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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Gaelic football | ||
| Position | Half back | ||
| Born | Mullagh, County Cavan, Ireland | ||
| Occupation |
Lieutenant in the Irish Army auctioneer | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
| Cavan Gaels | |||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | ||
1938–1953 | Cavan | ||
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Ulster titles | 11 | ||
| All-Irelands | 3 | ||
| NFL | 1 | ||
Simon Deignan (1922 – September 2006) was a former Gaelic footballer for the Cavan county team, and a referee.
His grandnephew is the Dublin footballer Jonny Cooper.[1]
A native of Mullagh. Deignan won an All-Ireland Minor Football Championship medal in 1938. He formed a brilliant half back partnership with P. J. Duke & J. J. O'Reilly that won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final in the Polo Grounds, New York in 1947. He was again one of the Breffni county’s stars in the ’48 All-Ireland Final double success.[2] He also won the National Football League in 1949/50 season. He won numerous Railway Cup medals with Ulster.[3]
He was also a noted referee, officiating at the 1950, 1954 and 1958 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Finals.[citation needed]
He died in Bon Secours Hospital, Glasnevin, aged 84. His funeral took place from the Church of Our Mother of Divine Grace, Ballygall Road East to Dardistown cemetery.[4]
[Cooper]'s mother's father was a founding member of Na Fianna in 1955 and Cooper's granduncle, Simon Deignan, played for Cavan in the Polo Grounds."Learning life the hard way" was the title in the print edition.