Éamonn Fitzgerald
EF: Killarney Celtic are invited to participate in an Irish competition. That has big financial implications for travel, meals, etc.
MD: It is great to be invited, showing the quality of our squads, but travel costs are very high. I have been looking at clubs like ours in Limerick, Tipperary, Clare and elsewhere for a regionalised competition so that travel costs could be reduced, but I don’t see any commitment to that idea. It's up in the air at the moment.
EF: Running an amateur sports club is very expensive, especially if you have so many successful teams in competition.
MD: You are well aware of that yourself, but with all of our activities, we are funded by the usual sources used by all sports to collect money. We are in a very good financial state.
EF:How good?
MD: As a trustee of the club, I am very proud to say that we are almost debt-free and we expect to be clear of any debt by October this year, marking our 50th anniversary. In saying that, whether you are an Under 12 or a senior player, all you have to pay for a training session with Killarney Celtic is €2.

EF:The women in Celtic appear to do great work developing soccer for all.
MD: Yes, they do marvellous work in so many parts of the club, led by trojan worker Mary Lyne. On Wednesday night last, the Mothers, Others and Friends started a weekly non-competitive fun game under lights at Celtic Park, and that is great.

EF: Can, can you see some ex-Celtic player is going to make it with a top Irish club and then cross Channel?
Md: I have to compliment Killarney Athletic here right away because Brendan Moloney and Diarmaid O’Carroll did just that. We haven't had any such shining light yet, but we know that we will in the future because we have great young successful players coming through.
EF: Reverting back again, to 1976, you would have come up at the time The ‘ban’ was abolished. That rule prevented GAA players from playing soccer. If they did, they were suspended. However, it must have been difficult for a player to play both codes when it was permitted.
MD: Fair dues to Seán Kelly, he removed the “ban’, and we were very fortunate that there were some great players from Spa in particular, like Billy Morris, Seán Cronin, the Cahill brothers, James and John, Seánie Kelliher and others. They wanted to play football and soccer. The way we worked it in Celtic was that if the football season was over, then they always played soccer with us, and vice versa
EF: Why do you think that club soccer has become so popular in Ireland? It is climbing the rankings as a sport in Ireland.
MD: Because it's on television the whole time, and the coverage is getting is precedented. Anytime you turn on the TV, you will find a soccer game from all parts of the world, not just cross channel. The 11-a-side is probably easier to organise than we say 15-a-side in the GAA, and some small clubs, particularly in rural areas, find it hard to get 15 to form a team. See what they're doing in places. Two neighbouring teams get together as one team, and that's understandable because all people want to do is play. Of course, not all young people wish to play soccer; they have different hobbies, learning the guitar or whatever, and that is great for them. That’s my experience anyway.

EF: The real crunch time comes when they get to roughly 18-years-old, completing their post-primary education and moving away from Killarney for third-level education. They may be in college, anywhere in the country, making it difficult to come down and play with their local club. So that's one big reason for the fall off.
MD: Some fall away before that, believe it or not.
EF: Do you think Celtic are doing well, promoting the club?

Yes, for all sexes, but particularly for the girls, so that they can stay on longer for valuable coaching. We're very fortunate to have David McIndoe as coach for the Celtic girls, and he is outstanding, absolutely fantastic.
EF: The FAI seems to stumble from one crisis to another, but at local level soccer is alive and well in towns, as well as in rural areas. Ballyhar and Mastegeeha are very good examples where great facilities have been developed by enthusiastic volunteers and that attracts the players
MD: So I think once you get to the stage where you have a facility and committed club people, you're there. We have a very good membership, and we'd be well organised for parents who support their kids playing, and they do. We have two stands, as you know, one dedicated to our former great Celtic man, John Doyle (RIP). That's important nowadays that you have a clubhouse where the spectators can get that welcome cup of coffee they will relish, especially on cold days.
EF: Where do you see Celtic in 2076?

MD: As I said earlier in Killarney Celtic, we are welcoming for everyone, the local Irish, of course, but it's open to all. We have great people originally, from China, Europe, and the Middle East. We have an exceptionally good committee at the moment. We had people with foresight like Dermot O’Callaghan (RIP), who were progressive, and of course, that family continues the Celtic tradition. Obviously, we like to push the thing on a bit further, but we're very conscious that we spent 50 years putting this together and we want to make sure that when we go, the structures are in place in (Killarney) Celtic for the next 50 ( years)As a trustee I am very proud of how we have developed and will celebrate that achievement this year. We will also remember the Celtic players and supporters who have passed away since 1976 and look forward to whatever challenges and opportunities face Killarney Celtic in the years ahead. It is hard to believe that it all started from our conversation (with Billy Healy and Tommy O’Shea) that a new club was needed in Killarney, so that all players who wish to play soccer will be able to play at whatever level they wish and join us at Celtic Park.
EF: Thanks, Mikey, and wish you good health on your daily cycles with your good friend Mike O’Neill.
That’s Mikey Daly, always a pleasure to chat with him on a variety of sports.