Páidí Ó Sé

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Páidí Ó Sé : biography

16 May 1955 – 15 December 2012

Kerry made it five-in-a-row in Munster in 1979 as Cork fell by ten points in the provincial final. Ó Sé later went in search of a third All-Ireland medal as he lined out in a fourth All-Ireland championship decider. Dublin provided the opposition for the fifth consecutive occasion. Kerry were handicapped throughout the game. Ger Power did not start the game, while John O’Keeffe got injured and Ó Sé was sent off during the encounter. Two goals by Mikey Sheehy and a third by John Egan helped the Kingdom to a 3-13 to 1-8 victory. It was Ó Sé’s third All-Ireland medal.

Kerry’s dominance continued in 1980. Another defeat of Cork in the provincial final gave Ó Sé a sixth successive Munster medal. Another All-Ireland final appearance beckoned, this time with Roscommon providing the opposition. The Connacht champions shocked Kerry and took a five-point lead inside the first twelve minutes. Mikey Sheehy popped up again to score the decisive goal, as Kerry went on to claim a 1-9 to 1-6 victory in a game that contained sixty-four frees. The victory gave Kerry a third All-Ireland title in succession, while Ó Sé added a fourth All-Ireland medal to his ever-growing collection.

In 1981, Ó Sé won his seventh consecutive Munster title, before lining out in the All-Ireland final against Offaly. Kerry had an easy win with seven players combining for a great goal. He captured his fifth All-Ireland medal that day as Kerry won by 1-12 to 0-8.

Ó Sé won his third National League medal in 1982 before Kerry secured an eighth consecutive Munster final victory over Cork. The All-Ireland final pitted the Kingdom against Offaly for the second year in-a-row. Kerry had the upper hand for much of the game and were leading by two points with two minutes left to be played. The game, however, was not over as Offaly substitute Séamus Darby, who had entered the game almost unnoticed, produced the most spectacular of finishes by scoring a late goal. Kerry failed to score again to level the match and Offaly went on to win their third All-Ireland title ever on a score line of 1-15 to 0-17.

Kerry missed out on an historic nine-in-a-row in Munster in 1983, as Cork finally triumphed after so many defeats. The Kingdom bounced back the following year with Ó Sé winning his fourth National League medal and his ninth Munster medal. The centenary-year All-Ireland final pitted Kerry against old rivals and reigning champions Dublin. Kerry dominated the game from start to finish. Only two Dublin forwards scored as Kerry ran out easy winners by 0-14 to 1-6. It was Ó Sé’s sixth All-Ireland winners’ medal.

In 1985, Ó Sé was appointed captain of the Kerry team. A two-goal victory over Cork gave Ó Sé a remarkable tenth Munster medal. Another All-Ireland final beckoned, with Dublin providing the opposition for a second consecutive year. Jack O’Shea scored a key goal after eleven minutes and Kerry stormed to a nine-point lead at half-time. The Dubs came storming back with Joe McNally scoring two goals. The gap could not be bridged and Kerry won by 2-12 to 2-8. The victory gave Ó Sé a record-equalling seventh All-Ireland medal, while he also had the honour of lifting the Sam Maguire Cup.

In 1986, Kerry’s dominance showed no sign of disappearing. Cork fell again in the provincial final, giving Ó Sé an eleventh Munster medal. A tenth All-Ireland final appearance quickly followed and it turned out to be an historic occasion. Tyrone provided the opposition in their first-ever championship decider. A Peter Quinn goal gave the Ulster men a six-point lead in the second-half; however, the game was far from over. Pat Spillane ran fifty yards up the field for a hand-passed goal to get Kerry back on track. Mikey Sheehy scored a second goal to give the Kingdom a 2-15 to 1-10 victory. It was a record-breaking eighth All-Ireland medal for Ó Sé. Remarkably he only conceded one point to his opponent in his ten All-Ireland final appearances.

The glory days were now over for Kerry as Cork captured the Munster title in 1987. Following Kerry’s 1988 Championship exit, Mick O’Dwyer dropped Ó Sé from the inter-county team. They did not speak for three years.