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If you draw a diagonal line on a map of Ireland between Belfast and Derry then at the mid point you will be at the foothills of the Sperrin Mountains and close to the ancient parish of Termoneeney .Today it is called Lavey from the Irish leamhan as there are many elm groves in the area
.A blizzard last March resulted in many cars and lorries being stranded on the Glenshane Pass and many weary travelers from all over Ireland took refuge in the brand new Lavey听 G.A.A Club pavilion 听in Gulladuff. The local Erin鈥檚 Own Club won the All Ireland Club championship in 1991 and many members of this club have lined out for Derry county teams.
In 2009 I returned home from Newfoundland for the opening of these facilities. Afterwards in a crowded hall many people having tea and sandwiches and my brother Harry and I had a chat with a local legend in the form of Ballymacpeake鈥檚 鈥渨ee鈥� Tommy Doherty who played in Derry鈥檚 first All Ireland appearance at Croke Park in 1958 against Dublin. Growing up in South Derry everybody could recite player by player the complete team line out of the 1958 team and this mantra sounded like a prayer.
鈥淚n goals Patsy Gormley and right fullback Patsy Mac Larnon full back Hugh Francis听 Gribben ,Tommy Doherty at left fullback听 and鈥︹�︹��.on to听 left full forward Chuck Higgins.鈥�
Interestingly enough Michael O鈥橦ehir was in an indirect way responsible for the nickname 鈥淲ee 鈥淭ommy to distinguish him from his cousin 鈥淟ong鈥� Tommy Doherty听 who also played for Lavey and Derry county. O鈥橦ehir first used the term in a radio commentary in a game between Derry and Cavan and in this game Derry played against Cavan legends Mick Higgins, Victor Sherlock and the Gunner Brady.
Back in the Lavey clubrooms my brother and I wanted to rewrite history and get the inside story from the swarthy and weather beaten wee Tommy .We felt that Derry was robbed by 鈥渢he Dubs鈥� and we wanted to talk about Dublin players like Kevin Heffernan,
Snitchy Ferguson and the Yank Murphy.
听Tommy was too humble to dwell on his own moment of fame and he smiled. 鈥滺arry let me tell you about when your Mickey Boyle from Drummuck played for Lavey鈥�.
I cringed for a second because I had only played a couple of games for the senior team. But then I knew the story Tommy had in store for us.
.I played minors for Lavey and then I joined a nearby junior team Tirgarvil and everyone in county Derry remembers my transfer headline in 鈥淭he Mid Ulster Observer鈥�
听鈥楤oyle transferred to Tirgarvil and Lavey don鈥檛 mind.鈥�
This new junior team Sean Mc Dermot鈥檚 was in the middle of the unionist village of Upperlands however that did not hinder the club having the Offaly tricolored jerseys as the team uniform. But as a result of emigration this club folded and I came back to Lavey.
听I relaxed as Tommy grabbed Harry鈥檚 hand and pointed to me.
鈥淗arry, I remembers it well. It was the 1968 Derry championship against Slaughtneil on their auld pitch by the road I was manager of 听the team that day鈥�
Then instant replay kicked in for me.
I sat on the bench for three quarters of the game listening to a few cat calls like 鈥淟avey Donkeys鈥� and I never expected to get a run out as it was a very close game. But with five minutes to go our full forward Willie O鈥橬eill broke a leg and as I watched him being carried off 鈥渨ee鈥� Tommy pointed to the field of play. .鈥滿ickey. You鈥檙e on in Wee Willie鈥檚 spot.鈥�
I felt and I knew could out run anyone in the field but I have a little handicap in playing
contact sports because that I can鈥檛 see the ball very well as I wear glasses.
At the upper end of the pitch near the Slaughneil goal mouth a high lobbing ball broke loose and bounced in front of me and I just swung my right leg on the volley and the ball rattled the top left hand corner of the net .Goal- our crowd roared.
听I still don鈥檛 know if we won the game.
Tommy beamed to me,鈥� After all these years I remember that goal鈥�
My brother Harry and I are still laughing at my five seconds of fame.
听I never scored another goal in my life but I was amazed at Ballymacpeake鈥檚 Tommy Doherty talking more about that goal than his 1958 All Ireland final game against Dublin.