The GAA Social

The remarkable Sambo McNaughton- Speech impediment, won't talk, healing with hurling, improvement of the game-where is football

06.07.2023 - By BBC Radio UlsterPlay

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Sambo McNaughton is perhaps the most recognisable hurler in Ulster history. He scaled new heights with Antrim and Cushendall, managed both teams after retirement and continues to manage and coach today. His name is recognisable everywhere in Ireland- he doesn't even need a surname! Behind the man is a life struggling with a speech impediment, a troubled childhood and a society that was unforgiving to anyone that was 'a little bit different' In this podcast we explore a life where even answering a phone is impossible. With Brutal honesty, Sambo opens up on how the condition shaped his life, his lifelong friendship with John McKillop (The legend of Cushedall) and how it steered his mindset. It's a stunning listen. We talk hurling, it's future and Sambo comes up with a radical plan to help- especially for developing Ulster teams. Sambo also chats life, football, watching Tony Scullion, Greg Blaney and Henry Downey in his packed bar where everyone's attention was on the game. He feels it's different now. The first 35 minutes of this podcast is raw and perhaps the most powerful yet. Sambo McNaughton on the GAA Social. Words wouldn't do him justice. He has out ultimate respect

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