Damian hails ‘unbelievable’ Parkhead experience

By Niall Gartland

THE Tyrone Masters were introduced to thousands of Celtic supporters at half-time of a Scottish Premiership match at Parkhead last Saturday, an ‘unbelievable experience’ according to Kildress footballer and Celtic fan Damian Kelly.

The four-in-row All-Ireland champions walked out onto the famous pitch at half-time of a 3-0 victory over Hearts, a moment which will live long in the memory of all involved.

It was part of a special weekend of events organised by Scotland GAA as part of an ambitious fundraising drive geared towards developing their facilities at the Pearse Park Centre for Culture and Sport in Glasgow.

On Saturday morning, Damian and the rest of the Tyrone Masters team won the Willie Dowds Cup with a 3-3 to 0-6 victory over their Donegal counterparts, Dónal McAnallen, Gary Coney and Martin Taggart getting the goals at the Clydebank Community Sport Hub. They’ll begin their five in-a-row quest next month so it was good to get a competitive game under their belts.

Kelly said: “We’re getting up to speed again, it was a competitive game, once you cross the white line the competitive juices start flowing. There were a few heavy hits but it was all good-natured and we were all 100 percent afterwards.”

The Tyrone Masters then headed across Glasgow to the field of dreams at Celtic Park, where they were housed in the Lisbon Lions stand before making their way down to the pitch at half-time of Celtic’s Scottish Premiership match against Hearts.

“It was an unbelievable experience, the crowd was unreal, they were really receptive to it.

“The start they were probably thinking ‘who are these boys’ but it was all announced and the crowd was great. There were a lot of ones from home as well who flew over for the game as well. We did about three-quarters of a lap of the pitch then were back up in the stands for the second-half.”

There was also a gala event on Friday night, and Damian Kelly paid tribute to those who organised a memorable weekend with a special mention for Gortin native Peter Mossey.

“It’s unbelievable, Donál gave me a bit of background on Peter Mossey and the work he does. The commitment of the Irish diaspora across the world is outstanding. The effort they put in in places like Guernsey, Dubai, Australia, wherever, is second-to-none, they do such important work in maintaining that link to back home.”

The next focus will be their upcoming All-Ireland championship campaign and their tilt at the five in-a-row. Damian has been involved since the start and enjoys the camaraderie.

“It’s good craic, you get to know the boys you played against and who were rivals, and become friends with them.”