Jimmy Smyth

Jimmy Smyth begins the interview by discussing his upbringing in Co. Down and his experience and enjoyment of the game of Cricket. His introduction to Gaelic games came in school and Smyth charts his development as a footballer, especially in St. Colman’s in Newry. He sets out in detail St. Colman’s successful quest for a MacRory and Hogan Cup title and sheds light on the place that Gaelic games occupied within the school, with an emphasis on the training,the special treatment afforded to players and the reception they received in Newry on winning the Hogan Cup. The colleges’ scene in Ulster is well covered in the interview, not least because of Smyth choice of teaching as a career. He talks about the influence on him – and many others – of Derry’s Jim McKeever while a student at St. Joseph’s teacher training college and also outlines his ongoing involvement with underage football through his work at St. Paul’s in Lurgan and his involvement with Ulster Vocational Schools Committee.