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Given the success enjoyed by Simonstown at underage level in the
eighties and early nineties, it was inevitable that many of the
club's players would attract the attention of county selectors
at various grades down through the years. Colm Brady and Hank
Traynor would be the best known given their exploits with the
Meath seniors but there were others who also made their mark in
the green and gold jersey.
Colm Brady and the Meath team were foiled in their bid to win
the All-Ireland in 1990 when Cork proved their betters in the
decider but club-mates Ronan McGrath, Paul O'Brien and Ciaran
Moore enjoyed better fortunes that same day as they were members
of the Royal County minor panel which claimed national honours
at Kerry's expense in the curtain-raiser.
Ronan lined out at right-half back as Meath clinched the Tom Markham
Cup for the first time since 1957 on a scoreline of 2-11 to 2-9.
Paul and Ciaran were amongst the substitutes while the team manager
was, of course, Simonstown's Paul Kenny. Future All-Ireland senior
winners Graham Geraghty, Enda McManus and Conor Martin also featured
on the winning side while, as a matter of interest, 2000 'Player
of the Year' Seamus Moynihan and All Star 'keeper Declan O'Keeffe
were on duty for the Kingdom.
Three years later these two teams met again, this time in the
All-Ireland U-21 showpiece at Portlaoise and again it was the
Royal County who prevailed, 1-8 to 0-10. It was Meath's first
ever All-Ireland success in this grade which made the achievement
of Paul Kenny's charges all the more noteworthy. Simonstown had
a strong representation; Ronan McGrath occupied the number 4 jersey
while this time Graham Cooke and Kenny Cantwell were on the bench.
Paul Meade had been involved with the panel earlier that year.
Kenny Cantwell was Simonstown's sole representative on the county
minor team which scored a last gasp victory over Armagh in the
All-Ireland final a year earlier. He was a right-corner back on
the day. Paul O'Brien would more than likely also have played
a part that year had a back injury not ruled him out of contention.
Both Paul and Kenny and Ronan McGrath and Paul Meade were members
of the Meath team which lost the 1991 Leinster MFC first round
to Dublin in Walterstown. Colm Keys, meanwhile, collected a Leinster
U-21 souvenir the same year. The Royal County qualified for another
Tom Markham decider in 1993 but despite the best efforts of Ned
Kearney and Hank Traynor, both of whom were corner-backs, they
were defeated by Cork.
Ned Kearney was eligible for the U-18 grade again in 1994 but,
surprisingly, a team which also contained Darren Fay, Paddy Reynolds,
Mark O'Reilly, Barry Callaghan and Ray McGee failed to make an
impression in the provincial championship.
That same crop returned in 1997 and fared much better in the u-21
competition with Simonstown's Cian McGrath and Alan Meade new
faces on the first XV along with Ned. The Leinster championship
was garnered courtesy of a 1-11 to 0-7 win over Westmeath but
Derry proved to be one bridge too far in the All-Ireland final
which was played in Clones. Present Oak Leaf County senior stars
such as Enda Muldoon, Sean Marty Lockhart, Paul McFlynn and Johnny
McBride.
This was Ned's second Leinster U-21 souvenir, 12 months earlier,
he and Hank played their parts in the Royals' 1-8 to 0-8 final
victory over neighbours Louth in Parnell Park.
More recently, meanwhile, Seamus Kenny and Ronan Brady were left-half
back and right-half forward respectively on the Meath U-21 team
which lost out to neighbours Westmeath in the Leinster final of
2000. Seamus made amends in early April of this year when he again
donned the number 7 jersey as rivals Dublin were overcome by 0-10
to 0-5 in the Leinster final. Seamus' father, Paul, was once again
donning the banisiteoir bib.
These are the Simonstown players who were lucky enough to savour
success on the intercounty scene but there were others who also
earned county recognition Philip Traynor, for example, was captain
of the minor team which succumbed to Offaly in the Leinster MFC
semi-final of 1989. Mickey Byrne and Alan Kavanagh were introduced
as substitutes during that defeat.
Brendan Martin (minor), Alan Meade and Niall Kiernan (minor '96),
Paul Reilly (minor 1997), Seamus Kenny (minor '98) and Ronan Kenny
(minor '00).
At the time of writing Ronan is involved with this year's minor
team. They will have played their first round championship game
on May 12th.
Of all those mentioned - leaving aside Colm Brady and Hank Traynor
- five have played competitively at senior level for Meath. Ronan
McGrath was a panel member in 1993, '94 and '95. Ned Kearney was
involved from 1997 to the end of the 1998/'99 League campaign.
He was a corner-back on the team which suffered that shock defeat
to Offaly in the Leinster final of '98.
Paul O'Brien made a couple of appearances as a subsitute in the
1998/'99 NFL campaign while Ronan McGrath, Cian McGrath and Eric
O'Reilly featured in the first round O'Byrne Cup defeat against
Westmeath at the beginning of 2000. A sixth, Seamus Kenny experienced
his first taste of senior action during the club's inaugural floodlit
tournament last October.
Of the non-home grown talent to have pulled on the Simonstown
jersey, Des Lane is a holder of two All-Ireland senior medals.
While with his native Slane he earned a call-up to the county
squad and was a member of the victorious Meath panels of 1987
and '88.
Des joined the club at the beginning of 1995 and played a prominent
role in the Intermediate championship success of that year. He
is currently a senior selector. Along with Ned Kearney, he was
a member of the Meath junior team which reached the 1996 All-Ireland
final before losing to Cork. Ronan McGrath and Paul Meade featured
in earlier rounds of that competition before both departed for
America.
Another Simonstown player who featured in the successful Intermediate
campaign, Cathal Ryan, captained his native Offaly to O'Byrne
Cup success in 1992 while current senior star Gareth O'Neill has
played for Armagh, Louth and Leinster. He also captained a successful
O'Byrne Cup winning team, Louth in 1997, and won a Railway Cup
souvenir the same year.
The O'Reilly brothers from Bellewstown, Eric and Hugh John, have
also played competitively at minor level with Meath, in 1998 and
2000 respectively. So there you have it, Simonstown's contribution
to Meath teams - and other county sides - down through the years
briefly summed up. Hopefully, more will follow suit in the near
future.
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