Peter McDermott (Gaelic footballer)

Peter McDermott
Personal information
Irish name	Peadar Mac Diarmada
Sport	Gaelic football
Position	Left corner-forward
Born	27 July 1918; Belgooly, County Cork, Ireland
Died	11 October 2011 (aged 93); Navan, County Meath, Ireland
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Nickname	The man in the cap
Occupation	Egg merchant
Club(s)
Years	Club
	Rathfeigh; Donaghmore; Navan O'Mahony's
Club titles
Meath titles	3
Inter-county(ies)
Years	County
1940-1954	Meath
Inter-county titles
Leinster titles	6
All-Irelands	2
NFL	2
All Stars	1

Peter McDermott (27 July 1918 – 11 October 2011) was an Irish

Railway Cup

medals.

McDermott's inter-county career was congruous with a career as a top-ranking referee and he took charge of All-Ireland finals in 1953 and 1956. As an administrator he served as secretary, vice-chairman and president of the Meath County Board and was instrumental in organising a prototype International Compromise Rules Series in 1968. McDermott's coaching career stretched back to the 1940s before enjoying All-Ireland success with Down in 1960 and Meath in 1967. Regarded as one of Meath's greatest ever servants, he received the All-Time All-Star Award in 1989 and was inducted into the GAA Hall of Fame in 2002.

Playing career

Club

McDermott first sampled Gaelic football while attending

friendly match, McDermott opted to join the Donaghmore club after the break-up of Rathfeigh. In his first year with the "Moore's" in 1938, they won the County Intermediate Championship title by beating a Oldcastle in the final. Four years later the Donaghmore club secured the County Senior Championship

title when a team, captained by McDermott, beat Skryne by 1-08 to 0-02 in the 1942 final.

A move to Navan in 1950 saw McDermott join the O'Mahony's club in the town and he helped his adopted club to win their first County Championship title in 1953. By the time the O'Mahony's club regained the title, McDermott's career was coming to an end. In 1957 he made his last club appearance when he lined out in goal in a one-point defeat of Skryne in the 1957 final.

Inter-county

Success at club level resulted in McDermott being drafted onto the Meath junior team for the 1939 Leinster Junior Championship. Meath came close to securing the provincial title but were held to a draw by Dublin before being beaten in the final replay. McDermott, who played well in the drawn match but had, by his own admission, "a poor game in the replay" and was not among the members of the junior panel who were subsequently invited onto the senior team.^[1]

McDermott was drafted onto the

Meath senior football team during the latter stages of the 1939–40 National Football League and he made his debut in a semi-final defeat of Wexford at Páirc Tailteann.^[2] After losing the final to Galway, he won his first Leinster Championship title after nullifying the influence of Tommy Murphy in the 2-07 to 1-07 defeat of Laois in the provincial final

.

McDermott claimed his second national silverware when

1949 All-Ireland final against cavan and claimed his first winners' medal after the 1-10 to 1-06 victory in what was Meath's inaugural championship title.^[3]

After surrendering their provincial and national titles to

All-Ireland final appearance, however, Meath suffered a 2-08 to 0-09 defeat by Mayo. Meath retained the provincial title after a one-point defeat of Louth in the 1952 Leinster final, with McDermott winning a fifth provincial medal. He later made his third 1952 All-Ireland final

appearance, however, after an initial draw Cavan claimed the title after a 0-09 to 0-05 victory.

Three provincial titles in-a-row proved beyond Meath in 1953, however, 35-year-old McDermott continued to line out with the team during the

1954 All-Ireland final against Kerry. He ended the game with a second All-Ireland winners' medal after the 1-13 to 1-07 victory, while he also had the honour of lifting the Sam Maguire Cup.^[4]

Honours

Player

Rathfeigh

Meath Minor Football Championship

Donaghmore

Meath Senior Football Championship: 1942
Meath Intermediate Football Championship: 1938

Navan O'Mahony's

Meath Senior Football Championship: 1953, 1957

Meath

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship: 1949, 1954 (c)
Leinster Senior Football Championship: 1940, 1947, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1954
National Football League: 1945–46, 1950–51

Leinster

Railway Cup
: 1944, 1945, 1953

Coach/selector

Down

Meath

References

^ "Peter McDermott". Hogan Stand. 12 November 1993. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
^ "Legend McDermott dies". Irish Independent. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
^ "Death of Meath legend and International Rules pioneer McDermott". Irish Independent. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
^ "Peter McDermott". Irish Independent. 16 October 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2021.

[1] "Peter McDermott". Hogan Stand. 12 November 1993. Retrieved 3 April 2021.

[2] "Legend McDermott dies". Irish Independent. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2021.

[3] "Death of Meath legend and International Rules pioneer McDermott". Irish Independent. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2021.

[4] "Peter McDermott". Irish Independent. 16 October 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2021.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]