Doha to Omagh - A 7,160-mile journey for 'my World Cup'

The round trip journey from Edendork to Healy Park in Omagh is around 60 miles.

But for Neil Kilpatrick, the journey towards helping his club to a first-ever Tyrone Senior Football Championship title was just a little longer.

It's just the 7,160 miles, to be exact, from Doha to Omagh as Kilpatrick made the journey from his teaching job in Qatar to line-out for his beloved Edendork.

It was a journey he had to make twice in less than a week after the first game ended in a draw, which meant a replay and a few hastily arranged long-haul flights.

The former Tyrone underage player landed back in Dublin on Friday morning, before making the quick dash home to get ready for the biggest night in his club's history.

Weather bulletins across the UK and Ireland were dominated by the impending arrival of named storms, so the Edendork defender was just glad to make it back without any hiccups.

It's fair to say that 14,320 miles in less than seven days is the longest commute for anyone bringing the O'Neill Cup home.

"I flew back to Qatar on Monday morning after the drawn game and then I flew back and I landed into Dublin [Friday] at 6am. But it's worth every single bit of it," Kilpatrick told BBC Sport NI.

"I heard rumbles that we might have got diverted to Shannon Airport so I was a wee bit weary, but thankfully I got up the road alright. A few hours' sleep and then I got playing the game here.

"You know you're never going to do anything without a wee bit of extra sacrifice."

When Mr Kilpatrick returns to his classroom in Doha after mid-term, the scale of the achievement back home may be lost on those around him.

So he admits he may have to get creative when explaining the events of his trip back home.

"Well it's funny, it's a Spanish outfit that I'm working for so they haven't got a clue who Edendork are or what Gaelic football is.

"But they don't need to know, I'll tell them that I had a great week.

"It's my World Cup, every bit of it. I'll be able to enjoy myself now and then I'll get back next week, and we'll just reminisce about what's happened."

Neil is the brother of Tyrone star Conn Kilpatrick, so the club's first senior county title was an extra special.

"It's definitely special and I was gutted at the last couple of years that I didn't come home for the championship.

"I was watching it on TV and just to experience this with Conn, and experience this with family, is something that I'll never forget."

He adds that living away from home means he only gets six or seven weeks in the summer back in Tyrone, and winning a title with those he grew up with means "it's probably hard to put into words".

"To many people this probably means nothing, but to the few that are out here on the field and are part of the Edendork community this is everything.

"We'll probably never experience a day like this ever again so you just have got to soak it up and enjoy every single bit of it."