DITCHING soccer to play for Armagh was easy for Oisín Conaty.
The Orchard star was man of the match in last Sunday’s All-Ireland final against Galway and fired 0-3 from play in their 1-11 to 0-13 victory at Croke Park.
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Two years beforehand he was on the books at Irish League side Portadown, and watched from the stands when the Tribes prevailed on penalties in the All-Ireland quarter-finals,
He earned two caps for the Northern Ireland under-19’s in 2021, but continued to line out for the Tír na nÓg club whenever he could.
Conaty was a growing feature on Kieran McGeeney’s radar until the Orchard boss convinced him to jump ship in the winter of 2022.
Portadown were in the middle of their season, and Conaty’s last appearance came against Crusaders that October.
McGeeney had already done enough, and he left Shamrock Park.
Conaty made his SFC debut for the Orchard against Down last summer, and the rest is history.
An All-Star beckons as he helped Armagh bag their second ever All-Ireland title, and Conaty’s choice has been more than justified.
He said: “I was alright at soccer – I don’t think I was as good as people make me out to be.
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“I played for Portadown and Linfield, I played for the Northern Ireland U19s in the European Championships qualifiers as an attacking midfielder or up front.
“I think playing soccer has probably helped me actually. I worked on a lot of stuff that has helped me in GAA.
“When I joined the Armagh panel last year you never think that day’s like Sunday are going to come.
“But from talking to ‘Geezer’, I knew there was something different about this group and the boys made me feel so welcome straight away and this success is down to all of them and the backroom team.
“Geezer texted me looking to meet with me and to be honest, from receiving that message, I had my mind made up when I did meet him.
“It was him and the appeal of Armagh. I was in the crowd when they lost to Galway two years’ ago – I went down on the train with all my mates – so to be here now is just crazy.
“It’s hard to believe it has actually happened, I don’t know when it will all sink in. We probably don’t even realise what we’ve done. It’s crazy.”
DAZZLING DISPLAYS
Conaty, 21, is in line to be crowned Young Footballer of the year after his dazzling summer for the Orchard.
He scored 0-13 from play across their nine championship games, as a six-game winning run after their Ulster final loss to Donegal saw them surge to Sam.
And representing Portadown means the world too.
The town was painfully divided between unionist and nationalist communities in the past when the troubles blighted the north, and old wounds are yet to fully heal.
But Conaty is a symbol of the way forward – and hailed the outpouring of support he has received from all walks of life where he grew up.
He said: “Both sides have been texting me. Friends that I have at Portadown Football Club, from the other side of the town, have texted me and I’m grateful to a lot of those coaches because they have helped me along the way too.
“A lot of it goes down to the underage coaches at Tír na nÓg GAC in Portadown like Brian Mallon and Paul Carville and so many other people around the club.
“And then, from the other side of the town, I’d say especially Neil McCullough who helped me a lot, he brought me to Portadown. I’m grateful to all of them.
“Portadown will be rocking for the next few days and it’s all down to the people in the town.
“They’ve supported me a lot – I’ve seen the posters up around the town and the bunting and all that – and knowing that they’re all behind me helps.”
