PAUL MESCAL WAS in Dublin one day when he met his Kildare football manager.

Paul Mescal is taking over Hollywood after coming from humble beginnings in Kildare.

Mescal’s career in the performance arts was already well known to his teammates and coaches at the time, but the effort needed to split his time between the two pursuits was becoming more difficult.

And when he reached the U21 inter-county grade, he found he could no longer maintain the balance. His mentor at the time, Bryan Murphy, can’t remember exactly whether the pair arranged to meet that day in Dublin or not, but they stopped for a chat anyway.

Murphy spotted that Mescal had a book under his arm and inquired about it. He had no clue of what it would ultimately amount to.

“He had landed a role and was reading this book again – ‘Normal People,’ Murphy tells The42 about his memories of coaching Mescal.

“Little did I know what a life-changing event that would be for him.”

Murphy is referring to the brilliant TV drama which propelled Mescal to fame and effectively set him on a path that has culminated in an Oscar nomination. Mescal is up for the Best Actor award for his performance in the movie ‘Aftersun’ and is in competition with actors including Colin Farrell and Brendan Fraser for the top prize next Sunday, 13 March.

But before playing the role of Connell Waldron and all the stardom that followed, Mescal was an emerging GAA talent. Originally from the Maynooth club, he was a quality defender who won a Leinster minor medal with Kildare in 2013. The following year, he was promoted to the role of captain before subsequently earning a call-up to the county’s U21 squad.

In a previous interview with GQ magazine, Mescal humbly described himself as “definitely not the most skilled,” while as a defender, he thought of himself as “good at getting in the way of people, annoying people, throwing my body around.”

Murphy says that Mescal does himself a disservice with those words. He worked with Mescal at both minor and U21 level, which suggests a great level of insight.

“There was a bit more than that to Paul,” he begins. “He was tough and the go-to man if he had to mark somebody. On top of that, he was an exceptionally good footballer and well able to read the game and influence it in all facets.

“For us, in 2013, and again at U21, he wasn’t the oldest guy in the team. But you could set Paul a task and tell him that there was a scenario you wanted him to unfold, and work on it to come up with a solution if a team was to attack us in a certain kind of way.

“He’d go out and come back with what they came up with. He had that authority within the group and went about his business in a lowkey [kind of way]. He wasn’t the loudest person in the room and when he spoke, people listened to him.

Paul Mescal playing in the 2014 Leinster minor final. Cathal Noonan / INPHO Cathal Noonan / INPHO / INPHO

“In 2016, we were playing Dublin and they had beaten us the year before. The management met to set down markers in a game. One incident comes to mind where Mick Spillane’s son was playing with Dublin. He came in with the ball and Paul met him with a shoulder and put him in the air.”

During a spell of his Kildare minor career, Mescal was under the tutelage of Brendan Hackett.

It was Hackett who appointed him as captain, and positioned him in the spine of their defence at centre-back. 

As a player, Hackett could only see boxed ticked when he looked at Mescal. He scored high on every possible measure of a player, from fitness and technical proficiency, to general match intelligence.

He already had an appreciation for the arts, from even before he knew of Mescal’s intentions to stir the stage. Hackett also attended some of his plays, and could identify potential from the very first act.

“He was just engaging from the first time I met him. He was open and intelligent. He had leadership skills.

“You’d ask lads what they want to do after their Leaving Cert, and he was very clear on the route that he was taking. I went to plays and read quite a lot and I was interested. I think ‘The Great Gatsby’ was his first breakthrough.

“I was interested in how things would turn out [for him]. You knew he was special but who could predict how quickly that was going to turn out. He had all the qualities to be top class at what he did.”

Even after Mescal’s minor career had expired, Hackett felt he could still make a contribution. He could lend to them his experiences of winning and losing, and what he learned from those contrasting outcomes.

“What I really liked about him was (when) I was in my second year as manager and he was overage. He came back to chat to the group because he was somebody who won a Leinster final and lost a Leinster semi-final.

“There’s very few minors you would ask to do that because they might not be confident to get up in front of a group of their peers. But that was no issue at all, he was delighted to come back and do it. I’ll always remember him for that.”

Similarly, Murphy was aware of Mescal’s acting credentials. He was aware that scheduling issues could arise, but knowing Mescal’s strength as a footballer, he was determined to make the workload manageable. He appreciated the worth in retaining Mescal’s services. There was even an occasion when Mescal’s skills as a performer helped tighten the bond in the dressing-room.

“We first started to see his acting ability when he was a minor because he was in a play in school. But equally, we did an exercise with the lads one year to create a bit of spirit and craic. We used to get fellas singing in the dressing room after training. We’d pick a song to get it started and everyone would join in. He picked the song, ‘The Parting Glass’ and everybody just stood back and listened. You knew he had a talent.”

Mescal winning the ball ahead of Con O'Callaghan. Donall Farmer / INPHO Donall Farmer / INPHO / INPHO

Mescal went on to further his acting studies at Trinity College’s Lir Academy. But by second year, continuing to play for Kildare was becoming “more of a challenge.” He played in the Leinster U21 final in 2015, levelling up against some future All-Ireland winners for Dublin, including Con O’Callaghan, Colm Basquel and Cormac Costello.

But difficult conversations were on the way.

“In 2016,” says Murphy, “He came to me and said that he might miss a few sessions, but in fairness to him, I don’t think he missed any. He made it work and you come across very few fellas like Paul in your life. I’ve come across a lot of great fellas and I couldn’t speak highly enough of him.

“In 2017, that was his third year with us at U21, and auditions became much more of a feature of his course and he couldn’t afford to miss any of those. He had to travel a bit as well. At that point, he rang to say he had to pull out and I said, ‘Paul, I fully understand your decision, but if you can find a way, we’ll make it work for you.’ But again, he knew what needed to be done and he did it in the right way.”

Mescal still keeps in touch with his GAA roots. He says he intends to return to football at some stage, although his second coming might not be for some time as his career in drama continues to flourish. Both Murphy and Hackett credit Mescal’s family for the qualities he has showcased throughout his life as both an actor and an athlete.

His Oscar nomination is hopefully just the latest milestone in Mescal’s life. He has the backing of his native county, even if it’s hard not to consider what could have been. Had his life unfolded differently to afford more time for Gaelic Football, it’s almost certain that Mescal would have prospered on the Kildare senior team.

“I have no doubt,” says Murphy about that path not taken.

“Football at that level is as much a mental game as it is about skill. And he certainly had the mental game to step up.

“He’s a good kid and comes from good stock. His family keep him grounded so he’s in good shape. His brother is a good rugby player and his sister is carving out her own career.”

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