Paul Garrigan reflects on his role in Meath's fairytale

Before this year's TG4 All-Ireland senior football final, Paul Garrigan drafted 38 personalised letters of appreciation, one for every player in the Meath squad.

Everyone from the county board to the players who defeated Kerry on the pitch at Croke Park that day had known that the Royals would be losing their inspirational coach at the end of the season, and this was his way of telling his team how much they meant to him and what each had contributed to the cause.

"I wanted to thank all of the players and I wanted them to feel they were important," said Garrigan.

"It’s probably the biggest story I have ever seen in Gaelic football. To see a team to progress from where they were - bottom of Division 3, a bad intermediate team... to come from that to where they are now."

The Oldcastle native grew up in Meath and played for the local club before he studied hotel and catering management, which brought him to a new life in Wicklow.

Garrigan relocated to Baltinglass around 20 years ago and he played football there too but a former Wicklow great, Hugh Kenny, enticed him to go down the coaching route.

Garrigan looks up to the likes of Jim Gavin and Jim McGuinness but he developed his own style over the years, and during the early days he sharpened his tools with Baltinglass.

He experienced his first success when he took a juvenile ladies football team in the club through the ranks, and when they got to senior level he first crossed paths with Eamonn Murray.

"I had seen something in those Meath players when they played Baltinglass that day."

The current Meath manager was involved with Boardsmill and the Meath minors at the time. It was a Royal County team stacked with the current senior crop, and after a challenge match with Baltinglass,