Michael Bond still passionate about the game

By Cian O’Connell

Offaly and Michael Bond. It was just meant to be. In the mad hurling summer of 1998, a connection was forged.

Bond watched the Leinster SHC Final in New York. By the time the All-Ireland decider rolled around Bond managed the Faithful to the summit.

Bond quickly understood Offaly, and the players responded to his methods. How did that unfold so quickly? “Well, since the age of 15, I used to train teams, and then right up along, up along, and of course, then, when I was a teacher at the school, you have quite a lot of time and not too much responsibility, bar your own classes,” Bond reasons.

“When I became principal then in '86 you couldn't go to train a team. The fact that Offaly was available in ‘98 during the summer holidays and I was available, it just happened. It's kind of like, it's almost like a mystery that it happened.

“Of course, after spending 13 weeks with them in ‘98, I thought I could walk away in the evening, but that just didn't happen.”

Life as an educator was a significant help preparing teams. “Even going back in the day, the fact that I was involved, I trained every Galway team there was, even junior,” he recalls.

“I trained the Galway junior team in 1984 when we were beaten in Thurles, the day that Offaly beat Galway in the semi-final.

“That game, that final was foisted on us in a short period of time. I trained the minors, I trained the school, I was involved in 10 All-Ireland winning County Galway Vocational School teams.

“So, I was always involved, and it's a great way to get to know the youngsters, and it's a great way to be in with the youngsters too, because they'll find out the kind of person you are.”

Sport is critical for teenagers. Decades spent as a teacher and principal proved that point to Bond. “It absolutely is huge, it's huge - and every effort, and if I was back in the school now, or back as a principal, I would insist that every year, has a league so that every student can take part, whether it's at a very high rate, or a low rate because it's important,” he says.

“Just for the whole idea, as well as for the physical side of things, but for the clearness of the mind, for the whole mental health, it's so important.

“It's so important to have a hobby, and to do things, whether it's golf, hurling, football, rugby, whatever. In some of the footage on TG4, I'm wearing a Connacht Schools rugby top.

“So, a lot of people would say, ‘how come you're wearing that? How come you're allowed to wear that?’ I said that was the only one I had at the time.

“So, I mean, because only a certain number will get on a hurling team or a football team, I introduced rugby for those who weren't getting on the team, and some of them continued on to play, and some of them now are even coaching teams, you know. To me, it's awful important.”

His teaching days frequently featured conversations with Cyril Farrell. Bond was a key figure with St Brigid’s Vocational School, while Farrell had hurling high on the agenda in St Raphael’s. “Cyril Farrell was very involved in Raphael's, and I always say that we didn't really have a proper trainer in Galway until Cyril Farrell came along and lucky enough, or unlucky, he trained Ardrahan for a short period of time,” Bond says.

“But it was only for a short period, and I'd have loved to have had him because you need people that you look up to, and you need people who know what they're doing.

“In 2005 we lost to Cork in the All-Ireland Final, but we beat Kilkenny and Tipperary in the quarter-final and semi-final and there were five members of the school on that team. That was a great team and they were very unlucky to lose in the final to Cork.

“I remember in ‘83, when Galway won the Under-21, Cyril was training the minors to win that year.

“We even had a little chat about even going in together, and maybe training Galway at that time. But it's often that somebody in their own parish isn't a prophet.

“I suppose I trained Galway with John Connolly way back in ’84. But, always, he's a great man to talk about and he's very cool, very calm, and very collected.”

Bond remains an avid follower of Galway hurling and is delighted that 2017 All-Ireland winning captain, David Burke, remains involved. "He had a very serious cruciate ligament injury,” Bond says.

“He came back very, very early. I honestly don't know as to whether he'd play a major part or not, but he minds himself very well. He comes from a great family of hurlers. It was a pleasure to have them all in the school."

Bond monitors Offaly too and is hopeful that a new gifted generation can deliver at the highest level again.

Patience, though, is key according to Bond. “It'll be small steps now, it'll be small steps,” Bond says.

“There are a lot of good players, a lot of those players have to maintain interest and they have to stay healthy. They're doing well, they're doing well in the league this year, the seniors.

“To do well in minor, do well in under-21, it's a stepping stone, and also that these players now that are under-20 or under 21, I mean, they weren't born at the time that Offaly were in their heyday.

“They weren't born in ‘98. So, I mean, that would be a little bit of a positivity from the show too, that anybody who decides to watch it, to see the great hurlers they had and the great achievement. I did nothing, the players did everything.”

Laochra Gael Series:

Programme 1: Pádraic Maher, 9.30pm, Thursday 23^rd January

Programme 2: Marc Ó Sé, 9.30pm, Thursday 30^th January

Programme 3: Ursula Jacob, 9.30pm, Thursday 6^th February

Programme 4: Ronan Clarke, 9.30pm, Thursday 13^th February

Programme 5: Michael Bond, 9.30pm, Thursday 20^th February

Programme 6: Bríd Stack, 9.30pm, Thursday 27^th February

Programme 7: Ben & Jerry O’Connor, 9.30pm, Thursday 6^th March

Programme 8: Eamon McGee, 9.30pm, Thursday 13^th March