McGee no football fan but Loughmacrory love prevails

There is something of a pleasant irony in the fact that Mickey McGee, the most famous son of GAA hotbed Loughmacrory, has – and always has had – very little interest in the sport.

The three-time All-Ireland winner with Tyrone has attended just one football match in 2025, although he'll double his tally on Sunday.

Loughmacrory go in search of history as they chase a first-ever O’Neill Cup against Trillick, having reached their inaugural final with a thrilling two-game saga against parish rivals Carrickmore.

For such a visual team, McGee managed to keep a very low profile despite contributing handsomely to some of Tyrone’s greatest days under Mickey Harte.

"To be honest, I wasn’t asked that often," McGee said with a laugh when asked why an interview from his playing days is not easy to locate. "When I was playing it just wasn’t my thing.

"You know what it is? I’m not a big football fan, even when I was playing. I just liked playing it, but I didn’t have anything to say because I didn’t follow the sport.

"Whenever you were growing up in Loughmacrory, if you didn’t play football or handball you didn’t play anything. I happened to be pretty good physically so when my friends went to play football I joined in.

"I have two brothers and they never played football ever. I ended up quite good at it, and I would have watched some matches back in the day, but I wouldn’t have went to many or I haven’t been to too many recently."

Still though, McGee’s place in the Lough’s folklore is secure as their first All-Ireland winner. That followed success under Harte at the highest level as a minor and under-21 player.

Often handed the man-marking duties on leading Ulster lights like Armagh’s Oisín McConville and Derry’s Paddy Bradley, his undoubted highlight came in the 2005 All-Ireland final as he had a real battle with Kerry’s Dara Ó Cinnéide as the Red Hand County lifted the Sam Maguire for a second time.

A week later, McGee was picking up the one and only straight red card of his career ("dubious" is how the Tyrone Herald described the 12th minute dismissal) as Loughmacrory – managed by former Armagh cult hero Ger Houlahan – saw their Tyrone SFC hopes came to an end following a 0-06 to 0-05 loss to Edendork in the howling wind and rain in Omagh.

The player’s time with the Naomh Treasa gives a fair indication of where the club was compared to where it now is – and where it hopes to get to.

"We played in intermediate until 1998 and were promoted," he said.

"I think it was 11 tries at the senior championship when I was playing and we only managed to win one game. We beat Eglish by a point in 2004. That was my sole championship win."

It was the club’s first win at that level too, arriving on an emotional occasion as Eglish played their first championship match since the death of McGee’s Tyrone team-mate Cormac McAnallen.

"We were always valiant in defeat, but we were going out in those games in hope more than expectation.

"The championship was often seen as a distraction at times because we’d be battling to stay up."

Eventually they’d lose that battle and it would just happen to be the last game of football McGee ever played as they lost a 2009 relegation play-off to Kildress to drop back down to intermediate.

A third shoulder operation and advice from his surgeon meant that the defender pulled the pin altogether on the sport in 2009. While many of Harte’s class of winners exited to massive fanfare, McGee made a typically quiet departure.

Although living in Derry for years (his first match of 2025 was the Oakleaf Junior final last weekend as Slaughmanus beat Doire Trasna), McGee will make the trip to Omagh on Sunday.

"I’m definitely going and I have watched the championship this year on Tyrone TV.

"I don’t know any of the players but I know their parents, and I’ve played football with many of their parents. I played football with Eoin McElhom’s dad and I played football with Ruairi McCullagh’s dad.

"I know that there are lots of great people in Loughmacrory that have been working really, really hard for a lot of years, not just this year.

"I’m delighted for them, I’m already delighted for them whether they win or not because it’s such a great occasion. But if they were to do it, it would just be such a great reward.

"Obviously great to beat our old rivals Carrickmore in the semi-final. In my time playing we were never able to get one over them at senior level, they always had it over us. It was nice to get that one out of the way and in the replay especially, Loughmacrory were much the better team.

"The four goals kept Carrickmore in it, but it really showed the grit and determination of Loughmacrory that maybe they haven’t had in other years."

That grit along with the emergence of young stars like McElhom, McCullagh and Ronan Fox has provided a potent mix that could lead to history.

McGee may not be a die-hard in a club dominated by them, but he knows something special when he sees it.

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