HIS life has had plenty of ups and downs, but Eamonn Magee is back to where it all began as he has reconnected with his old amateur club in Ardoyne.

Throughout his career in the ring, Magee enjoyed much success with and without the vest, but as much as there were the highs, there were plenty of lows outside.

It all began at the age of five when Eamonn, the youngest of the Magee siblings, followed older brothers Terry, Noel and Patrick to the boxing gym and it was there where his love for the sweet science blossomed as he learnt the fundamentals of the game from club coach, Patsy McKenna.

Nine Irish titles would follow, plus a World Junior silver in 1989, but his dream of boxing at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 was dashed as a refusal to take part in a box-off for a place in the squad against Neil Gough - a man he'd already beaten.

But the professional chapter would yield further glory, winning WBU world and Commonwealth titles, plus almost derailing the Ricky Hatton express before 'The Hitman' went on to tangle with such luminaries as Kostya Tszyu, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

With the fighting days in the ring behind him, Magee assisted his former pro coach, John Breen, despite his well-documented issues outside of boxing. But with Breen now retired, Magee found himself out of the game until a step inside the doors of the local club, now called Ardoyne-Holycross, would bring him back to the future.

"John more or less retired, so I had nothing much to do," Eamonn reflected.

"I saw Ardoyne Boxing Club was in a new building - a stone's throw from me - and when I walked in I couldn't believe it as my old coach, Patsy McKenna, was still there coaching.

"Now I'm back to square one, where I started helping Patsy as he helped me learn how to throw a hook and a one-two. I was showing some of the kids what I learned and then they were all trying it.

"I've always wanted to teach kids when they are young and then they can develop their own style, but that's if they stick with it. This keeps me active and I'm just happy to be back."

Established in 2003 by six members of the community in an effort to provide an outlet for young people in the area where suicide rates had been spiralling, Ardoyne-Holycross has provided a vital outlet in the community.

That leadership has changed lives for the better thanks to the influence of men like McKenna and Eanes Keenan.

"Patsy is still able to take kids on the pads as though he is 30," Magee said of his mentor.

"He hasn't lost anything, even being 82 years of age he is still a fit man."

The reverence Magee has for the veteran coach is reciprocated.

Having taught a young Magee the fundamentals of the sweet science and having watched what he went on to achieve in the ring, is happy to have him back under his wing. 

"I had him for years as a young fella and I'm glad he is back as it gives him a bit of exercise and keeps him busy," said McKenna.

"He'd a brilliant career and had plenty of talent. He was around from juvenile right up, winning everything going. Nothing runs smooth but there was no doubting the ability he had."

The band getting back together is often the feature of a movie script and perhaps it will be the case in this instance also, as Magee's award-winning memoir 'The Lost Soul of Eamonn Magee' is in the process of being brought to the big screen through New York-based filmmaker, Brian Kerrigan.

His story is one of tragedy and triumph, but this latest chapter in his life provides the opportunity to find his happy ending.

"The book was great, Sportsbook of the Year, but but wasn't just about boxing and was done to a tee," Magee reflected. 

"It just dipped into different places and that's how I want the film to be. It would be great to finish that up with me coaching kids as it would show how it all came full circle."