GAA fans hailed Sean Boylan after Meath’s 1999 All-Ireland winners were celebrated at Croke Park in their jubillee year.
The players and manager from the side that captured Sam Maguire 25 years ago were paraded at GAA HQ ahead of Galway’s All-Ireland final clash against Armagh.
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Seán Boylan was paraded alongside his players on the pitch ahead of the 3:30pm throw-in.
During his time with Meath, he managed them to eight Leinster Senior Football Championship titles, and four All-Ireland Senior Football Championship titles (1987, 1988, 1996, 1999).
He topped that off with three National Football League titles, too.
The 81-year-old was in great spirits as he and his side from 1999 were honoured on the famous turf.
Speaking alongside Graham Geraghty – his captain from that day – the Dunboyne man paid credit to the famous side.
Speaking to RTE, he said: “What I loved most was that losing was never in their head – the pace they played at – the skill that they had.
“They never wanted praise, they just wanted to play at Croke Park – and they wanted to win whenever they could.”
Fans took to X as they hailed the legendary Royals manager after the interview and his appearance on the pitch.
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One said: “The man… the manager…the legend.”
Another penned: “The Meath 99 Team remembered on the 25th Anniversary of there Brilliant 1-11 to 1-08 Win over Bitter Rivals Cork. A Special Tribute To Manager & Gaa Ledgend Sean Boylan.”
While a third commented: “Sean Boylan is some man. What a humble hero.”
Ahead of the presentation Geraghty wrote in his SunSport column of how much his former boss deserved the recognition.
He said: “One thing I would commend the GAA for is that the managers are now able to accompany the players for the presentation.
“After what Seán Boylan did for Meath, being acknowledged alongside his players is the very least he deserves.
“It is sure to be a special day for us all and it is hard to believe that a quarter of a century has already passed since that victory over Cork.
“Regrettably it could be the last time for a good number of years that Meath footballers will be spotted on the pitch at Croker on All-Ireland final day.”
