By Ronan McSherry

It is a photograph that spans 75 years of the four Coalisland Fianna players who captained Tyrone teams to All Ireland titles.

They are Eddie Devlin with Tyrone minors in 1947, Peter Donnelly captain of the minors in 2001, Paudie Hampsey who lifted the Sam Maguire Cup last year and just three weeks ago Niall Devlin led the U20s to All Ireland glory.

In 1947, Eddie Devlin was the Red Hand captain on the historic day they beat Mayo (4-4 to 4-3) to win the Thomas Markham Cup amid scenes of unbridled celebration in Croke Park. He was the first All Ireland winning Tyrone captain and his name is forever etched in the history of the GAA in the county.

Most of Eddie’s team-mates have passed to their eternal reward. Boys like his fellow Fianna friends Tom Sullivan and Liam Campbell, Barney Eastwood (RIP) from Cookstown and John Joe O’Hagan (RIP) of Clonoe paved the way. Many young people were reared on tales of their exploits.

The Minor final was the only game in Croke Park that day as the senior All Ireland final between Cavan and Kerry was played at the Polo Grounds in New York. Tyrone supporters ran onto the field to acclaim the young heroes.

Eddie, a fantastic footballer by all accounts, captained the minors a year later to win the All Ireland again, this time beating Dublin. In 1946 at the age of 15 he lined out on the Coalisland team that won the O’Neill Cup.

In 1956 he was on the first Tyrone team to win the Ulster Senior Championship and a year later they made it two-in-a-row provincial titles when he was captain, (deputising for the injured Iggy Jones).

His brother Jim was another great of Tyrone GAA and lined out at fullback on the 1956 and 1957 provincial winning teams. A retired dentist, Eddie went on to be a keen golfer and these days he enjoys a quiet life at his home with his family in Dungannon.

All of 54 years later, Peter Donnelly lifted the Thomas Markham Cup after a fabulous victory over Dublin (2-11 to 0-6) in a replay at Breffni Park in Cavan. Peter played at midfield in 2001 and became only the sixth player to win minor and U21 All Ireland medals in the same year. He went on to win All Ireland senior medals in 2005 and 2008.

He also won two O’Neill Cup medals, in 2010 at full back and in 2018 when he did goals. Peter is now a full time coach with Ulster rugby and last year played a major part on the Tyrone backroom team that won the Sam Maguire Cup.

In September last year, Pádraig Hampsey joined the pantheon of 15 Ulster captains to lift the Sam Maguire Cup, that of course includes Peter Canavan and Brian Dooher.

Tyrone beat Mayo 2-14 to 0-15 on a never to be forgotten day as the country was returning to normal from two years of pandemic restrictions and lockdowns. A massive crowd waving red and white flags gathered in the town the following day, when along with his team-mates and management, he brought home the Sam Maguire Cup.

It was a day of huge emotion and pride for Coalisland and the Fianna club.

Paudie had captained the minors to win the Ulster championship in 2012 and won an U21 All Ireland medal in 2015 with many of his current senior team-mates.

A former Ulster boxing champion, he also won an O’Neill Cup medal in 2018 alongside his brother Eoghan and has been lauded widely for his leadership qualities.

The new kid on the block, Niall Devlin just three weeks ago captained Tyrone to the U20 All Ireland title beating Kildare, 1-20 to 1-14.

From the back-line he scored three sublime points and he has been called into the County senior panel. He captained Tyrone minors to the Ulster League in 2020 and last year was Coalisland Fianna senior player of the year. Niall’s father Gerard was an outstanding half back on the team that won the O’Neill Cup in 1989 and 1990.

It was managed by Paudie’s uncle Brendan Hampsey.

Peter Donnelly described the day he lifted the All-Ireland Minor Thomas Markham Cup as one of his “most treasured memories”.

He said, “We had a great summer in 2001. There is a bond and when you meet the players now, your mind goes back to that day. There were three of my clubmates there too, Gerard Toner, Malachy Nixon and Stephen McNiece. We were only teenagers and it was a fantastic experience.

“It was good to be in that company in Eddie’s house with Paudie and Niall. Eddie will never be forgotten for what he did with Coalisland Fianna and Tyrone. It was a privilege to be there and see the photographs of his playing days. I feel very honoured and humbled to be in that photograph”.