Giddy disbelief greeted the Kerry legend’s grand entry to Westmeath, on the rebound from the Kingdom. Just like 2004, the Dubs are looming again – but can the underdogs really dream of Leinster glory?
Westmeath manager Páidí Ó Se is congratulated by fans after their victory over Laois in the Leinster SFC final replay in July 2004. Photo: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Tomás Ó Flatharta is sitting down in a Dublin hotel, recalling various anecdotes from “the most enjoyable two years” he ever spent as Páidí Ó Sé’s right-hand man in Westmeath.
Many of the stories from 2004, that ‘Summer of Páidí’ when the jilted manager of Kerry rebounded into the arms of Westmeath and made Leinster history, have gone down in Lake County lore.