The three-in-a-row cat

SEAMUS DARBY. Martin Breheny. Eric Elwood.

Edenderry. Glenamaddy. Galway City. Those are the places where the three men mentioned above were influenced in turn by Johnny Geraghty in their secondary school days.

The trio achieved excellence in various fields -- Darby in Offaly football, Breheny in sports journalism, Elwood in rugby. To come across another person, and positively impact their life, is an exercise not in the power of all.

Johnny has three Celtic Crosses from the fabled Galway three-in-row team of the mid-1960s. On September 25, 1966, a little over 55 years ago, Johnny won his third and final All-Ireland SFC medal. He had his Celtic Cross medals made into a bracelet for his wife, Helen.

A goalkeeper who obtained the moniker of 'The Cat', owing to his supreme reflexes, standing at 5ft 7in tall, he didn't concede a goal in any of those finals.

Read the full feature in this week's edition of The Tuam Herald, on sale in shops and online www.tuamherald.ie