Roscommon star Diarmuid Murtagh.
In this week's My Club feature, Roscommon senior footballer Diarmuid Murtagh tells us all about the St Faithleach's GAA club.
By Cian O'Connell
Connacht Final fever is currently gripping Roscommon.
In Ballyleague the respected St Faithleach's club are thrilled that the three Murtagh brothers are involved in the county panel.
Having made such an impression in the underage grades out west Roscommon are now poised to make an impact at senior level.
St Faithleach's, founded in 1962, hosted an open evening at their grounds on Monday June 20.
It was an important occasion for the proud club, who claimed a Roscommon Senior Football Championship in 1965.
At the event in Ballyleague GAA.ie spoke to Diarmuid Murtagh, one of the most exciting young forwards in the game, about St Faithleach's.
The Murtagh brothers following the 2015 Connacht FBD League Final.
Q: How did you start playing as a young fella?
A: I started playing out in the back garden with the two brothers and then with the club. Where we are here this evening is our new pitch, it was built about 10 or 15 years ago at this stage.
Q: Did the club used to play across the road from the current facility, there used to be an under 14 sevens tournament played there?
A: Yeah, it is called the Paddy Bolger Tournament, that actually still goes on. They bring clubs from all over Connacht, even Leinster, it is a great competition. That still goes on. The pitch used to be across the road alright, there used to be an electrical wire going across the pitch.
Q: It is a brilliant tournament with teams coming from so many places, it must be a big thing for the club.
A: Yeah, I can remember the likes of Ballintubber from Mayo being in it. You'd have a lot of current inter-county players that would have played in it throughout the years. I think that Diarmuid O'Connor and Cillian O'Connor would have played with Ballintubber here. Fellas that would have went on to play with Longford would have played here. Then obviously you'd have guys from Roscommon, and I think St Loman's from Westmeath used to come. You would have a lot of great players involved, obviously back then you wouldn't have known who would go on, but it has been brilliant for the club.
Q: With Brian and Ciaran playing there is a massive family connection.
A: The three of us are lucky enough to be playing with the club and to be on the county senior panel aswell. It is nice to be representing your county.
Diarmuid Murtagh during the Connacht SFC clash involving Roscommon and Leitrim.
Q: Did you play on many teams with them growing up
A: I would have played more with Ciaran. Even at National School and Secondary School level I would have played more with him. Brian is about five years ahead of me, but I can remember playing one game with Brian underage. My father was manager one year, I think it was under 14, I would have been around nine. They didn't have enough players so I went in corner forward with the trousers on. I can vaguely remember that, they'd be able to tell you better.
Q: Your Dad managed teams on the way up so?
A: Yeah, he would have, but as we got older he decided to stay outside the wire. He would have been a big part in us getting interested in football, playing out in the back garden. He was a massive influence on us all.
Q: You are a senior club, what kind of a team do you have?
A: Only two years ago we reached the County Senior Final. I suppose it is a cliche because a lot of clubs are saying it, but we are probably a club in transition. We have a lot of young lads and we have fellas getting on aswell. They won't be happy to hear that, but they know themselves. We probably struggled with numbers for a while and we were hit hard by emigration with fellas going to England to work. We are getting a few lads home now. Hopefully this year we can compete well in the Senior Championship again.
Q: In Roscommon would you be viewed as a small or a big club?
A: Yeah, we would be seen as a smaller club especially when you look at the likes of St Brigid's, Clan na nGael, and Pearses. They are all nearly three times the size of us so we would be seen as a smaller club. Even at underage level we would be playing in the lower Divisions. That again is due to numbers, we just aren't a big parish.
Q: Growing up, did you play in the top grades as a club?
A: In Roscommon it is Division 1,2,3, and 4. We would have been in the latter, we were in the lower Divisions, but we had some success. It is always nice to win something.
Former Roscommon goalkeeper Derek Thompson.
Q: Did many guys play for Roscommon from the club
**A: **Going back years you would have had Danny Murray and Pat Lindsay, who both won All Stars. They would have played with my father. Then more recently you'd have Gary and Raymond Cox. Ray was around here this evening, but Gary would have been a player as a forward that I would really have looked up to. Then you'd have Senan O'Grady, he is in London now. He is a big loss to our club. Stephen Ormsby would have played in 2010, he was in England, but he is home now and back playing with the club. To get a lad like that home is a great boost for us, it is a great boost for the young lads coming through.
You'd have the likes of Martin Reynolds, Darragh Hussey, Adrian Murtagh would have been on county panels. That is just to name a few, I'm sure there is more, they will probably kill me for leaving them out. Derek Thompson, the keeper, he is around here tonight too.
Q: He was goalkeeper in the 98 Connacht Finals against Galway?
A: He would have been, absolutely.
Q: The fact that guys such as yourself have won Connacht underage medals for Roscommon, must be great source of pride for the club?
A: It is yeah. In fairness to the club any of the lads playing with county teams. This year for example guys like Kevin Farrell were on the Roscommon under 21 team. When we come back to the club guys give us great support. Everyone around the club gives us great support with everything we do. We are very grateful for that, we just try to do our best to represent our club in the best way we can.