THROUGH the blackness of 2020, shafts of light ricocheted and shone from places we didn’t expect them to.
In normal times and with the bewildering control freakery that has sadly become GAA press relations, a couple of brilliant blogs popped up on Conor Meyler’s Twitter account.
Because he was a well-known inter-county footballer ensured his blogs would reach a bigger audience. But social media reach and quality blogs are two entirely different things.
Meyler’s blogs on the power of positive language towards children and leadership were good and stood on their own two feet.
In fact, they were better than good.
The parables, the moral messages contained in them, the simple and yet powerful writing style - they were awesome pieces of writing.
Amid the early throes of the global pandemic last year, Meyler wrote: “As a teacher, every day I task my children with overcoming challenges in which we control. ‘Here is the situation kids, how do you choose to respond?’
“Now they face a different kind of challenge. As I can’t work face to face with the children, my use of language in our online classroom is more important now than ever.
“Language is critical in how we influence others, particularly children. Like a sponge, they will soak up our words and take them as gospel, regardless of how correct it is. The language we use will give children a feeling, a feeling in which will alter their behaviour and in turn their actions…
“So, what language do we use? We must keep it positive… Children will remember their COVID-19 experience for the rest of their lives. They will forget what work they completed but they will never forget how they felt during this time.
“I believe it’s important that children know and understand what is going on, but instead of telling children what a catastrophe this is, remind them it’s a challenge... Not every situation we face is good, but conversely not every situation we face is bad…
“Some children will be struggling at this time. Their sense of belonging and friendship has changed. Their sense of autonomy has taken a hit. Let’s bring it back to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Teaching children to appreciate the basics before moving up a level.
“Enjoying the basics, having dinner together, reading a book, do a jigsaw, talking about how they feel to a family member. Remind them of the support and care they have from their family. Setting small tasks and jobs, (challenges) to complete and give them a sense of accomplishment...
“Teach children to appreciate simplicity, find comfort in a challenge. Be in control of this situation and do so with positive language. If you do, when this is all over, I guarantee you will see more resilient children. Back to basics. Thanks for reading.”
In an era of anodyne press conferences and soulless zooms, personalities and life philosophies are hidden from the media’s gaze.
In media terms, the pandemic unveiled Conor Meyler.
Twice a senior club champion, a provincial and All-Ireland winner with Tyrone, a 2021 All-Ireland finalist, a player of the year contender – and a young man of deep intelligence and substance.
For over 25 years, Noel McGinn held the principal’s hot seat at Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School in Greencastle.
In his last year before retirement, McGinn needed a sub teacher to cover classes between P4 and P7.
He knew the Meyler clan and their work ethic – and he was acquainted with Conor through club and county football and the player's interactions with Tyrone’s popular social media outlet Teamtalkmag.com which McGinn helps front.
Recently graduated from St Mary’s University, Meyler was a perfect fit.
“It was a Friday afternoon and all the staff had packed up at around 4 o’clock after a long week,” McGinn recalls.
“At about ten-past five Conor puts his head in and wanted to know if there was anything else I needed done. That was the sort of him. There were no shortcuts with him - and he plays football that way.
“He was a first class teacher and had a great relationship with the kids.”
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CONOR Meyler was a slow-burner of a footballer. During his underage days with St Enda’s Omagh you’d find his name scribbled on team-sheets of ‘B’ teams while his father – Seanie – coached the ‘A’ teams.
He never featured for the Tyrone minors and it was only when he reached his late teens he began to flourish.
“Conor was a late developer,” says Omagh clubman Ciaran McDaid. “He began to push on around the age of 18 and won county championships in 2014 and 2017. He is supremely dedicated. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone who works as hard as Conor.”
In 2015, podium appearances for the Tyrone U21s were few and far between. Their last provincial title arrived in 2006 and you’d have to go back a further five years for an All-Ireland crown.
Guided expertly by Feargal Logan, Brian Dooher and Peter Canavan, the class of 2015 were ready to end those droughts.
“Conor was always a sponge for information but a wee bit like [Cathal] McShane, his role changed from that U21 team,” says Canavan.
“He was a wing half-forward and very much creative and scored a great goal against Donegal in the Ulster final. Back then, he was a player being marked.
“He’s very versatile and in recent years maybe that’s been to his disadvantage in that he’s been pulled here and there. He’s capable of doing different jobs; there were years he played midfield, centre-back, half-back, half-forward and he’s had to be very disciplined in man-marking but he’s also been able to get forward.
“Like his father, he can run all day. From half-back he’s easily able to cover the ground. He’s the type of player who will never stop learning and that’s why he’s getting better.”
There were big miles on Mickey Harte’s senior team in 2015 – but the induction of the burgeoning U21 brigade would be done gradually.
Kieran McGeary, Frank Burns, Paudie Hampsey and Conor Meyler were always destined to become mainstays of the Tyrone seniors – but they would have to bide their time.
A few weeks after Tyrone had captured the 2015 U21 All-Ireland title, Harte called up McShane and Mark Bradley for their first taste of the Ulster Championship against Donegal.
Meyler still had improvements to make to his game before being entrusted with a Tyrone senior jersey.
He’d carry the ball into the tackle and the opposition knew they could rile the precocious Omagh man.
“The thing about Conor is he’s a superb athlete,” says Mickey Harte. “He is Dooher-fit.
“I’ve said to him in the past that he could be the next Dooher. He just has energy to burn. He loves the challenge of distance running and he has an injection of pace as well. He works very hard at his game and is so single-minded and determined and wants to get plenty of feedback and be better.”
IT was a casual conversation between coach and player just before the 2017 Sigerson campaign got under way.
Paddy Tally sensed that the group of players emerging at the college could give Sigerson a proper rattle.
Kevin McKernan, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Meyler, McGeary, McShane, Conal McCann, Oisin O’Neill and Aaron McKay had all landed at the university at just the right time.
Tally told Meyler he felt there was definitely a Sigerson in them over the next couple of years.
Meyler replied matter-of-factly: ‘Sure we’re just going to win it this year anyway.’
“And that was it,” says Tally now.
“In Conor’s head, we were going to win the Sigerson Cup. That wasn’t a boy being arrogant, he just believed we were going to win it. We’d a really good team, an exceptional football team. Conor doesn’t lack confidence. That’s one thing about him. He’s great self-belief.”
St Mary’s had scraped past both Galway and DCU by a point to reach the finals weekend in Bekan, Co Mayo.
As soon as they’d arrived all the players’ mobile phones were put into a bag, and that’s where they stayed the entire weekend.
Matthew Fitzpatrick, a key member of that victorious St Mary’s team, says: “When people don’t know the likes of McGeary and Meyler, they might think they’re arrogant because they come out of school with a reputation – but they were both very down to earth.
“Meyler is the furthest thing from a big-time Charlie you’ll ever meet. He’s a real deep thinker, a smart fella.
“I’d say he’s obsessive with improving. Any way he can educate himself or improve he’ll do it. Throughout university he took everything on board. He’s obsessed with improving and that’s why he’s successful.
“He was the fittest player we had at St Mary's by a country mile. Meyler is the only person I know – and McGeary too – who can run at the same pace in extra-time as they do in normal time. They are freaks.”
In their semi-final and final against UCC (Cork) and UCD Dublin, the Belfast-based students conceded a pair of early goals in each game but showed tremendous tenacity and guile to edge both games by a single point.
“I’ve always maintained if you can play Sigerson football at St Mary’s and dominate, you’ll make it at county level because you have to out-perform every single day you go out because we don’t have the resources that other teams have, or the big-name players,” says Tally.
“All those guys would have been outstanding college players, they had the stomach for the fight, and Conor was certainly one of them.
“That year Conor played at number six. In every one of those matches he marked the playmaker and he was also good on the front foot.”
The entire squad headed for Tally’s Bar in Galbally on the Sunday evening to celebrate their famous win – the college’s first since 1989 – and on to the Hatfield Bar in Belfast the following day.
“It was unbelievable, a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” says Fitzpatrick, who later starred for the Antrim footballers.
“We were in a bubble before bubbles ever existed. We’d no phones. We were big underdogs in all the games and won them by a point – and Meyler would have come up with big plays in every game.”
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He suffered a broken fibia in his right leg against Donegal in Ulster and as he hobbled off in Ballybofey there didn’t appear any road left in 2018.
Four weeks later, and somewhat miraculously, he was playing in an All-Ireland final against Dublin.
Paddy Crozier, who was enjoying his second managerial stint with Omagh, was mesmerised by Meyler’s rehab.
“Conor is the ultimate Gaelic football professional, if that makes sense,” says the Ballymaguigan man.
“He’s not your Tuesday and Thursday night Gaelic footballer. The level of preparation he puts in you wouldn’t believe.”
Meyler’s star mightn’t have ascended as quickly or as sharply as others in that classy 2015 U21 Tyrone team – but he’s certainly scaling the heights now.
The man-marking job he did on Kerry’s Paudie Clifford 13 days ago will go down as one of the best in Tyrone.
“I thought it was superb,” reflects Harte.
“Paudie Clifford is a really effective player for Kerry and it was only when he was negated the rest of the forward line suffered.
“Conor wanted to track people but he also had the wisdom to know when they didn’t need to be tracked and when they end up tracking you. That’s a skill in itself. Conor has definitely has matured into a serious operator.
“He’s a very good lad too. He’s very driven and wants to be the best. He knows it’s a journey and that it’s not an overnight switch. While he mightn’t have caught the eye as soon as other people I think his work is being appreciated now.
“He’s the right man at the right time and right place.”
In his blog on different kinds of leadership, Meyler critiqued the Netflix documentary on the great basketball player Michael Jordan.
“Within the GAA I would find it harmful to encourage players to ‘Be Like Mike’,” Meyler writes.
“Players must be encouraged to be authentic and allowed to find their own leadership styles. A GAA player who tries to emulate Michael Jordan will only leave themselves tired, lonely and in my opinion not very successful.
“Idolise players certainly, watch their skills, learn from them, pick out some of their good traits and the positive ways in which they live their lives. But remember to bring it all back to you.
“Some of the best sportspeople in the world are also the best thieves, they steal ideas and moves from others but make it their own. Be a good person as well as a good footballer. Never wish your GAA career away by trying so hard to be someone else that you forget to be yourself. You will never be the best copycat. You will never be Michael Jordan. Be authentic, be you. 'Be yourself, everyone else is already taken,' Oscar Wilde."
Conor Meyler's light ricochets still...
