Declan Loye is not your typical student footballer. He’s living at home, because he became a father last month. And he’s already been on the senior inter-county scene, then stepped away.
Yet that latter point certainly does not mean that he’s taking it easy.
In his second year of studies at St Mary’s and with son Danny to deal with, the Mullaghbawn clubman might have been expected to take any chance of rest he could get.
Instead, he played soccer for Warrenpoint Town on Saturday afternoon – scoring a goal and being named ‘Man of the Match’ - before helping ‘the Ranch’ beat Belfast rivals Queen’s in their Sigerson Cup opener on Sunday.
Weather-enforced postponements mean the second round clash comes quickly, away to Technological University Dublin on Wednesday evening (7.15pm).
He’s relishing his involvement in the Sigerson, though, having not gone to university as a teenager but heard plenty about the competition – and St Mary’s in particular – from friends who attended:
“Aaron McKay, he won with St Mary’s in 2017 and he still talks about it. Ryan McSherry, Aaron Boyle, they got to the final two years later in Portlaoise and to this day they still talk about going to St Mary’s.”
Even so, Loye admits he took some persuading to become a student: “I didn’t really want to go to university, although I was still going out a few nights of the week with the boys down there.”
Instead, he worked for the Bank of Ireland, then became a classroom assistant at his old school, St Paul’s, Bessbrook.
Picture: Jim Dunne
Now 26 – “and-a-half”, he notes with a laugh – it took several former Armagh stars to convince him to give university ago.
“I met Paul McGrane, who took me for Armagh Minors, and he said ‘Would you not go into teaching?’”
Next the St Mary’s manager got on his case. “Then Gavin [McGilly] rang me, he and Paul were taking Armagh Minors together, and asked me to come up.”
Finally, about a month later, former Armagh star John Rafferty spoke to him at St Paul’s and Loye took the plunge:
“I was a bit nervous the first few weeks – ‘Is this for me?’ But I stuck it out and I love it. I’m a bit more mature – not that everyone would say that! I can see more of an end goal now, especially with the child.”
Picture by Seamus Loughran
Before all that he’d progressed from Orchard County underage teams to the senior panel for several seasons in his early 20s, but left in early 2022:
“I just decided to step away. I wasn’t playing. That was when I took the soccer more serious, first with Cleary Celtic, then I signed for the ‘Point the year after.
“I weighed it up for a few months. I left shortly before they beat Dublin in Croke Park [in the 2022 League opener]. I decided to give full commitment to soccer and my club.
“When I was with Armagh I was breaking down with injuries nearly every second game with Mullaghbawn. I felt I needed to give them a few years, it’s not fair. We ended up putting out Clann Eireann, who were the reigning champions.”
He watched friends enjoy the ultimate Gaelic football success last year with Armagh, but insists there’s no mixed feelings:
“I wouldn’t say I have regrets. I go to most games to watch them, I’d be good mates with Greg McCabe, Aaron McKay. I was delighted for them to win it, I wouldn’t say I was jealous. They all put in so much time and effort.”
The attitude change on his own part helps him play two codes, but even more important are the support and understanding of his partner Alana and his coaches in both football codes, Gary Boyle at Warrenpoint Town and McGilly at St Mary’s.
“Alana is unbelievable. If there’s a match I want to watch in, say, Dungannon, she’ll say ‘Go on ahead’. She loves coming to the football with me too. Without her I’d be really stuck. When I was in and out of jobs she’s the one person who stuck by me, I’ve a lot to thank her for.”
Still, Loye knows he can only do so much. Heading up to ‘the Ranch’, he sat out last season with Mullaghbawn and hasn’t yet decided whether to return: “I haven’t had that conversation yet. After Sigerson I’ll see what way it pans out.”
For now, he knows there’ll be at least one more Sigerson match after this winners’ round meeting with TUD, who won their opener against the University of Galway.
Whatever the result, Loye will welcome round three: “I prefer knockout football, I don’t agree with this second chance. After this week is when it gets real.”
Further in the future, he might think about Armagh ambitions again.
“A few people said to me about Armagh after the game on Sunday. On reflection, when I was at Armagh, I probably took football for granted. I was maybe going through the motions a bit.
“It’s only when I left Armagh that I really thought about proving to people that I could play at a good standard. Especially now, as probably the oldest one on the team, I’m taking football a lot more seriously.
“People always say ‘Your football career is so short, don’t let it go’. I’ve taken that on board, which is probably why it’s working out better for me in soccer and Sigerson.
“I wouldn’t rule Armagh out, but I’ll just take it week by week, match by match.”
It’s a sensible approach. A year ago he was unable to play any sport, having broken his leg before Christmas 2023, and missed out on Sigerson.
As he concludes: “A year later, big changes – all for the better.”
