Keady-born GAA great Dr Pat O’Neill – the first-ever Hogan Cup-winning captain and the last surviving member of Armagh’s 1953 All-Ireland final team – has passed away peacefully at his home in Omagh.
Born in Keady in 1929, Dr O’Neill was a towering figure in schools’, club and county football, and was widely remembered as a true gentleman on and off the field.
A former pupil of St Patrick’s College, Armagh, he won three MacRory Cup medals in succession between 1944 and 1946. He captained St Pat’s in 1946 when they not only retained the MacRory but went on to defeat St Jarlath’s College, Tuam, to win the inaugural Hogan Cup – the first ever All-Ireland colleges’ title.
He was also the oldest living MacRory Cup-winning captain.
His exploits in the orange jersey soon followed. At just 21, he captained Armagh to Ulster Senior Championship glory in 1950. Three years later, he lined out at centre half back in the 1953 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final, when Armagh were narrowly beaten by Kerry on a scoreline of 0-13 to 1-6.
He was the last surviving member of that history-making Orchard county side.
After qualifying as a doctor, Pat O’Neill moved to Omagh where he practised as a GP and continued his distinguished playing career. With St Enda’s, Omagh, he won three Tyrone senior championship medals, and at inter-county level he added two more Ulster senior titles with Tyrone in 1956 and 1957.
His connection to colleges’ football endured. In 2024 he was an honoured guest at the centenary MacRory Cup final, where he was introduced to the crowd before throw-in and presented the match ball to the referee.
Ulster Schools GAA said it was “deeply saddened” to learn of his passing, describing him as “universally revered as a gentleman both on and off the field” and noting that he retained an “abiding interest in Gaelic games” for more than eight decades.
Right up until his final hours, Gaelic football remained central to his life. On Sunday past (March 15), he attended Mass as usual in Drumragh and later watched the Roscommon v Donegal game, once again voicing his approval of the new playing rules. He became unwell later that evening.
Dr O’Neill is remembered not only for an illustrious playing career but also for his character, kindness and service to his community as a family doctor.
He is predeceased by his beloved wife Agnes and is much loved father of Patricia (Gene), Fiona (Ollie), Clare (Markus), Una (Gerry), Ciara (Paul), Maeve (Richard) and Sinead (Andrew), and loving grandfather of Eimear, Aoife, Patrick, Michael, Killian, Adrian, Matthew, Ronan, Conor, Aoibhin, Mark, Rory, Patrick, Niall, Niamh, Ellen and Beth.
Dr O’Neill’s funeral will take place from the family home today – Wednesday, March 18 at 12.30pm for Requiem Mass at 1pm in Sacred Heart Church, Omagh, with interment afterwards in St Mary’s Cemetery, Drumragh.
He will be deeply regretted and sadly missed by his entire family circle, former patients, team-mates and the wider GAA community in Keady, Armagh, Tyrone and beyond.
