From Glenavy in Co Antrim to Galway, Owen Gallagher’s inter-county journey has taken many twists and turns.
Now an integral part of Pádraic Joyce’s squad, Gallagher returned to Ulster on Saturday night to remind northern Gaels of his undoubted talents.
He kicked two excellent points from play and pushed Paul Conroy close for man-of-the-match as the Tribesmen made it two wins from two outings with a comfortable 1-12 to 0-9 victory over Down at Páirc Esler.
In 2020, he helped his new club Moycullen claim their breakthrough Galway SFC title and the former NUIG student says he is loving life out West.
“I’m loving every minute of it. I never expected to go to Galway in the first place,” stated Gallagher.
“I never expected to wear a Moycullen jersey, let alone a Galway jersey. It has been an absolute privilege and an honour.
“I played Sigerson Cup with a lot of the lads and everyone has been incredibly welcoming.
“There is a great atmosphere in the camp. Everyone is pushing on and everyone is fighting for places.
“I’ve been in Galway now for seven years and I fell in love with the city and the county and the GAA there. It is some of the funnest football I’ve ever played.”
While he is relishing the challenges of playing with Galway as they seek to make a swift return to Division One having suffered relegation last term, Gallagher is still following the fortunes of his native county.
Antrim earned promotion from Division Four last season and started their Division Three campaign with an impressive nine-point win over Fermanagh in Brewster Park, but suffered a 2-9 to 0-11 loss to Limerick at Corrigan Park on Saturday.
Gallagher was part of the Antrim team which claimed a rare Championship victory over Laois back in 2015, but his studies meant he was forced to step away from county commitments.
His brother Paddy was Antrim’s first-choice full-back under previous Saffron boss Lenny Harbinson, but isn’t part of Enda McGinley’s new-look squad.
Gallagher paid a glowing tribute to former Antrim boss Frank Fitzsimons for giving him his first taste of inter-county football and there’s now another sibling ready to make his mark with a different county.
“I still follow Antrim and I was tracking the game against Fermanagh last week,” added Gallagher.
“I’m obviously still an Antrim man. I played minor, U21 and senior under ‘Russ’ (Frank Fitzimons).
“He was a fantastic manager and he brought my game on so much. I owe an incredible debt to him. He was giving me lifts to minor training when I was 16.
“He is a great Antrim man. I couldn’t speak highly enough of him.
“I’ll always be checking in and keeping an eye out for Antrim. I’ll have to keep checking out London’s progress too as my younger brother James is on the London panel now.”
