goal snatched victory for Galway and ended the county’s 21-year wait for minor honours.
17 years on, and the pair continue to serve for Galway and Derry. They’ve been there through the fallow periods and the prosperous times. McKaigue captained Derry to a Division 4 title in 2019, a pivotal achievement which was effectively the starting point of a drive which culminated in Division 1 glory this year. McKaigue also helped Derry to back-to-back Ulster crowns in that stretch.
For Conroy, his journey with the Galway seniors began in 2008 under the management of Liam Sammon. He came into a squad which contained some of the county’s 1998 and 2001 All-Ireland winners, including current manager Pádraic Joyce. Influential forward Seán Armstrong was in there too as was Michael Meehan, arguably the greatest player to never win an All-Ireland with Galway. Conroy made his first start against Roscommon in the Connacht SFC quarter-final, scoring 0-6 from wing forward, including four frees, in a 16-point victory.
He also started the semi-final win over Leitrim and was sprung from the bench for the Connacht final against Mayo, replacing Niall Coleman at midfield where he kicked a point to help Galway prevail.
That put Sammon’s squad into an All-Ireland quarter-final against Kerry. Meehan dazzled that day with 0-10 in that game despite a biblical downpour, while Conroy started at midfield. He was withdrawn after 40 minutes for Joe Bergin, who momentarily gave Galway the lead with a goal shortly after his introduction. But a stacked Kerry team featuring heavyweight campaigners like Darragh Ó Sé, Colm Cooper and Declan O’Sullivan overpowered the westerners in the final 10 minutes to eventually win by five points.
“I thought it was going to be like that all the time,” Conroy said in an interview with the Irish Independent about his debut season with Galway, and his ambitions for the future. “It hasn’t turned out like that.”
The St James’ midfielder uttered those words in 2014, six years on from that last Connacht triumph in 2008. They had only reached the final once more in that period where they were edged out by Mayo. In 2013, Galway shipped a 4-11 to 0-16 thumping at the hands of the Green and Red, their worst defeat to Mayo since 2007. The decline was stark and the Tribesmen would have to wait until 2016 for their next provincial title, by which stage Kevin Walsh was at the helm.
It was reported at the time that over 50 players declined to attend trials for Galway that year, something which Conroy referred to in the aftermath of their Connacht semi-final win over Mayo.
“We weren’t given a chance coming up here today,” he said. “A lot of lads turned down the chance to come in. I don’t know whether they were up for it or what their story was.”
Conroy would end that season with an All-Star nomination after helping his side overcome Roscommon in a Connacht final replay. Galway limped out of the championship that year after an All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Tipperary but there were flashes of improvement. That wasn’t always clear to Galway supporters though.
During his five-year spell, Walsh delivered two provincial crowns, an All-Ireland quarter-final and semi-final appearance. But the criticism surrounding Galway’s defensive style of play was harsh and persistent. In the midst of all that, Conroy endured one of the darkest times of his career at the age of 29. In a typical act of bravery, Conroy lunged himself across the surface trying to secure possession during Galway’s opening game of the 2018 All-Ireland series against Kerry.
He still manages a smile.. Speedy recovery bro @PaulC225 no doubt you'll be back stronger! #gaillimhabú pic.twitter.com/maELoiho2i
— Damien Comer (@DamoComer) July 15, 2018
There was an accidental collision with Kerry’s Seán O’Shea and Conroy endured the worst of the impact, breaking both legs. There was a fracture to his left tibia and fibular along with a hairline fracture in his right fibula. He needed surgery to deal with the damage, and a lengthy stint of rehab which kept him out of action for Galway until the 2019 FBD League semi-final against Mayo.
Conroy received a phone-call from Republic of Ireland international Séamus Coleman during his recovery. The Everton defender, and Donegal native, had suffered a similar horror leg break, and wanted to reach out with some advice and words of comfort to help him along.
“He had seen it in the media and he gave me a ring which was brilliant,” Conroy told the media about the interaction. “He reached out to me on Instagram and gave me a shout and offered his support. I was well impressed with that, I’ve been shouting a bit for Everton ever since!
“He left himself very open for questions which you kind of wouldn’t expect off a professional footballer. I don’t know why you wouldn’t expect it, but you’d just think they wouldn’t reach out to someone in the west of Ireland. But he did, fair play to him.”
Galway’s downturn coincided with the prime years of some talented players. Gareth Bradshaw, Gary Sice and Gary O’Donnell arrived too late for the golden years, and were long gone by the time Galway got back to an All-Ireland final under Pádraic Joyce in 2022.
Conroy is still here after the storm. He picked up another All-Star nomination after that All-Ireland final in 2022, and now at 34, he’s still a key member of the Galway engine room. And after a league campaign that was disrupted by injuries to key players, the westerners appear to be motoring again. Completing a provincial three-in-a-row sets them up nicely for an All-Ireland series where they will meet Derry, Armagh and Westmeath.
Mickey Harte’s Derry are up first in what will be a first championship meeting between the counties since their 2022 All-Ireland semi-final where a Damien Comer goal proved to be the decisive score. Conroy and McKaigue were both involved that day too. Another chapter in their rivalry beckons.
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