IN THIS DAY and age of leaks, it’s refreshing to learn how Westmeath captain Ronan Wallace found out that he was the first All-Star from the county since 2008.
A deluge of messages on his phone when he woke on Thursday week last.
“The phone started hopping. I was lying in bed and I woke up to all these messages, so I realised there was something going on,” he says.
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His girlfriend Kayleigh was the first to hear of it from him. Then he started the calls to his mother, his sister in Scotland, his brother in Galway and his father.
“I had to go through the hundreds of messages from everyone on the phone. It was a surreal experience, really.
“But it’s an unbelievable feeling and its fair taken me back. It’s taken a while to process it. I was filled with immense pride once I processed the emotions of it.”
He was planning to go to the All Stars night on the Friday anyway, but learning of his selection made the walk across the stage to be presented with his award, in front of 1,200 people, more nerve-wracking.
When the news was made public, there were strenuous efforts made by the chairman and secretary of his club Multyfarnham to get tickets to the big bash, but they couldn’t pull it off.
“They all sent me some lovely messages,” Wallace recalls.
“There’s still the pride of having the Leinster-winning captain there, but to have an All Star adds to it. It’s a credit to them for what has gone on over the last few years and how far they have brought me as a footballer.
“It’s great for the youngsters down there, they can look at me and see what is achievable if they just keep the head down and put the work in.”
He’s been putting the work in, on and off the field. An electrician by trade, later this month he is going all-in and re-opening the local village pub that was shut down over the summer.
Murtagh’s Bar is a fine-looking establishment, charming in a cosy, country style, able to cater for the day-trippers and holiday-makers at the nearby Lough Derraghvarra.
Over the summer, the Murtagh family were stepping away from the pub trade. Wallace sat down with Kayleigh and some other people around the town, and they felt it could be a good opportunity.
Who doesn’t want to take a pint in the pub of a Leinster-winning captain?
“So I said, “Why not give it a chance?” he says.
Wallace with the Delaney Cup. James Crombie / INPHO
On his travels around the local villages and towns, he’s meeting many who say they are looking forward to a major social outlet in the village re-opening. It’s a good time of the year for it.
Whatever happens, he will have good people around him to keep the place in check. A pre-season under Westmeath manager Mark McHugh is not for the faint-hearted.
Last winter, they became intimately familiar with Mullaghmeen Forest.
The highest point in the county at 250 metres, and the largest beech forest which makes the colours spectacular. Within the 1,000 acres, there are plenty of punishing loops and trails for a manager to test the resolve of his players.
“He put us through the wringer there in the winter months last year and into the league. We definitely were a fit team coming into the summer,” says Wallace.
“That was a real eye-opener, running up the trail and even through the forest. He really put us through the wringer that day.
“He tells us, once you are into January you are into matches and getting the body right during the league. Your hard work is done in December and you really have a baseline of fitness going into the league.
“You don’t get too much time after January to get that topped up. It’s a fair slog but it is enjoyable and you have the hard work done after an hour and a half on the pitch. You go home satisfied that you are building an engine.”
And how.
In Leinster against Kildare in the semi-final and Dublin in the final, they went to extra-time. And they knew they had it in the tank.
Rain is not spoiling the Westmeath parade in Mullingar as manager Mark McHugh and players Ray Connellan, Sam McCartan, Ronan Wallace and Senan Baker reflect on the county's second Leinster SFC triumph #rtegaa #thesundaygame @westmeath_gaa https://t.co/H6jVcLWFkz
“When you are doing these unconventional runs around a trail like that, you want lads who are going to be there mentally, as well as physically. That they are not going to break under pressure,” he says.
“Once you see that through those couple of runs, when you step onto the pitch it would be the same. They are not going to break physically or mentally under the pressure of a match.
“It definitely pays off, those bone-breaking, hardship runs.”
22 years on from when he was a young fan at the 2004 Leinster final win, Westmeath finally landed their second provincial title.
With a young fan. James Lawlor / INPHO
In the first incarnation, he was nearly separated from his parents in the swell and the joy of running onto the Croke Park pitch. This year it was less chaotic but no less joyful.
“It’s nice for the people of Westmeath to have a team to support this year that we had our best foot put forward and going to get the best result for the team.
“There were some emotional scenes, even after the Meath game down in Tullamore, people crying and saying that they could die happy. But we didn’t want it to end there,” says Wallace.
Minds
From the start of the year, McHugh worked their minds like he worked their bodies. Along with Gerry Duffy, a performance coach from Mullingar who has been in before with Westmeath teams, they sat about convincing the players that their limitations were all self-imposed.
“But it also requires individuals to really buy into it and believe in their ability and the team’s collective ability. That we are here to compete, not just to make up numbers and I think we (did) a lot of work leading into the Leinster campaign,” says Wallace.
So much so that one of his friends was in the habit of calling into him the day before all the big games. Wallace would assure him they were going to win the following day. And they did right up to the point before the season tailed off with losses to Galway and Monaghan.
By then, they had a provincial title in the bag, followed by an All-Star. Next week, it’s the team holiday involving a week in Florida.
Murtagh’s Bar will reopen under the new management. And Mullaghmeen Forest will be open for business.
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'It's fair taken me back. I was filled with immense pride' - Westmeath's new All-Star
IN THIS DAY and age of leaks, it’s refreshing to learn how Westmeath captain Ronan Wallace found out that he was the first All-Star from the county since 2008.
A deluge of messages on his phone when he woke on Thursday week last.
“The phone started hopping. I was lying in bed and I woke up to all these messages, so I realised there was something going on,” he says.
His girlfriend Kayleigh was the first to hear of it from him. Then he started the calls to his mother, his sister in Scotland, his brother in Galway and his father.
“I had to go through the hundreds of messages from everyone on the phone. It was a surreal experience, really.
He was planning to go to the All Stars night on the Friday anyway, but learning of his selection made the walk across the stage to be presented with his award, in front of 1,200 people, more nerve-wracking.
When the news was made public, there were strenuous efforts made by the chairman and secretary of his club Multyfarnham to get tickets to the big bash, but they couldn’t pull it off.
“They all sent me some lovely messages,” Wallace recalls.
“There’s still the pride of having the Leinster-winning captain there, but to have an All Star adds to it. It’s a credit to them for what has gone on over the last few years and how far they have brought me as a footballer.
“It’s great for the youngsters down there, they can look at me and see what is achievable if they just keep the head down and put the work in.”
He’s been putting the work in, on and off the field. An electrician by trade, later this month he is going all-in and re-opening the local village pub that was shut down over the summer.
Murtagh’s Bar is a fine-looking establishment, charming in a cosy, country style, able to cater for the day-trippers and holiday-makers at the nearby Lough Derraghvarra.
Over the summer, the Murtagh family were stepping away from the pub trade. Wallace sat down with Kayleigh and some other people around the town, and they felt it could be a good opportunity.
Who doesn’t want to take a pint in the pub of a Leinster-winning captain?
“So I said, “Why not give it a chance?” he says.
On his travels around the local villages and towns, he’s meeting many who say they are looking forward to a major social outlet in the village re-opening. It’s a good time of the year for it.
Whatever happens, he will have good people around him to keep the place in check. A pre-season under Westmeath manager Mark McHugh is not for the faint-hearted.
Last winter, they became intimately familiar with Mullaghmeen Forest.
The highest point in the county at 250 metres, and the largest beech forest which makes the colours spectacular. Within the 1,000 acres, there are plenty of punishing loops and trails for a manager to test the resolve of his players.
“He put us through the wringer there in the winter months last year and into the league. We definitely were a fit team coming into the summer,” says Wallace.
“That was a real eye-opener, running up the trail and even through the forest. He really put us through the wringer that day.
“He tells us, once you are into January you are into matches and getting the body right during the league. Your hard work is done in December and you really have a baseline of fitness going into the league.
And how.
In Leinster against Kildare in the semi-final and Dublin in the final, they went to extra-time. And they knew they had it in the tank.
“When you are doing these unconventional runs around a trail like that, you want lads who are going to be there mentally, as well as physically. That they are not going to break under pressure,” he says.
“Once you see that through those couple of runs, when you step onto the pitch it would be the same. They are not going to break physically or mentally under the pressure of a match.
“It definitely pays off, those bone-breaking, hardship runs.”
22 years on from when he was a young fan at the 2004 Leinster final win, Westmeath finally landed their second provincial title.
In the first incarnation, he was nearly separated from his parents in the swell and the joy of running onto the Croke Park pitch. This year it was less chaotic but no less joyful.
“It’s nice for the people of Westmeath to have a team to support this year that we had our best foot put forward and going to get the best result for the team.
“There were some emotional scenes, even after the Meath game down in Tullamore, people crying and saying that they could die happy. But we didn’t want it to end there,” says Wallace.
Minds
From the start of the year, McHugh worked their minds like he worked their bodies. Along with Gerry Duffy, a performance coach from Mullingar who has been in before with Westmeath teams, they sat about convincing the players that their limitations were all self-imposed.
“But it also requires individuals to really buy into it and believe in their ability and the team’s collective ability. That we are here to compete, not just to make up numbers and I think we (did) a lot of work leading into the Leinster campaign,” says Wallace.
So much so that one of his friends was in the habit of calling into him the day before all the big games. Wallace would assure him they were going to win the following day. And they did right up to the point before the season tailed off with losses to Galway and Monaghan.
By then, they had a provincial title in the bag, followed by an All-Star. Next week, it’s the team holiday involving a week in Florida.
Murtagh’s Bar will reopen under the new management. And Mullaghmeen Forest will be open for business.
Busy times. Hard to beat.
****
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GAA LEINSTER CHAMPIONS Ronan Wallace Westmeath