Dermot Earley, Snr
| Dermot Earley DSM | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
24 February 1948 Castlebar, County Mayo |
| Died | 23 June 2010 (aged 62) Drogheda Memorial Hospital, Curragh, County Kildare |
| Buried at | St Conleth's Cemetery, Newbridge, County Kildare |
| Allegiance |
 Ireland |
| Service/branch | Irish Defence Forces |
| Years of service | 1965—2010 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands held | Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces 2007—2010 |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Medal |
| Relations | Dermot Earley, Jnr (son) |
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Diarmuid Ó Mochóir (Mór) | ||
| Sport | Gaelic football | ||
| Position | Midfield | ||
| Born |
24 February 1948 Castlebar, County Mayo |
||
| Died | 23 June 2010 (aged 62) | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Occupation | Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces |
||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
| 1960s–1970s 1970s–1980s |
Michael Glavey's Sarsfield's |
||
| Club titles | |||
| Roscommon titles | 1 | ||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | ||
| 1965–85 | Roscommon | ||
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Connacht titles | 5 | ||
| All-Irelands | 0 | ||
| NFL | 1 | ||
| All Stars | 2 | ||
Lieutenant-General Dermot Earley DSM (24 February 1948 – 23 June 2010) was an Irish army officer and sportsman. He played Gaelic football with his local clubs Michael Glavey's and Sarsfield's and was a member of the Roscommon senior inter-county team from 1965 until 1985. Earley is regarded as one of the greatest players never to have won an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medal.
Earley's status as one of the all-time greats is self-evident. In a senior inter-county career that lasted for twenty years he won five Connacht titles, one National League, two All-Star awards, however, the ultimate honour of an All-Ireland medal at senior level eluded him. In retirement Earley served as manager of both the Roscommon and Kildare senior inter-county teams. In November 2016, Roscommon GAA announced that their new Centre of Excellence located in Runnabracken will be named after Dermot Earley.
Earley also served as a high-ranking military official in Ireland and with the United Nations. He was the Irish Defence Forces Chief of Staff from 2007 until his retirement in 2010.
Earley was born in Castlebar, Co Mayo in 1948. He was educated at the local national school and later attended St. Nathy's College in Ballaghaderreen.
After completing his Leaving Certificate in 1965 Earley joined the defence forces as a cadet and was commissioned in 1967. His first posting was as a platoon commander in the Recruit Training Depot at the Curragh and in 1969 he was appointed an Instructor at the Army School of Physical Culture (ASPC). Two years later in 1971 Earley obtained a specialist diploma in physical education at St. Mary's College, Twickenham.
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