|
|
 |
You are > Home > Novel Connacht final in store
|
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Novel Connacht final in store
For only the third time in the entire history of the Connacht senior football championship, this year’s final will be contested without either Galway or Mayo.
The first time it happened was in the 1914 final when Roscommon beat Leitrim by 1-2 to 0-1. That final was played on October 15th, 1915 in Boyle.
The last time it happened was in 1947 when Roscommon beat Sligo by 2-12 to 1-8 in Ballina. That was the only time that Sligo and Roscommon met in a Connacht final. This year’s final will bridge a gap of 63 years.
Sligo qualified to meet Roscommon in McHale Park, Castlebar, after a thrilling win over Galway in last Saturday’s replay in Markievicz Park.
There is no doubt that this Sligo team are one of the teams of the championship this year.
Kevin Walsh has worked wonders with his panel of players and it will take a very good team to beat them. I have a feeling that many Roscommon followers would prefer to be meeting Galway in Hyde Park. It shows the change that has come about in the pecking order in Connacht football.
Sligo are no ‘Johnny Come Latelys’. It must be remembered that the Yeats’ men went within a kick of the ball of beating Kerry last year.
If David Kelly had scored the last minute penalty Kerry were out of the championship. Since then, Sligo have jumped from Division Four to Division Two in the National League with some brilliant displays.
Sligo will now enter the Connacht final as overwhelming favourites to beat Roscommon.
When the championship draw was announced last October, Sligo found that they needed to beat Mayo, Galway and either Roscommon or Leitrim to win a Connacht title. Now only Roscommon stands between them and their goal. I will have a look at the Connacht final next week.
Readers’ Letters
Occasionally I get letters from readers, something which I appreciate very much. I don’t always get a chance to reply or mention them in this column.
This week I got two letters from Jimmy Curran, Corbally, Elphin, and a regular writer Tom Lally from Dunmore. Jimmy, who is a native of Geevagh and a staunch Sligo supporter, writes about the 1963 AllIreland hurling final between Waterford and Kilkenny. He names the Waterford team, and for someone working from memory he has most of the positions right.
The team that lost to Kilkenny by 4-17 to 6-8 was: (1) Ned Power, (2) Tom Cunningham, (3) Austin Flynn, (4) John Byrne, (5) Larry Guinan, (6) Martin Óg Morrissey, (7) Jim Irish, (8) Martin Dempsey, (9) Joe Condon (captain), (10) Mick Flannelly, (11) Tom Cheasty, (12) Frankie Walsh (13) Seamus Power (14) John Barron (15) Philly Grimes.
There were a number of changes on that team from the team that beat Kilkenny in the 1959 All-Ireland final. In 1959, John Barron was left corner-back, Seamus Power and Philly Grimes were at midfield, Larry Guinan was right corner forward and Johnny Kiely was at left full-forward. Jimmy asks if Tom Cunningham played football as well. He did indeed.
Tom also played football for Waterford. In fact he played Railway Cup football for Munster and was centre half-back on the Munster football team that Connacht beat in the 1958 Railway Cup final. Right halfback on that Munster team was the now deceased Paddy Harrington from Cork, father of the golf legend Pádraig Harrington.
For the record, the Kilkenny team that won the 1963 final was (1) Ollie Walsh, (2) Phil Larkin, (3) Cha Whelan, (4) Martin Treacy, (5) Seamus Cleere (captain), (6) Ted Carroll, (7) Martin Coogan, (8) Paddy Moran, (9) Seán Clohosey, (10) Denis Heaslip, (11) Johnny McGovern, (12) Eddie Keher, (13) Tommy Walsh, (14) Billy Dwyer, (15) Tommy Murphy.
Martin Treacy was a brother of Jim Treacy who later played at left cornerback for Kilkenny. Tommy Murphy was a priest then and still is.
I was paired against him one year in the All-Ireland Clerical golf outing which takes place every Easter. I am afraid the conversation was more about Kilkenny hurling than golf when the two of us got together.
The second letter was from a regular reader of this column, Tom Lally from Garrafrauns, Dunmore, County Galway. As usual, Tom is a mine of information. He obviously liked the tributes to Dermot Earley in last week’s Herald.
The last time he saw Dermot in a Roscommon jersey was on May 18th, 1986 when Dermot made a comeback to mark the opening of the Peadar Earley Park, Ballinlough.
He played on the Roscommon team against Galway in a challenge game that day. Tom mentions my classmate and friend Fr. J.J. Cribben, now parish priest of Milltown. J.J. was ordained 40 years ago on June 21st, 1970. That was the day I was ordained myself.
J.J., who was a second cousin of Dermot Earley, was selected at left corner forward on the Mayo Team of the Millennium. On the day of our ordination, Roscommon played Mayo in the Connaught semifinal in Tuam Stadium and won by 2-11 to 1-9.
Obviously, Mayo had to play without J.J. Cribben that day and he was sorely missed. Dermot Earley had a great game that day. Mayo had a fine wing-back, Joe Earley, but I don’t think he was related to Dermot. I want to thank Jimmy and Tom for their letters and I always welcome letters from readers, even if I am not the best in the world to answer them.
Tributes
The esteem in which Dermot Earley was held in the GAA world was underlined last Sunday week when a minute’s silence was observed at every intercounty championship match all over the country.
The fact that a player who retired 25 years ago at the age of 37 should still command such respect and evoke such memories speaks volumes about the type of man Dermot Earley was. Many of the players standing to attention for that minute’s silence would not have been born when Dermot ended his playing career in 1985.
There are two things I would like to see happen in this county to honour the memory of Dermot Earley.
I would love if someone who is big into video and DVD technology would put together a documentary to honour the life and career of Dermot.
Footage of his brilliant displays, like the 1972 Connacht final and the 1979 league final among others, could be procured and a documentary of his life could be made available for the benefit of those too young to have enjoyed his brilliance on the field.
His very successful and influential military career could also be included. “We are Rangers, mighty, mighty Rangers’, was the song that accompanied Dermot’s training with the Rangers as a young cadet. His elevation to the highest rank in the Defence Forces could also be included.
The second thing I would like to see would be a statue in his memory somewhere in the county.
When Joe Dolan died Westmeath County Council unveiled a life size bronze statue to his memory in Mullingar. That was to mark his contribution to the world of entertainment.
There is a statue of Christy Ring at the entrance to the GAA pitch in his native Cloyne. I think it would be a fitting tribute to a “mighty man” to erect a life size statue of Dermot either in the Roscommon jersey or in full military uniform.
He was the first and only Roscommon man to be appointed Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces. Dermot Earley was not only an outstanding footballer and military man, he was also an outstanding human being.
He was an ideal role model for our youth. Wouldn’t it be a great incentive for our young men and women to achieve greatness to see a statue of one of Roscommon’s greatest ever sons outside Hyde Park or in his beloved Gorthaganny.
Main News Page |
Previous Page
|
|
|
|
Facebook
Twitter
