ONE famous Tyrone family stands out above all others after Sunday's historic All-Ireland Championship Final triumph saw them make another little bit of Croke Park history.
Over the years the McGuigans have consistently made their mark with Tyrone. Now another member of the famed Ardboe household can claim a feat above anything achieved by his illustrious father and brothers.
Tommy McGuigan's vital goal on the resumption against Kerry last Sunday set Tyrone on the road to another Sam Maguire. It's a victory which means that the family now have more All-Ireland Senior medals than any other in the county.
There can be no better feeling than scoring a goal in Gaelic football's showpiece occasion, especially when it's embellished by victory And, Tommy McGuigan prefers to relish the celebrations rather than think about the individual accolades.
"You dream about these kind of things happening and hope to do well during the course of the game. But I just couldn't believe it when the goal went in," he said.
"Luckily I just happened to be in the right place to finish the move off. The smile probably said it all about what it meant to me to get that score.
"To be honest we're all still trying to come to terms with what's we've achieved and get used to the fact that the All-Ireland has been won again. The importance of what we've done hasn't really sunk in yet.
"It was just unreal to look at the crowds in Omagh on Monday night. Winning the title means so much to them and the whole team," he added.
History, of course, has a funny way of panning out. For years the great disappointment for many in the O'Neill county was that players of the legendary calibre of Frank McGuigan had failed to win an All-Ireland.
Yet now in the 21st Century, one of Tyrone's finest ever footballers has three sons with that magical medal. On Sunday last Tommy followed in the foosteps of Brian and Frank Jnr in 2003 and 2005 in being part of Tyrone's third title-triumph this decade.
It has been a big journey for the 25-year old who was a member of the Minor team which won the All-Ireland in 2001. He is in no doubt about how special it is to be playing with a whole host of footballers rightly regarded as the best in Ireland.
"It's just a privilege for me to be playing and trainign with some of the lads in this panel, like Brian Dooher, Sean Cavanagh, Ricey and Enda McGinley. I've been on the panel for two or three years and the chance to play with those lads is something that so many in Tyrone would love to be able to do," he added.
"This was probably the first year that I've really settled into the team. Thankfully, I haven't had to many injuries and hopefully that'll be the case from now on.
"Each of the games this year have been a step up and there's no doubt that the Down game was the turning point. We drew Louth in the first game of the Qualifiers and just seemed to get better and better from then on.
"The Mayo game was a big one because we didn't play very well and yet still came through. We just got the right breaks when it mattered and things worked out from there.
"It was special to have Brian on board as well because he's finally got the rewards for all the hard work that he has put in during the past couple of years. People don't realise how tough it was for him to come back from injury and thankfully he has bounced back.
"The fact that three of us in the house now have All-Ireland Senior medals isn't something that I'd thought about. It's probably only in later years that we'll appreciate what that kind of record means," he added.
For now, goalscorer Tommy and Brian can rest easy in the satisfaction of playing their part in a success that further enhances the family's proud record of achievement for Tyrone teams at every level.
