Chairman Sean McGuigan pictured with Francis McEldowney following the 2015 Derry SFC Final win.
By Cian O'Connell
How Slaughtneil have developed into prolific Gaelic Football and Hurling winners is a most remarkable tale, but Thomas Cassidy’s influence won’t ever be forgotten.
An exciting and emotional Slaughtneil adventure continues, but everything has been put in perspective during the past 10 days.
Last Sunday Slaughtneil became the first Derry team to claim Ulster Club hurling glory, but Cassidy, who had been laid to rest on Friday, dominated Slaughtneil thoughts.
Chairman Sean McGuigan highlighted the rich contribution Cassidy made to Slaughtneil. “A lot of the time before we were successful in hurling he did things on his own, it was very emotional, nothing was ever a bother to him,” McGuigan told GAA.ie
“We will not replace him, we don’t know what we will do, I don’t think we will ever really know what he did for the club.”
Two of Cassidy’s sons were in the panel for the Ulster SHC Final win over Loughgiel Shamrocks. “He had two lads involved with the senior hurling team so it was very emotional and tough. He has three daughters on the Camogie team.”
Slaughtneil face Loughgiel in the a Provincial Camogie Final replay on Saturday, 24 hours later the club play Fermanagh’s Derrygonnelly Harps in the Ulster SFC Quarter-Final.
“That is the way it has been really for the last two or three years,” McGuigan explains. “We have just been fortunate that people like the late Thomas Cassidy worked so hard for the good of the club.
“This club of ours is a great working club. It is very tight-knit, very rural. We are in the middle of two parishes, Swatragh and Glen are our two neighbours.
“The late Thomas Cassidy went out on a limb to help people, he took teams all over Ireland in a minibus, nothing was ever too much trouble.”
Chrissy McKaigue captained Slaughtneil to Ulster SHC club glory.
Cassidy surely looked down with pride at how events unfolded at the Athletic Grounds when Slaughtneil delivered an Ulster title.
“Sometimes hurling takes a back seat to the big ball, maybe in Kilkenny it is the other way around, but people in the club tried their best to keep it going,” McGuigan reflects.
“We’ve a good group of players at the minute and a lot of them are dual players, but as a club we try our best to keep everything going.”
So how can Slaughtneil, who recently completed a Derry three-in-a row in football and four-in-a-row in hurling, maintain such a high success rate in both codes. “The committee meet regularly with the management of the two teams. That helps keep everything running smoothly.
“You have to have that to make sure everything is always kept right, to ensure it doesn’t get out of hand, really it is the only way you can do it.”
Mickey Moran, a distinguished figure on the Derry football circuit, with extensive coaching experience at every level of the game has fitted in brilliantly with Slaughtneil, who were beaten in the 2015 All Ireland Club Final.
“When he took the team he said he would win a Championship within three years,” McGuigan states. “He got to an All Ireland Final straightaway, he has been around different clubs and county set-ups. He is a real players man, they all respond to him.
“It maybe was good timing for us to get Mickey when we did, but other big names had been here before. Mickey is a different man to others, though, because he sees things others don’t see and he has been crucial for us.”
McGuigan continues to serve the GAA in a variety of roles including as a referee. “It is something I’ve done for many years, I like it and in a way it helps to run everything in the club,” McGuigan says.
“A number of years ago I refereed an All Ireland Junior Camogie Final and I still referee Hurling and Gaelic Football matches too.”
Slaughtneil, though, remain on the glory trail and that is keeping everybody at the club occupied. “It will be another busy weekend,” McGuigan admits. “We have the Camogie replay against Loughgiel on Saturday, then we have the footballers out against Derrygonnelly on Sunday.
“It would be remarkable if we were to win three Ulster Championships at the same time, but we have a good few hurdles to clear yet.” That might be the case, but regardless of results Slaughtneil’s purpose and passion is a lesson to all about the value of a united community.