First of all Happy New Year and welcome to 2014.
I want to speak about the man who has changed so many lives in Dungannon and the surrounding areas. Joe McAree MBE.
First of all it is a fantastic honour and achievement for Joe and the McAree family, his wife Carol, daughter Sharon, sons Keith and Rodney and to his son and daughter in laws Jay, Courtney and Adele, grandchildren Charlie, Rudy and Lennon. This is an award that is long overdue but one that is fully deserved for the amount of time and effort Joe has dedicated to the Youth of this Community.
Every Child will have fond memories that will last a life time. From Preston to Barcelona, from Portrush to Toronto. Joe has given so many kids the opportunity to play football around the world and make friends that will also last a life time. I am no different. I have fond memories and have made friends that will last a lifetime, but for me two stand out. I go back to when I was an 11 year old freckly faced boy who went to Butlins Park in Ayr for my first trip away with Dungannon Swifts and how was I to know what a journey I would embark on from that moment forward. Memories of that trip include me and the rest of the boys taking the jam and the butter from the
breakfast tables in the morning so that in the rooms later that night we could make toast and Joe and wee bunker McGuiness from Lurgan would tell us football stories. My second one was when I was a wee bit older, 31 to be exact, playing for Linfield in the final of the Setanata Cup in Tolka Park 2005. I was dead on my feet in the final minutes of the game, one that we were winning 2-0, I then heard a shout from the packed Linfield end of the ground, “Murph, channel, down the channel, turn them!” I looked round and there was Joe Mac with his blue Dungannon Swifts baseball cap on, giving me the big thumbs up. As I have said those are memories that I will cherish in my lifetime.
A lot will be said about the great man and he deserves all the lavish praise that he will receive and comes his way. I will finish by saying, thanks for all your help, support, dedication, guidance and even now being there on the end of the phone when I need advice on footballing matters regards your club Dungannon Swifts. Through it all it is nice that just simply I can call you, my friend.
Fully deserved – Joe Mac MBE.
Murph