Cormac McAnallen facts for kids
Cormac McAnallen's Tyrone headshot
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Cormac Mac An Ailín | ||
| Sport | Gaelic football | ||
| Position | Full Back / Midfield | ||
| Born | 11 February 1980 The Brantry, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland |
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| Died | 2 March 2004 (aged 24) | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Occupation | Teacher | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
|
?–2004
|
Eglish | ||
| Club titles | |||
| Tyrone titles | 1 (Dublin) | ||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | ||
|
?–2004
|
Tyrone | ||
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Ulster titles | 2 | ||
| All-Irelands | 1 | ||
| All Stars | 1 | ||
Cormac McAnallen (Irish: Cormac Mac An Ailín; 11 February 1980 – 2 March 2004) was an amazing Irish Gaelic football player. He played for his local club, Eglish St Patrick's, and for the Tyrone county team.
Cormac was a true champion. With Tyrone, he helped them win the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in 2003. This was a huge win for Tyrone, their first ever! He also won the Ulster Senior Football Championship twice and the National League twice.
Even before he became a senior player, Cormac won many titles. He won an All-Ireland Minor title and two All-Ireland Under-21 Championships with Tyrone. He was also given an All Stars Award in 2003 for being one of the best players in the country.
Cormac also played for UCD (University College Dublin) when he was studying in Dublin. He helped them win the Dublin Senior Football Championship. Sadly, Cormac died suddenly on 2 March 2004, when he was just 24 years old. Even though his career was short, he won almost every major award in Gaelic football. He was often the captain of his teams and was known for being a very inspiring leader.
About Cormac's Life
Cormac McAnallen was born on 11 February 1980 in Dungannon, a town in County Tyrone. He grew up in a place called The Brantry with his parents, Brendan and Bridget, and his two brothers, Donal and Fergus.
Cormac went to Derrylatinee Primary School from 1984 to 1990. After that, he attended St Patrick's Grammar School in Armagh until 1997. While at St. Patrick's, he was part of a team that won a TV quiz show called "Blackboard Jungle" on RTÉ.
He continued his studies at Queen's University Belfast from 1997 to 2001. Then, in 2001 and 2002, he studied at University College Dublin (UCD) and did his teaching practice at St Benildus College in Stillorgan. He earned degrees in History and Computer-Based Learning, and later a diploma in Education. After he passed away, Queen's University named him their Graduate of the Year in 2004.
From 2002 to 2004, Cormac worked as a history and politics teacher at St Catherine's College, Armagh. He also helped manage school sports teams. He was a popular teacher and was well-liked by both students and staff. Outside of school, he helped organize youth sports in the Armagh area and often coached at Tyrone GAA summer camps.
In December 2003, Cormac got engaged to Ashlene Moore. In his free time, he enjoyed playing many different sports, including hurling, golf, table tennis, and soccer. He loved watching all kinds of sports. He was also very good at quizzes and had a strong interest in history and Gaelic culture.
Cormac's Football Career
Playing for Tyrone County
Cormac McAnallen started his county career playing for Tyrone's younger teams.
Minor and Under-21 Success
At the Minor level (for players under 18), Cormac won the Ulster Minor Championship with Tyrone in 1997. They reached the All-Ireland Minor final but lost to Laois. The very next year, with Cormac as captain, Tyrone won the Ulster Minor title again and also claimed the All-Ireland Minor title! For his great play, he was named Personality of the Year by the Ulster GAA Writers Association in 1998.
Cormac was also the Under-21 captain for Tyrone in 2000 and 2001. In both of those years, his team won both the Ulster Under-21 Championship and the All-Ireland Under-21 Championship.
Senior Team Highlights
By this time, Cormac was already playing for the Tyrone Senior team (the main adult team). In 2001, he won an Ulster Senior Championship medal. He was also named the All Stars Young Footballer of the Year and the Ulster GAA Writers Association's Footballer of the Year.
Cormac played as a midfielder when Tyrone won two National League titles in a row in 2002 and 2003. In 2003, he moved to the full-back position. Just two months later, the Tyrone team made history by winning the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship for the very first time! Tyrone had also won the Ulster Championship earlier that summer. Cormac received an All Star award for his amazing performances in the 2003 Championship.
In 2004, just over a week before he passed away, Cormac captained Tyrone to win the Dr. McKenna Cup.
Playing for Clubs and Universities
Cormac also had a successful club career. He won two consecutive Tyrone Minor Championships with his club, Eglish, in 1996 and 1997. He also won a Tyrone Intermediate Championship medal with Eglish in 1997.
While studying at university, Cormac played for UCD. He won the Dublin Senior Football Championship medal in 2001 and 2002, captaining the team both years. He also won the Ryan Cup with Queen's University Belfast in 1999 and the Sigerson Cup in 2000.
Playing for His Province and Ireland
Cormac won a Railway Cup medal with Ulster (his province) in 2003. He also played for Ireland in the International Rules Series against Australia in 2001, 2002, and 2003.
Other Sports Cormac Played
Cormac was a talented all-around athlete. He played hurling for the Clan na nGael club. When he was at St Pat's Armagh, he played basketball and won many Ulster Schools 'A' basketball titles. He also represented Ulster in basketball at different age levels.
Cormac's Passing
Cormac McAnallen died in his sleep on 2 March 2004. He was only 24 years old. His death was caused by a sudden, undetected heart condition called sudden adult death syndrome.
Cormac's Legacy
Cormac's impact on Gaelic football was so great that in 2004, the cup played for by Ireland and Australia in the International Rules Series was named the Cormac McAnallen Cup in his honour.
In January 2005, a new GAA club was started in Sydney, Australia, and named Cormac McAnallen’s GAC to remember him.
Cormac's Honours and Awards
Cormac McAnallen won many awards and championships during his career:
- Inter-county
- All-Ireland Senior Football Championship:
- Winner (1): 2003
- National Football League:
- Winner (2): 2002, 2003
- Ulster Senior Football Championship:
- Winner (2): 2001, 2003
- Dr. McKenna Cup:
- Winner (1): 2004
- All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship:
- Winner (2): 2000, 2001
- Ulster Under-21 Football Championship:
- Winner (2): 2000, 2001
- All-Ireland Minor Football Championship:
- Winner (1): 1998
- Ulster Minor Football Championship:
- Winner (2): 1997, 1998
- Club
- Dublin Senior Football Championship:
- Winner (1): 2002
- Tyrone Intermediate Football Championship:
- Winner (1): 1997
- Tyrone Minor Football Championship:
- Winner (2): 1996, 1997
- Province
- Railway Cup:
- Winner (1): 2003
- School/college
- Sigerson Cup:
- Winner: 2000
- Ryan Cup:
- Winner: 1999
- Individual Awards
- All Star:
- Winner (1): 2003
- All Stars Young Footballer of the Year – Winner (1): 2001
- Irish News Ulster GAA All-Star – Winner (2): 2001, 2003
- Ulster GAA Writers Association Personality of the Year: – 1998
- Ulster GAA Writers Association Footballer of the Year: – 2001
See also
- Sudden cardiac death of athletes
