Mickey McGrath was born to Molly and the late Anthony McGrath on 20th May 1962 in Pettigo, Co. Donegal. It was a large family and a staunch GAA household, steeped in the traditions of the GAA.
Mickey emigrated to New York in 1979 where he worked in the building industry for 25 years. In 1994 he married Úna Donnellan from Kildysart and they had three children Michaela, Alysia and Luke. In 2004 Mickey, Úna and family returned to Ireland and set up home in Lacknashannagh, Kildysart.
Whilst in New York Mickey was involved with the Donegal GAA club. It has been said that he actually played for the Tyrone club, a fact he would most likely resolutely dispute as Mickey was unashamedly the Green and Gold of Donegal. Mind you, one of his many claims to fame was that he pushed the famous Frank McGuigan of Tyrone in training in New York the winter before Frank returned to Tyrone in 1983. Frank went on to star in Tyrone’s win in the 1984 Ulster Final which became known as the “Frank McGuigan Ulster Final”.
Upon moving to Kildysart it wasn’t long before Mickey got involved with Kildysart GAA. He served in a variety of roles with a succession of different adult managers during the period 2005 to 2015 as Selector and Kit-Man and he also served on the Field Committee etc. He was heavily involved in the Field Development Projects and in Kildysart Lotto during this period. Since 2016 Mickey was an ever present and loyal supporter at Kildysart games. He also sponsored fund raising events such as the Race Nite and the Development of the New Playing Pitch in Kildysart.
Mickey was a very sociable person and he loved the craic and the banter around the various hostelries in the village. His friends and acquaintances knew which buttons to push to get a rise out of him. And he always rose to the occasion and revelled in it, never taking a backward step. He particularly came alive each year at the onset of the Ulster Football Championship – “the only true championship of the lot”, he claimed. He even organised the now legendary Kildysart trip to the Ulster championship match on the June Bank Holiday weekend in 2008 between Donegal and Derry in Ballybofey. Most of the trips were to Clones and Croke Park and after a Donegal defeat the long trip to Clare would be interrupted by the continuous beeping of Mickey’s phone. His friends in Kildysart would be texting, pushing Mickey’s buttons about the lost bet or the Donegal defeat. Thankfully since 2011 Donegal have dominated the Ulster championships and featured prominently in the All Ireland Series resulting in a quieter phone on victorious journeys to Clare.
Mickey had a relaxed and easy-going manner, irrespective of how much he had on board. And he could best be described as a quiet gentleman with whom you would fail to have a serious argument. He was a dedicated, proud and loyal Donegal man to the core, but equally a true blue Kildysart man. Mickey and “Old Blue Eyes” had a lot in common; they both loved New York, and Mickey always did it His Way.
Kildysart GAA would like to acknowledge Mickey’s hard work, dedication, long service and financial support to our club since moving from New York in 2004. We would like to express our deepest and sincere sympathy to his wife Úna, his children Michaela, Alysia and Luke, his mother Molly and his siblings Margaret, Paula, Martin, Danny, Kieran, Laurence, Geraldine, Catherine, Brenda and Karl.
