Inlaid in stone: The 18-foot mural by Mikey Sheehy behind the Castle Bar on Rock Street in Tralee. Painted by artist Mike O'Donnell

This is a person who quietly pleaded at the door that the residents would not answer when he went to canvass for his son to enter the county council. Who would cringe when talking about their career. Or compare with those who follow and imitate him. Who asks other people if they can get on stage to pick up the All-Star.

So let's go straight to the 18-foot Mikey Sheehy mural at the top of Tralee Rock Street.

"The slag I got is entirely cat. At least if you walk on the rock, it is not visible on the main street. You have to bypass the parking lot at the back or enter the castle bar and walk from the back to the toilet. Some people think I can release the porter for life."

In Kerry, they adore Morris, Gucci and David Clifford. In Tralee, they admired Mickey. When he paid tribute to the children walking on the rocks, the boys burst into teenage giggles. He was selected to the All-Ireland 8 times, 7 All-Stars, and 5 county championships with Austin Stacks, and was selected to the Century and Millennium Team. But the real standard for measuring a person's worth now is that a young man fixes a ladder on the gable wall of a bar and spells out love and respect with a graphite pencil. Mike O'Donnell, who used to play with Stacks, is an artist. "A very talented person. It's impressive, but either way, I'm very happy."

On the rock at the corner of Pembroke Street, street art also pays tribute to the famous Kevin Coleman photo, which was taken over Brian Mullins in Dublin in the 70s Soaring Seanie Walsh. "I'm not even sure if it's still there," Sheehy mused (it's not.). But at the weekend, because Tralee's top team competed in the county finals for the first time since the 1930s, it was an honor even to use the easel: Austin Stacks 1 Kerins O'Rahillys 1.

This is not always the case. In the early 1960s, John Mitchels, along with Fitzgerald, Sheas, and Sheehy, won five counties on the spin. Boherbee is there. For a while it felt that the late and respected John Dowling was a force of nature that kept the Kerins O'Rahillys relevant until they won their nearest county (and sixth) in 2002. However, there was a blue tide rising, and Mikey Sheehy felt it.

"We are very wary of them. I did not participate in any formal activities, but this year, for whatever reason, I found myself more nervous when going to the game. There are also many people like Naxi involved. I know coach Wayne Quirinnan. , Okay. But for minors like Tim McMahon, they have a great structure. Maybe Stacks is lucky because our area is still undergoing housing development, but these people and coaches are at that level The work done on Shanghai is serious and serious. It is one o’clock on Wednesday and I am getting more and more excited and even nervous. In my own time, I rarely do this. Maybe it’s because it’s Strand Road. .

"I have very good friends on the other side of town. Mike Jnr lives in the center of it. People don’t know how close I and John Dowling are, good friends. When I play with Kerry, we do it every day Drink coffee in the morning. At that time, his name just resonated in the town. The work he did for Strand Road, he is really the godfather of the club.

"On Easter Sunday in 1988, I completed the cross in the County League game against Spa. There weren’t many casualties in the hospital that night, and there was still no sign of me on Tuesday. I was walking on the Nongfu Bridge with a cane. The family feels sorry for themselves because I know that my career is over. Then there is a knock on the door. "What's the matter with you...?" Dowling roared. There were many famous stories about him overcoming various painful obstacles. The story. He doesn't know or care about what a cross is. You will respect that person very much."

When Starks won the first county championship in 37 years in 1973, it contributed to the success of black and amber. Rock Street really became the Street of Champions, from Bill Kirby’s Brog Hotel all the way to Monavari, where Hie eventually settled. By 1986, four more counties followed, and a few more counties remained behind them. It's no wonder that one-third of Kyrie's team in the golden year was in their team.

When you look back, what is really unfair is that we almost always let Kerry play in the All-Ireland final last Sunday. At least now they have the common sense to let them rest for a few weeks after the All-Ireland game. 

"Imagine if we win the All-Ireland game, we may not be able to return to Stacks training until Thursday night, and the county final will be held on Sunday. This is very unfair to ordinary club players. You can Laugh at it, but you will certainly not get away with it now."

Some people think that forgiveness is easy. After the return of John O'Keeffe, with Ger and Tony O'Keeffe (Tony O'Keeffe) spreading calm and authority on the defensive end, Denny Long from Millstreet ( Millstreet) supported the midfield on landing. At the top, Ger Power and Mikey did what they offered, and John L McElligott was lingering no matter what was left. Until the mid-1980s, the end of hegemony coincided with the fall of Kerry from the sky, and they have been unparalleled.

"If we don't train with Kerry, I might fall. But in my opinion, Miko is still the best Gaelic football manager ever. He has his own job to do and he disdains any club. A look. He was right. In September, he stopped. He was Carey's manager, so he really called us for the first time."

The Irish admire their humble high achievers. Shane Lowry. Katie Taylor. Padreig Harrington. In Kerry, the bond between Morris, Gucci, and Mickey is: keep silent and don't brag about your trumpet. Even showing off cannot be interpreted as showing off.

"I come from a very happy family. I have retired for more than 30 years. When they start talking about me, I still feel uncomfortable. I prefer to change the subject. Sometimes you will be in the kitchen, especially in large tournaments. Will remember it in my mind. I always imagined'what are the players doing at 11 am on Sunday morning? But everything is so different. They all take the bus now, we used to take the car. I have never taken a bus. Go to Croke Park.

"My father is a football fanatic. I have six sisters and I am the only boy. So, I am spoiled. Páidí Ó Sé used slag after I got married. I have never been like my mother when I prepare for training. You dragged me neatly like that. Then, you brought your own equipment, and now everything is set up for them. So my poor mother, she used to have equipment that was very suitable for training. The colors are coordinated and almost always football equipment. "

Shee had the opportunity to play for Southampton in his early years, but it was gone.

"Even though I am Manchester United, my favorite thing to wear is the old Crystal Place with stripes and light blue sportswear. I have a Birmingham City jersey, white jacket and blue socks. Everything about her is perfect. . For boots, especially in winter, she will let Dubbin soften them and make them comfortable."

During the week of the All-Ireland game, Sheehy would go to the Hennebery store on Ashe Street around the corner for his Cougars or the World Cup. But it's always half a size. "I'm very picky about boots and their size. If they put a camera on me before the game, I would tear my shoelaces and tie them 10 times. I have always had this nagging fear in my mind. Are they a little loose? Stupid stuff.

"Then on the Friday night before the All-Ireland game, I will go all out from head to toe at home. I will have my Kyrie jersey, which is obviously not the one we wore in the finals, but it makes me feel confident. Shorts, socks and boots, a full set. Now I obviously will do it in the back garden. Some people might say that it is not better for him to kick a free kick on the court, but it is just a routine.

"During the week of the big game, I was also very irritable, and my poor mother was the first to bear the brunt. I will be very lively from mid-week. I remember that sometimes you will have tickets. Guys call you in the office and are free A chance. My poor mother called on Friday to find one. I was pulling my hair in the office window, and Paidi would bounce around on the way to pick up his all-Irish suit from Donie Rooney at Willie Ryle's. Always stay away from Duny."

What will Dwyer do now? Among nutritionists, psychologists and performance analysts? How does he combine the contrasting characteristics of Ó Sé, Bomber, Mikey, Jacko and Spillane? 

"Dwyer is a psychologist. He will say to you: "You need to go to Banna," if he thinks you have a good winter, he will whisper. If he lets you run from Killarney after training In Tralee, you will do this. Later in the season, you will do well and he will say in your ear again: "You got there." This is the best psychology for us.

"I remember after an All-Ireland semi-final, before we left the stadium, he came up to me and said:'In the next four weeks, I will rarely do it with you.' There was another time I missed I won the league final against Cork and tried to get back. They picked the team on Thursday night and the news on the street was that John F. Kennedy had kept his position. After the shower, Miko followed me: "Don't mind guessing, you will start "I might have really considered running home from Killarney that night.

do you know? Since he took over in 1975, I have never tired of listening to him in the locker room. once. In 2016, when I was selected in the All-Ireland semi-finals against Dublin, Éamonn Fitzmaurice said, “Shall we let Miko come in and show the boys? Let's do it in the locker room. " 

"Mico talked to them very well, just like our time, he knew every player and said a word for them. Éamonn later said that we saw Dwyer in his prime because of the locker room It's his natural habitat. I looked around the room. The players were stunned. An incredible person.

"He is everything. He is a fitness coach and a psychologist. We will train hard for four consecutive nights, but you don't want to show weakness." Boys, tomorrow night we will have another hard training. "The next night, he will take two pieces of paper from his pocket and throw away the new O'Neal football. We are desperate for the ball. This is Killarney's summer, and on a Thursday night, you will be sweating. Heaven."

There are eight September medals in his house. At least Gráinne assured him that they were there, somewhere. Each of these four grandchildren may become the most precious gadget in Irish sports. After each final, the golden moment is to rendezvous with parents and sisters under the old bridge on Jones Road. His calm father Jim regarded elation and despair as equal impostors.

"If something happens in my mind, I will cut off my wings at home. Especially my father, he is a very, very down-to-earth person. Whether we win or lose, I will meet my family and they will say yes Good job is still bad luck. Even after the 1982 All-Ireland game and a penalty against Offaly, he never evened the score."

Four years apart, Sheehy is the key player in the two most iconic All-Ireland finals in GAA history, and is also the core of the historic football moments. "I'm not looking for a penalty pass (save by Martin Furlong), but I was asked more about Paddy Cullen's goal in 1978. Seamus Darby got me out of trouble in 1982. I like those Offaly guys. Losing five games in a row is terrible, but defeating us in all counties...

"It took a long time to get rid of it. I know how much it means to Micko, guys say he never overcome it. But after that I have had a bad time. Time just thought. It will cause me quite a bit. Big shock. When you look out the window at home and start to think about it, you will immediately think of 1982."

Sheehy and four other Kerry people who won eight All-Ireland medals recently joined the Pantheon by seven voice-over members. As the Kerry selector of Fitzmaurice, he has a circus view of the kingdom's once denied history.

"Jim Gavin and the players have a recurring theme. They stick to this process and never panic. In the semi-finals of 2016, we found some episodes and scored twice before halftime. The fatal thing for us was that the interval came at the wrong time. They panicked a little and started to think about each other.

"Brian Fenton and Jake are together, but of all of them, James McCarthy is a Rolls-Royce to me. You can put him anywhere and perform well. Gavin is measured and kind. Perhaps it was his professional training in the Air Force. Even the players, after defeating us in 2015, you have seen how down-to-earth and dignified they are. Dubliners should realize that they have enjoyed a group of very healthy young boys their whole life. ."

He liked Matt Connor, Tony McManus and later Mitch Linden and learned from him. But every minute, the best player outside the kingdom is Peter Canavan.

The impossible bar problem inevitably follows: ranking Morris Fitz and Colm Cooper with David Clifford.

Imagine a complete forward line. David Clifford is an exception. I fucking like to play with the three of them. Clifford will turn off the lights, but Morris and Gucci will also join any Carey team. They are two of the greatest.

"A few years ago, we participated in the spring training camp in the Algarve, and Gucci was in a good mood. The first night we arrived there was an A v B match and the weather was great. He was 40 years old, and Eamon retorted My goodness, Colm’s eyesight is so scary, I really thought he had eyes on the back of his head. In Killarney’s training, there were a few nights when he would pass the ball invisible to the naked eye. He was completely Selflessness, this is a key attribute. Players in better positions always get the ball."

In 2013, those summer nights at the stadium occasionally distracted Shie, when Mike the younger of his two sons was diagnosed with Hawkins lymphoma. "Unexpectedly. He was playing golf, carrying a bag and felt a soreness. He pursued it himself. The initial blood test results were good, but in May he was diagnosed and received six months of chemotherapy.

"I think women are better at dealing with these situations. I deny it. I don't want to talk about it, and even Kerry sometimes can't forget it. At night, you look at the ceiling and think,'I am 60 years old, why not me? You will Accepted it for him, but thankfully, it succeeded. I have to admit that I will be a lukewarm Catholic, but there is something out there, and you do get strength from somewhere."

In the following November, the news was positive. When Mikey Jnr finished chemotherapy, his daughter Alva was born. He is now an aggressive and highly respected FF member in the Kaili County Council and the most popular canvassing agent in the county.

"I sweat profusely when I think about the next parliamentary election." How many doors did you knock on tonight? He will ask.

"One night, we had to separate because it was getting dark, and the boys sent me out of this row of houses by myself. I knocked for a while, stuffed the flyer quietly into the door, and ran out like a running ball. The door."

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