Could there be a better place to say goodbye?
Less than a week after retiring from the intercounty game, Kerry hero Colm Cooper was back doing what he does best: playing football.
He scored four second half points for his club Dr Crokes in a Kerry League Division 1 game against An Ghaeltacht on Saturday.
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Dr Crokes 1-16
An Ghaeltacht 1-10 pic.twitter.com/16EBlP39CY— Dr. Crokes GAA (@DrCrokesGAA) April 8, 2017
Following on from that victory, Cooper spent the evening in the company of friends at the pub of Kerry and An Ghaeltacht legend, the late Paidí Ó Sé, for the 50th birthday party of businessman Mick Culhane.
Present in that iconic Ventry establishment were Darragh, Tomas and Marc Ó Sé, who all battled for years alongside the Gooch in the green and gold.
Also on hand were the likes of former Munster and Ireland rugby star Mick Galwey and former EU commissioner Charlie McCreevy.
After dinner, as is customary at a birthday party, a cake was brought out for Culhane, who made a short speech, before a second cake was brought out – this one for the man of the moment.
Green and gold, and baked in the shape of a football jersey, the cake bore the nickname “Gooch” instead of a sponsor’s logo and had two messages on top: “Happy Retirement Gooch” and “Thanks for the Memories”.
As you can see from our exclusive pictures below – Cooper made a short speech following the presentation.
Pictures: Joe Carroll
By all accounts a good night was had by those present, and they will be hoping for the right result in Sunday’s National League final between Kerry and Dublin.
