By Alan Rodgers

ONE major decision by the European Union more than twenty years ago has now had a very positive knock-on impact for the family of a Loughmacrory player whose appearance in this Sunday’s County Final will make history no matter what the result.

In 2004, ten countries joined the EU. Over the coming years, people from those countries made Ireland their new home. During the intervening two decades, the contribution of those from Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania and elsewhere has been significant in Tyrone and beyond.

Among those who arrived here at the time were the parents of the then little Arnoldas Macidulskas. They came to live in Mid-Tyrone and soon Arnoldas (popularly known as ’Arnie’) was learning the skills of gaelic football with Loughmacrory St Teresa’s. Time passed, and now in 2025 he’s a solid and tough-tackling corner-back on the team that will play in the Tyrone County Final for the first time.

His story, of course, is not unique in the GAA annals. But it is rare and the achievement of Arnoldas is worth marking and celebrating as the build-up to Tyrone’s biggest GAA occasion gathers pace. For, while he lines out for the club against Trillick at Healy Park, relatives in his native country will be following his fortunes and those of Loughmacrory closely nearly three thousand miles away.

“My family are from Lithuania and we moved to Ireland about 16 or 17 years ago now,” he said.

“The first time we came we moved into a house in Loughmacrory and lived there for a good few years. Then we moved into Carrickmore and I actually live in the middle of there. But I never stopped playing for Loughmacrory and never will. It’s a long time ago now. I was very young at the time we moved to Ireland. Mummy keeps in contact with the family back home and tells them about the football here. I’m focusing on Loughmacrory and that’s enough for me.

“My whole family is watching this game and that means the world to me. It’s something new to them because obviously we didn’t know anything about gaelic football before coming here. It’s an amazing sport, I love it and I’m just going to keep at it.”

Relatives of Arnoldas back in his native land may or may not realise or understand just what reaching this County Final means for the community of Loughmacrory. They probably don’t have to either. What matters is that this Sunday is a day that he and the rest of the Loughmacrory players have dreamed about for years, and worked extremely hard for, especially in the past 12 months.

Their semi-final with Carrickmore was a game of immense importance. History weighed heavily on their shoulders considering the background story of the two areas stretching back generations. In the past, players from Loughmacrory lined out with and won senior championships with the St Colmcille’s. Now, they have the chance to do it with the St Teresa’s.

“It’s a dream come true for me and the rest of the players. We knew the team was good enough and we showed that in the semi-final. This is the first time that Loughmacrory have ever been in the final and it’s just amazing. I’m getting emotional even thinking about what has happened to us,” added Arnoldas.

“This is a natural progression for us. Every single year, we try and progress and progress and get better. At the end of the day, this is where we want to be. We want to be playing these big games against Carrickmore, Trillick, Errigal Ciaran. This is what it’s all about.

“In the semi-final, both teams showed that the focus was on the football. I think in the back of our heads, the players knew that it could be done. Our management team of Martin Boyle, Luke Barrett and Ciaran Meenagh have been amazing. They set up a plan for us, we stuck to it and knew that we could do it.”

Now the big question is whether they can emerge with the O’Neill Cup on Sunday evening. Dromore were the last club to win the title for the first time in 2007. But it’s what happens on the field, and not history, which will matter most for Loughmacrory and that little boy from Lithuania who has grown to become one of their stars in this amazing 2025 season.