Copyright the42
League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Eugene Hughes.Billy Stickland/INPHO AN APPRECIATION A man with many gifts, Monaghan's Nudie Hughes left the world a better place Castleblayney and Monaghan will be poorer for the absence of one of their greatest sons. 6.01pm, 3 Nov 2025 Share options Declan Bogue A FEW YEARS back, rightly proud of the work that had gone into producing statues and murals of some of Castleblayney’s most famous sons and daughters, a school group spent an afternoon visiting the sites and being told about the figures. They had visited the statue of country and western royalty Big Tom and the mural of the jazz afficionado Paddy Cole, before they went to York Street to see a beautiful and poignant mural of Eugene ‘Nudie’ Hughes, the most famous of all the Monaghan footballers. Nudie Hughes in Castleblayney in 2023.Declan Bogue Declan Bogue Hughes himself ambled onto the scene and the teacher immediately brought him over to the children, telling them, ‘Would you look at who it is. Who do you think this is, kids?’ while nodding discreetly to Hughes’ mural. ‘Is he Big Tom?’ one of the children asked in their innocence. Nobody laughed harder than Nudie at that. Nobody laughed harder than Nudie at everything; about football, about work, the absurdities of life, about his, ahem, ‘generous’ golf handicap when he would pick up numerous titles, about the minor strokes he could get away with at the pool table. At his own illness, when he was told he had cancer in 2018. He absorbed the hit. Explored the possibilities, and said he would tackle it like everything else in his world. Advertisement The laugh has gone. Eugene ‘Nudie’ (every Eugene in ‘Blayney got the name ‘Nudie’, but at the same time, there’s only one Nudie) Hughes will be buried in the town on Thursday, after finally succumbing to the cancer that he fought so bravely against for years and years. Those left behind include his widow Teresa along with sons Ciaran and Conor, and stepson Óisín. He leaves a trail of anecdotes and yarns and an example of how to face a terrible demise with humour and dignity. He belonged to the select band of Irish people that are recognisable by their name alone. He also was aware of how he could leverage it. When the snooker player Stephen Hendry once staged the ‘Stephen Hendry Golf Classic’ at the Concra Wood club just outside ‘Blayney, Nudie asked why he wouldn’t do the same? The ’Nudie Hughes Golf Classic’ was soon born, a vehicle for him to raise money for two bodies – Castleblayney Faughs GAA club, and the Castleblayney Cancer Society. He was doing it for years long before he had cancer himself. His name meant nothing without the skills he possessed. From a family of 14 growing up on York Street just off Main Street, there was no option but to be outside playing on ‘The Commons’ – the cinder pitch that is now a car park. A youth spent at hard graft gifted him the almost cartoonish Mighty Mouse barrel-chested build, which married with the skills, endlessly practised in a pair of plastic plimsoles. He, along with Eamonn McEneaney and Declan Loughman, came along at a time when Scotstown provided formidable opposition to Castleblayney, but on a wider scale also benefitted from Sean McCague taking over as Monaghan manager and establishing them as contenders again. His time as a footballer (he was also a hurler of immense skill) is hampered by the lack of footage available. But during the 2020 lockdown, the former Monaghan midfielder Dick Clerkin made use of his free time by making a few compilations of old Monaghan football clips from a time when his father Hugo used to play alongside Hughes. Dick Clerkin / YouTube In ‘The Best of Eugene Nudie Hughes’, the clips begin with Kerry’s Pat Spillane being pick-pocketed by Hughes, reading the play and alert to intercept a pass. He took a hop, a solo, skipped inside Ger Power’s challenge and shot a point into the Hill 16 end of Croke Park. As he skipped away light-footed, we see that he was wearing number 2 on his back. He won an All-Star at corner-back, before winning two at corner forward. In the second clip, now in his attacking role against Derry in the mid-80s, he takes a pass from Declan Flanagan and holds onto the ball despite serious pressure from no less than Tony Scullion, before steadying himself to shoot a point into the Canal End. My first memory of watching football in Clones came with the 1988 Ulster final when Monaghan beat Tyrone. I was on the O’Duffy Terrace and recall McEneaney putting in a high and hopeful ball towards the Tyrone goal. Their goalkeeper Aidan Skelton had a look of a Bruce Grobbelaar about him and shared certain characteristics in coming off his line. He did so to gather McEneaney’s punt, the ball hopped off his chest and Hughes had followed in, gathered the loose ball, avoided two attempts to trip him and fired to the net. My father used to teach alongside the Tyrone defender Sean Donnelly. In the staff room, the name of Nudie Hughes was used to tease Donnelly when the need arose. And it did. His talents brought out his cheerfulness and confidence. Virtually nobody could get one over him in a dressing room and he soon moved into sales. The cheery head of Nudie Hughes coming into pubs and hotels as a sales rep was gold dust. At one point, he was selling for Tennent’s Lager; not a popular drink in GAA country. But after some persistence, their taps were soon a fixture in Monaghan pubs. Nobody called it Tennent’s though; they would ask instead for, ‘a pint of Nudie.’ As the illness gripped him and his body started to betray himself, he kept the sunny side out. His relationship with Teresa, a high-ranking figure in Croke Park, meant he was a regular and welcome guest at many functions of all stripes. He could be out on the dancefloor with Lory Meagher hurlers, or challenging All-Star footballers to press-up competitions. All agreed he was a gas man. Related Reads Monaghan football legend Eugene 'Nudie' Hughes dies aged 67 The 42's Best of 2023: Monaghan legend Nudie Hughes on life, football, and illness We met him – for the last time – walking out of Croke Park on 29 June this year after Kerry had ransacked Armagh in the All-Ireland quarter-final. Naturally, he was holding court with a crowd around him, but never left anyone on the fringes of a conversation, always making the introductions. Fresh-faced, ebullient and wise-cracking, there were promises to meet up for a coffee some time soon. Such was his demeanour, you felt that day would come. No bother to him. It didn’t. But I’ll be glad that’s my last memory of him. In one of the clips that Clerkin put up, Hughes steps inside his Tyrone marker on the right wing, steadies himself before kicking over with the outside of his right boot. “He’s enjoying himself out there,” exclaimed the commentator on the footage. He enjoyed himself everywhere. Declan Bogue Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “A man with many gifts, Monaghan's Nudie Hughes left the world a better place”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “A man with many gifts, Monaghan's Nudie Hughes left the world a better place”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion AN APPRECIATION Gaelic Football Nudie Hughes DJ Carey sentenced to over five years after faking cancer to con money out of people Ciarán Kilduff signs new Dundalk deal after week of uncertainty 37 mins ago FreeEnd of the road 'I’ve been lucky enough to live out my dream' - Former Ireland international Alan Judge retires FreePodcastRugby Weekly Extra Ireland/All Blacks review FreePodcastThe Football Family FAI Cup final preview | LOI Review Ulster centre Stewart Moore joins Newcastle Red Bulls on loan FreeTAKE OFF Cobh Ramblers appoint Rockett as new head coach Parrott misses another penalty in AZ win, Rashford helps Barcelona to Elche victory DJ Carey sentenced to over five years after faking cancer to con money out of people will no longer Struggling Southampton sack manager Will Still stating his case Martin O’Neill open to talks about extending his stay at Celtic more from us Investigates Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online Sign in or create a free account To continue reading create a free account Or sign into an existing account
