Gary Loughran

Brian Seeley, a Clan na Gael clubman and former Armagh footballer, discusses his early years playing underage Gaelic football with club and county and his progression to playing senior county final, up to and including the 1953 All-Ireland final. He recalls training with Armagh, the famous missed penalty by Bill McCory in the 1953 final; he also concedes that Kerry were the superior team in 1953 and outlines his reasons for giving up inter-county football. Thereafter, the focus is predominantly on Seeley’s involvement with the Clan na Gael club in Lurgan. It is a focus which enables Seeley to discuss not only his own personal experiences, but the achievements of the Clan na Gael club and competitiveness of the Armagh and Ulster club scene between the 1950s and 70s. Seeley took over managing the club team in 1972 and led them to three successive Ulster club titles, and these victories and the subsequent All-Ireland club championship defeats are recalled in some detail. Towards the end of the interview, Seeley is drawn back to his early GAA experiences and forward again to the Armagh and Ulster club scene in the 1970s, which contrasts favourably with that which exists in 2011.