Armagh GAA Rory Grugan's family life, day job, and wife ahead of All-Ireland final
The forward owes a lot to the sport, including the support he received after suddenly losing his father in 2016
Rory Grugan will look to mark his tenth year playing inter-county football for Armagh by lifting the Sam Maguire Cup.
The forward has been a key played for the Orchard County in their run to this year's All-Ireland football final against Galway, reports RSVP LIVE.
When he’s not on the pitch, he’s working as a secondary school teacher and spending time with his wife.
How old is Rory and where is he from?
Rory is 33 years old and is originally from Ballymacnab in County Armagh.
The footballer tragically lost his father, John, in February 2016 after he fell from a balcony while on holiday in France.
He shared how much his teammates helped him through the grief.
“Football has given a bit of structure for me,” he told the Irish Examiner. “I'd be the type of person who is glad to have that kind of focus in my life. It's a nice distraction.
“County football in itself is such a big part of your week and your life anyway, and I find having that routine and structure of going to training and maybe going away at the weekend and having different things to focus on, is a welcome distraction for me.
“The people around me have been very good supporting me since then, so I certainly have been glad for that camaraderie from my team-mates and the management who have helped me so much over the last few months.
“I'm certainly a lot better off having the football as not, given what's happened.”
When did Rory make his senior debut?
Rory made his senior debut for Armagh in 2014. Now ten years later, he has admitted that there have been times he doubted they would make it to the All-Ireland Football Final.
“There's no point saying that at different times you wouldn't have doubted that,” to told GAA.ie.
“I think that's normal when you've been through difficult days and particularly in the last couple of seasons when we've been at a better level and we've lost really tight games and those penalty scenarios...it would be hard not to have that doubt.
“I suppose if we didn't have total belief in what we were doing the squad wouldn't have stuck together and we wouldn't have had that consistency in our approach. We wouldn't have believed in Geezer the way that we do.
“We knew what we were doing in terms of physical preparation and tactical preparation and I had total belief in what we were doing and we know how fine the margins are.
“That's what kind of kept us going, that belief that your time would come. And it doesn't guarantee you anything. Getting to a final is all well and good but you want to go and win it now.”
What is Rory’s day job?
Rory attended Queen’s University, Belfast and spent time in France studying during his degree.
He later became a French and Spanish teacher.
Who is Rory’s wife?
The couple tied the knot on 31 December 2019 and enjoyed a beautiful winter wedding.
Armagh GAA sent a lovely message to the newlyweds at the time, saying: “Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Grugan who celebrated their wedding today. Wishing Rory and Michelle both a lifetime of happiness together from everyone”.
Michelle looked beautiful in a long white dress with beadwork, which featured a deep neckline and side panels and a split in the front of the hem. She kept her hair in a stylish updo, with a sleek veil.
Rory looked handsome in a black three-piece suit that had a velvet jacket.
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