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The GAA community was plunged into mourning on Monday at the news of the sad death of Eugene ‘Nudie’ Hughes at the age of 67 following a long battle with cancer. Diagnosed with liver and colon cancer in 2018, Nudie defied the odds and lived for another seven years before passing away earlier this week. A legend for the Farney men, Hughes couldn’t be held in higher regard by his county compatriots. An icon for the Ulster side, Hughes won three Ulster titles between 1979 and 1988, winning an All-Star on each occasion - the first of which was the first to ever be awarded to a man from Monaghan. “They were great times,” says former club and county teammate Declan Loughman. “See, people sort of forget that in 1979 when Monaghan won the Ulster title, it was 40-odd years since they won the previous one. So, it was massive at that time to win the Ulster title. “Sean McCaigue was the manager, and Nudie of course was one of the key instigators of that win and picked up his first All-Star, which was Monaghan’s first ever All-Star. We’ve gotten 10 or 11 All-Star awards in the meantime, but at that time, an All-Star in county Monaghan was unheard of. “That team went on to win three Ulster titles in the space of nine years and a National league on top of that, and sure every time we won it, Nudie got an All-Star, which just showed that that’s why we were winning them or one of the main reasons.” Loughman was a young fan watching Monaghan conquer Ulster for the first time since 1938, and by the time they won their second and third Anglo Celt Cups of that era, he was well and truly established as a key gog of the team. A Castleblayney stalwart like Hughes, Loughman witnessed Nudie rise through the ranks as a youngster and soldiered with him for many years with club and county. “He was the magic man. There was no other way to describe him. Once he lifted a size-5 magic happened. “When Nudie Hughes was in your dressing room, you had a chance, it didn’t matter who you were playing. He could do things that other people could only dream of doing or wouldn’t even think of doing, he was just a footballing genius. “He could play anywhere, he played corner back in ‘79 and went half the length of the field and kicked it over the bar. That was unheard of at that time, now it happens all the time, but in 1979, a corner-back didn’t pass the 21. But Nudie went up the field and kicked it over the bar from 50 yards, so he was ahead of his time. All Nudie wanted to do was play football, ‘give me the ball and I’ll play.’ And he could play. We were lucky he was in our dressing room and not the opposition’s. While he admits that he is biased, Loughman believes Nudie is the greatest player that Monaghan has ever produced. In 2020, he was named as such by fans, no mean feat given the careers that the likes of Conor McManus and Rory Beggan have had since. Even when he tried his hands at other sports, he was often a class above the rest. “Nudie was such a natural sportsman. If he lifted the hurling stick, he’d probably be the best hurler in Monaghan. When he took the golf clubs out of the boot, there was a fair chance that he was going to win. But football was his thing and football put him on the map.” The success of that Monaghan team turned the players into celebrities overnight, so much so that when Loughman launched his sports shop business in 1988, a certain Manchester United icon was in attendance to promote the event. “Jack O’Se, Nudie, Stefan White and George Best were there. And we had to do it in the hotel because obviously the shop wasn’t big enough with the huge crowd that was coming. “That’s how that came about. It’s a good few photos to have - George Best and Nudie Hughes in the one picture, there’s not much wrong with it.” Indeed, the crowd was probably there to see the Monaghan players and the Anglo Celt Cup rather than Best given their popularity at the time. That day is just one of the many memories that will stick with Loughman. “He’s a big loss, he left people with a lot of great memories and iconic moments. Coming out with his chest stuck out after kicking a point against Tyrone in the ‘88 Ulster final, the solo run in ‘79 before kicking it over the bar. Iconic moments that will never be forgotten in Monaghan.” Arguably the one regret that Loughman and that Monaghan team has is that they never managed to reach an All-Ireland final, an occasion which he believes would have brought the very best out of Nudie. But Nudie was never one for regrets or bitterness. When asked about his illness in interviews over the years, Hughes often wheeled out a line that his illness was like playing a game of football, and that you weren’t always going to have the wind at your back. Such positivity made him a beloved figure in GAA circles and it came as a surprise to nobody when he was honoured by the GPA with a lifetime achievement award in 2024. A more recent, lowkey accolade meant even more to the Castleblayney hero, who won nine senior titles with the Faughs as a player. “Nudie was very upbeat and very positive. He’d walk into a room and he drew attention straight away. He was just one of those people. So cheeky and Chirpy, everybody was drawn to him. “He got that lifetime achievement from the GPA in 2024, but what was equally as big for him was that the Monaghan team of the 80s was honoured at a recent County Council thing in Castleblayney when they got the freedom of the town. “He made it down and he shouldn’t have been down. It was only maybe three weeks ago, and he shouldn’t have been at it. But him being at it made our day and him being at it made his day. He would have cherished that honour from his own people and his own town.” Click here to sign up to our sport newsletter, bringing you the top stories and biggest headlines from Ireland and beyond
