Christopher Lynch

How I joined the club

I’ve always said my blood was red for a reason haha. My mums side of the family (Doherty’s) are Sarsfields through and through, my Grandpa Desi was a life servant of the club and similarly my late dads side (Lynch’s) was Lámh Dhearg.  My Granda Jim RIP was involved in founding the Youth Committee and the opening of the current pitch a long time ago. My Uncles Martin, Stephen, Paul, Brendan RIP, Bill Molloy all played and would be highly respected and very loyal and committed clubmen.  My late Da (Dee Lynch RIP) would never let be forgotten the day he turned out for the senior reserves and rattled the crossbar haha. John Dunne RIP was involved with the handball and others all involved with the club at the time either playing or other so my Dad made sure Lámh Dhearg won that battle. 

When I was very young we moved to Ballycastle for a few years.  I went to training with Ballycastle on the weeknights hitting tyres with a hurl for half an hour and on weekends my dad used to bring me up to Belfast to make sure I didn’t miss the club. I used to remember being dressed in my full Dhearg Kit to go up to my granny Lynch’s in Stewartstown, meet my cousins Gavin, Brendan and Mairtin Og and Gerard Francis and we would head of to the club then come back and practice all the skills we were taught in my grannies front garden. There were a few bloody noses and no love lost in those exchanges.  I loved those days going up in “Shakers” van from Greenways . Greenways was a hub and focal point for us and it was always great craic waiting on the bus. I have also fond memories of going down to Newcastle on the Ulsterbus onenjoyable day trips.  Stewartstown and Lenadoon was an area with many Lamh Dhearg families then and still is. Brendan McComb (Reg) in Corrib Ave, The Vincent’s, Brady’s and The Rices in Mizen Gardens, Tumelties, Mervyns, McGuigans, Philly Mulryne (Now Fr Mulryne) Big Conal Carmichael and the rest in Lenadoon. The Herron’s down the road in Hillhead who I became incredibly close friends with,  Brendan Herron and myself had some laughs together from primary school, in the club, Hotel Herron and holidays in Spain and in San Francisco playing football together. 

The summer schemes were some of the best times of our lives too where bonds were made of friends and families. It was more than a club and you felt carefree sliding on the floor at the weekly disco trying to make Bukey copy your dance moves I don’t think he ever lost. Summer schemes were unreal and fun and were highlights of our summers. I remember playing a tournament one time in the summer scheme, my mum picking me up after the group games and when I got out from the dentist I got her to bring me back up. I got there at half time in the final and scored the winner off the crossbar. Roy of the Rovers stuff to me then and very insignificant now. Funny enough The extensive dental work I had to have done after breaking a lot of my front teeth falling off the old concrete seats in the road end at Casement park celebrating us winning one of the championships in 92. Wouldn’t be the last time I’d be inured either haha. 

The players of 92 teams would coach us or be involved in the summer schemes and I used to idolise them, Anto Finnegan, Jim Brady, Terry McCrudden, Bukey, Dodger, Kieran O’Neill, Kipper Carmichael, Mickey Boyle, Colm McCabe, Franky Wilson, Gavin Brown, Peter-Martin McGuigan And Beansie the legend, most Of whom I ended up playing with at Senior level for Club and County and all brilliant fellas too. I didnt have to look too far on how to play the game in fairness. If you could control the back and read a game like Tel McCrudden, fetch a ball like Russ, command the square like Eamon McGarry, Kick pass like Frankie Wilson, be as crafty as Mickey Boyle, be as fit as Stevie McFadden and kick points like Bukey and Colm McCabe you weren’t going to be far off a good footballer. We had a good education watching those teams.

Playing career and coaching experience at club

The younger years I think Brendan Herron mentioned in his piece that we were mostly in B grades and would challenge here and there in football and hurling. We might have won a hurling B championship at one stage with Barry Armstrong who was a brilliant servant to the club, very emotionally connected to the game you wanted to play well for him when you got a chance. I Somehow ended up a football goalkeeper in a short stint with St Johns for a couple years and moved back up the Hill in minor. We won the county Minor football league when Bukey was the manager in 2001, we had a great squad that year, Stephen Harbinson was a great keeper, Micko, Daniel McGreevey, Cathal Kelly, Brendan Herron, Paddy Cunningham to name a few. I remember playing the decider for the league at Rossa having my nose broke in the first half, being down by two points with a few minutes left and trying to hit a free kick into the top corner from the 21 it went off the crossbar, Joe Doone had a rebound blocked then Micko I think tried to handpass it over the bar, it fell short and the goalkeeper somehow dropped it in the net, madness kicked off and I’ll never forget to roar on the steps of Rossa that night. A real turnaround as two years earlier Rossa beat us very comprehensively. There’s a theme with crossbars and broken body parts there somewhere. 

That minor team would be the nucleus of what I believed would have been a very dominant team only for the Fantastic St Galls teams we faced over the years. They were an incredibly intelligent team full of great footballers and credit to them, We had some cracking tussles with them over those years. The years after that minor team between 2001-2005 I think we won 2 senior football league titles.  I was on the hurling team won One Div 2 hurling league in 2003.  A brilliant bunch, Ciaran, Michael & Brendan Herron were as good as hurlers as anyone in the county at that time and great central point to that team who ended up holding their own in Div 1. Garso Agnew, rest his soul was and giant between the posts and an absolute gentleman. Fond memories of beating Sarsfield’s in the Div 2 Hurling play off at Corrigan to earn Division one status, a super achievement and a pleasure to play with guys such as Cuff, Paddy Tumelty and my cousin Gerard Francis. I captained a junior hurling team that won a Jnr B championship under Barry Armstrong.  We beat Creggan up at St Enda’s in the championship final when Joe Doone thought we’d lost at the end and the rest of us were celebrating haha that team was brilliant craic with Tony Stanley and myself playing midfield, Tony is another great fella who has always put his heart and soul into the club and always reminded you when you needed to keep the head on the field. 

Speaking of keeping the head I remember making my senior football debut against Rasharkin, always a really tough place to go and play a league game especially in midweek. We were short on a few players and Audie Hamilton played me wing forward instead of goalkeeper, I got a bit of harsh treatment that night and was just getting on with it until one senior stalwart who shall not be named haha, said to me “if he hits you again and you dont hit him back I’ll hit you myself… next thing I know I’m sent off and had to say a few Hail Mary’s to be on the County Minor hurling squad for an Ulster final the next week.

I think St Galls were the only team to beat us in 4 years of U21 football. We were beaten in 3 finals and a semi final and of course the 2003 senior football final replay, which was a tough one to swallow and thankfully my last game as a goalkeeper with the senior footballers when John Finnucane came on board.  Damien my brother and myself played in the same team in 2004 u21 final, he was 16 I’d say that was the proudest day I’ve had playing for the club to play with my brother, cousins Gerard Francis & Terry McGuinness and my closest mates in a championship final just unfortunate it didn’t go for us on the day. The 2006 senior football final was a really hard one to take for me, we won a reply against St. John’s in the semi final, Paddy Cunningham scored 13 points or something, it was incredible. I was convinced we would win that day against Cargin In Casement we were down 4 with 5 to go I got a goal and Paddy Cunningham got a point to level it to go to extra time and the loss took me a few years to get over to be honest. The ghost point Cargin got that day still stings but listen people make mistakes.

I went to America in 2007 for a few years came back in 2009 and played my part to get the club getting promoted back up into Div 1 after relegation under Mickey Boyle’s leadership. We should have had the league won that year when St Brigid’s had to win by 20 points or something on the final day and somehow managed to win by enough. Then I ended up having a knee operation and reluctantly stepped away from playing on professional advice in 2010 and moved to Liverpool to study as a mature student. 

In the middle of those years there was a year involved coaching with the club minors. Brilliant craic that year was. You had Conor Murray, Tony Alwell, Damien, David, Mark & Declan Lynch, Mark Cullen, Michael O’Neill, Colm Cochrane and a few others. Never short of a few characters or drama in that team and some brilliant pre game sing songs. David Lynch likely at the heart of most of them. He’s a big fan of a chant is our David. 

County Career 

I was living in Ballycastle when Antrim made the all Ireland hurling final in 89 and seeing those men around the town was like seeing a god with your own eye and from then on pulling on an Antrim jersey was a dream for me.  In my first year back with the club from St Johns, I was playing in goals for the county minor and under 21 football teams, Brian White called me up to the senior county squad the year after to be  deputy goalkeeper to Sean McGreevy. Terry McCrudden snr was there with Hugh McGettigan in the back room team. Frankie Wilson & Mickey Boyle, Colm McCabe and Kevin Murray were there in the squad with Anto Finnegan and Big Joe Quinn from St Pauls were brilliant mentors for me then. I had always known Anto from the club summer schemes and the Quinns were close to both sides of my family. First game was away to London so the craic was brilliant. I had a couple of years under different managers, PJ O’Hare when we beat Cavan in Casement in 2003 was just unbelievable to be a part of we celebrated that for a few days in the Hunting lodge. We then played Tyrone in the Ulster semi final in a packed Casement park What an experience that was, then Armagh in the qualifiers, both made the all Ireland final that year with Tyrone winning it. 

I didn’t really get much playing time as understudy to Seany. he was one of, if not the best goalkeeper in the game at that time. I remember always wanting to be fitter than the outfield players when it came to the really tough fitness based training because I’d go back to the club fitter and eventually play out the park. I had a strange love for going into dark places physically and pushing myself. Eventually ended up being selected by Micky Culbert as a forward with my form with the club playing out field, we won a league final up in Glenavy against Cargin when Jim Herron & Bandy Lenaghan were over us in the club. I didn’t play much under Micky either, I wasn’t physically strong enough to cope with the inter county game at that level at the time in all honesty and it wasn’t until Jody Gormley came in 2006/07 that I played regularly and really pushed the gym work. You could get away with it for the club but at county level to play wing forward you’d really have to be physically strong and fit to play week in week out and influence a game. I really enjoyed playing under Jody who was a fantastic mentor and a great coach to play for. He had been to all Ireland finals with Tyrone and knew what it took to make that grade and take a step further.

Unfortunately I had some personal issues and stepped away before the Ulster championship and moved to Boston. When I came back home I got back in the county panel under Baker Bradley but ended up suspended for administrative issues related to my registration playing football in America so I missed out on an Ulster final that year. 

Leaving club and  professional career in Malaysia/Australia

I’ve been a bit of a nomad since I was younger. I always wanted to travel and experience different ways of life and different cultures. So I was travelling when I got the chance so I always knew I would end up abroad. I stopped playing seriously in 2010 on medical advice.  My mental health suffered on the back of that because I’d placed my whole self esteem on sport  and my life  simply revolved around playing sport.  I was 27 so I decided to choose a professional career over sport for the first time in my life and decided to go study Sports Psychology in Liverpool. It wasn’t received well with some at the time but It was ultimately the best thing for me in the long run. 

I ended up involved in the coaching the team with John Mitchel’s in Liverpool. We won a British club championship and then were beaten in the All Ireland Junior club football final in 2014 against Brosna from Kerry. When my dad sadly passed away in 2014. I came back to Belfast and got involved in coaching with the club again with the senior, reserves and U21s. We won Div 1 football league the first year it had been named after the late Eddie Fitzsimons which was great for the club as Eddie was a brilliant player, referee and personality. I’d also been involved with Kildare ladies football team beaten in the 2015 all Ireland intermediate final before moving to Malaysia. 

My career in sport led me to do some freelance work with Professional footballers in England and Scotland through Paul McVeigh who played for the club before and after his professional football career in the premier league. I also enjoyed taking a presentation at a County Health and Well Being seminar organised by Barney Herron. Bukey also had me in with his county Development football panel taking a session with the keepers and then a presentation on Sports Mentality and lifestyle to the panel and their parents. Good to help out clubmen and the county as the club and county were good to me. I got some great experiences with my cousins Brendan Lynch and Michael Press at Cliftonville before I moved to Malaysia in 2016 to develop a personal development programme for athletes at the national sports institute there. Last year I moved to my current role as Lead for Athlete Wellbeing & Engagement with the Australian Cycling team in Adelaide where I support the Australian Olympic Track, Para, BMX and Road riders with their personal development off bike career plans, education support and preparation for life beyond sport.

 Miss the club and keep in contact via Social Media/Family

Lámh Dhearg has been a huge and influential part of my life since I could remember.  I’ve not always been physically there but I’m grateful for social media and technology where I can keep in touch. I have to say the club social media sites are very informative and well organised. I remember being glued to my phone and twitter in Kuala Lumpur in the early hours of the morning when we made the breakthrough and took a championship home a couple years ago.  I celebrated pretty well that night. It was brilliant to see my uncle Martin & Stephen Involved in the management of the team and so pivotal in the superb win. Glad to see Declan playing a big part on the field and now doing a great job as County Captain and Declan Dunne making a breakthrough last year. I was especially delighted for guys such as Micko, Paddy, John and Reg who’ve been through some tough days and fallen short to eventually get over then line and they have been great servants for the club. It  was fantastic and Jim Herron who has been a fantastic influence on and off the field for the club since I can remember. They deserved that day and can rest easy and so unlucky not to add another c’ship last year.. 

I am very sure that the people I was around for a long time at the club have influenced me and driven me to want to perform at my best in all that I do. People like Tommy McKernan, The Herron brothers, Charlie McCluskey, Declan Napier, Joe Doone and my own family are friends I’ve had since summer scheme days. We’re all invested in each other’s success and we still remain in contact now when we can. 

We might not have lifted a senior championship together in that period I was around but we pushed each other to be good people on and off the pitch and had some cracking holidays and life experiences. Being at my teammates weddings and family occasions to me is what I’m most thankful for and are just as important as what happened on the field of play.  

I keep up to date with every game via social media or texts with anyone at the games. I am really enjoying the Red Hand Journeys and was privileged to be asked to share mine. It’s a bit harder now I’m in Australia but it definitely won’t deter me. 

Ní Neart Go Cur Le Cheilé