Willie Joe Padden is a former

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 who received two

All Stars awards The Gaelic Athletic Association-Gaelic Players' Association All Stars Awards (often known simply as the All Stars) are awarded annually to the best player in each of the 15 playing positions in Gaelic football and hurling. Additionally, one playe ...

, and represented Mayo in an 1989 All-Ireland SFC Final but lost to

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

. His son Billy Joe also played for Mayo. Willie Joe was born in

Belmullet Belmullet (, IPA: �bʲeːlənˠˈwʊɾˠhəd̪ˠ is a coastal Gaeltacht town with a population of 1,019 on the Mullet Peninsula in the barony (Ireland), barony of Erris, County Mayo, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is the commercial and cul ...

on 6 February 1959. He attended his local primary school in Aughalsheen just outside Belmullet. He went to the Convent of Mercy

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

in Belmullet.

Playing career

Padden started playing Gaelic football at age 11, played Minor football for Belmullet GFC at 14 and started playing Senior club championship at the age of 16, joining the Mayo minor panel in the same year. In 1977, in which he turned 18, he played for Mayo at Minor, U21 and Senior levels, including captaining the Mayo minor team to a Connacht title. A year later aged 19 he played in a National Football League final against Dublin in

Croke Park Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and he ...

. In his playing career, which ended with his retirement aged 34, Padden won one Minor Connacht title, one U21 Connacht title and five Connacht Senior titles. With Belmullet GFC he won a county league medal and two Gaeltacht medals. Padden received All Stars in 1985 and 1989. He was also named Mayo footballer of the year twice and Mayo personality of the year in 1990. Songs written about him include the Saw Doctors' "Hay Wrap", which features the line "Will Galway beat Mayo? Not if they have Willie Joe". Willie Joe was voted 35th best GAA player ever. Ranked second in Mayo behind Tommy Langan. He was also voted 4th best ever midfielder in the ''

Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...

'' newspaper.

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Padden, Willie Joe 1959 births Living people Belmullet Gaelic footballers Irish auctioneers Mayo inter-county Gaelic footballers