Antrim will be plotting to rattle Shane Garland’s net on Sunday. Michael McMullan looks at how the Monaghan native ended up in the Tipperary number one jersey

TIMES are busy for George and Martina Garland. There is football around every corner but they don’t know it any other way.

Last Saturday, their twin daughters Amy and Lauren, youngest of six, kicked a point apiece as Monaghan ladies came up short in an extra-time blockbuster Ulster final against Cavan.

Sunday was Clones. Their youngest son David was walking behind the band but his point wasn’t enough as their comeback against Armagh came up short, before they went down after extra-time.

Their eyes will be on Belfast on Sunday as the next oldest, Shane, trots out as Tipperary’s goalkeeper for the Tailteann Cup clash with Antrim.

Having grown up in Donaghmoyne, studied at Dundalk IT, representing Monaghan at all levels, he stood at a crossroads. Stay in Ireland or follow the masses to Australia. It was looking like the latter.

“Then, a work opportunity came up down here and I basically moved down to Tipperary,” Shane said of the first key moment that takes him towards Corrigan Park on Sunday.

As an electrician with Ardee-based fire alarm company Masterfire, the idea was floated of staying in the country to help them take a deeper root in the market.

While they have local Tipperary men looking after the HSE work, Garland is their man in the private sector.

“I was supposed to go to Australia,” he points out. “They said we’ve an opportunity for you down in the south, that I could move down there and build the area. That’s what I’ve done.”

ROOTS…Shane Garland in the colours of his native Donaghmoyne. Picture: Fintan McTiernan

His girlfriend, Saoirse Fleming from Shercock, over the county border in Cavan, made the move too.

She works for former Tipperary manager David Power who took over his father Michael’s accountancy practice.

The second reason why Shane will pull on the Tipperary number one jersey in Corrigan Park this weekend is a phone call from new manager Niall Fitzgerald.

Having transferred to play his club football in the county with Kilsheelan Kilcash, Fitzgerald had his homework done.

Garland played minor and U21 for Monaghan as a goalkeeper. He played between the posts for Dundalk IT in the Trench Cup. Malachy O’Rourke called him into the Monaghan senior team for two seasons.

Having kicked 1-10 in last year’s Tipperary Senior Championship, as a forward, there was enough footballing nous to convince Fitzgerald that Garland was his man – a footballing goalkeeper.

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The Garland family have always been steeped in football. Before the days of Donaghmoyne and their footballing dynasty, Martina played for Carrickmacross Emmet’s.

She’d have the kids in the car and off to training. Natasha is the oldest. Gary is two years younger. Shane, aged 29, is a year younger. David is a year younger again. Twins Amy and Lauren, now 22, were the babies.

“When we were young, my mother, took us everywhere, to training,” Shane recalls.

“Since we were little, around four years of age, she took us to all her training sessions and we just kept involved from there.”

Shane played outfield all the way to minor level with Donaghmoyne. In his final year, 2015, he captained minors to the double.

Their championship final victory over Truagh was the curtain raiser to the senior final at Clones.

A dig into YouTube and there is a nugget of the entire Donaghmoyne minor bandwagon taking their celebrations across to the TG4 presentation area where they surrounded then pundit Jarlath Burns, live on TV.

Shane was already part of the goalkeepers’ union by that point. He was Monaghan’s minor goalkeeper under manager Martin Corey.

Two years earlier, as an U16, he was initially part of the minor panel that landed the Ulster title but stepped away in mid-season with work commitments.

“The first time I did goals was with the club at U16,” Garland said of the start.

“They reckoned I was better off in goals. I’d have probably only contributed to three or four points a game, whereas I could save more than three or four points a game if I was in goals.”

It was an avenue into the county development squads, two years as the minor goalkeeper and then on into the U21 team.

When Monaghan exited the 2014 minor championship at the hands of Armagh, Shane was in goals with brother David up front. It was an Armagh team that included Jarly Óg Burns, Oisin O’Neill and Cian McConville.

The Garland brothers were part of the Monaghan minor team that exited against Cavan the following year. They also played together at U21 level for the entire 2017 season.

The transition to goalkeeper was helped with Liam Swift coming on board as goalkeeper coach with Monaghan.

“I’m still in contact with Liam,” Shane said. “He was involved with the county minors and the Monaghan ladies.

“He was coaching Linda Martin at that time and she is also from Donaghmoyne.”

While doing his apprenticeship as an electrician, Shane studied at Dundalk IT for two years.

NUMBER ONE…Shane Garland in action as a goalkeeper with Dundalk IT in the Trench Cup

College manager Eamon McEneaney knew enough about his goalkeeping ability from the county experience and with Donaghmoyne who were Monaghan intermediate champions in 2021.

Dundalk lost two Trench Cup finals, first to TUS Midlands and following year, with Garland as captain, they came up short against MTU Tralee.

Shane played for the club for another three seasons with Donaghmoyne but 2024 would be his last. The trek up and down from Tipperary wasn’t going to be sustainable.

“It was three hours up, then another three hours down,” he pointed out. “I decided to move down here and play with Kilsheelan Kilcash.”

After getting to know some of the locals, there was a feeler thrown out about joining.

“We got to the Tipperary county final last year and I was playing wing-half forward for them.”

Clonmel Commercials were comfortable winners on the day but Niall Fitzgerald saw enough in the Garland, who kicked three points on the day. It wasn’t long before he was on the phone.

“He wanted me in the Tipperary squad this year and to play in goals,” Garland recalls.

“I don’t know how he got to know that I was a goalkeeper when I didn’t play down in Tipperary in goals.

“I was surprised when I got the phone call, but it was a no brainer – I gave him an answer there and then. I just took it with both arms and went for it.”

From not knowing anybody in the setup, Garland has bedded in well. He is enjoying it. He has been an ever-present, having made both his league and championship debuts.

His first game for Tipperary was before Christmas, against All-Ireland champions Kerry in Fethard, as part of a fundraiser for the Dillon Quirke Foundation.

Garland came up against Eddie Healy, Armin Heinrich, Joey Nagle, Darragh O‘Connor and Donagh O’Sullivan who he played against in the Trench Cup final.

Kerry were captained by Tadgh Morley with Jack O’Connor giving game time to Keith Evans, Tomás Kennedy and Cillian Trant who have since made a senior breakthrough.

After playing in one of the McGrath Cup games, Garland has been the established number one.

BROTHERS IN ARMS…Shane and David Garland celebrate 2021 intermediate league success with Donaghmoyne

Tipperary missed out on promotion from an ultra-competitive Division Four where all bar Waterford had something to play for on the final round of the season.

The points dropped in draws against London in Ruislip and away to Longford are the results that stick. Longford and Carlow are the teams who will play in Division Three next season.

“We lost by three points against Carlow and had chances to win that one as well,” Garland said. “Things just didn’t go our way at that stage.”

Tipperary were five-point winners over Waterford in the Munster Championship before going down by 12 points against Cork in the semi-final.

“We played well against Cork and were still in the game with 50 minutes gone,” Garland points out.

“Once they went four points ahead, we were away from the game plan and they just steamrolled us from there.”

In a 15-minute spell, Cork took over. The two main differences were their greater physique and having a deeper squad to pick from.

“They’re a Division One team now and they went up from Division One for a reason,” Garland added.

Looking around the Tipperary cam, it’s a young squad with seven championship debuts handed outthis year.

“It’s my first time ever playing in the senior county football in league or championship.” Garland said, also explaining how valuable the two years were as Rory Beggan’s understudy in 2018 and 2019.

One aspect was learning. Another was the respect shown by manager Malachy O’Rourke.

“You were never put down,” he explains.

“You weren’t treated any different than any other teammates.

“You weren’t just treated as a number, you were part of a set-up and it was a team effort.”

While last weekend was a disappointing one for the Garlands with Monaghan’s double Ulster final defeats, it’s time to look ahead.

Amy and Lauren will have picked enough from their Cavan game to take into the All-Ireland series.

David and his Monaghan squad will have to dust themselves down ahead of Mayo coming to Clones.

“We’re always in contact and wishing each other luck,” Shane said of a family chasing a championship dream on three fronts, in two different counties. Different provinces even.

TRIO…Shane, Lauren and Amy Garland pictured after a Monaghan ladies’ game

Next up in the firing line is Shane. Tipperary and Antrim meet on Sunday in Corrigan Park on the winners’ side of the Tailteann Cup.

Antrim needed extra-time and six goals to overcome Carlow in a belter.

Tipperary also had a win on the road, in Sligo.

As well as his pinpoint kick-outs, it was Garland’s comfort in sweeping that gave Tipperary’s defence added confidence.

The years in Donaghmoyne’s attack taught him the game smarts that he took to Kilsheelan Kilcash, into Niall Fitzgerald’s radar.

The prize for the winners on Sunday is a place in the quarter-final. Defeat is a step into the last chance saloon.

As the song days, it’s a long, long way to Tipperary, but Australia is a lot, lot further again.

By day, Shane Garland is making sure his clients in Tipperary have their fire alarms in full working order. This weekend, he’ll be aiming to quell whatever danger Mark Doran and Antrim can throw in his direction.

Welcome to life in the last line of defence. Garland has come to know it very well.