Graham Geraghty

Graham Geraghty (born 17 May 1973), is a former Gaelic football player for the Meath senior football team. While still an inter-county player, he stood for the Fine Gael political party at the Irish general election, 2007; he was not elected.

Playing career

Geraghty achieved numerous honours such as, Geraghty achieved numerous honours such as, Geraghty achieved numerous honours such as

Geraghty represented his country against Australia in the International Rules Series in 1999, 2000 and 2006.

Geraghty has also won an All-Ireland Minor Football Championship in 1990 and an All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship in 1993. He has been named as the Meath Player of the Year on two occasions in 1999 and more recently in 2006. Geraghty won the Martin Donnelly Cup on four occasions with Leinster.

At club level, Graham won the Meath Senior Football Championship with Seneschalstown in 1994. He has also won the Meath Under-21 Championship with Seneschalstown in 1992.

Although his greatest achievements have come in football, he is a versatile athlete, with various honours in the fields of athletics, soccer (having traveled to London for trials with British club Arsenal F.C. as a teenager, and signing for Bohemians in September 1994,^[1] he also played for Drogheda United reserves in the 1996-97 League of Ireland season), and rugby (playing for much of his adult life with Irish side Buccaneers).^[2]

In late 2003, he published his autobiography, titled Misunderstood, which documents his childhood, adolescence, and sporting career up until the early years of the 21st century.

In 2007, Geraghty helped Meath back to the top and scored a magnificent goal against Tyrone to help earn the team a place in the semifinal.

On 23 July 2008, Geraghty retired following Meath's exit from the 2008 Championship at the hands of Limerick. On 20 May 2011, just three days after his 38th birthday, Geraghty returned to the Meath panel after a three-year absence.^[3][4][5][6] He came on as a substitute in Meath's first game of the Championship against Kildare at Croke Park, scoring a goal which was wrongly disallowed as a square ball.^[7] In 2012, Geraghty announced his second retirement from inter-county football and became a selector.^[8]

In December 2013, Geraghty confirmed that he will play Sigerson Cup football for Blanchardstown IT in 2014 as he is enrolled in a Social and Community Development course at the college.^[9]

Honours

Club

• 1 Meath Senior Football Championship 1994
• 1 Meath Under-21 Football Championship 1992
• 1 Meath Junior Football Championship 2007
• 1 Leinster Junior Club Football Championship 2007

Meath

• 3 Leinster Senior Football Championship 1996 1999 2001
• 2 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 1996 1999
• 2 Leinster Under-21 Football Championship 1991 1993
• 1 All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship 1993
• 1 Leinster Minor Football Championship 1990
• 1 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship 1990
• 1 National Football League Division 1 1994
• 1 National Football League Division 2 2007

Leinster

• 4 Railway Cup 1996 1997 2001 2002 2005

Ireland

• 2 International rules football 1999 2001

Individual

• 2 All-Star 1994 1999

Political career

In 2006, Geraghty was selected by the right-leaning Fine Gael political party to contest the general election of 2007 in his home constituency of Meath West.^[10] However, he performed poorly in the election, obtaining only 1,284 first preference votes - the lowest of the three Fine Gael candidates standing - and was eliminated from the race after the fourth count.^[11]

Acting career

Geraghty appeared in acclaimed 1998 Irish kung fu movie Fatal Deviation opposite Boyzone's Mikey Graham. He had no lines.

Personal life

Geraghty is married to Amanda and they have three children, Sophia, Lauren and Brandon and Beau

References

External links

• Graham Geraghty Official Fine Gael Website
• Official Meath Website
• Seneschalstown GAA Website