Paddy Linden (born 1954/1955) is a
Gaelic football
Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...
er with
Ballybay Pearse Brothers
Ballybay Pearse Brothers Gaelic Football Club is a Gaelic football club based in Ballybay, County Monaghan, Ireland.
History
The club was founded as Ballybay GFC in 1906.
The club is named after the brothers Patrick Pearse and Willie Pearse ...
and
Monaghan
Monaghan ( ; ) is the county town of County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It also provides the name of its Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish and Monaghan (barony), barony.
The population of the town as of the 2016 census was 7 ...
. He was a goalkeeper for the teams and often a corner-back for Ballybay. For nearly two decades he was an
inter-county
Inter-county, or inter county is Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) terminology which refers to competitions or matches between counties, as used in Gaelic games (differently from legal counties). The term can also be used to describe the players o ...
player. He is a nephew of the late Cavan player Jack Smallhorny.
Career
Early career
He served his apprenticeship with Paul McCarthy, the Ballybay, Monaghan and
Railway Cup
The GAA Interprovincial Championship ( ga, An Corn Idir-Chúigeach) or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster ...
Ulster player.
[ When McCarthy moved into the forward line for Ballybay's replayed 1975 county champions final against Castleblayney Faughs, the position of goalkeeper became available and Linden took the opportunity.][ Ballybay won a county Division One League title in 1978, with Linden in nets, but he had to wait eight years for another.][ He won a county league medal in 1986 and a Senior County Championship medal in 1987.] Joe McMahon, known for his part in the Ballybay-Drumhowan Murray Cup amalgamation side, originally asked Linden in to try the netminder position when Linden was a young man. He played with players such as Kieran Finlay
Kieran "Jap" Finlay (died 2012) was a Gaelic footballer who played for Ballybay Pearse Brothers and at senior level for the Monaghan county team and the father of Paul Finlay.
He had two Ulster Championship medals in his back pocket (from 197 ...
and Gerry Duffy, and the Tullycorbet parish combination got a Murry Cup title.
County appearances, car accident
Linden did not get in on the county minor set-up.[ He was in on the under-21 set-up, but Clones goalkeeper Gerry McGarry had the spot on the team.][ His first appearance for Monaghan was at senior level. He got selected for the county team in 1978, succeeding McGarry when ]Seán McCague
Seán McCague ( – 24 November 2022) was an Irish Gaelic games administrator, footballer, referee and manager who served as the 33rd president of the Gaelic Athletic Association (2000–2003). He became the first Monaghan man to hold that office ...
was appointed as the manager.[ He conceded four goals at ]Casement Park
Casement Park ( ga, Páirc Mhic Asmaint) is the principal Gaelic games stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and serves as the home ground of the Antrim football and hurling teams. It is located in Andersonstown Road in the west of the city ...
in his debut against Antrim, but continued in the netminding role.[ Monaghan surprised when they won the 1979 ]Ulster Senior Football Championship
The Ulster Senior Football Championship is an inter-county competition for Gaelic football teams in the province of Ulster. It is organised by the Ulster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and begins in early May. The final is usu ...
, with Linden.[ He got a ]Railway Cup
The GAA Interprovincial Championship ( ga, An Corn Idir-Chúigeach) or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster ...
medal next year while playing for Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
.[ He was involved in a car accident in 1981, but kept on playing despite serious injuries.][ He took eighteen months to recover, but it took a physical and psychological toll on his athleticism and he lost two and a half stone.][ ]
Recovery and national success
He got back inside the county frame in late 1982.[ He had a place on the 1985 Ulster Championship winning team, which took ]Kerry
Kerry or Kerri may refer to:
* Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name)
Places
* Kerry, Queensland, Australia
* County Kerry, Ireland
** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...
to an All Ireland
All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) refers to all of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Ireland" is most frequently used to refer to sporting teams or events for the entire islan ...
Semi Final replay in 1985.[ He took another Ulster medal in 1988.][ Linden holds his 1984–85 National Football League medal as his most prized possession.][ In 1988 Linden became a household name around the country when at age 33 he won Ulster, County and Railway Cup medals and got an All Star Award. He won attention by saving a penalty hit by ]Larry Tompkins
Larry Tompkins (born 13 June 1963) is a former Irish Gaelic football manager and player. Throughout his 20-year club career, he played for his adopted club Castlehaven, winning three Munster Club Championship titles during a golden age for the ...
in the 12th minute of the 1988 All Ireland Senior Semi Final.[ ]
Retirement
After the 1991 Championship he retired over criticism after the Derry
Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...
game in Celtic Park
Celtic Park is the home stadium of Celtic Football Club, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,832, it is the largest football stadium in Scotland, and the eighth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom. It is also ...
.[ He came back as a stand-in for the 1992 ]Dr McKenna Cup
The Dr McKenna Cup is an annual Gaelic football competition played between Counties of Ireland, counties and List of universities in Northern Ireland, universities in the province of Ulster GAA, Ulster. It is the secondary Gaelic football comp ...
.[ Team manager Liam Stirrat pushed him out in the autum of 1991.][ Linden was memorable for his dare-devil antics on the pitch, flying off the line, and was 37 in 1992, older than anyone else on the team.][ He assists younger players at his club.]
Awards
Linden was the first Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
player ever to get an All Star.[ He was Ballybay's first (and so far only) All Star and was inducted into the Monaghan GAA Hall of Fame.]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Linden, Paddy
1950s births
Living people
Ballybay Pearses Gaelic footballers
Gaelic football goalkeepers
Monaghan inter-county Gaelic footballers
Ulster inter-provincial Gaelic footballers