00:00St Paul's High School in Besswick had a special visitor this morning, the Sam Maguire Cup.
00:0514 members of the All-Ireland winning Armagh football team played football for the school during their teenage years,
00:11as did coaches Stephen Sheridan, Dennis Hollywood and Ciarán McIver, and physio Anthony Fern.
00:16They were joined by team manager Ciarán McGeeney, current schoolteacher Joe McElroy
00:20and President of Ulster Schools GAA and Armagh legend Jamie Smith,
00:23who spoke at a special assembly for the first series this morning.
00:26At the event we spoke to head of PE department and senior Gaelic football head coach John Rafferty
00:31and he reflected on the momentum of the school.
00:35I think it's wonderful that in a 21st century where the world is in flux
00:40that a lot of kids are looking up for a role model
00:45and we are very very lucky that today we had 20 role models standing on the stage
00:51and 18 of them are past pupils of St Paul's with our 14 players and 4 fellas who helped out with the backroom team and the management
00:58and as regards role models for kids they don't get any better than Ciarán McGeeney and Jamie Smith
01:05but it's wonderful for the kids in first year to realise that with a lot of hard work
01:10and belief in themselves and belief in the child that God wants them to be
01:15rather than what the 21st century wants them to be
01:18that life can be good for them.
01:20Through the struggles life can be good for them if they stick it out and have belief in themselves and work hard.
01:26Obviously those boys played under you here in St Paul's, there was a good bit of catching up done today wasn't there?
01:32Yeah, it's fantastic.
01:34It's wonderful to see fellas who played in McLaren in finals, who won all Ireland titles with the school
01:42even who were beaten in the Macquarie finals, sometimes were beaten in the Hurl Cup finals
01:49but to see them push on and stay at it and to see them walking around the field that day in Croke Park
01:56knowing that they are going to get a Celtic cross, it was a wonderful day.
02:01And you have great memories of coaching those teams, those teams in particular wasn't it?
02:06I believe in the McLaren team in 2012 there were 7 players from that squad who are key parts of our current team.
02:12It was lovely, that was our breakthrough and that McLaren win in 2012 was built on the back of a defeat in 2011
02:22and it was wonderful to see Blaine Malone, Blaine who is home from work in America
02:27call down to see his classmates and teammates today
02:30and had life been different for Blaine he could have been part of it as well
02:34he was a magnificent player in the middle of the field first in 2012
02:38but it is wonderful to see your past pupils happy and successful
02:43and one of the elements of their happiness is Gaelic Games
02:48and for all kids now in the 21st century, GAA is not the be all and end all
02:54but it will not do them any harm being part of a progressive club.
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