Marty McGrath has arrived at a wholly unexpected juncture in his life, “doing everything I can to help Tyrone win an All-Ireland.”
This after years fending off their neighbours and historic football oppressors.
“It does sound strange to say it,” says the Fermanagh All Star. “I wish I could say it about Fermanagh winning an All-Ireland.”
Read next: All-Ireland Masters final: Tyrone legend Stephen O'Neill as hungry as ever for trophy success
It still feels strange pulling on a red and white jersey too.
Of course it does, after a decade and half in the green and white of Fermanagh.
Father of four McGrath, who retired from inter-county football at the end of the 2013 season, is a totemic figure in the Erne County.
One of only three Fermanagh men to win an All Star — the others were Peter McGinnity (1982) and Barry Owens (2004 and 2006), the Ederney man debuted for his club’s adult team at 14.
At 18 he was selected at centre-back for his Ulster Championship debut in a John Maughan-managed Fermanagh outfit against Donegal.
From winning a MacRory Cup in 1999 with St Michael’s Enniskillen as a teenager to landing man of the match in his first county senior title final triumph with Ederney at 39 in 2020, that burning desire had never left him.
Nor has his ferocious intent and unwavering commitment to whatever cause he invests himself in. When he’s in, he’s in and where he goes, others have always followed.
The only thing missing from McGrath’s mantlepiece is an All-Ireland and that Anglo Celt trophy with Fermanagh.
The former could well happen today at Ballinagh when Tyrone face Dublin in a repeat of last year’s Masters final, which the Red Hand men won to claim the Dr. Mick Loftus Cup.
Players have to be in their 40th year to play Masters and the tournament is not officially recognised by the GAA.
McGrath is playing alongside Tyrone All-Ireland winners Conor Gormley, Stephen O’Neill, Ciaran Gourley and Eoin Bradley.
He’s half-Tyrone as it is, with his mother Angela a Begley from Pomeroy.
McGrath has two Tyrone jerseys at home from his playing days with Fermanagh, one belonging to Brian Dooher and the other to late Cormac McAnallen.
In a strange quirk of fate, McGrath is playing midfield alongside Cormac’s older brother, GAA historian Donal.
“Donal is committed to it, in fairness to him,” says McGrath.
“He’s athletic and he’s put in a lot of effort, working hard. He is contributing handsomely to it at the minute. He seems to pop up in the right positions for a goal.
“You can see Gormley still has it in terms of his positional sense. Nothing has changed with him and when he wants to go for that ball he can go for that ball. The burst of pace is still there. You can see why he was one of the top players in the country for a long time.
“O’Neill’s passing is still there with both feet. He can pick out a pass. He has that natural ability. He doesn’t seem to have lost it.”
McGrath is enjoying the freedom of masters football — and not being the old man in a team full of young bucks.
There is a structure to the team though, and a gameplan.
“Yeah, ‘Give the ball to Stevie O’Neill!’ he laughs.
“One thing I noticed, and no different to any other Tyrone team, they have forwards. Generally most shots would go over.
“Conor at centre-back as well. You have leadership there that brings a structure to it.”
McGrath admits he was irritated for a while at the reaction of some of his fellow county men when news first emerged that he was playing for Tyrone Masters.
He says if Fermanagh had a masters team he would be lining out with them, but they don’t.
Earlier this year McGrath was leaving Monaghan club Inniskeen after a masters encounter with Dublin.
“I wouldn’t have been out of the car park and they took a photograph,” he says. “I was getting the WhatsApps back to me. I didn’t even see it till I was back.
“I don’t know how it got out so quick.
“Most people don’t pass any remarks. I wouldn’t either. Fair play to them. Good luck to them.
“I wouldn’t bat an eyelid. Everybody is getting on with their life. There’s a bit of banter too and sure if you don’t have that, what’s the point?”
Some of it came from a few former Fermanagh team mates, who suffered plenty at the hands of Gourley, O’Neill and Gormley’s Tyrone.
For example, the crushing 2003 All-Ireland quarter-final defeat at Croke Park was a day to forget for the Erne men.
“Barry Owens and Eamon Maguire would have let you know about it anyway,” smiles McGrath. “Shane McDermott, Gary Maguire and all, a good bit of slagging.
“From somebody who wouldn’t be as open-minded and had a different opinion on it, I wouldn’t have took it too well.
“That annoyed me at the start, but I kind of let it go.
“There are people like that, but you have that everywhere, no matter what you do.
“It’s not that you’ve forgot your Fermanagh roots. You haven’t.
“Sure you are going out to play a game of football that’s not even against Fermanagh at any stage.
“There is a method in my madness. I am there for a reason too. I am there to learn as well. It does feel strange it’s not your own county, but Jesus, it’s only football. It’s only enjoyment. If you win, you win and if you lose, you lose.
“We don’t want to lose, but you just move on.
“Okay it’s not my county, but it’s not the seniors of Tyrone.”
McGrath has some weekend of it.
Last night Ederney played Enniskillen Gaels in the Fermanagh Championship.
This morning it’s underage coaching duties.
The Masters final is at 4pm today.
Then club training tomorrow morning.
“I found club football and county football no matter what, there is a bit of pressure with it,” he says.
“I found a bit of enjoyment (with masters football). It was a wee bit different, more relaxed. Boys are that age. I am not going to say there is no structure to it. There is a bit more freedom to play.
“It’s like going back to when you were a young cub and the jersey hanging off you.
“You go in with the county and you feel like the cub in the panel. You feel more athletic than when you have some 20 or 25-year-old running after you.”
McGrath has had his share of knocks in life, overcoming an accident where he was struck by a JCB (2007) and then testicular cancer (2008) to return to action for club and county.
“I am not the only one that got injuries, knocks and bruises, it’s part of life now,” he says. “When you can talk about them and walk away from them you are happy enough.
“I was out for a while — the eye socket and the digger. I was eager to play against Meath in the qualifiers but I wasn’t let. They were right in what they were doing.”
All that’s missing from McGrath’s trophy cabinet is an All-Ireland - and that Ulster title with Fermanagh.
It hardly diminishes him but he can never have thought that it might come with Tyrone.
“To be fair, I am a Fermanagh man, and that is not going to change,” he says. “Just because I am playing for Tyrone Masters doesn’t change that.
“Some people might look at it the wrong way. I am open-minded to that fact. You move on and have a bit of fun. Everybody has a choice in their life to do it.
“If there was a Fermanagh Masters I would be playing for Fermanagh. Maybe that will come next year, but at the minute it’s doing everything you can to help Tyrone win an All-Ireland.
The All-Ireland “is and isn’t” motivating him.
“I am lucky enough I am still playing with the club,” he says.
“It gets tougher as it goes. That freedom isn’t there. You look around you and you have experienced players and you know you don’t have to be the one driving it on all the time.
“It would be a nice experience to go out and win an All-Ireland. But it’s just to go out and play football with freedom.”
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