Ageless Burke poised to make his own distinctive mark

With his distinctive tattoos - that includes a portrait of his dad Stoney - Mickey Burke is not difficult to pick out during the hurly burly of a Gaelic football or hurling game.

There's something else that distinguishes the Longwood man; his all-out, all-action style. No matter what jersey he is wearing - whether it's the green and gold of Meath or the white of Longwood - Burke gives it socks. There's no half measures. It's all or nothing, 100 per cent, full on.

That determination, that relentless, indomitable quest for victory is one of the reasons why Mickey Burke has enjoyed a career much longer than most. It's also among the reasons why next Sunday he is expected to mark his 200th competitive appearance for Meath teams - in senior football and hurling - when the Royals take on Down in an opening round Kehoe Cup tie.

To mark the occasion that game with the Mourne County will be staged in Longwood (1.30pm), on the familiar stomping ground where, as a youngster, Burke honed his skills as hurler and footballer.

It's a truly remarkable achievement for any player, in any county, to make 200 appearances for his or her county; a milestone few reach. It's particularly noteworthy in the modern era where inter-county careers rarely extend beyond 30 because of the unremitting, non-stop commitment required.

Yet even in that relentless commitment 38 year-old Burke finds enjoyment. Even in the outwardly joyless slog of winter training regimes that is an essential part of preparing for a summer of Sundays, the Longwood man finds fulfillment.

"I've been around a long time but I still feel I'm contributing and as long as I am wanted and playing well I'll keep going, I love the structure, I love the routine," he told the Meath Chronicle in February 2022, after the Royal County had been trounced by Westmeath in a NHL game at Trim.

Over the course of his career Burke has shipped a fair few trimmings while playing for the club or county but each time he has come back, looking for more. Injuries too he has picked up a long the way. In 2010 while playing for Meath in the Leinster SFC at Tullamore he broke both his tibia and fibula in his lower leg.

It was the kind of blow that might have spelled the end - not for the Longwood man. He went through the grinding, merciless rehabilitation required and came back for more. Relentless.

Along the way also he has had good days too. Days when all the hard slog, the hard graft, the discipline, the pain was worthwhile. Last year, for instance, he played his part in helping Meath win the Christy Ring Cup and the NHL Div 2B. For Meath hurling it was a relatively bountiful season.

There have been accolades too along the way that have recognised Burke's commitment and undoubted talents. He was selected to represent Ireland in shinty and in 2018, for example, he was named Meath's 'Footballer of the Year' for his part in helping Longwood to win the IFC, their first triumph in the grade since 1942.

During his time as a Meath footballer alone Burke has played under various managers, and no doubt he has noted their various styles that he might yet utilise for his own coaching and management career - should he take that route. He was first called into the county football panel by Sean Boylan in 2004, making his championship debut in the All-Ireland SFC qualifier against Antrim the following year.

Along the way too Burke found himself embroiled in an incident that attracted plenty of media attention - a controversial moment, he would have preferred to have avoided. It occurred in 2014 when after Meath had suffered a 16-point loss to Dublin in the Leinster final the then Meath manager Mick O'Dowd told reporters that "a biting incident" had occurred.

O'Dowd was referring to a little 'getting to know you' session between Burke and Dublin forward Eoghan O'Gara. The outcome of the incident was that Burke had to attend Navan Hospital with a finger injury. No charges were brought against O’Gara due to a lack of evidence.

"I was made out to be a baddie, a bit," added the Longwood man reflecting on the controversy later.

When he was let go from the senior football squad during the Andy McEntee era Burke didn't step away completely from the inter-county scene, as some might have expected. Instead he resumed his inter-county hurling career.

Now he is about to embark on another campaign. Meath manager Seoirse Bulfin is likely to field an experimental team against Down on Sunday and Burke, all going well, will be included.

It will be a big day for the player and his family, including father Stoney who carved out his own piece of sporting history back in the early 1960s when he played minor and senior championship football games for Meath - on the same day.

Now Stoney's son is about to make his own piece of history. Once more those familiar tattoos and barnstorming style will be on view; this time in his home ground, before his own people. His tribe.