Sean Ferriter
Sean Ferriter (born 15 September 1938)[2] is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Naomh Adhamhnáin and the Donegal county team.[3] His position was in midfield (though he did play as a goalkeeper for his school).[2]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Gaelic football | ||
| Born | September 15, 1938 | ||
| Occupation |
Garda[1] Solicitor[1] | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
19??–? | Naomh Adhamhnáin | ||
| Club titles | |||
| Donegal titles | 3 | ||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | ||
1957–19?? | Donegal | ||
Early life and education
Born in Milford, County Donegal, his parents were Garda Morgan (from West Kerry) and Tess (from Baltray in County Louth).[2] He was one of six children: four sons and two daughters.[2] He attended Dunfanaghy National School for his primary education.[2] For his secondary education, Ferriter attended St Eunan's College as a boarder, playing for the school team (as a goalkeeper) and being greatly influenced by John Wilson, the Gaelic footballer and future Tánaiste who was teaching there at that time.[2][4]
Playing career
Ferriter played for the Donegal team that won the 1956 Ulster Minor Football Championship.[2] He made his senior debut for Donegal in 1957 against Tyrone at the age of 18.[2]
He captained the Donegal team that overcame Cavan in the 1963 Ulster Senior Football Championship semi-final, thus earning his team a place in the final for the first time.[2]
He played for Donegal in the 1964–65 National Football League semi-final against Kerry.[5]
He won three Donegal Senior Football Championships with his club Naomh Adhamhnáin.[2] He also played for Ulster in the Railway Cup,[6] with whom he won two titles.[2]
Retirement
A former Garda, Ferriter served for a time in Dublin.[1] His experience of Dublin proved invaluable to Brian McEniff when Donegal qualified for the 1992 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final — against Dublin.[2]
Ferriter later studied law and qualified as a solicitor, practising in the Dublin suburb of Blanchardstown.[1]
He met his wife Mary, originally from Thurles, while she was working as a civil servant in Dublin (where Ferriter was at the time based as a Garda); she predeceased him.[2] He has eight children.[2] One of his sons, Paul, is a sculptor.[1]
Accolades
In 2001, the Donegal Democrat included Ferriter in a Millennium Team.[2]
In May 2012, the Irish Independent named him in its selection of Donegal's "greatest team" spanning the previous 50 years.[7]
In 2020, he was announced as the 44th inductee into the Donegal Sports Star Awards Hall of Fame Award.[2]
References
- Gilleece, Dermot (18 January 2009). "A portrait of the artist: Irish sculptor Paul Ferriter is carving a niche for himself in the world of golf". Sunday Independent. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
In an earlier life, I reported on Sean Ferriter playing Gaelic football for Donegal. His son's early sporting memories, however, were all about golf... Born in Letterkenny in December 1967, Paul Ferriter moved as a boy to Dublin where his father was transferred as a member of An Garda Siochana. Now the father is a solicitor in Blanchardstown, having gone back to college to study law.
- "Hall of Fame Honour for Sean Ferriter". Highland Radio. 14 January 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- "Outstanding Long Serving County Stars". Naomh Adhamhnáin. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015.
- "College Gaelic Team 1956 - 1957". 30 May 2019. Archived from the original on 22 September 2019.
- "Back in time...". Clár Oifigiúil: Quarter-Final Group Stage, Group 2 Phase 2 (i.e. the Kerry match). 21 July 2019. p. 35.
- McNulty, Chris (25 November 2016). "Sean Ferriter pays tribute to the late Joe Lennon, 'a formidable opponent'". Retrieved 25 November 2016.
- "GAA: Donegal's greatest team of the past 50 years named". 14 May 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2012.