Aidan O'Shea says it's 'strange' not having his old sparring partners Cillian O'Connor and Rob Hennelly in the Mayo dressing room alongside him this year, ahead of this Sunday's Allianz National Football League final against Kerry.
A number of fresh faces are featuring prominently for Mayo over the last few weeks such as Davitt Neary, Frank Irwin and Fenton Kelly but the evergreen O'Shea remains in the mix at 34, even though many of his past team-mates have moved on.
The Breaffy man missed part of Mayo's pre-season having been away on his honeymoon but was excited to link up with the squad when he returned, and thanked the management team for allowing him the time off.
O'Shea and his wife, Kerry woman Kristin McKenzie Vass went to Australia and the Maldives for their honeymoon, catching up with his ex-Mayo team-mate Oisin Mullin at Geelong as well as attending the Australian Open.
"It was great," O'Shea says.
"Look, I'd never really taken time like that, so I'm pretty appreciative that the management allowed that to happen. It was great to get a break and come back refreshed and ready to go.
23 March 2025; Aidan O'Shea of Mayo in action against Stephen McMenamin of Donegal during the Allianz Football League Division 1 match between Mayo and Donegal at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park in Castlebar, Mayo. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
"So then coming back and obviously no Rob, no Cillian, two good mates on and off the pitch, it’s quite strange that they're not there.
"I think it's exciting in a way, though.
"You are kind of hanging around with lads that born in 2004, 2005 which is a bit mad. It's definitely an adjustment and trying to kind of find your spot in the dressing room as well and kind of understand your role."
"And in other ways, kind of how to communicate with lads that maybe, when you've soldiered with lads you can probably be a little bit more raw with them in terms of the ask and them back to you, then trying to understand players as well and how we build those relationships.
O'Shea was happy with his form for Breaffy in the club season and never really considered retiring, so long as McStay and his management team wanted him back in the mix, though he notes people are often eager to call time on his inter-county career on his behalf.
"I think the way I see it was if Kevin and the lads were keen for me to continue on playing, I had a very good club campaign in Mayo and the body felt good, so that led into that.
"With me for some reason it seems to be waiting for me to say I'm not playing anymore but that's been there for a long time. The reality is I'm only 34 years of age and there are players playing a high level sport a lot longer into their into their 30s.
"If you look after yourself right there's no reason why that can't continue for me so that's kind of what I'd be focused on, really."
The Mayo talisman says the league has 'been quite good' for Mayo, having 'unearthed a couple of players.'
One of these is his club-mate Davitt Neary who has taken the league by storm, particularly with a fine goal against Armagh, but that hasn't surprised O'Shea even though Neary never played underage for Mayo.
Aidan O'Shea of Mayo, right, celebrates after team mate Davitt Neary, left, scored their first goal during the Allianz Football League Division 1 match between Armagh and Mayo at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds in Armagh. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
"He's a great fella. He was a kickboxer back in the years and a soccer player," O'Shea says.
"But yeah, to be honest, I've seen him, I was involved with the Breaffy U-14s, that would have been eight or nine years ago. And I would have known him as a young kid as well. And the second I saw him at under 14, I said, 'yeah, we've got a player here'."
"So yeah, look, anybody who's talked to me about Davitt over the last couple of years, I thought this was possible and that he would transition into a county footballer pretty comfortably.
🚨GOAL🚨
Davitt Neary smashes it in for @MayoGAA who are right back in it 💥#GAANOW #AllianzLeagues pic.twitter.com/LKolnYgIkP
— The GAA (@officialgaa) February 22, 2025
"Huge pace, great attitude. And there's a bit of edge to him as well. Yeah, he's done really well. I'm delighted for him. And hopefully that continues, he's a young kid. So he's learning his trade.
"But yeah, very proud of him and delighted to see another two Breaffy lads now in the squad, on top of myself and Mattie. So John is in there as a keeper as well. So it's great to see a couple of boys coming through from the club as well."
The league final will bring lots of excitement to the O'Shea household as the Kerry connections are strong. Both of his parents are from the Kingdom with his dad Jim having played for Laune Rangers and the Kerry minors, while his wife is an Austin Stacks woman.
"Liam Hassett would have been Dad's neighbour and I would have travelled around the country watching them with dad and then obviously 04, 06 (Kerry beat Mayo in All-Ireland finals.)
"So yeah, the Kerry-Mayo thing has always been strong in our house.
"And then obviously me marrying a Kerry woman added to that a little bit as well.
"Since me, Seamie and Conor started playing with Mayo, it's always been a funny one when we play against each other. But it's always enjoyable, it pulls the family together.
"There's a bit of fun in the family WhatsApp groups this week. But yeah, there'll be a few knocking around I think on Sunday to come up for the game. So it's all good banter and enjoyable experiences for sure."
26 March 2025; As Mayo and Kerry prepare to go head-to-head this weekend in the Allianz Football League Division 1 Final, Allianz and the GAA unveiled the new cup that will be presented to the division winners, this coming Sunday, for the very first time. ‘Corn Mhíchíl Uí Mhuircheartaigh was unveiled today, to honour and remember the GAA icon, who made every match unforgettable for generations of fans. Pictured is Aidan O'Shea of Mayo with the new Allianz Football League Division 1 trophy, the Corn Mhíchíl Uí Mhuircheartaigh, ahead of the Allianz Football League Division 1 Final this weekend. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
