SADNESS engulfed St John’s and the Mallon family in particular over the past week following the passing of both Gerard and Paddy within days.
The brothers were part of the last St John’s team to win an Antrim Senior Hurling Championship in 1973 and both have been described as not just great players, but fantastic leaders.
That 1973 win over Ballycastle would be a prelude to an Ulster title win but spell the end of a good run that yielded five titles over 12 years.
Whilst Gerard was an established senior hurler at this stage, captaining St Mary’s CBGS teams to provincial glory in 1964/65 and 1965/66, his younger brother was just breaking through and indeed, was still a minor when drafted into the full-back line for that final.
Throughout his teenage years at St Mary’s CBGS, Paddy was also very much the leader of the teams as they swept all before them and went into a 1974 All-Ireland title - an achievement that was revisited and celebrated by the players in the years since.
“We all got together again in April, 2014 and Paddy would have said to Joe McGuinness and Micky Darragh to organise it and then he would run the whole night,” said friend and former teammate, Dr Kevin McFerran.
“He was just instant leadership throughout his whole life.
“We always knew about him from primary school, but at St Mary’s he made his name as a great captain and nothing could get past him.
“He was such a big guy and always seemed twice the size of everyone else.
“Gerry was a bit older than us, but even bigger than Paddy which was frightening.”
The brothers’ sporting prowess was well established and another of Paddy’s old St Mary’s and St John’s team-mates, Joe McGuinness recalls how both were instrumental on the field for their club.
But it was also the friendship that shone through, helping others quietly and without fuss but when needed and remained a leader long after his playing days were over - his generous spirit an abiding trait.
“Paddy was always a leader of men,” he said.
“He was a colossus of a player, strong physically and mentally, so was ‘Paddy Mór’ in every sense.
“I played with Gerry for a couple of years too, again he was big and strong.
“There was a famous game up in Dunloy where he and their full-back tore into each other. It meant the rest of us could just go and play away - but he was also a brilliant hurler.
“Paddy was the leader of the band and even when we finished school, we returned to the Gaeltacht to celebrate our St Mary’s team and it was Paddy who organised it all.
“That run to the All-Ireland, we played a team from Tuam in the semi-final who had a player who went onto become a great Galway hurler, but Paddy played him off the park.
“He was a phenomenal hurler and for such a big man he was so light on his feet and Gerry was the same. You were just very glad they were on your team.”
