Neil Lennon has recalled how Martin O'Neill got on his knees and kissed the feet of Derry legend Anthony Tohill during a meeting following a Celtic game in 2004.
Lennon invited Tohill to the match, a 1-0 victory over Rangers. The two had remained friends from their days being on opposite sides with the Armagh and Derry minor footballers.
18 July 1993; Derry's Anthony Tohill in action against Donegal's Joyce McMullan. Ulster Senior Football Championship Final, Derry v Donegal, St. Tighearnach's Park, Clones, Co. Monaghan. Picture credit; Ray McManus / SPORTSFILE
"Around 2004, we were playing Rangers," Lennon told The GAA Social podcast.
"We beat them 1-0. Any time you beat Rangers, it's a massive celebration. You can imagine Martin O'Neill after, he's just high as a kite.
"I went down to Martin O'Neill's office. He went 'Lenny, Lenny, come in pal'. I said, 'Gaffer, I have a guest with me. Can I bring him? He said 'You can bring in anybody you like'
"I brought in Anthony Tohill. Well, I kid you not, he jumps up from his desk, runs around the desk - and don't forget there are other people in the room like Billy McNeill.
"He pushes me out of the way, gets on his hands and knees and kisses Anthony Tohill's feet.
"I said 'Gaffer you have never done that to me over all these years'. He said 'You're not a real footballer, Lennon, that's a real footballer there'.
"He told me to go out and he kept Anthony in there for about 15 - 20 minutes. And that's Martin, a Derryman, his own love for the game - Anthony was one of his heroes."
What a brilliant .@Armagh_GAA Minor Team pic from the 1989 Ulster Final in this week’s .@ulstergazette featuring well known faces including current Armagh Senior Manager Kieran McGeeney and .@CelticFC Manager Neil Lennon 🏐⚽️ #ArmaghToTheCore pic.twitter.com/qZ2YLuppRW
— Justin McNulty (@JustinMcNu1ty) November 21, 2019
Lennon played for Armagh in the 1989 Ulster final, alongside Kieran McGeeney, against eventual All-Ireland champions Derry.
"[Anthony Tohill] was the reason I retired from Gaelic football," said Lennon.
"We just got starved of the ball because he was majestic. Watching him field the ball and his athleticism and skill level."
When Armagh defeated Kerry in the 2002 All-Ireland final to win the county's first ever Sam Maguire title, Lennon was lining out for Celtic against Dundee.
"I was gutted I couldn't be there [at Croke Park] but I was straight into the dressing room after the game and got my phone out," said Lennon.
"You aren't allowed phones in the dressing room. I said to the gaffer, 'Look, I've got to [make this call]'. Martin O'Neill went, 'Yeah, OK'.
"I rang my dad and all I could hear were the horns going in the background. I said, 'We've won it?' He went, 'Yeah, we've won it'. He was half pickled already.
"It was very special for me on a personal level."
7 July 2002; Celtic manager Martin O'Neill watches on anxiousley alongside Neil Lennon, left. Shamrock Rovers v Celtic, Pre season friendly, Tolka Park, Dublin. Soccer. Picture credit; Pat Murphy / SPORTSFILE
Lennon, who was Celtic manager at the time, also revealed the part he and the club played in Dublin winning the 2011 All-Ireland title.
"Pat Gilroy brought Dublin over to the Celtic training complex," said Lennon.
"They did two or three days training. We talked, had a chat about the tactical side of the game and the analytics. We showed him stuff that we do pre-match and post-match.
"Then I took the players out to watch the boys play Gaelic. The likes of Georgios Samaras and Scott Brown. [Georgios] said, 'Gaffer, what is going on? They are hitting each other!'
"I said, 'Yeah, these are real men'. It was great seeing the boys close up. They went on to win the All-Ireland that year."
