For a GAA player at the height of their career, there is often no better way to make the most of on their popularity than by opening a pub.
The fame acquired through GAA ensures a healthy clientele is there on opening night. Over time, it's not just the locals who flock to a hurler or footballer's establishment, it's the tourist who recognises the name over the door.
With owning a pub comes an expectation - an expectation of stories about the glory days and many are more than happy to oblige.
Larry Tompkins
A two-time All-Ireland winner with Cork, Tompkins - who also managed the county's footballers for several years - owns one of Cork city's best-known pubs. Larry Tompkins - 'Cork's Sporting Pub' - is located just a few steps from Patrick's St. on Lavitt's Quay.
Paddy Cullen
For any Kerryman visiting Ballsbridge they might expect to bump into the man himself in Paddy Cullen's – but he no longer owns it. The former Dublin keeper will not be present to have a ball jokingly lobbed over his head.
It is important to note that it’s still a top class pub and very much one of our favorites in south Dublin!
When Cullen did own the pub, it was a mark of some self-deprecating humour. The walls featured a nine photo series of Mickey Sheehy famously lobbing the ball over Cullen's head in the 1978 All-Ireland final. Sheehy's boots were also present.
After letting go of the southside establishment, Cullen set up shop on the northside - the pictures of that famous goal went with him.
Páidí Ó Sé
Probably the most famous of all GAA players who became publicans.
After a brief stint as a guard, Ó Sé opened up the establishment in Ventry near Dingle.
It was a huge success. It has been frequented over the years by numerous celebrities, including Dolly Parton, Tom Cruise and Martin Sheen.
During his time in the area, for the filming of 'Far and Away', Cruise often turned up in the pub to play pool. He also wondered if he would have been too small to play inter-county football only to be told that in any other county he would have, but in Kerry, they'd play the ball right into his hands.
When Martin Sheen turned up, as recalled in Tomás Ó Sé recent autobiography 'The White Heat', it was pure comedy.
`Who's Martin Sheen?' says Paidi.
We told him, `A big American actor.'
And out with Paidi, 'Martin, how are you? Welcome,' like they were old friends.
The background was that Paidi had had Tom Cruise in the pub when Far and Away was being filmed nearby, and he'd kept Cruise's security going with drink while the filming was going on. Ever since then he'd tell people in the pub that he'd been on the phone to Cruise about this and that: 'We keep in contact,' that kind of blackguarding.
So when Sheen came into the pub Paidi — though he'd never heard of him five minutes beforehand — was right at home with yet another movie star.
Sheen was interested in the football, though. He spent about an hour and a half there, chatting away, and he looked at the photographs. Good company.
Eventually he said good luck and headed off out to his car.
For blackguarding we said to Paidi, 'Hey, tell him to say hi to Cruise for you,' as if Hollywood were just one street on which all the actors lived.
Paidi tore out the door and roared, 'Martin! Martin! Martin! Martin!' across the road until Sheen rolled down the window. 'Say hello to Tom for me, will you!'
Following his death in 2012, the pub has been run by Paidi's family.
Anthony Daly
Anthony Daly's venture into publican life was somewhat fortuitous.
It also took advantage of his inter-county career at the height of his success. A year after Clare won their second All-Ireland of the 90s, Daly's wife Eilis was left a pub by her uncle.
It was a moment he recalls in his autobiography 'Dalo'.
One night in 1998, I got a call from Eilis. She said she didn't know whether she had good or bad news but she had major news: Jimmy wanted to leave her the pub.
I was thrilled. It was always a dream of mine to have a pub and now we had been granted the opportunity. Jimmy had also left us a site beside the pub to build a house, so we suddenly had a massive decision to make. We were living in Ennis and weren't sure where we'd finally plant our roots and grow our family. We decided to make our home in west Clare.
The pub was in bits because it had become derelict but we knocked it into shape. Jimmy had already put a new roof on which saved us from levelling the place to the ground. That decision also preserved the character and shape of the original building, which was first constructed in the mid-1800s.
When we opened in October 1999, we got a great start. The pub had been closed for so long that it quickly became a focal point in the area. It created a whole new culture. It even spawned a new soccer team.
Daly and his wife ran the pub for 10 years between 1999 and 2009 before leasing it out.
Davy Fitzgerald
Davy Fitzgerald is a serial publican.
He has run both the Bellsfort Inn near Newmarket-On-Fergus for more than ten years. He also, more recently leased The Dugout in Ennis, the pub he runs along with former Ireland international Noel Hunt.
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