Something in the Healy genes, as Padraig takes centre stage

IT’S no surprise that Padraig Healy was central to St Oliver Plunkett’s lightning start in the Bon Secours Confined Cork JBFC final last Saturday when you consider his older sisters are two of the fastest women in Ireland.

Sprint sensations Phil and Joan have regularly competed on the World and European stages, with Phil also an Olympian, but these weeks it’s their youngest brother who is taking centre stage as Plunkett’s chase a unique county junior B football and hurling double.

With the football title already won, focus is now on Co-op Superstores Confined Junior B HC final against Ballyclough this Saturday at Páirc Uí Rinn, and another chance for Padraig (21) to keep Knockaneady in the headlines.

He is electric on the GAA pitch, but – and, again, no surprise given the family’s sporting genes – he was fast on the track, too, winning the 2013 All-Ireland boys’ U12 100m title with, we’ve been reliably informed, no training.

‘I didn’t really do athletics to the same extent as my sisters. I was always more interested in team sports, playing GAA and soccer all the way up but athletics being so big in the house and always hearing about it I would always enter the Community Games, Cork City Sports and the odd few competitions with Bandon AC,’ Padraig explains.

‘I didn’t do any formal athletics training with a club, but running was always central in our underage training. We would have low numbers and our trainer, Con McCarthy, at the time would have us playing full pitch ten-a-side in U12. Actually, I had a successful relay team with two other lads on that team, Roy O’Driscoll and Cian McCarthy, who are two of the fastest lads I’ve seen playing in West Cork so there must’ve been something working in those trainings.’ 

Tokyo Olympian Phil Healy at her home with her family after the Games in 2021; from left, her brother Diarmuid, mum Phil, dad Jerry, sister Joan, brother Padraig and dogs Lily and Fred.

The Healys have those fast-twitch muscle fibres, and it helps Padraig glide across the pitch, in both football and hurling. They came in handy against Ballyphehane in the football final last weekend with his first-minute goal. 

‘The goal was actually planned out in training by the coaches in the last few weeks,’ he says.

‘I was brought out for the throw-in, Conor McCarthy used his unreal strength to take the two opposition midfielders out of the equation, leaving me the easy job of winning a free ball, ran at the goal, played a one-two with Sean O’Donovan and the space opened up.’

That gave Plunkett’s the dream start as they got the job done in the football final, and now it’s about beating a fancied Ballyclough in the hurling decider. It’s been a great season to date, and the hope is it will get even better on Saturday.

‘The main change this season is the belief that we are good enough and that drives you on in training then and that’s really been instilled by our new coaches in hurling and football and all the background,’ Padraig says. 

He will take centre stage in the Healy household again this week. Roles are reversed, as Joan and Phil will now be cheering him on, as will his older brother Diarmuid (he plays with St Mary’s). There’s something in those Healy genes, alright.