Paddy Diamond is pictured in 2017 on the left with Jim McKeever and Peter Finn on the occasion of celebrating the second Sigerson Cup success of the Ranch, which was masterminded by Paddy Tally and his management team at the time.
The Gaelic Games fraternity at St Mary’s University College, past and present, is saddened by the passing of a great ‘Rancher’ in Paddy Diamond from Randalstown, County Antrim. Paddy was a student at St Joseph’s College of Education in the 1960s and a most dynamic one at that. He was a powerful man on the field, playing midfield for Antrim. Off the field, he was an energetic and innovative leader who raised the performance bar in all that he did. Paddy had enormous respect for his Physical Education tutor, Mr Jim McKeever, and that remained the case throughout his life.
Paddy was instrumental in recent years in documenting and celebrating the heritage of Gaelic football at the College. He has left us with a wonderful book in ‘Passing the Flame’ which is both a sports and social history of the 1960s. He recently described the scale of the contribution made by St Mary’s students and graduates to Tyrone’s victory in the 2021 All-Ireland Football Final as monumental.
The College Principal, Professor Peter Finn, said; “Paddy Diamond had a great affinity with the Ranch and encouraged us to keep the flame alive in promoting Gaelic games. We will miss his presence and we extend our most sincere condolences to his family.”
Paddy is pictured here with Tom McGrath from County Fermanagh who was also a student at St Joseph’s in his time. Tom was about to set off on a charity run to Croke Park in Dublin and the location is important. It is now the site of the very successful St Genevieve’s High School. Before that however it was the Ranch or Trench House, the home of St Joseph’s College of Education until 1985.