Tyrone goalkeeper Niall Morgan surprises travelling Galway fan, 13, with signed gift

The two rival counties met in Omagh on Sunday afternoon for their Allianz Football League Division One clash.

While the Tribesmen ended up edging the game by a single point, Red Hands’ keeper Niall Morgan was a standout player for the Tyrone team.

After the match, he met with Tomás, who has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy.

The 13-year-old’s father, Shane, explained: “Tomás was born as a twin at 26 weeks old. Sadly, his brother Seán passed away after 30 days and Tomás has been left with this condition.

“But he is a big sports fan. He goes to all the Galway GAA matches and Connacht rugby games.

“He’s big into commentating and he posts an update every Sunday evening on his Facebook page about all the different sports results from over the weekend.

“When I bring him to these matches, he tries to get as many pictures as he can, usually with players from his own county.

“But he spotted Niall going into the changing room at the weekend and we asked if we could grab a photo.

“Niall said: ‘Yes, no problem, but just wait one second.’ So, he went inside for two minutes and came back out and presented a pair of his signed gloves to Tomás.

“There was nothing planned, but it was a lovely gesture, especially given how we had been giving out about him during the match.”

Shane recalled how Morgan had kicked two points during the game and made some dynamite saves against the travelling Galway squad.

The 32-year-old Edendork man has been a key player for the 2021 All-Ireland-winning Tyrone team, often coming out from between the posts to help the side out in the middle of the pitch.

“He was coming out [field] so often that the referee told him to change his jersey at half-time,” continued Shane.

“The two goalies were wearing black jerseys for the first half and the referee said they had to change them because he was getting too confused.”

“These lads put on a different persona when they cross the pitch line, but at the end of the day they are human beings.

“It’s humbling to see these lads give a bit of time to visiting supporters as well as their own.”

Tomás and his family live in Corofin, a small village in Co Galway, whose GAA club has also experienced a lot of success, having won four All-Ireland Senior Club Football championships within the last decade. The club also won their senior county championship in November.

Shane added: “The GAA has given so much back to Tomás. We’ve had a fantastic run of form with the cub.

“He follows the Galway teams and likes to travel. He can’t play Gaelic games himself, so we go to as many matches as we can.

“They’re very hospitable up in Tyrone. We met Martin Sludden, the Tyrone GAA chairperson too, and had a great old day.

“When you’re visiting another county, it’s very heart-warming to be welcomed.

“You do become one [in the GAA], certainly when you see photos like Tomás and Niall’s too.”

Tomás’ condition requires him to be in an aided wheelchair and his home requires many renovations for disability access.

His family have raised thousands of euros to help with his various needs and are continuing to raise money for a home extension that includes all the assistance Tomás needs, which will cost in excess of €200,000.

To find out more about Tomás’ journey or to donate to his fundraising page, visit https://tomorrowfortomastrust.com/