The Mayo News

The secret of Charlestown’s success is playing it cool, according to Paul Mulligan. He spoke to Mike Finnerty. Playing it cool


Paul Mulligan intends to enjoy Sunday’s game

Interview
Mike Finnerty

SO you want to know the secret behind Charlestown’s success? You’re keen to find out what goes on behind the dressing-room door when Aidan Higgins and ‘Ginger’ Tiernan take the floor. Fire? Brimstone? Sacrificial lambs?
Maybe Ciaran McBrien’s calm and composed demeanour on the sideline is only for our benefit. Perhaps he’s a raving lunatic on the training ground. And, surely, age hasn’t stopped John Casey from throwing the odd wobbler every now and them.
It turns out nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, according to Paul Mulligan, one of Charlestown’s unsung heroes, it’s all about keeping cool.
Next Saturday night he doesn’t intend to be pacing the floor, worrying about Corofin or the Connacht final. He’ll be sitting at home watching X-Factor, followed by Match of the Day, and sharing a pizza with his brother, Anthony.
“Personally, all I’ve tried to do this year is get myself right,” he told The Mayo News last week. “My entire life, my whole focus, at the moment is on this Connacht final. We’re giving it a huge commitment, and still, we’re a very relaxed group of players. When we walk away from football, we walk away. We have a drink together, put on a bet, have a bit of craic. We have a good balance.
“At training, Sean Higgins keeps the tempo up and makes sure we get good work done. But there’s good craic, good banter there too. We enjoy it.
“In games, Ciaran [McBrien] keeps us calm, he’s very cool on the line, and that’s important. He, Aidan [Higgins] and Sean have drilled that into us, to hold our heads at all times and just let it happen. We have full faith in our own ability now.”
To those outside of the Charlestown circle, Paul Mulligan is known as ‘Anthony’s brother’, but to those who have soldiered with him through thick and thin, the slightly-built wing-forward is recognised as a talented footballer in his own right.
He was a fresh-faced teenager when Charlestown made the breakthrough in 2001, was there when county finals were lost in 2007 and 2008, and he arrived back at McHale Park last month determined to make amends.
“The pressure was on us that day as players,” he admitted. “Management had put in a huge effort over the previous three years and we had to deliver. That was drilled into us before the match by Aidan and ‘Ginger’.
“Personally, I decided to take a relaxed approach to games this year,” he continued. “The week before the County Final I had a job interview in England and I flew back the day before the match. I made sure I stayed loose and relaxed. We were too uptight against Castlebar and it showed in the way we played.
“We have a lot of big characters in the dressing-room and leaders on the field,” added the 26 years-old. “John Casey, Aidan Higgins, Ginger Tiernan, Richie Haran and Kevin Deignan are all great guys to have in your team. They can lift you with a speech, a catch, a tackle, a run... They’re leaders.”
It was at Richard Haran’s wedding, shortly after last year’s County Final defeat to Ballaghaderreen, that Charlestown started planning for their assault on 2009.
Paul Mulligan remembers asking Ciaran McBrien to come back for one more shot at the title. He knew there was more in the group, and he had his own reasons too.
“I knew John [Casey], Aidan and Ginger were coming back and I knew, I just knew, we were coming back to win it. It was unfinished business. For me, I had won a medal with my brother, Alan, in 2001 and I wanted to win one this year with Anthony. That was a big motivation for me.”
Outside of football, Paul Mulligan is trying to carve a niche for himself on the back of a Masters in Medical Physics. He is job-hunting at the moment and, chances are, he will have to swop Sandyhill for the UK in the near-future. But that is a story for another day. First, he has a second Connacht medal to win.
“It’s probably going to be the proudest moment of our careers, running out on our home pitch, representing our club, our town. It’s something you dream about, growing up.”
Oh, he supports Liverpool by the way. And Jedward, of course!

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