By Alan Rodgers

MICKEY Harte’s name will always be synonymous with his role as manager of the Tyrone senior GAA team.
During that historic 18-year stint, he guided the Red Hand county to three All-Ireland senior titles… attaining a profile that made the Glencull man instantly recognisable throughout Ireland.

But Mickey’s triumphs have also been marred by tragedy.

He was manager of the Tyrone minor team when Paul McGirr died after a collision with the opposing goalkeeper.
Heartbreak struck again a year after Tyrone’s first All-Ireland victory when captain, Cormac McAnallen, died suddenly after an undetected heart condition.

Mickey’s world was also turned upside down in 2011 when his daughter, Michaela, was murdered during her honeymoon in Mauritius.

A committed Catholic and Christian, Mickey’s faith has helped him deal with such challenges.

He recently embarked on a pilgrim walk, trekking the route of Saint Patrick’s Way in Co Down.

Alan Rodgers joined Mickey on the route, during which he gave a special interview and spoke candidly about the ongoing battle for justice for Michaela, his departure from the Tyrone senior team and the importance of faith and ‘connectivity’ as we emerge from coronavirus restrictions.

He says the pilgrim walk afforded him a rare opportunity to take a step back from his current role as Louth GAA manager.
“We tend to find ourselves too busy to smell the roses.

“This was a day to enjoy nature, historic places and the history of our Christianity.

“Our guides, Martina Purdy and Elaine Kelly, were able to endorse the value of that. It was good for both our physical and spiritual health and they made us all feel very welcome and together.

“Walking as a group we never noticed the distance, but we were always experiencing something different. It was a really interesting experience which I would thoroughly recommend.

“The St Patrick’s Way has offered me the chance to leave things in the hands of God.”

MICKEY HARTE ON CHRISTIANITY

Mickey Harte has often been vocal about the importance of Christianity in his life and work.

He talks of the ‘simplicity of prayer’, and how he does his best to ‘play the hand that God gives me’ in the challenges and triumphs of his life.

“Christianity is about humanity and you have to be humble, to be there for people and respect everyone’s difference and uniqueness,” he said.

“That’s what we see as managers. We see a person and how we can make them better as a person as well as a Gaelic football athlete.

“That gives me the context for what we want to do – to demand people to give the best of themselves in a humane away.

“Sometimes decisions have to be made which won’t please everyone. Players develop at different stages, in different ways and at different times.

“It is important to treat players as individuals, as people to be respected so we can help them achieve their person best.

“For me prayer is very simple – you pray that God will help you get the best you can for the people that you’re working with, and help them achieve their true potential, and that you have the wisdom and the grace to accept whatever the outcome is.

“I can only do my best to play the hand that God gives me.

”If he gives me a hand that is challenging at times, then I know that he’s doing that to make me better. If he gives me a hand that makes me better at times, then I need to thank him in gratitude.

“I am in the fortunate place to have been blessed with the gift of acceptance that whatever comes my way is God’s will; it’s there for me to learn, to grow and be a better person and God knows we all need to do that.”

MICKEY HARTE ON MICHAELA

Mickey Harte is determined to get justice for his beloved daughter, Michaela.

Over 10 years after she was murdered during her honeymoon with husband John McAreavey in January of 2011, no-one has yet been brought to justice.

In 2012, two men accused of Michaela’s murder were found not guilty after a high-profile trial. There has been little movement in the case as the Harte and McAreavey families have continued their fight for justice.

Mickey says he is ‘disappointed’ in the lack of progress, and also feels it may be a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’ when it comes to the Mauritian authorities.

However, the determination in his voice is clear as he vows that the battle for justice will go on until those responsible for Michaela’s murder are brought before the courts.

“Yes, we are very disappointed about the lack of progress which has been made in the case,” said Mickey.

“The authorities in Mauritius seem to think out of sight out of mind, and if they just try and let on that it hasn’t happened that it will go away. But I know John (McAreavey) and our family will make sure that it doesn’t go away.
“We will keep bringing it into the public domain.

“We want the authorities out there to know that we’re not happy with what they’ve done since Michaela was murdered.

“She was murdered in their jurisdiction and they have not yet held anyone responsible for that.

“The people who did that are still walking about and that is not good enough.”

The former Tyrone boss has been widely admired by the dignified way in which he has dealt with the tragedies in his life.

He said that he has learned to leave things in the hands of God.

“If you do that you don’t get a solution, but a way to live your life. I think days like today (on this walk) bring you closer to nature and closer to God.

“They let you see that God has a reason and a purpose for your life, wherever it takes you.

“And I am glad to walk with God on that journey.”

MICKEY HARTE ON MENTAL HEALTH

THE lockdowns of the past year have had a devastating impact on the mental health of many people.

For Mickey Harte, the 14 months since March 2020 have also seen many changes.

But, as he reflects on how dramatically life has transformed due to Covid-19, he feels strongly that the church community can have an important role to play in addressing mental health and well-being issues.

“We can all say that the rules probably seemed to be over-restrictive. Then again, those who made the rules and regulations did so because they feared something worse, and we had to try and understand why,” he said.

“I still think that we had capacity to have more people access their churches. It was down to 50 people in a Cathedral which could hold 1,000 or 2,000 capacity, and that seemed a bit over the top when you saw the numbers who were able to go to stores and get what was considered essential.

“However, there is nothing more essential than your spiritual development and improvement and I think that we need more of that.

“People’s mental health has been viewed as very important.

“We need to connect with each other and the whole isolation business negated the possibility of doing that.

“For myself, my brother is sacristan of a church and I had access to it all through that time which was great.

“I was very blessed to be able to do that so I probably wasn’t as badly off as others in that context… and I found great peace in the church as I always do.

“So maybe that is what people have been missing.

“We need each other and we need to connect, and it’s a big challenge for people when they cannot do that.”

MICKEY HARTE ON STEPPING DOWN AS TYRONE MANAGER

LONG-TIME BOSS…Mickey Harte was in charge of Tyrone from 2003 to 2020

IT is now seven months since Mickey Harte stepped down as manager of the Tyrone senior football team, marking the end of an involvement with the county stretching back 30 years.

The circumstances of his departure rankled with some within the county, who felt that he could and should have been given another year – especially considering the disruption caused by the pandemic.

The Errigal Ciaran clubman is clearly disappointed that he wasn’t able to remain in charge for the 2021 season.
He felt the improving Tyrone senior side ‘was knocking on the door’ and would liked to have had ‘one more go.’

However, looking back from a reflective vantage point over six months later, Mickey says he views his three decades of involvement with the Red Hand county as a ‘privilege.’

“I always considered it a privilege to be a manager of a Tyrone team at any level over those 30 years – at Minors, u-21s and seniors. I can’t have any complaints because it was a really great time in my life, I will always be appreciative of that,” he said.

“If I had gone away from Tyrone football and not done anything else then I probably would have missed it more. But the fact that I was sought by Louth so quickly afterwards and we agreed with come together made the transition so much easier, because I have something good to get my teeth into.

“I’m meeting with new people, working with new players and both myself and Gavin (Devlin) are really loving it there.

It’s a real challenge because things were at a low ebb and they need confidence and coaching to get them moving. It’s a work in progress, but we’re really pleased with what’s happening so far.

“At the time I left as Tyrone manager, I expressed my disappointment at not getting another year. As things turned out it wasn’t going to be a good year anyway because there are still so many restrictions. But I did feel that we were coming close to having a really good team and were knocking on the door. It would have been nice to be able to go on and see how far we could take that team and have one more go.

“But some people decided otherwise and I have to accept that. Disappointment is the key word and I felt it wouldn’t have been out of the question to give us that year. But some people decided, in their wisdom, that this was the thing to do and you have to go with the flow.”

MICKEY HARTE ON BRIAN DOOHER AND FEARGAL LOGAN

Mickey Harte wasted no time in congratulating the men who succeeded him in the Tyrone senior managerial post.
Both Feargal Logan and Brian Dooher received a text message soon after their appointment, with sincerest best wishes being expressed by their predecessor.

“I sent Feargal and Brian text messages wishing them well. I feel there is something very good there and I hope that they can continue to build on what we were working at,” said Mickey.

“The early signs are good: Tyrone are in the National League semi-final and the championship is looming, so it’s very positive.
“Division One is the place to be to build for the future and I know that Feargal and Brian have a lot of experience to bring to the table. We can hope that Tyrone can still be dining at the top table for some time.”

For 18 years, Mickey Harte guided the county’s fortunes at senior level, winning three All-Ireland senior titles. He is confident that Feargal Logan and Brian Dooher will have a team capable of repeating that feat during their term.
“Absolutely it can be achieved,” he said.

“Many people in Tyrone believe it’s possible, but believing that it’s possible and actually doing it are two different things.

“However, I think there is enough energy, experience and quality amongst the management team and the players to make it happen.”

* You can also listen to our interview with Mickey Harte as we launch our new ‘What’s the story…’ podcast series, currently available on www.ulsterherald.com. *