Ronan McNamee has retired from intercounty football for Tyrone after more than 10 years of playing for the county.
The full back was a fearless defender for the Red Hands and won three Ulster Championship titles in 2016, 2017 and 2021, his crowning moment coming that year when he won the Sam Maguire Cup. He was known for his fine man-marking skills, defending the likes of Aidan O’Shea and David Clifford en route to the All-Ireland triumph.
The 32-year-old won an All-Star in 2019, his club’s Aghyaran first All Star. That season Tyrone reached in the 2019 All-Ireland semi-final but lost to Kerry.
He made his championship debut in 2012 under Mickey Harte’s reign, and played 133 times for Tyrone, kicking 0-18.
McNamee has worked as an ambassador for Pieta House and suffered mental health issues in the past, saying he had attempted suicide in a 2019 interview with Cahair O’Kane in the Irish News. He said that football had helped with his equilibrium. “Massively. It gives you a structure.”
