Nudie Hughes was a trailblazer for Monaghan and beloved in Castleblayney

Had Eugene ‘Nudie’ Hughes ever harboured any doubts as to how he was regarded by his own people, a stroll along York Street in Castleblayney would have sufficed. There, painted on the gable end of a two-storey building on the street where he was raised, is a mural of Hughes playing in the green and gold of his beloved Castleblayney Faughs. A record of his achievements with both with club and county are listed at the bottom of the mural alongside a quote, “Wear your heart on your sleeve, Faughs forever”. The image, painted by artist Ciarán Dunlevy, was unveiled in October 2020, two years after Hughes had first been diagnosed with liver and colon cancer. It takes a special person to get such...