The Saints' Sean Payton and his link to Irish miracle priest
By: Sean O'Shea | Published Monday, January 25, 2010, 2:25 PM | Updated Friday, September 9, 2011, 9:28 PM
Patrick Sean Payton is going to the Super Bowl. The New Orleans coach, a Chicago area native, is named after the Irish Catholic priest, Fr. Patrick Peyton, known as the famous "rosary priest."
Fr. Peyton, a Mayo native who died in 1992, would be pleased that a boy named after him ended up leading a team called the Saints to the Super Bowl.
Fr. Peyton was famous for his devotion to the Knock Shrine in
County Mayo where Our Lady is said to have appeared to locals in 1879.
Pope John Paul showed up there in 1979 to celebrate the miracle.
Now
Sean Payton has pulled of another miracle, leading the hapless Saints who have been in the
NFL since 1967
and never been to the Super Bowl. Not only that, they were the worst team in the league for many of those years.
Now comes the miracle worker called Peyton. Will he join other great Irish coaches,
Bill Parcells (birth name Bill
O'Shea) Tom
Coughlin and Mike
Shanahan to name a few who have lifted the Super Bowl trophy?
3 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.Liamkeyes | Feb 08, 2010, 08:11 PM EST
While your talking about the Irish Connection, Tom Brady the New England Patriots Quarterback claims his ancestors came over from Cork. He hoisted the Super Bowl three times in the Decade.
JakeMayo | Feb 08, 2010, 07:00 PM EST
Did you know that Fr. Patrick Peyton grew up in Scranton, PA = as did Sean Patrick Payton's parents. His parents and Fr. Peyton would have been contemporaries and some say that they were related.
edwardkeating | Jan 25, 2010, 07:02 PM EST
what ever it takes coach sean payton to add your irish name with the other irish coaches that won the super bowl.go..go..saints i hope you can do it. win...