Stephen Melia (1962 – 23 October 2015) was an Irish Gaelic footballer who played for the Louth county team. At club level he represented John Mitchels, O'Dwyer's and St Joseph's.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Stiofán Ó'Máille | ||
| Sport | Gaelic football | ||
| Position | half-back | ||
| Born |
1962 Ardee, County Louth | ||
| Died | 23 October 2015 (aged 53) | ||
| Occupation | Great Northern Brewery employee | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
|
John Mitchels O'Dwyer's (Dublin) St Joseph's | |||
| Club titles | |||
| Louth titles | 1 | ||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | ||
1984–2001 | Louth | ||
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Leinster titles | 0 | ||
Known for his fitness,[citation needed] Melia made a total of 179 appearances for his county over seventeen years. During that time he won National League, O'Byrne Cup and All-Ireland B honours. He assisted manager Paddy Clarke as a selector for the final two years of his Louth career.[1] He again filled the role of Louth selector during the managerial reign of Eamonn McEneaney.
He was frequently selected on the Leinster panel for Railway Cup matches. In the 1993 final he lined out at left half-back in a three-point defeat to Ulster.[2]
At the age of 44 in 2006, Melia appeared in his first ever Louth SFC final, lining out for the "underdog" St Joseph's against St Patrick's. St Joseph's won the game by four points.[3]
Melia died in October 2015 after battling Motor Neurone Disease.[4][5]
Honours
edit- John Mitchels
- Louth Junior A Football League (2): 1981, 1990
- Louth Junior Football Championship (1): 1992
- St Joseph's
- Louth Senior Football Championship: (1) 2006
- Louth
References
edit- ^ "Louth mourns the death of football legend Stephen Melia". Irish Independent. 24 October 2015.
- ^ "Former Louth great Stephen Melia passes away". Irish Times. 23 October 2015.
- ^ "Melia a Wee bit special for Joe's". Irish Independent. 9 October 2006.
- ^ "Mauretta's journey for her beloved brother Stephen". Drogheda Independent. 7 September 2021.
- ^ "Stephen Melia RIP". Hogan Stand. 23 October 2015.
- ^ "'B' title is honey sweet for Louth". Irish Independent. 10 November 1997.
- ^ "Louth savour their day in the sun". Irish Times. 8 May 2000.