Ballybay Monaghan Ireland

At last Friday nights annual County awards former Ballybay Pearse Brothers & county legend Paddy Linden was inducted into the Hall of Fame. A large number of locals have been in touch to offer their congratulations to Paddy on this wonderful achievement. Here's what the county had to say about Ballybay’s only All Star:

"As a juvenile in the Ballybay club, Paddy would play anywhere as long as he got a game. When he got the chance to play in goals, he grabbed it both hands and the rest is history. He won a County Senior Championship with his beloved Ballybay in 1987.

He was first selected on the county team by Sean Mc Cague in 1978. Monaghan duly won the Ulster Championship in 1979. A bad car crash in 1981 threatened his career. Eighteen months recuperation took its toll and he lost two and a half stone while out of action.

He worked hard and regained his place, winning further Ulster Championships in 1985 and 1988 and also a National League title in 1985. He also won a Railway Cup Medal in 1988.
He was rightly awarded a well-deserved All Star in 1988 for his consistency and was the first player from the province of Ulster to ever get the accolade. The highlight of his 1988 campaign was a superb penalty save from Cork star Larry Tompkins in the All Ireland semi-final.

Paddy had all the attributes needed for a top class goalkeeper; bravery, agility, great awareness with an accurate kick-out. A true legend and a popular and welcome addition to Monaghan GAA Hall of Fame."