County Derry's Martin O'Neill first realised dream of being professional footballer at St. Columb's College

County Derry’s Martin O’Neill first realised his ambition of being a professional footballer while studying at St. Columb’s College. 

O’Neill had come from a proud Gaelic footballing family, with his brothers Gerry and Leo being part of the Derry senior team, which won the 1958 Ulster Championship and reached that year's All-Ireland Championship final.

Martin also managed to represent County Derry at minor level, claiming an Ulster minor title.

The former Northern Ireland international had fond memories of his time playing both sports while in conversation with LBC journalist James O’Brien on Full Disclosure, a YouTube series. 

He said: “Soccer was something from a really early age I wanted to do. 

“I would have said the early 60’s, not that we saw these games on TV, we weren’t allowed, we meaning the college didn’t allow you to have any television but when I came home and there were periods in which Match of the Day would have been in its infancy at the time. Just to go to Anfield for one game would have been great for me. 

“I had this longing to be a full-time professional player. 

“From the age of 11, 12, or 13. My favourite team was Sunderland, believe it or not.

“Probably in my science class, when I was woken up with the strap a couple of times for not knowing my stuff, my dreams would have been heading onto a ship and heading over to Wearside to play for Sunderland.”

O’Neill would never achieve his dream of dawning the red and white stripes at Roker Park in front of a bunch of fanatic Mackems.

Yet, the 72-year-old would settle with managing the Black Cats from December 2011 to March 2013, saving the club he supported as a child from Premier League relegation in 2012. 

While he lived out a dream of working for Sunderland, it was a tough end in 2013 as he was sacked following a 1–0 defeat by Manchester United and failing to secure a victory in his last eight games as manager. 

But from O’Neill’s comments, this may have been a more enjoyable experience than his time at St. Columb’s College.

He said: “It was brutal. And St. Columb’s was—what shall I say it was? 

“I can’t say it was Tom Brown’s school days, but it was severe. It was pretty tough, bleak.

“It took me, certainly, weeks to get used to it. The first time that I went there was in 1963, and I certainly got used to it at all. I was missing my two younger brothers and sisters; things like this here and in my family home—you don’t realise how much you would miss it.

“Then you start to get used to it, into the way of college life, but coming back after Christmas in the cold January back to boarding school again was the most difficult thing of all.”

While O’Neill had some tough memories of the historic school, he did reminisce about his time at the former boarding school. 

He said: “I loved history, geography, and things like this here.

“My older brothers went to school with Seamus Heaney and John Hume, and in fact, John Hume was a French teacher in my first year at St. Columb’s in Derry, but obviously he then left.”