<span class="postTitle">Senior Relegation</span> Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 1999, p 23

Senior Relegation

Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 1999, p 23

One of the major developments in the 1998 county senior hurling championship was the introduction of relegation at divisional level. The brainchild of the Games Development Committee, the intention behind it was to reduce the number of senior teams in the county: there were too many and the result was doing the standard of senior hurling no good. 

It was decided that one team would go down in each of the four divisions in 1998 and 1999. With the winning team in the intermediate championship getting promotion to senior status in each of these years, the result would be a reduction of six in the number of senior teams, from 32 to 26, over the period. 

The divisions were given freedom to decide their method of relegation and the chief one used was a play-off among teams defeated in the first round of the championship. In the south, where the championship was played on a league basis, a decision was taken that the lowest team at the end of the league stage would be relegated. Cahir found themselves in that position and were relegated after two years at senior grade. 

The relegated teams in the other divisions were Lorrha in the north, Gortnahoe in the mid and Arravale Rovers in the west. They were beaten by Borrisokane, Drom-Inch and Eire Og respectively. 

Loss of Status

Of the four teams to be relegated probably the greatest heartache was felt in Lorrha. Whereas the other teams have oscillated between senior and intermediate status over the decades, Lorrha has enjoyed uninterrupted senior statue since 1946 and won five divisional finals. In contrast, Arravale won west divisional honours twice in 1966 and 1970, while Gortnahoe and Cahir have never achieved senior success. 

Lorrha gained senior status as a result of winning the intermediate title of 1946. The north final was played in November of that year but the county semi-final and final weren't played until the end of 1947. In the semi-final Lorrha beat Galtee St. Pecauns at Thurles on November 16 and the final, against Moycarkey-Borris, was played at Gaile on the first Sunday in December. The choice of venue was very interesting, only a mile from the parish of Moycarkey-Borris. It was as close as it was possible to get to Moycarkey without actually being in it! 

Injuries 

No report of the match was published in any of the local papers. Probably the result didn't please the powers that were in control in the county at the time. As far as has been discovered the result was 4-4 to 3-4 in favour of Lorrha. The referee let everything run its course in a fairly tough game. The Lorrha centre-back, Paddy O'Sullivan, retired with an injury five minutes into the second half. When he went into Thurles to have attention the doctor, on hearing of the match, said: 'I can expect more so!' He was unnecessarily pessimistic as Billy Hogan, who had to get a few stitches in the mouth, was the only other casualty. 

As a result of winning the north final the team went senior in 1947, getting to the semi-final before going down to Borrisileigh. Of course, the team got a great new recruit in February of that year when Tony Reddin came across the bridge of Portumna from Mullagh. He was to make a name for himself with Lorrha and Tipperary over the next decade. His presence on the Lorrha team in 1948 was most responsible for the team's success in the north final and qualification for the county final in which they went down to Holycross-Ballycahill. 

The Future 

All of that was fifty years and more ago and it returned the club to the status it has held from the foundation of the G.A.A. until 1940. In the latter year it had been regraded to intermediate and it remained in that status until winning the championship in 1946. It is hoped that the club's present relegation is for an even shorter period. There may even be some good to come from a stay in the intermediate ranks, an opportunity to rejuvenate the club and put it on a stronger footing. Probably the greatest motivation will be a determination to get back to senior status. 

For the record then, and not something to be proud of, as Ken Hogan pointed out to me at the Toome-Blackrock game, the Lorrha team which was defeated 2-7 to 0-9 by Borrisokane in the relegation playoff at Cloughjordan on September 6 was as follows: Ken Hogan, Cathal McIntyre, Tom Madden, Martin Younge, Stephen Hogan, John Mclntyre, David Haughton, John Madden, Enda Moran, Barry Moran, Declan O'Meara, Noel Hogan, Pat Kennedy, Aidan Mclntyre, Rory Coen. Subs: John Sherlock for B. Moran, Padraic Madden for A. McIntyre, Donal O'Donoghue for Kennedy.

<span class="postTitle">Rockwell College 1922 - 1923</span> Rockwell College Annual 1998-1999, pp 86-91

Rockwell College 1922 - 1923

Rockwell College Annual 1998-1999, pp 86-91

Rockwell College suffered many disturbances during the school year 1922-1923, a year which coincided with the Civil War, which officially began with the shelling of the Four Courts at the end of June 1922 and ended with the order to the anti-Treaty force on May 24th, 1923 to "dump arms" and "cease fire". The Journal, kept by a member of the Rockwell Community, contains numerous references to the impact of the war on life in Rockwell. 

The College re-opened on September 14th when about 46 boys "managed to get back". It took some time for the schoolboy population to build up to a final figure of 101. There is a fascinating entry of October 2nd - "Boys continue to dribble in. Two have just arrived from Castletown Bere. Thence they had a thirteen-hour voyage to Cork, aboard a cargo boat laden with pigs. Many of the poor brutes got seasick and had to be jettisoned. From Cork the pair came here by motor." Another entry for January 7th 1923 states that a boy named Condon from Valentia arrived that day. He had been unable to travel during the previous term. We can only presume that this was because of the disturbances caused by the war. 

All the Fathers had returned to the College by September 14th, with the exception of Fr. McAllister. He was referred to in the Journal as Prefect of Worship in the 1921 entry but now is given the title of Prefet de Culte. All the lays (sometimes referred to as lay hands) returned, with the exception of Mr. Mansfield. He's referred to in an entry for the previous year as "ex-prefect, still wearing the habit" He eventually arrived back on September 17th as a layman. On December 16th he left to join the new Civic Guards in Dublin. 

There is a bit of bad news. Fr. Cotter, the Assistant Superior, had some sort of seizure on the first evening of term and fell downstairs. He was put to bed. However, things did not seem to be too serious as he was up and out the following day and heard confessions. But it must have been a false recovery because we read that the next day that he was sinking fast and was anointed. He expired at 10 a.m. on Monday, September 18th. 

The Community and Others

The religious community of Rockwell College at that time was comprised of Fr. J. Byrne, the Superior and his assistant was the above-mentioned Fr. J. Cotter. The Organist was Fr. N. J. Muller, a German. Another German member of the Community was Fr. C. Schmidt. Fr. J. McGrath was Dean of Studies and Fr. J. Kingston was Bursar. The Journal was kept by Fr. J. O'Neill. There was also Fr. M. Colgan, Fr. P. Brennan, Fr. P. J. Meagher and Fr. T. Cunningham. The Dean of Discipline was Fr. D. Leen. There was also Fr. P. McAllister, mentioned above, Fr. J. McCarthy, Director of Scholastics and Master of Singing. All the Fathers took class except Fr. Superior, Fr. Cotter and Fr. Kingston. 

The Prefects were Mr. Mackey and Mr. McGrea who were in charge of the study, Mr. Murren and Mr. Hanrahan who were in charge of the Seniors and Mr. Danaher and Mr. Reidy who were in charge of the Junior. 

The lay teachers were Mr. Gallagher, Mr. Twomey, Mr. Mansfield, Mr. Nagle and Mr. O'Shea. Mr. T. Enright was the Farm Steward and the Nurse was Miss Marrinan. 

There was a rather leisurely introduction to the year. On the day after arrival, the boys had six ten-minute classes from 12 noon until 1 p.m! They did have class on Saturday and on the first Saturday, there were six half-hour classes. 

Electric Light

There was a problem and that was light. The Community and the students had to make do with candles as the electric light was not yet fully installed. The old gas lighting system throughout the College was in the process of being replaced. The old acetylene fittings had been removed throughout most of the College. Apparently the work of installing the electric light had gone on during the summer. It was hoped to have it ready for September and the beginning of the new school year but the work was badly hampered as there were no trains "to bring in the needed apparatus." 

By September 19th, the electric light was on in the Fathers' rooms but it was very weak. "We miss the acetylene". The light continued to be unsatisfactory. On October 5th it was reported that a storage battery of 54 cells was being obtained. Six days later there was no light for two nights as the storage batteries were being charged. On October 12th, it was reported that the newly-charged batteries were providing light and it was a great improvement. But October 17th brought another hiccup. The light was cut off when a carpenter inadvertently drove a nail into the wires. In December we learn that a new engine had been purchased to drive the dynamo. When it arrived it was found to have been damaged in transit. On the night of celebration to mark the winning of the Harty Cup in April, the light short-circuited and the boys went to bed at 8.30 p.m. 

The disturbed state of the country was evident in other ways too. A postal strike started on September 9th. There were few outsiders at Fr. Cotter's funeral on September 20th - because of the strike, it was impossible to inform people of his death. The same was the case at the funeral of a former Provincial, Fr. Cornelius O'Shea, who died in Cork. His body was brought to Rockwell for burial in a Ford touring car because no motor hearse was procurable. The postal strike ended a month later, on October 9th, but a strike on the Great Southern and Western Railway a week later stopped letters and papers. Near the end of the month, there was a further problem. Some mails arrived at the college, bearing the legend, "Censored by the LR.A." There had been a hold-up of mails in Boherlahan, between Cashel and Holycross. 

A Sick Boy

One of the boys, Brendan Mallen, developed appendicitis on Septernber 25th, He was brought to Cashel Workhouse the next day and operated on by Drs. J. Ryan, Cusack and Foley. Mr. Mackey, one of the Prefects, amid a downpour, rode to Tipperary to get Dr. Ryan to come. Mallen must haye recovered because we read no more about him. On February 17th, we read that a student named Feehan ran away, seemingly with some idea that it was his obligation to report for duty to the Fianna. He returned two days later. 

The examination results were good. The Journal entry reads. "Our passes were excellent. In total, they got 78 out of 89, a percentage far exceeding that of the rest of Ireland. There was a free day for the results on October 3rd. The boys walked to the Rock of Cashel. Immediately after dining, the boys came home as the evening was threatening." Six days later, the Intermediate Prize List arrived. Rockwell was awarded four exhibitions, three book prizes, two composition prizes - nine distinctions in all. The boys got the following day off. 

The Civil War impinged on the life of the Community and the School. On September 16th, we learn that Fr. O'Neill, who went to Clerihan on ministry, had to make a rather devious journey as the Irregulars had barricaded the roads in preparation for an abortive ambush in New Inn. During the second week of October, there was a pastoral letter from the Irish Bishops, condemning as immoral the Irregulars' armed resistance to the will of the majority of the people and forbidding the sacraments to be administered to such as persisted in the armed revolt. The letter also suspended, ipso facto, any priest who publicly or privately advocated or encouraged armed resistance. The letter had to be read at the public Masses in Rockwell on successive Sundays. 

On November 3rd, Free State troops did a round-up at Heffernan's near the back gate of the College and the officer commanding, O'Dwyer, mortally wounded Iregular leader, Sadleir. Both O'Dwyer and Sadleir were both former Rockwell students. Miss Marrinan, the Nurse and Fr. McAllister were sent to attend the dying man. 

On Both Sides

A week later we read that half-a-dozen Irregulars were captured in a dugout at Ballydoyle. They included two Rockwell past students, Gus McCarthy of Fethard and Andy Moloney of New Inn. A few days later, there was another abortive ambush by Irregulars at Marlhill - a tree was felled after the Free State troops had passed. There was a sign posted on the tree that nobody remove it on pain of death. It was not, in fact, moved until January 3rd. 

On December 3rd, people coming to Mass in Rockwell were horrified when passing the crossroads near Cliffords to see a man lying on the road with his brains blown out and with a label attache'd to his clothing, alleging he was a spy and had been shot as such by the Irregulars. 

Two days later, we read that a military cycle patrol arrested Patsey Carey, a Rockwell worker, and took him to Cashel for having in his pockets incriminating literature, notably, a military signal code. However, on the following day, through the good offices of Commandant W. Quinlan, another former Rockwell students, Carey was released at noon. A week before Christmas, Free State troops on the march from Kilkenny turned into the College about 1 p.m., drenched and weary and asked if they could have food. Dinner was provided and a "chit" for payment was proffered. The usual Midnight Mass was not celebrated on Christmas Night because of the disturbed state of the countryside. We read for January 14th - 'Some of our servants were commandeered last night to help or rather to screen the Irregulars in communication-blocking arrangements. A tree of ours, adjoining Marlhill, was felled in the process." 

Things Get Worse

Because of the republican leanings of the College President, Fr. J. Byrne, there were regular rumours that Rockwell was a haven for Irregulars. As early as November 15th, the Journal entry stated that a report in Tipperary Town claimed that Rockwell had been raided from roof to cellar the previous day by Free State forces. The writer was concerned about the report which was groundless. "These lying rumours grow monotonous." But, groundless or not, they persisted. The entry for February 24th reads; "The Archbishop called and, in a half-hour's talk with the Superior, had his mind disabused of some of the ideas engendered by the reports that branded Rockwell as a centre of Irregular and anti-episcopal activity." 

On March 2nd, a tree was felled by the Irregulars near the back gate and this prevented the fishwoman from getting past to deliver her wares. Three local Irregulars were captured and one of them was John O'Brien, who, until some time previously, had been assistant cook in the College. 

The rumours had some influence on the civil authorities. On March 3rd, about 30 Free State troops searched the grounds and the servants' quarters. Less than two weeks later, the place was searched again, on this occasion the servants' quarters, the farmyard and the Lake House. In the last-named building, John O'Brien, nicknamed Scaddy or de Valera, was captured. O'Brien had been gassed in France, when fighting in the British Army during World War I and was drawing a British pension. Also arrested with him was a man called O'Neill, who was Brother Nicephorus' assistant tailor. 

There was another thorough search of the College by the Free State soldiers on April 14th. They had heard that Eamon de Valera was hiding there. The soldiers arrived again at 5 a.m. the following morning and remained until after the People's Mass. 

O'Brien was released from prison in Templemore on May 5th as his health was poor and he had signed an undertaking not to share in armed resistance to the Free State. There was a further search of the College on May 13th. It began at 5 a.m. and covered the farmyard, the Scholasticate and the servants' quarters. A baker, by the name of Grace, was arrested but he was released later on the intervention of an ex-Rockwell student, Sergeant Brophy. There was another raid at 4 a.m. four days later. It was to be the final raid of the school year. 

Ordinary Life

In spite of the political turmoil in the land and the interference with ordinary life, the daily routine continued at Rockwell. There was long spell of dry weather. There are a number of references in the Journal to the lake drying up. The entry for October 14th reads - "The fish are dying in scores in the diminishing lake, the roach resisting better than the trout." 

The scarcity of things was felt. On November 27th, the entry reads - "The coal supply is short and the stout can't be got any longer from Clonmel. The Fathers, many of them cut and carry their own fuel, are referred to by the writer as "the hewers of wood and the drinkers of water." 

For December 8th, the Witch Scene from "Macbeth" and some other dramatic selections were produced by Mr. Hanrahan, the Senior Prefect. The Christmas examinations were held from December 15th to 19th. The results were read out at 5.30 p.m. on the last day. Afterwards, there was a dramatic entertainment. Naboclish, a comedy in two acts, as well as other entertainment, was put on at 7 p.m. The following day, the boys went home. They had to walk most of the way to the railway station in Cashel and depart baggageless because, owing to the sudden frost, cars could not travel in time. 

In January, the electric light was installed in the St. Joseph's House, the Scholasticate, and, soon after, work commenced on the wiring of the Chapel. Around the same time, the front avenue was "well-macadamized and cambered" and the back avenue patched. In March we read that the road to Cashel is being steamrolled "after a fashion". 

Gaelic Games

There is no mention of rugby or cricket during the year and occasional references to Gaelic football. The chief game was hurling and the College had a good team, winning not only the Harty Cup, but the All-Ireland as well. The soldiers may have been searching the grounds of the College but this did not prevent the boys from getting in their hurling practice. The semi-final of the Harty Cup was played on March 18th. Earlier, Fr. Leen, the Dean of Discipline, tried to secure Cashel Sportsfield for the game against Thurles "but Mr. Looby refused to let us have it." No reason was given for the refusal, which leaves one intrigued. The loss of the home advantage did not make any difference as Rockwell had a comfortable win over Thurles C.B.5. 

The final, against limerick C.B.S., was played on April 22nd. The reporter on The Tipperary Star set the scene: "Sunday in Thurles reminded me of the old days before the Troubles arose in this grand green isle of ours. It was the occasion of the crossing of the camans between the boys from Rockwell College, renowned the world over wherever an Irishman is to be found in educational circles, with the Limerick representatives, or the boys from the Treaty Stone, in the final of the Dr. Harty Cup and set of medals." 

About a thousand people attended and Rockwell had the better of the exchanges. They were somewhat heavier than their opponents and, with the aid of the breeze, led 3-2 to 0-0 at the interval. In the second half, they held their advantage, partly due to bad marksmanship on the part of Limerick, and were ahead by 5-2 to 2-1 at the final whistle. The victorious side was Sheehan (Captain), Fleming (goal), PooIe, ColI, Foley, Scully, Brosnan, Ryan, Chawke, Hickey, Duffy, McCarthy, O'Connell, Hackett, McCall. 

According to the Journal, Fr. McGrath and Mr. Mackey brought a "Galaxy" of prizemen to the match. When the team and the supporters returned to the College, the Superior made a short speech to the victors. That was at 8 p.m. but "because the light short-circuited, the boys went to bed at 8.30." The next day was a free day in celebration of the win. The Fathers had coffee after dinner. 

The All-Ireland was not played until June 3rd. No fear then of injury to the examination students! In Preparation, the team played'a strong fifteen from Thurles at Rockwell on May 6th. Tom Semple came with the team and put up two "rise and strike" medals to be competed for by Rockwell and Thurles. A Rockwell boy was the winner in each competition. The team went to Blackrock the night before in preparation for the match against Roscrea at Croke Park the following day. In a very moderate game, Rockwell overwhelmed their opponents by 6-1 to 1-0, having led by 3-0 to 1-0 at the interval. Roscrea had 160 boys that year as against 101 at Rockwell. 

Lighthearted Moments

One of these was referred to as "The Tragedy of the Gorgonzola". Apparently in January, Fr. Colgan received a present of a large piece of Gorgonzola cheese and stored it in a hideaway near the parlour. The Nurse scented it out, and objecting to the aroma, consigned the whole thing to the flames. 

The Superior, Fr. Byrne, had befriended Fr. Matt Ryan, PP, Knockavilla. On St. Patrick's Day, Fr. Ryan and the Knockavilla clergy dined with the community. There were songs and speeches over coffee. According to the entry, "Mr. Hanrahan's 'company' gave a performance of the 'Eloquent Dempsey' which fell a bit flat." 

At the end of March, most of the boys went home for Easter. Not all, however. Some twenty stayed on together with eight scholastics. On April 2nd, the Prefects, scholastics and the boarders went to the matinee at the Kinema (sic), Cashel. 

In May the scholastics began to complete the handball alley. They also acquired a new boat which was christened the Stella Maris. Two coracles, which they had been using up to then, were deemed unseaworthy and burned. Towards the end of the month, they started croquet.

End of Year

Winning the All-Ireland earned the boys a free day on June 4th. A week after, the non-examination students, forty boarders and eighteen scholastics, went home. Nine scholastics were held back for manual labour. There were sixty boarders and ten scholastics for examination. There were two centres in the boys' Refectory. The examinations began on June 12th with Mr. Cooney superintending. The boys went home on June 21st with the exception of the Matric students. As well as the Rockwell boys doing the Matric here, there were five outsiders, four from Cashel and one from Bansha.

<span class="postTitle">Rockwell College 1923-1924</span> Rockwell College Annual 1998, pp 26-31

Rockwell College 1923-1924

Rockwell College Annual 1998, pp 26-31

The year got off to the best possible start. When the results arrived on September 11 they were pronounced 'excellent'.  They included the best prize list since 1916 and a record pass list. In the senior grade 17 passed out of 18. In the middle grade it was 19 out of 20, and all passed in the junior grade. The prize list brought 8 exhibitions, 1 book prize, 4  composition prizes and 4 medals. Donal McCarthy of Middleton, the brightest star in the Rockwell academic firmament got 3 junior grade medals. First places were achieved in French, Algebra, Arithmetic, History and Geography. No wonder the boys were 'granted recreation  instead of the last class' and the promise of a free day in the future. The community had punch after dinner! 

The results drew a flattering editorial from the Nationalist on October 23: 'Rockwell's year was probably the best in its long and splendid record . . . A school which wins no fewer than 11 exhibitions, 4 medals and 4 composition prizes on a total entry of 62 is something to be proud of. And it will be recalled that during last season Rockwell boys distinguished themselves also in the athletic field.' 

There was to be a free day on the 13th but unlucky day it was and turned wet. The day was postponed. There was another postponement on the 17th as the weather was again bad. The chance was taken on the 24th and the boys went on a picnic to Athassel but they were caught in a downpour. A half-day was given for the results on the 28th and a whole day on October 1st. On this occasion the boys had a picnic to the Rock of Cashel and afterwards a matinee in Hannigan's cinema in the town. (The latter facility had opened some years previously and a dance hall was to be added the following March . Somebody was against this development as an attempt was made to set it alight the night before the opening, somebody perhaps influenced by Rev. Fr. Chrysostom O.E.M. Galway, who had sounded off about dancing the previous month: 'The purpose of modem dancing is not good. It makes for the corruption and strangling of the word of God and the corruption of the hearts and souls of of young people.' He added that modem dances, now in vogue, were direct incentives to sensuality and sin. 

There were a few changes in the staff of the college. Fr. Cotter had died and Fr . P. Meagher of the previous year's staff had left. Fr. Griffin came in as Dean of Discipline in place of Fr. Leen. One of the lay staff, Mr. Twomey, had departed to take up an inspector-ship under the Education Board. There was a large batch of Brothers, helping out in the running of the place. Patrick was in charge of the shop and cellar, Brandon of the linen room, Dalmas of the tradesmen, Nicophorus the tailor, Albert of the indoor servants, Elimien the cook, Canice of the poultry and electric plant, Kieran of the garden, Malachy of the book shop, Aidan of the dairy, Finnbarr of the outdoor staff, Kevin of the brothers' refectory, Eugene of the boys' refectory and John Baptist was 'superannuated'. 

Aftermath of the Civil War

The unsettled state of the country at the time impinged on the life of the college. On Otober 1 the farmyard was searched by Free State troops and not finding anything, they entered the Dean's wing where they were accosted by Fr. McGrath. He assured them that no wanted man was being harboured and they searched no further. Interestingly they had no warrant. Somebody had  informed them that some of the 'boys' had been seen around the college at 6 p.m. the previous evening. 

Early in October it was reported that there were eight Rockwell past pupils prisoners in the Curragh Camp, including Dr. John J. Comer of Galway.  A week later a letter was received in the college asking prayers for past pupils, P. and M. O'Sullivan of Macroom, who were on hunger strike in Mountjoy jail and were ill in the prison hospital. Two weeks later the Journal reports: 'These days after Mass the boys pray for the prisoners, some thousands of whom are on hunger strike.' On November 19 we read that a past pupil, Jimmy White of Clonmel, was released from the Curragh Camp and, reflecting the divisions of the period, it is also reported that his brother, Eddie, was medical officer to the prisoners.  In March we are informed that one of the servants, O'Brien, nicknamed de Valera, was arrested and tried with others before J. H. Rice, B.L., D.J., on the charge of 'raiding under arms.'  He was sent to Limerick jail but acquitted on a technical flaw in the charge some time later. This experience may have had a shattering effect on his system because there is the following entry in the Journal for June 17: 'Thunderstorm at 10 p.m., in consequence of the shock of which the servant, O'Brien (De Valera), had to be attended by priest and doctor. ' 

It was a tough time for teachers. The Free State Government was imposing it's will in the new state. Notice came that to qualify for grants teachers should have eighteen hours class per week. Heretofore it had been fifteen. In November teachers' salaries were cut by ten percent, which meant a drop in salary of from £47 to £42 per annum. At a local level we read, in October, that 'Notes for boys' were introduced at last. But the entry continues: 'No notice having been given many of the professors handed in no marks.' The government also changed. the exam system. The old system of junior, middle and senior grades was to give way the following year to a two-examination structure, the intermediate and leaving certificate examinations. The year was the last year for the old system and the government had done away with medals, composition and book prizes. Only exhibitions remained but in future they would be known as scholarships. 

There's an interesting entry for November 8. The results of the catechetical exams arrived. The college had come almost last in the diocese. The writer of the Journal has a query: 'Was the standard of the marking anything like uniform?' The reason for the query is spelled out. It was the Fathers themselves who had corrected the papers of the school, Ursuline Convent, Thurles, which had headed the list! 

Financial Problems

Beneath the surface all was not well in Rockwell. The big problem was the decline in numbers and the resulting drop in income. It was put starkly in the Journal entry for December 3: 'We have 101 boarders now as against 224 in 1916.' A later entry gives as the cause the slump in farmers' profits after the war, the unsettled times and 'our reputation for diehard republicanism.' We are working under depressing conditions. Our numbers have dwindled and the sword of Damocles hangs over us for the question of closing the college has been revived.' The immediate cause of the crisis is probably contained in a Journal entry for November 30: 'Mr. English, brother of Mr. John English, came and called in his loan of £450.' 

The threat of closure was real and was given finite expression February 28 when the Provincial's brochure arrived. It set the case for closing Rockwell as a college and for turning it into a house for scholastics only. The matter was to be discussed at the Provincial Chapter in Dublin on April 22. Later we read of the Archbishop of Cashel's 'determined opposition' to the closure. The Provincial Committee came to Rockwell in April to interview the Fathers, one by one, on their views on the question of closure. All Rockwell Fathers, except Kingston, McGrath and Leen, attended the Provincial meering, held in Blackrock College on April 22. The proposal to close the college was defeated by 29-9. Frs. McCarthy, Griffin and McAllister voted with the minority. Fr. Downey did not vote. 

Determined efforts had been made to face off the financial difficulties. There was a 'big push' in lecturing to prove, as the Journal put it, 'that mendicancy is superior to teaching, as a means of raising money.' The 'lecturing' was a talk on the Africa Missions, illustrated by 'magic lantern' slides. One in Clonmel realised £18.11, in Cahir £15 and in Cashel £21. The boys got the lecture on February 2 and there was a public one in the college the following night. We read that 'Luke Lyons, a servant, 'held up' the people coming to the 8.30 Mass and got them to buy £4.6.0. worth of lecture tickets.' The hall was about half-full for the lecture that night. Plus the lecture there was the orchestra, Fr. O'Brien's violin solo and Fr. McAllister and Mr. Mackey's songs which 'eked out the entertainment.' The takings were about £16. 

Some Relief

All was not gloom, however. There were occasions to celebrate and to drink punch in the parlour. The Journal notes on November 1: 'Punch in the Parlour' and on November 6: 'Punch again.' Five days later the entry reads: 'Wine at dinner as the stout supply had run out.' On March 19 the scholastics had a picnic in Ballycarron. On April 3 there were 'baths for the boys.' On the 21st the 'prefects had a picnic to the Vee and the scholastics and boarders to Rosegreen.' Fr. Dan Murphy came from Knocknagoshel for some weeks' rest after his seven years' hard work in Fribourg. 'He is festooned with degrees, D.D., D. Ph. and M.A. in classics.' 

There were also small difficulties and upsets. In November we read that a strenuous campaign was being waged on the farmyard rats. The byres were being rendered rat proof with concrete. In December there was an attempted robbery from the scholasticate and football pavilion. The robbers were surprised by the prefects and dropped their plunder, eight pairs of boots and football jerseys. They bolted through the grove towards Cashel. In February five of the Fathers attended the funeral of canon P.C. Ryan, P.P., Fethard.  Fr. McAllister cycled and Frs. Kingston, Schmidt, O'Brien and O'Neill motored. 'Larry Stewart's erratic driving landed them in a ditch and gave them sundry other thrills of a like nature.' In March the engine working the dynamo burst 'so we had to fall back on the tractor.' At the may procession 'Fr. Muller kept us advisedly long in the Rock and rain drove us to scurry for shelter.' And, there was some danger attached to being a Father! An entry for May reads: Fr. McAllister and the C.C. New Inn had a passage at arms in Hymenstown over giving the last rites to Miss O'Dwyer.  The latter priest was grossly in the wrong.'

Real Drama

The boys staged a couple od dramatic productions during the year.  There were two short plays the night before the boys went home for Christmas. They were two farces.  The Resurrection of Dinny O'Dowd was staged by the boys and A Merry Muddle by the scholastics. The production on St. Patrick's Day was a full length play and better reflected the republican ethos.  It was The West's Awake or The Dawn of Freedom by J. Malachi Muldoon. There was a proper four-page program printed by P. Donegan & Co., 145 Trongate, Glasgow.  What the connection was isn't explained.  The Journal writer wasn't impressed: 'A feeble meloframa, in which some of the prefect's mispronunciations reflected discredit on the house.'

There was a major sporting success in winning the Harty Cup. There was no rugby of course, having been banned from the school since 1916. Nine teams took part in the competition" and Rockwell were holders. Their first match was on March 15 in which they beat Thurles easily. According to the Journal 'Neither his Grace nor the local clergy from college or parish patronised it.' North Monastery were beaten in the semi-fmal by 7-6 to 0-1 and the final, against Limerick C.B.S. was played at Thurles. 'All the boys went to Thurles by special train. The XV, the Provincial and most of the Fathers, motored over.' The day was uncomfortably warm. The teams were paraded by the St. John's Temperance Society band from Limerick. Rockwell led by 4-3 to 3-2 at half-time and won by 7-3 to 3-4. W. J. Walsh (Waterford) refereed. The winning lineout was as follows: N. Teehan, J. Jordan, W. Kennedy, D. McCarthy, P. White, G. O'Connell, T. Clarke, P. Dunphy, P. Powell (Capt.), N. Slattery, J. Keamey, K. Devenish, D. Cashman, T. Chawke, G. O'Donnell. Canon M. K. Ryan, chairman of the Tipperary county board, presented the cup and medals to the players. He complimented Rockwell and commiserated with Limerick. 'Rockwell had always had a tradition in many lines of athletics and now was forming a tradition in the great games of the Gael.' The school band went to the station in Cashel to meet the victors and all marched through the town to Dean Innocent Ryan's residence, where he addressed the group and complimented Rockwell from the steps. In the course of his remarks, according to the Journal 'he introduced some painfully indiscreet remarks about the plot (sic) to close the college.' Rockwell were scheduled to play Roscrea in the final of the Schools Championship of Ireland in Croke Park on May 15th but the Leinster champions refused and the Harty Cup champions were awarded the match. 

The End of the Year

The year's progress is reflected in a number of entries in the Journal. Towards the end of March we read 'Two swans have flown in and are nesting on the lake.' In April we are told . 'Summer Time came in at midnight, 12th. We keep true Greenwich time.' A student named Moloney from Cahir passed away in May. The boys had their ftrst swim on May 5 and there were two days of sports about the same time. The non-examination boys went home on June 16. There were 55 boarders and 12 scholastics for the examinations. Two of the lay teachers, Gallagher and O'Shea, left to superintend examinations in Cork. As the latter wasn't returning his"spupils presented him with 'a case of pipes.' There were two exam centres in the boys refectory 'under Mr. WaIter, an officious Castleknock man, and Mr. O'Keeffe of Ennis.' Most of the boys were gone by June 24 and three days later the matriculation exams began with Mr. Fitzgerald of St. Coleman's, Fermoy in charge. Eight Rockwell poys and eight outsiders sat for the exam. Eventually things quietened down and the Journal for the rest of the summer is concerned with more leisurely comings and goings by Fathers, Brothers and visitors.

<span class="postTitle">Gaelic Games Abroad</span> All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Program, Thurles, Sept. 10, 1998

Gaelic Games Abroad

All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Program, Thurles, Sept. 10, 1998

In his recent publication, The Clash of the Ash in Foreign Fields: Hurling Abroad, Seamus J. King traced the history and development of the game among the Irish diaspora and the state of the game abroad today.

One such place where the game is organised is Paris, where the Paris Gaels G.A.A. operate. The club has very laudable aims which include promoting interest in Gaelic sports, generating interest in Celtic culture through music, dance and other cultural activities, encouraging Irish expatriates to take advantage of the facilities and social network and linking up with the other Gaelic Associations established throughout Europe.

In 1994 a number of expatriates living in Paris were in the habit of getting together to play hurling and gaelic football on a regular basis and organising matches with the Irish communities in Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Germany and France, as well as other social events around Paris. The success of their efforts generated in the Gaelic Athletic Association, Paris (France) being formally established as a non-profit making association in April 1995. The club is in fact the first affiliated G.A.A. club in mainland Europe.

The club has already made an impact. To date it has over fifty active members paying an annual membership of 100 FRF. The recruitment of members continues and it is hoped to encourage more French people to participate in G.A.A. activities. The club has already had numerous requests from French sporting clubs and individuals for promotional material and also coaching sessions. The members hope to utilise these means to promote the sport in France in the future.
Fr. Desmond Knowles with an address at College des Irlandais, 5 Rue des Islandais, 75005 Paris is the club's Homorary President. John Stack is the chairman and Sinead Morgan and Maureen Moran are the joint secretaries. Maureen is from County Leitrim and has an address at 3 rue S10 Guillaume, 92400 Courbevoie. Her telephone number is 00 33 1 47 88 13 11 and her Email: s-pj@club-internet.fr The club also has an internet site: http://www.geocities.com/paris/bistro/2308/

A summary of club events for 1998 makes interesting reading. In February there was a visit from the Glynnbarn Town, Wexford, hurling and football teams. At the same time Mark Lennon, who played on the Clare All-Ireland minor hurling team in 1997, arrived with the Liam McCarthy Cup.

During the visit a soiree was organised in conjunction with the Irish College celebrations for St. Brigid's Day. There were exhibition matches between the visitors and their hosts which got national TV coverage. In May there were demonstration matches of hurling and football in Eu (France) followed by a get-together for the French and the Irish. Later in the same month Paris Gaels won the Black Stuff 7-Aside European Gaelic Football championship in Luxembourg. This event attracted teams from Germany, Holland, Luxembourg, France and Guernsey. In June there was a hurling tournament in Amiens attended by players from Luxembourg, Paris and Aer Lingus, Dublin. In July there was the first-ever training session for a European Panel in Paris. Debbie Massey and Bamey Winston of the International Dimension Committee in Croke Park, travelled to Paris to discuss the organisation of the future European County Board and to advise the various clubs. Other activities are planned for later in the year.

In an otherwise successful picture of progress, the club has two major problems. There is a large turnover of members, which means that the club loses a number of valuable members on a regular basis. Increasing membership is very important so the club is trying to improve its publicity so that people travelling over are aware of the existence of a G.A.A. club in Paris, or elsewhere in Europe.

The second problem is finding a suitable venue to hold competitions. To date the club trains on a rugby pitch in Vincennes in the south of Paris, but this involves a lot of travelling and there are no dressing rooms available. At the beginning of this year, after long negotiations, the club succeeded in obtaining good quality facilities in the 16th arrondissement of Paris which, it is hoped, will solve the problem.

It can be concluded that the increase in the number of club members and events on the Paris Gaels G.A.A. calendar, in addition to the increase in interest from people and the press at home and in France, prove that the club has been going from strength to strength since its foundation.

<span class="postTitle">The Taming of the Game</span> 'Olde Rules' Hurling Match, Stonethrowers vs Cats, Gortnahoe, July 31, 1998

The Taming of the Game

'Olde Rules' Hurling Match, Stonethrowers vs Cats, Gortnahoe, July 31, 1998

It is generally believed that the decision of the founders of the GAA to make the parish and county the units of the Association was responsible for the strong and determined loyalty and pride in parish and county, which is such a feature of Ireland.

Yet tradition has it that it was a cross-country hurling match between Tipperary and Kilkenny that took place in the vicinity of Fennor long before the GAA was founded and finished with Tipperary losing the day and turning to throwing stones at their opponents, thereby gaining the unenviable title of "Tipperary Stone Throwers". This would seem to suggest that identification with county was already present in pre-GAA days and that Tipperary men couldn't bear the thought of being beaten by Kilkenny. Throwing stones at the victors wasn't very honourable but is probably understandable.

The type of game played on that occasion was cross-country hurling as distinct from playing within a strictly confined area, such as a field between opposite goals. Cross-country hurling, known also as hurling home, abhaile, seuaibin, had as its object to bring a ball a distance of some miles across the countryside or along a road to the team's base, which might be the parish chapel, a landlord's house, a particular gate or some such landmark.

Bringing Order to the Game

It took a long time for the GAA to reach its present state and there were many teething problems along the way. The mention of the presence of the priest and the landlord in Conyngham's account is significant. They were important for law and order.

During the Golden Age of hurling in the 18th century, the landlord on horseback rode up and down beside play with his whip ready to break up any rows or punish those guilty of foul play. When the GAA was founded one of the first things it had to do was to formulate rules, behind which Maurice Davin was the main driving force. The referee took over from the role of the priest and the landlord and became the upholder of law and order on the field. He wasn't always successful and many a time the parish priest and local police had to be called in to supplement the his authority.

There were many cases where the referee had a difficult task imposing his authority. One such instance occurred on February 24th 1888 when Thurles played Slieveardagh (John O'Leary's) in the county football championship. According to Sport 5,000 people turned up to see Thurles win by two points to nil. (The football must have been very heavy!). The referee, Mr T O'Grady. was kept very busy 'as the order of the people was anything but commendable and they kept constantly trespassing on the players ground'.

Many Infringements

Another instance was a football game between Ballingarry Smith O'Brien's and Inch at Horse and Jockey on September 2nd 1894. Inch won by two points but Ballingarry objected because;

1) The referee refused to allow a free kick to Ballingarry after an Inch player had struck out the ball defending their goal.

2) The ball was not in play when a point was scored as the referee did not blow the whistle when the ball went out and it was improperly thrown in.

3) One of the Inch players caught a Ballingarry man from behind and knocked him to the ground, and when the Ballingarry man in turn knocked down the Inch player, he was put off the field while the Inch player was allowed to play on.

4) The Inch goalkeeper knocked down a Ballingarry player from behind.

5) In the Inch team some of the best players were from other parts of the county.

6) One of the Inch players carried the ball about 30 yards hopping the ball with both hands, but only one hand was allowed.

A real litany of complaints and infringements indeed! What is interesting is the knowledge of the rules the writer possessed. In fact, it would appear that he had a greater knowledge of them than the referee had. Does the incident tells us that the rules were quickly learned and, (although they were not always observed on the field of play), recognised and accepted? A long distance had been travelled from the stone throwing days at Fennor!.

<span class="postTitle">Different Types of Hurling</span> 'Olde Rules' Hurling Match, Stonethrowers vs Cats, Gortnahoe, July 31, 1998

Different Types of Hurling

'Olde Rules' Hurling Match, Stonethrowers vs Cats, Gortnahoe, July 31, 1998

It is interesting to note that hurling to goales and hurling to the countrie were played in Cornwall and Devon in the 16th and early 17th centuries. A description of hurling to the countrie is given by Joe Lennon in his book The Playing of Football and Hurling 1884-1995: "Some two or more gentlemen usually make this match, appointing that on such a Holy day, they will bring to such an indifferent place, (neutral venue), two three or more Parishes of the South and East quarter, to hurl against many other parishes of the West and North. Their goals are either those gentlemen's houses, or some towns or villages three or four miles asunder, which either side chooses, depending on which is nearest to their dwellings. When they meet, there is neither comparing of numbers or matching of men. A silver ball is cast up, and that company which can catch, and carry it by force or slight (craft or skill) to their place assigned, gaineth the ball and victory."

In contrast David Power Conyngham in his book "The O'Donnells Glen Cottage," describes a game, twenty-five before the foundation of the GAA, that is probably an example of hurling to goales. Conynham, who was from Crohane and a cousin of Charles J Kickham, describes the game thus: "All the preliminaries being arranged by the elders, twenty-one young men at a side were selected. The spectators then retired to the ditches and the ball was thrown in among the rival parties. The ball was struck here and there, often pucked up in the air, then hit again before it reached the ground. Such lucky hits were acknowledged by cheers from the spectators. Then by tumbling, tossing, feint blows and the like at length one party succeeded in driving it to goal, amidst a peel of shouts and hurrahs from the friends of the victors. . . When the priest and gentlemen used to head us, and we all dressed out like jockeys in jackets and caps and the green was all roped; them were the times when we used to have the fun".

As far as is known the rules varied widely in cross-country hurling. According to Br. Liam P. O'Caithnia to strike a player a deliberate blow of the hurley was a crime punishable by law and to knock down a wall or fence and not to replace it was a further breach of the law. The latter law can be appreciated in the light of hundreds of players chasing a ball across country. Four other fouls mentioned by O'Caithnia appear to relate to hurling played in a confined space. One of these concerned two or more men jostling or shouldering one man between them, in other words 'sandwiching' a player. "Double-pulling" was also forbidden as it still is. Throwing the hurley was a foul as was lying on the ball was also forbidden. There was no sideline pucks, no sixty-fives, no linesmen, no umpires, no frees and no penalties. In contrast with our game today with its rules and regulations, its set fields and trim grasses, its white lines and secure nets, pre-GAA hurling appears disorganised, spontaneous, even anarchic.

<span class="postTitle">Tony Reddin Wins Knocknagow Award</span> Tipperary GAA Yearbook 1998, p 105

Tony Reddin Wins Knocknagow Award

Tipperary GAA Yearbook 1998, p 105

ONE of the highlights of the Cidona Sports Awards in the Clonmel Arms Hotel on January 24 was the presentation of the Knocknagow Award to Tony Reddin, the former Lorrha and Tipperary goalkeeper. Tony won All-Ireland senior medals in 1949, 50 and 51 and his outstanding performances between the posts during these and later years were sufficient to win him membership of the Team of the Century in 1984. To the strains of the band playing the county anthem, 'Slievenamon', and the cheers of the three hundred people present at the ceremony, Tony strode up to be presented with his award.
 

Tony Reddin

Born in Mullagh, Co. Galway in 1920, Tony came to work in Lorrha in February 1947. He had a hurling record before he crossed the Shannon. He won a county juvenile medal with Mullagh in 1933 and a divisional junior medal in the late thirties. He played county junior hurling in 1940 when Galway were beaten by Cork in the All-Ireland. Graduating to senior ranks in 1941 he played on the Connaght Railway Cup team that was trounced by Munster that year. He didn' t appear for
Galway again until 1946 . In that year he played full-forward in the Monaghan Cup game at London against Tipperary. Playing full-forward for Tipperary that day was Tony Brennan.

He made his debut with Lorrha in a tournament game against St. Vincent's of Dublin on Easter Sunday 1947. He played unspectacularly with his new club in the championship. The following year he made his name as a goalkeeper, particularly against Borrisoleigh in the divisional final. As a result he was drafted on to the county panel for the 1948-49 league and was to be a regular on the team until 1956. After that he rotated with Blackie Keane until he played his final game for
the county at New York in October 1957.

In an article on Reddin in his Lorrha club history, Seamus King wrote thus about him:
"Why was Reddin so brilliant? Many people remember him as a big man going high for the ball, catching it securely and bursting out amid a welter of hurleys, to clear well up the field. It will come as a surprise to learn that Tony is not a big man. He stands 5'9" and, at the height of his career in the early fifties , never weighed more than eleven and a half stone! He was a very fit man. He trained for the position as keenly as another might train for centrefield. Running crosscountry, jumping over hedges and ditches and building up his arms made him the strong player he was. He had the eye of a hawk, some might even say of compensatory quality for defects in his oral and aural senses. Neighbours have commented on how sharp that eyesight was and is in spotting someone at a distance. He was no mere ball stopper but a player who completed the act by clearing the ball down the field. He was equally good on the right or the left side and this again came from constant practice. He sharpened his reflexes by belting a ball against a rough stone wall from shot distances and catching the ball in his hand as it rebounded in different directions. Probably his greatest ability was a sensitive touch allied with the tilting of the hurley's face at an angle, which enabled him to kill even the fastest ball dead so that it rolled down the hurley into his hand as if by the genius of a master magician. Finally, Tony used no 'half-door' of a hurley to stop the ball . His was of ordinary size and he had the same stick for most of his hurling career, a heavy, many hooped, ugly-looking affair.

<span class="postTitle">Clonmel Civic Reception Speech</span> Hosted by Clonmel Corporation in August 1988

Clonmel Civic Reception Speech

Speech on the occasion of a Civic Welcome to Seamus J. King by Clonmel Corporation in August 1988, following the publication of Tipperary's G.A.A. Story 1935-1984

Your Worship, Mayor Norris, Aldermen, Councillors, Guests. 

I am extremely grateful and thankful for this honour conferred on me. It is the first time I have received such acclaim and I accept it with grateful thanks. 

That such an honour should come from the Mayor and Corporation of Clonmel makes it all the greater. You are a distinguished and ancient Corporation and this adds to the lustre of the honour. Ny colleague, Sean O'Donnell, has been researching your history and has informed me of your antecedents. 

You are generous towards me but that is but a reflection of the generosity you have shown in the past. I want you to cast your minds back to October 27, 1915. Cavan had defeated Tipperary in the All-Ireland semi-final as a result of a disputed goal. Tipperary objected to the goal and the scorer, Jim Smith. They lost the appeal. The following October Cavan came to Clonmel for a league match. Were there any protests? No. When the Cavan players arrived they were met by the Clonmel Pipers' Band. They were escorted to the Town Hall and welcomed by Mayor White on behalf of the Corporation and citizens. The Mayor extended a hearty cead mile failte and told the players that the county had been impressed by Cavan's displays in the All-Ireland semi­-final and final and were honoured to have them as their guests that night! Would you believe such big-heartedness! And what did Cavan do? They scored a penalty in the dying minutes of the game to grab victory by a point for the second time that year. Were you in goals that day, Jim? 

Role of Gaelic Games

I know, your Worship, that this honour is not only for me but for the games of hurling and football and the major part they play in Irish life. In conferring this honour you are giving recognition to the contribution Gaelic games makes to the lives of people, espec­ially in towns like Clonmel and in counties like Tipperary. You are recognising that the most important topic of conversation this week, last week, next week and the week after, is Tipperary and the All-­Ireland. 

You are also tonight, your Worship, paying tribute to all those who play and administer. the games in the county at large, in the south division in general and in Clonmel in particular. You are recognising the players and officers of the south board and of the six clubs that exist in this town. I should also like to have the occasion honour some of the greats of the past, a number of whom like Gerry O'Keeff'e, Jim Williams, Bunny Lambe and Theo English are among us this evening. 

Clonmel is the biggest town in Tipperary and I come originally from the parish of Lorrha, which is the Tipperary parish farthest distanced from this town. Before I came to live in Cashel in 1965 I couldn't have been in Clonmel more than once or twice. The division between the two parts of the county was very real. North Tipperary people didn't have much reason to go to Clonmel. They didn't pass through it to many places. In fact when I was growing up in Lorrha if you were going to Clonmel it was usually a case of being sent. Clonmel meant one place and one place only and that was St. Luke's. And, with the attitudes to mental illness at that time it was not a very pleasant thought. 

Things changed after coming to live in Cashel which many regard as a kind of dormitory town to Clonmel and many come to for the shopping bargains at Dunne's Stores and other retail outlets. The traffic between the two places is so great that it was best described by one of our Cashel Councillors, Tom Wood. In the course of a debate in the Cashel U.D.C. he said that any Cashel person coming to Clonmel would need to have three hands, two for carrying the bags of messages and a third for greeting all the other Cashel people he met carrying similar loads of messages. 

Increased mobility has brought us all more closely together and I am glad that not only have we Cashel people present this evening but my brother Liam and his wife Kathleen were able to make the seventy-odd mile journey from Lorrha. 

Johnny Gaynor

This is an occasion to celebrate Gaelic games and I should like to use it to recall one other person, whoi is now dead and gone. I do so not in any critical way but that he may not be forgotten. The man's name is Johnny Gaynor. He was one of the brightest hurlers in the parish of Lorrha in the early twenties and won·a divisional title in 1924. At the end o:f that year he began to behave strangely and was moved to Clonmel, to St. Luke's. Sean O'Driscoll got to know him there and used to talk to him about hurling and about an All-Ireland junior medal he believed he won at some stage at Dungarvan. When I was researching the Lorrha book I went to interview him but, by then, he was blind, in a wheelchair and his mind was scattered. I attended his funeral in May 1981 when he left St. Luke's after fifty-eight years. I recall Johnny's name on this occasion, not in any morbid or sorrowful way, Johnny Gaynor is a forgotten man but in his prime, in the early twenties, he was a brilliant goalkeeper. A contemporary, Tom Duffy, who is still alive, expressed himself vividly on his ability. 'He wouldn't let a midge past him.' I would like on this occasion to have him remembered for his hurling brilliance and his love of the game. 

Your Worship, I am extremely thankful to you and your fellow councillors for the great recognition you have given me. I shall cherish the memory always and look on Clonmel with deep gratitude for ever. 

<span class="postTitle">Recent G.A.A. Publications - 1997</span> Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 1998. pp 111-112

Recent G.A.A. Publications - 1997

Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 1998. pp 111-112

Dunne, Katie: (Ed.) Grangemockler Church and People, 1897-1997, (Grangemockler Centenary Committee), 1997. £10. 

Fullam, Brendan: Legends of the Ash, (Wolfhound Press) 1997, £16.99. 

McRory, Seamus: The Voice from the Sideline, (Blackwater Press) 1997, £9.99. 

O'Leary, John (with Martin Breheny): Keeper of the Flame, (Blackwater Press) 1997, £9.99. 

Rafferty, Eamonn: Talking Gaelic, (Blackwater Press) 1997, £8.99. 

Ryan, Senator Willie: Golden-Kilfeacle: The Parish and its People, (Golden-Kilfeacle GAA Club) 1997, £20. 

The list of publications so far this Christmas is not overwhelming. The two local ones deserve special mention. The Grangemockler book originated with the idea of celebrating the Centenary of St. Mary's Church in the village. The parish has a few noted alumni, such as T.E Kiely of athletic fame and on whom an exhibition opened on November 27 in the County Museum, Clonmel, Mick Hogan, immortalised in Croke Park, Cardinal Michael Browne of the Dominicans and Vincent Comerford, Professor of Modern History in Maynooth. 

The book contains almost 200 pages, is well illustrated and the section devoted to the GAA has over 30 pages. The club won its first county final in 1890, halting the famous Bohercrowe's run of victories. They nearly repeated the success in 1895 and 1896 but an objection in the first year and the narrowest of defeats in the second prevented this. In 1903 the club commenced an unprecedented period of dominance in Tipperary football, winning five county titles in a row. The book traces the fate of the club, mostly in the doldrums, until the next county final in 1931. One highlight of these years was Bloody Sunday in 1920. Seventeen of the nineteen man panel for that Tipperary-Dublin game came from the south and four, Jerry Shelly, Mikey Tobin, Dick Lanigan and Mick Hogan, were from the parish. Because of his father's illness, Mikey Tobin was unable to travel. Three players from the club, Jerry Shelly, Dick Lanigan and Mickey Tobin, were on the 1920 team, which won Tipperary's last football All-Ireland, played in 1922. 

Ballyneale is the other half of the parish and the relationship hasn't always been a happy one. In the thirties each part went its own way and Ballyneale entered teams of their own in both hurling and football. (The former game always tended to be more popular in Ballyneale). In 1943 both ends re-united to take the south junior football championship, but again went their separate ways in 1946. And, as luck would have it, they were drawn against each other. It took three matches to resolve the conflict, with Ballyneale winning out in the end and going all the way to a county final. Ballyneale also brought the first hurling success to the parish, a divisional junior hurling success in 1948. 

With this division in the parish Grangemockler declined as a senior footballing force and returned to that state as a combo only in later years. The story of the club in these years is patchy with 1990 an outstanding year, when four divisional championships were won. By 1992 Grangemockler were back in senior football for the first time in nearly thirty years. 

The GAA section is well illustrated and perhaps the length of space available caused important omissions. There is no mention of the Stars of the Sea team from Ballyneale, which won the county schools championship in 1929 under Joseph Manning, N.T. Nor is there any mention of Paddy Blanchfield and James O'Shea, two members of the team, who were on the last Tipperary team to win a minor football All-Ireland in 1934. But these are minor blemishes in a piece that whets the appetite for more. 

A more substantial work is the Golden-Kilfeacle parish history. This work started out as a history of the Golden-Kilfeacle GAA club some years back but evolved into a comprehensive work on the parish. There is a fine introduction by Des Marnane in which he places the parish of Golden-Kilfeacle in its historic setting as a fording point on the Suir and a place of religious settlement. There's a lengthy piece on Athassel Abbey, pieces of reminiscences of parish life in the thirties, forties and fifties, including a nostalgic piece by Frank Delaney, one of the parish's famous sons, the long and strong connection between the parish and greyhounds and horses and accounts of the many clubs, organisations and societies which make the parish work. 

Over half the work is devoted to the history of the Golden-Kilfeacle GAA club. The pages of this section make sometimes lively reading as the writer, Senator Willie Ryan, weaves tales from the social life of the period into the sporting life of the parish. The club won its first divisional senior hurling championship in 1969 . and repeated the victory three years later. However, in spite of producing a respectable body of players, who have done their parish proud in all grades at county level, - in all, members of the club have won fifty provincial and All-Ireland medals in hurling and football - the club has not been successful in senior hurling since 1972. Football has brought more success. Winning a first west senior football championship in 1980, further honours were won in this grade in 1986, 1988, 1995 and 1996. 

The club history comes to an end in 1995 and what a fitting year on which to go out. The year was celebrated many times throughout the parish. Six west titles were won, senior football, intermediate hurling, junior football, under-21 football, minor football and under-16 hurling. On top of that were county titles in intermediate hurling and under-21 football. Never before in a single year had such a haul of medals come to the hurlers and footballers of Golden-Ki Ifeacle. 

There's an impressive collection of photographs in the book ranging from a land league hut from 1882 to the minor hurling team beaten in the county 'A' final this year, the first time to qualify in thirty years. There's an eight page spread of colour photographs in the centre of the book which adds impressively to the impact of the work. Also, a comprehensive sites and monuments map. Overall a fine production and a model for any parish that hasn't yet produced a history. 

Two other publications of smaller scale can be mentioned. The South Board produced South Tipp '96 a booklet outlining the achievements of the clubs during the year. Mostly pictorial and statistical, it brought together the pictures of all the winning teams, information on finals, intercounty players and sponsors. It contains forty pages and had a bright colourful cover. It was well received and divisional secretary Michael O'Meara, is hoping to bring out a similar record for 1997. The only inhibiting factor is cost but the popularity of the publication may overcome that obstacle. 

The second publication is The Blues News, a production of the Thurles Sarsfields club. Two issues are to hand and a third will be available for the Christmas. The first one highlighted the celebration of All-Ireland medal winners from the club, which was held early in the year, as well as other club news. The publication is a mixture of current club activity and glimpses into the past. It is eight pages long, printed on good quality paper with fine photographic reproductions. An idea for any club which had an able and imaginative member to take on the task. But, be forewarned: such publications cost money and the vast number of club members and players are not inclined to put their hands in their pockets and pay for them. 

On the national level, Brendan Fullam's third book in the final one in the popular trilogy, which records the big names of the game of hurling over the past century. His two previous books, Giants of the Ash and Hurling Giants were well received as they recorded for posterity the hopes and aspirations and personal motivation of the hurling giants of each decade. In Talking Gaelic Eamonn Rafferty interviews a host of well-known personalities from player to politician, die-hard to dissenter. President McAleese is included. John O'Leary's story covers the life of a great sportsman, who was first choice goalkeeper for the Dublin senior football team for seventeen years. Finally, in The Voice from the Sideline key Gaelic football managers tell us about their management strategies, motivation, discipline, their drive to succeed and their concerns for the future. 

I haven't seen any sign of Brian Carthy's, The Championship 1997, as yet but I hope it appears. H is books for 1995 and 1996 were outstanding records and reference works for those two years' hurling and football championships and it would be a huge gap in GAA literature if the 1997 book wasn't published. numbers. 

<span class="postTitle">The 1997 Senior Hurling Championship</span> Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 1998, pp 65-67

The 1997 Senior Hurling Championship

Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 1998, pp 65-67

Clonoulty-Rossmore are the most unlikely 1997 senior hurling champions of county Tipperary. They rebounded from disappointment in their own division to take the highest hurling honour in the county. Along the way they caused one of the great turnabouts in hurling history and produced one of their finest performances to win the county final.

Prior to their quarter-final game against Ballingarry their chances of winning a county final were rated at seven to one by the bookies. This was an improvement on earlier projections and the improvement had come about as a result of a comprehensive victory over Cappawhite, the beaten west finalists, in a contest to decide on the second team to represent the division in the county championship. Clonoulty-Rossmore had qualified for this play-off by virtue of winning the Crosco Cup, the divisional league competition. Earlier they had gone down to Kickhams in the west semi-final. Losing by four points against a team they had beaten fairly easily in the league, they looked disorganised and badly motivated. The defeat had a salutary effect, however, acting as a spur to greater motivation and commitment in later games.

County success created difficulties in the running of the divisional championships but the north was well organised and first to stage its final at Cloughjordan on August 3. In atrocious weather conditions, Toomevara easily pushed aside the challenge of Borrisoleigh, winning by 1-15 to 0-8 and establishing themselves as form horses to win the county final. Since the winners were already league champions in the division there was no need for a play-off to decide on the second team for the county championship.

The west was ready for its final between Kickhams and Cappawhite at Cashel on August 24 but a tragic, fatal car accident in Knockavilla on the Friday before led to a postponement for four weeks. It was eventually played on September 21. The result was worth waiting for from a Kickhams point of view. Their last victory was in 1960 and over the intervening years they were beaten in six finals. It was, therefore, a moment to savour when the final whistle sounded after a rivetting game and the scoreline read 0-19 to 2-10 in their favour. Cappawhite had pushed Kickhams to the limit but it wasn’t enough. They had to turn out the following Sunday at Golden to play the Crosco Cup winners, Clonoulty-Rossmore, but the effort was too much after the disappointment of the previous week. They were well and truly savaged by a re-focused Clonoulty-Rossmore side and suffered the humiliation of a twenty point drubbing on a scoreline of 4-15 to 1-4.

A big win was also the result in the mid final. Played at Semple Stadium on the same day as the west final, it promised to be the contest of the year. Neighbouring parishes Boherlahan-Dualla and Holycross-Ballycahill were in opposition, the former the county champions and the latter age old rivals. Incredibly, apart from the opening ten minutes the game was never a contest and the result, a 1-17 to 0-4 scoreline in favour of Holycross-Ballycahill, was one of the biggest shocks in the history of the division. The county champions were never at the races, scored but a point from play and seemed devoid of any appetite for hurling.

The south had fallen very far behind in its championship and its schedule was put further behind by a draw between Ballingarry and Killenaule in a semi-final. This was aggravated by a tragic, fatal car accident on the night of the draw in which the Killenaule captain, Larry Hayes, was killed. The result was that the replay didn’t go ahead until October 5, the date fixed for the county quarter-finals. Mullinahone, who were already through to the final, were nominated as losers, since they hadn’t contested the south final the previous year, and drawn against the west winners in the county quarter-final. Ballingarry defeated Killenaule in the replay and qualified to play the second team from the west, Clonoulty-Rossmore. The south final was eventually played on November 16.

County Quarter Finals

Three of the quarter-finals were scheduled for the weekend of October 4/5. The first of these was played at Templemore on October 4. The mid winners, Holycross-Ballycahill, played the north losers, Borrisoleigh. It was generally agreed that a draw was a fitting result to this game. Borrisoleigh, after making much of the running, came from behind to level through a Martin Hayes point five minutes from the end. Borrisoleigh were ahead by 0-7 to 0-6 at the interval. They went further ahead in the third quarter but a goal by Donal Duggan in the twenty-second minute put Holycross-Ballycahill in the driving seat and they seemed poised to win. But Borrisoleigh came back for the final point, which left the score 1-9 to 0-12 at the final whistle.

The replay was at the same venue the following Saturday. In a very competitive encounter on a rain-sodden pitch, Holycross-Ballycahill’s better balance and greater commitment carried them through. Borrisoleigh, with the aid of the wind in the first half, led by 0-7 to 1-3 at the interval, the lone goal coming from Duggan, but they failed to score in the second half despite intense pressure. In contrast Holycross-Ballycahill notched up four points to give them a winning tally of 1-7 to 0-7.

In the mean time, Boherlahan-Dualla had caused a sensation in the second quarter-final of the north-mid encounter. Played at Nenagh on October 5 a re-juvenated side turned the tables on the north champions, beating them by 2-12 to 0-14. After the trouncing in the mid final not many supporters expected the result in spite of the club’s impressive record against the ‘Greyhounds’ in 1995 and 1996. Toomevara had been installed as everyone’s favourites, not only to win but to go ahead and win county honours. But, it was Boherlahan who had the hunger, the commitment and the will to win in an encounter that degenerated into ugliness on several occasions. It was a great team performance, a result to savour and a memory to cherish.

On the same day in Cashel Mullinahone were establishing their credentials as meaningful contenders for county honours. Led and inspired by John Leahy the team showed it was no one-man band but one with plenty of talent scattered around the field. They took some delightful scores, with no less than eight of the team getting their names on the scoreboard, and were impressive in their fast ground play. The Kickhams performance, in contrast, was disappointing. The team never really got going, missed too many chances and were guilty of no less than fourteen wides.

The last of the quarter-finals was played at Cashel on October 12. Clonoulty-Rossmore gave a boost to their county aspirations by defeating their south opponents, Ballingarry, by 4-9 to 1-10. They got off to a great start with a James Ryan goal after fifteen seconds. They led by 3-3 to 0-4 at the half-way stage and were ten points ahead with fifteen minutes to go. Then there was a spirited Ballingarry resurgence, led by an impressive Liam Cahill, which reduced the deficit to four points but this was killed off when Maurice Quirke got Clonoulty-Rossmore’s fourth goal and by the final whistle there was an eight-point margin between the teams.

The County Semi-Finals

The county semi-finals were played in Semple Stadium on October 19 with the two mid teams fancied to take the honours. Mullinahone had other ideas and showed great spirit and skill in overcoming the mid champions, Holycross-Ballycahill, by 1-20 to 3-11 and qualifying for their first ever county senior hurling final. The effects of going out for their third championship game in three weeks showed in the mid men’s play and they never really got to grips with the occasion. This, however, does not detract from Mullinahone’s win and from the tremendous fighting qualities they showed in the second half. Having led by 1-7 to 0-6 at the break their advantage was cut to a point following a David Burke goal after eight minutes. Nothing daunted they turned on the style and hit six points on the trot, without a reply. But Holycross-Ballycahill were not lying down either and brought the sides level with goals from John Ferncombe and Tony Lanigan, in the course of two minutes, followed by a point from Ferncombe. The game hung on a fine edge but, in the remaining minutes, it was Mullinahone who had the extra reserves and scored five points to two for the losers to secure an historic three point victory.

The second semi-final has already become the stuff of legend. There are stories of patrons having left the grounds feeling the result a certainty and returning for the sensational ending. There’s a story of a publican who rushed home to fill the pints for the winners only later to learn they were for the losers. And, there’s the story of the Bansha man who went home certain of Boherlahan’s victory and wasn’t disabused until he read the Examiner on Monday morning!

All of this was possible because of a sensational and quite unbelieveable last gasp comeback by Clonoulty-Rossmore. With three minutes remaining in what had been a very pedestrian game of hurling, Boherlahan led by 4-11 to 1-12. The score might have been 6-11 to 1-12 had Philip O’Dwyer put away two almost certain goal chances. Then the sensational happened. Declan Ryan goaled from a free. He goaled again in the 30th minute after Seamus Coffey shot just wide. And, then, within a minute, Maurice Quirke delivered the coup de grace with another goal which sent Boherlahan reeling out of the championship and Clonoulty-Rossmore into paeans of ecstacy.

Anything that went before that final three minutes became irrelevant in the aftermath. One of the talking points was Declan Ryan’s free-taking. A la Paddy Kenny of old, he threw a first-half penalty shot about ten yards forward before striking it. He didn’t succeed in scoring then but he did twice in the second half and had spectators asking the question why he wasn’t taking the close-in frees for the county team. The sides were level at the interval 0-8 to 1-5, Aidan Flanagan getting the goal for Boherlahan. Clonoulty-Rossmore went ahead with Declan Ryan’s goal in the third minute of the second half but then Boherlahan-Dualla took over and were heading for the county final when the thunderbolt struck in the final few minutes.

The County Final

The county final on November 2 was unique in a number of ways. Never before had there been a south-west contest at this level. It was Mullinahone’s first time to appear and it brought to twelve the number of appearances by south teams in county senior finals. It was thirty years since a south team won the final. Mullinahone were slight favourites on the basis of their displays in the quarter- and semi-finals and Clonoulty-Rossmore’s fortuitous win over Boherlahan-Dualla. The interest generated in the contest was reflected in the huge crowd of over 17.000 which attended, the biggest number at a county final since the fifties.

The game was always close and whereas the hurling may have been moderate most of the time, the uncertainty of the outcome kept the interest alive. Like so may games it did not follow the pattern many expected. Declan Ryan, who played such a pivotal role in the quarter-and semi-finals, had a relatively quiet hour. The Mullinahone trio of John Leahy, Brian O'Meara and Paul Kelly, on whom so much depended failed to deliver. Leahy worked extremely hard but his finishing, particularly his free-taking, left a lot to be desired. Paul Kelly threatened spasmodically but was never the force he was in previous games. Brian O’Meara, apart from his goal, had a quiet game and ought to have been moved off Aidan Butler much earlier.

In contrast, Clonoulty-Rossmore were a team of heroes. Andrew Fryday was brilliant with his puckouts. Noel Keane never put a foot wrong and lifted his team with a great point. Aidan Butler was outstanding at centre-back. Kevin Lanigan-Ryan troubled John Leahy greatly in the middle of the field. Maurice Quirke got two points to remember. Michael ‘Shiner’ Heffernan deservedly got man-of-the-match for four points from play and making a fifth for Bonny Kennedy. And, what can one say about the latter that would be adequate to describe his contribution? He scored seven points but his contribution ranged all over the field especially in the final ten minutes when the chips were down.

On a murky day in greasy conditions, there was no appreciable wind to interfere with the game. The sides were level on six occasions in the first half but by half-time Clonoulty-Rossmore were in front by ten points to seven, the difference between the sides reflected in the number of wides, three to the west, nine to the south. The west men remained in front until Brian O’Meara’s goal brought the sides level and there was all to play for in the final ten minutes. Bonny Kennedy gave Clonoulty-Rossmore a two point cushion during this period and with about three minutes to go, Mullinahone got a thirty yard free. Leahy blasted for goal but it was saved. He got a second chance and it came off the post, leaving the advantage to Clonoulty-Rossmore and victory by 0-17 to 1-12.

It was a hugely disappointing result for Mullinahone and their supporters, who came in such great numbers to cheer on their heroes. It was a game they could have won and that realisation will make the defeat more difficult to take. For John Leahy, despite scoring seven points, the memory will be one of missed opportunities. Obviously his display was effected by his hand complaint and there were few instances in the game when he reached with confidence into the clash of hurleys to grab the ball as only he can do so brilliantly. Added to that was the failure of the team’s forward line to score with any kind of facility.

But any mention of a below-par Mullinahone performance must be balanced by a superb display from Clonoulty-Rossmore. They were a transformed side and their display was better than their most fervid supporters could have dreamed of. The oldest among them were keen, hungry and committed and played out of their skins. The youngest among them gave performances that will be remembered in parish folklore. Above all the whole team had a physical edge, allied to a leaven of experience, which made life difficult for Mullinahone and never allowed them to settle into the kind of fluency they so desired. Unlikely county champions after the west semi-final, Clonoulty-Rossmore made themselves deserving champions by seizing the opportunities presented to them. Carpserunt diem! 

Clonoulty-Rossmore: Andrew Fryday, Michael Ryan, Noel Keane(capt.), Peter Brennan, Michael Heffernan, Aidan Butler, John Kennedy, Kevin Ryan, Kevin Lanigan-Ryan, Michael Brennan, Maurice Quirke, Michael Kennedy, James Ryan, Declan Ryan, Michael Heffernan. Sub; Seamus Coffey for James Ryan.

Mullinahone: Liam O’Connor(capt.), Tony Dalton, Sean Brett, Jackie Bolger, Paul Cahill, Noel Leahy, Kyran Vaughan, John Leahy, Eddie Carey, Paul Kelly, Brian O’Meara, Damien Maher, Mossie Tobin, Edward O’Brien, Pat Croke. Sub: Eoin Kelly for Edward O’Brien

Referee: Michael Cahill (Kilruane-MacDonaghs)

Man of the Match Award: Michael Heffernan (S), (Clonoulty-Rossmore)

<span class="postTitle">Suir Valley Rangers</span> Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 1998. p 57

Suir Valley Rangers

Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 1998. p 57

In May the Suir View Rangers were remembered in a ceremony and memorial in their honour at Ardmayle. The occasion was the centenary of their winning the 1897 county final and Peter Meskell produced a fifty page booklet recording the history of the team, which had a very short existence, 1895-1898.

Suir View was unique in the sense that it never existed as a parish or townsland but rather as a catch-all name to cover the western portion of the parish of Boherlahan-Dualla. Included in the area were the townslands of Ardmayle, Ballyroe, Bawnmore, Clonmore, Clune, Clareen, Ballydine, Longfield, Kilbreedy, Gortnaglough, Camus and Slatefield from where the players of the Suir View Rangers originated. Most of them went to school in Ardmayle and later ‘The Forge’, owned by Morrisseys at Ballyroe, would become the gathering place of the team. The training patch was Fogarty’s field in Bawnmore.

The team first affiliated in the senior hurling championship in 1895 and came up against Tubberadora, the eventual All-Ireland champions, in the final. The match ended in a draw but, after extra time, Tubberadora were successful by 3-9 to 2-7. Two of the Suir View team, Phil Byrne and Peter Maher, were selected by the winners in the ensuing inter-county championship.

In the following year the sides reached the county final once more. Tubberadora led by seven points to one at half-time and, with five minutes to go, had extended their lead to 4-8 to 2-2. At this stage a dispute arose and Suir View refused to continue, whereupon the referee awarded the game to Tubberadora.

The sides were scheduled to play in the semi-final of the 1897 county championship. While training, Tubberadora’s John Maher, broke his leg in an accidental clash with Phil Scanlan. The latter was so upset that he would not play in the forthcoming game. Tubberadora decided to withdraw from the encounter and Suir View qualified for the final.

Their opponents were Horse and Jockey and the game did not take place until March 6, 1898. Played at Thurles, the match ended in a draw.. Peter Meskell uses the reports in the contemporary Cashel Sentinel to set the record straight on what happened subsequently. The replay was fixed for Cashel on March 20. The Horse and Jockey did not turn up. Suir View didn.t claim the game and it was refixed for Tipperary on April 10.. It was called off because of incessant rain. The match was refixed for Cashel on May 15. When Suir View, who apparently didn’t like playing in Cashel, failed to turn up, the game was awarded to Horse and Jockey. Suir View appealed to the Central Council, which ordered a replay at Tipperary on a date to be fixed. When the date for the replay at Tipperary arrived, Horse and Jockey failed to turn up, thus leaving the title to Suir View.

According to Meskell the county board comes badly out of the affair, acting the dog in the manger because Suir View appealed to the Central Council. They did all in their power to prevent Suir View doing well in the first round of the inter-county championship by fixing them to play Roscrea the week before in the 1898 county championship.

Suir View played Cork on July 21 in Cork. According to Meskell, Canon Fogarty got it wrong when he claimed that Suir View were defeated because ‘of attempting to represent Tipperary by themselves.’ This was not the case. Tubberadora refused to release any of their players unless they were given the major say in the overall selection of the team. The Horse and Jockey had their own grievances and refused to have any of their players selected. Only Thurles players, Tom Semple, Jim Sullivan and Bill Ryan, were willing to participate. So, Suir View, with a depleted side, arrived late for the game because the train was overcrowded and couldn’t take an incline between the Junction and Emly. The game started late and the players were not in a fit state to put in a reasonable performance. By the end of the hour they were behind by the humiliating score of 4-16 to 0-2.

Jim Heney had his teeth smashed in and never hurled again. Neither did the team. It was scheduled to play against Cork in the Croke Cup competition on December 18 but the referee never turned up and Suir View refused to play. Soon after the team disbanded and did not affiliate again. Some of the players joined Thurles for the 1900 championship but most of them called it a day even though many of them were still young.

Peter Meskell tells a fascinating tale and he concludes his story with profiles of all the players and their subsequent histories. He has done a great service to Suir View Rangers and, as a result of his work, our knowledge of life and the state of hurling in this part of the parish of Boherlahan-Dualla one hundred years ago, is all the greater. 

<span class="postTitle">The Back Door and All That Lark</span> Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 1998, pp 51-53

The Back Door and All That Lark 

Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 1998, pp 51-53

The meeting of Clare and Tipperary in the 1997 All-Ireland senior hurling final has caused frantic flutterings in the dovecotes of the traditionalists. It's not right that two teams from the same province should contest the All-Ireland. It's not acceptable that a team beaten in the championship should have a second crack at winning it! And, it's definitely not fair to the Munster champions to have to beat in the All-Ireland the same team they put away in the Munster final!
All very true no doubt and a far cry from the traditional knock-out championship. And, we're not going to finish with it this year: It is an experiment and it's going to run for another year. The aim and intention behind it was twofold: it is an attempt to increase the number of hurling games available in the championship and to take into consideration the state of the game in Ulster and Connacht.

In the latter case Galway have traditionally had a direct entree to the All-Ireland semi-final in spite of the best intentions of the Roscommons and the Londons. In Ulster, there are two teams but, with only two exceptions in over a century, neither Antrim or Down is a realistic contender for All-Ireland honours. By allowing in the beaten finalists of Munster and Leinster, Central Council was trying to ensure that the best hurling teams in the country qualified for the All-Ireland semi-finals.

THE BACK DOOR

One of the worst aspersions cast at the new system is the way it allows teams back into the championship by the back door! The term is intended to be properly derogatory and suggests that no right-minded team with respectable credentials would demean itself by using this mode of entry. The manly man with his chest out will walk up to the front door while the sleeveen with the servile mentality will sneak around to the back entrance. There is a definite implication that he has no right to be there. So, should Tipperary snuffle away to the undergrowth and get lost? No! I hardly think so.

In fact, we're very familiar with the back door in the county. Ever since 1977, when the open draw for the county senior hurling championship was abolished, we have been living with the back door entry into the championship and no one has ever taken a blind bit of notice. Even worse, with divisions we have many variations of this kind of entry. There's the losers group in some divisions, a league-championship system in others and they all facilitate teams which get beaten.
This system has a long ancestry. At the North convention in Nenagh on 8th March, 1953, the chairman stated that 'the senior hurling championship (of 1952) was carried out under a new scheme and he and everyone else thought that the 'Lorrha scheme' worked well. He called it the 'Lorrha scheme' because it was moved by Rev. Fr. O'Meara of the Lorrha club and carried at the last convention.' According to this motion the senior championship was played on a knockout system with teams beaten in the first round forming a group for play-off among themselves with the winning team being given a place in the semi-finals of the championship proper. So, are we to blame Lorrha for the whole back door policy? Over forty years later the system still obtains in the North championship.

THE COUNTY FOLLOWS

The County Board put an end to the straight knock-out system of running the county championship in 1960. At convention in that year it was decided that two teams would come forward from each division, with the winners meeting the losers from another division and the losers meeting the winners. The four winners in the quarter-finals were put into an open draw for the semi-finals and resulted in repeats of the Mid and the North finals. Toomevara defeated Kilruane MacDonaghs as they had done in the North final and Thurles Sarsfields beat Holycross/Ballycahill in a repeat of the Mid final. In the county final Toomevara defeated Sarsfields and stopped them winning six-in-a-row.

There was a change in 1961. The number of teams contesting the county championship was reduced to six, two quarter-finals. The runners-up in the North and the Mid played the winners of the South and the West, parallelling the system in operation for the All-Ireland championship this year. This system continued to operate until 1966 when it was decided that two teams from each division would contest the county championship, and this remained the case until the introduction of the open draw in 1969. During the period 1961 -'65 when there were two quarter-finals, the runners-up North and the Mid were successful every occasion bar one. That was in 1965 when South winners, Carrick Davins, beat North runners-up, Lorrha by a point. The winners went on to qualify for the final, drew with Thurles Sarsfields and lost the replay. They were to be winners in 1966 and 1967.

It's interesting to identify who were the backdoor champions during this period. When Sarsfields won their tenth county final in 11 years in 1965 they did so through the back door: they were beaten by Moycarkey/Borris in the final. Moycarkey did the same thing in 1984 when they became centenary champions. Does anyone think any less of them because they were beaten by Drom/lnch in the Mid final? One of the most celebrated examples is Borrisoleigh in 1986. League winners in the North, they beat the championship runners-up, qualified for the county championship, beat the North champions in the county final and went on to win a. club All-Ireland! And there are even more back door champions in the nineties. Toomevara used this route in 1992 and 1993, Nenagh in 1995 Boherlahan in 1996!

IN MUNSTER

And, it didn't happen only in Tipperary. There is a very obvious example of the back door in the history of the Munster championship. We all look back with a feeling of hurt and a sense of aggrievement at what happened in 1941. That was the year of the foot and mouth and the curtailment of G.A.A. activity in parts of Munster, particularly County Tipperary. As a result, the county was prevented playing the Munster championship and Cork were nominated to play in the All-Ireland series. And, because they were beaten later by Tipperary in the Munster final, it could be said they got into the All-Ireland retrospectively through the back. To make matters worse, from a Tipp point of view, they not only won the All-Ireland but went on to win four-in-a-row!
There is another aspect of this whole development that is causing consternation among the traditionalists and that is idea of two teams from the same province playing the All-Ireland final. Sure, it's not right at all! I suppose it won't be any consolation to them to point out that the county final in Tipperary was fought out on at least 10 occasions since 1970 by teams from the same division.

Without delving too deeply into hisory it is worth pointing out that the first All-Ireland in 1887 was played under an open draw system. Initially 12 teams enterred and there was a completely open draw. Eventually, only five teams participated, Tipperary, Galway, Wexford, Clare and Kilkenny. As we areare Tipperary played Galway in the All-Ireland but it could have as easily been Clare had the draws gone differently. So, it has taken all those years in meantime for us to meet them in the Ireland.

BIZARRE AND UNBELIEVABLE

One of the most bizarre and unbelievable episodes in the history of All-Ireland finals occurred in the 1925 football All-Ireland. It's the last occasion, as far as I know, when two teams from the same province contested an All-Ireland I. The two teams were Galway and Mayo. The record books will show you the result of the Connacht final as Galway 1-5, Mayo 1-3. Then if you go to the
All-Ireland semi-finals they will show Kerry 1-7 Cavan 2-3, Mayo 2-4 Wexford 1-4. And, if you look for the Ireland champions you will read, Galway!!!

How did this come about? The Connacht football championship had fallen terribly behind when Central Council fixed the All-Ireland semi-finals for 30th August and requested the Connacht Council to nominate a team. The other provinces had completed their championships but the first rounds hadn't yet been finalised in the west. Galway and Leitrim had drawn twice and Roscom­n had drawn with Sligo so, by August, the first round hadn't been completed.

As Mayo were the provincial champions of 1924, they were nominated to represent Connacht in the All-Ireland sim-final. Drawn against Wexford they defeated them by a goal in Croke Park. In the other semi-final Kerry defeated Cavan by one point at Tralee. Cavan objected to Kerry having illegal players and Kerry counter-objected that Cavan had illegal players. The Central Council disqualified both teams.

So, Mayo were All-Ireland champions? Such was to be the case in 1941 when Cork, the nominated team of Munster, got a bye into the All-Ireland and defeated Dublin. In 1925 it was different. As Mayo were only a nominated team, the All-Ireland of 1925 depended on who would emerge as Connacht champions. And, so it was to be. (I wonder who changed the rules between then and 1941).

But, to get back to Connacht in 1925. Galway eventally beat Leitrim in their third outing and Sligo beat Roscommon in their replay. Then, Mayo beat Sligo in a memorable semi-final and qualified to meet Galway in the final. The Connacht final and the All-Ireland final now lay between the two teams. The game was played in Parkmore, Tuam, later a racecourse and presently a soul-less housing estate, on 18th October. An enthusiastic crowd turned up. A Galway man, Stephen Jordan, was the referee and 'no better man in Connacht could have been selected ... and to the best of his ability carried out a duty which to him, being a Galway man, was a great responsibility,' the Western People reported. The upshot of the game was that Galway, relying more on weight and strength and rush rather than stylish, systematic play, beat Mayo by 1-5 to 1-3. The cynics would probably say: sure, why wouldn't they win and they having their own referee as well as the venue!

DISPUTED

Back in the council chambers the heat rose appreciably toward the end of November when a letter from M. Barrett, secretary of the Mayo County Board, questioned the validity of the Central Council in awarding the Ail-Ireland title to Galway on foot of their win over Mayo. The county contended and argued their case strongly, that they had been led to believe that they were All-Ireland champions and that they considered the game against Galway as being merely the Connacht final. Had it been the All-Ireland final it should have been played in Croke Park, as per the rule book.

The argument came to naught. The Central Council confirmed Galway as All-Ireland champions for 1925. But the Council must have had some reservations about its decision. It decided to present a set of gold medals to the winners of an interprovincial football competition between Cavan and Kerry, Galway and Wexford. Kerry refused to take part in this new competition. Galway defeated Wexford and later had a comfortable win over Cavan, thus proving, perhaps, they were the best team of 1925. On top of that they got three sets of medals in all.

What it all proves is not too clear. There is a precedent for two teams from the same province meeting in an All-Ireland final, although the circumstances are much different. It also shows that there were two totally different interpre­tations put on the question of nominating teams. Had what prevailed in Con­nacht in 1925, obtained in Munster in 1941, the Munster final on 26th October would also have been the All-Ireland final and it would further have established the precedent of two teams from the province meeting in an All-Ireland final.

AN OPEN DRAW

Regardless of the outcome of this two-year experiment of allowing beaten finalists back into the championship, there does appear to be an opening for a break from the traditional way of running the All-Ireland series. There are good arguments for an open draw, separate and distinct from the provincial championships. Such a draw would preferably have 12 teams, with four preliminary rounds, followed by quarterfinals, semi-finals and final. At the moment the 12 teams would be Clare, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny, Offaly, Dublin, Antrim, Down and Galway. An open 'B' championship could also be run and a system of promotion / relegation worked out between the two. This would give us 11 championship games. Added to that would be the provincial championships with as many more hurling games. I do not believe the provincial championship would suffer: it was still desirable to win the divisional championship in this county, when the open draw was in operation. The system would give us more hurling games, greater exposure of the game and more exciting television.

Whether one is for or against the present experiment, one has to admit that it has increased the interest in hurling to an incredible degree. (I do admit that the sponsorship of Guinness with their imaginative and dramatic advertising campaign has also played its part, as also the increased televising of the games). By the time the 65,000 capacity attendance is added to this year's All-Ireland hurling championship figures, an increase of 25% will have to be achieved. More than 483,000 will have attended the matches as against 395,000 last year. Compared with 1995 the increase is even more dramatic, up 58% on that year. This is encouraging news and didn't happen out of the blue but because a few farsighted people had the courage to look beyond the cosy and the familiar. 

<span class="postTitle">Rockwell College 1924-1925</span> Rockwell College Annual 1997, pp 53-57

Rockwell College 1924-1925

Rockwell College Annual 1997, pp 53-57

If you arrived as a student in Rockwell College in September 1924 the Superior, or President as he is called now, was Fr Johnny Byrne and he had held the position since 1916. The Bursar was Rev. J. A. Kingston and Fr J. McCarthy was the Director of the Scholasticate. The impressive Fr Dan Murphy, D.D. Ph.D., M.A. was the newly appointed Dean of Studies while Fr F. Griffin was the Dean of Discipline. The lay professors included Sean Gallagher, M.A., M. Nagle, who had a B. Comm. and a Mr O'Hanlon, M. Sc. There were six prefects and thirteen lay brothers, two of whom, Eugene and Agathon are of not too distant memory. Br. Eugene was in charge of the refectory and Agathon of convalescents. 

The number of pupils in the college was eightyfive boarders, thirty-six scholastics and some fifteen day boys. The numbers had been in steady decline since 1920-21, when the combined boarders and scholastics had stood· at 194. This figure dropped to 161 in 1921-22, 125 in 1922-23. It remained the same for 1923-24 but dropped again for 1924-25. According to the community Journal for September 1914, the decrease was to be ascribed mainly to the rise in pension, to the slump in business and in income since the Great War. But the writer adds the comment that there must have been some other cause because 'our neighbours, the Trappists at Roscrea, have this year 183 boys and even the Dominicans at Newbridge 131'. 

The writer may have been implying that the 'other cause' was the republican ethos of the place since the advent of Fr Byrne as Superior in 1916. De Valera and the Republicanism of Sinn Fein was the prevailing political philosophy. In fact, one of the brothers, Malachy, was so much of that persuasion, that he was nicknamed 'De Valera' . The same brother was alleged to have ensured that some of his confreres received no polling cards at election time because 'they would only vote for the other side anyhow!'. 

The College, under Fr Byme, was a place of refuge for republicans during the Civil War and after. De Valera was a frequent visitor and an entry in the Journal for March 17, 1925 records one such visit; 'During dinner De Valera turned in and had a hurried snack in the parlour. The Superior, Frs. Kingston, D. Murphy and Heelan went out from dinner to see him'. 

We're not told if he stayed around for the entertainment that evening. The students put on a program in aid of the African Mission Fund. The program consisted of the Irish comedy, The Mineral Workers, selections by the College orchestra, recitations and vocal items. A fine crowd attended and a goodly sum was realised for the cause. 

Hurling

Part of the prevailing ethos was the encouragement of things Irish, particularly Irish games. This encouragement was reflected in the success of the hurling team. The seniors won the Harry Cup. defeating Limerick C.B.S. by 7-3 to 3-4 in the fmal at Thurles on May 18, 1924. As a result the team qualified to play Roscrea in the All-Ireland on June 15. (No worry then of getting injured before the public examinations!) Roscrea were unable to field and the Central Council of the G.A.A. awarded the game to Rockwell. The gold medals for the winners eventually arrived in Rockwell on October 3. In 1925 Rockwell beat Thurles on March 29 but, according to the Journal 'the margin was very narrow, the game feeble and uninspiring. Are we on the downgrade in games as in numbers?' And the words were prophetic as the team lost the next round. Side by side with the promotion of Gaelic. games came the downgrading of 'foreign games'. Rugby was no longer played and cricket was banned from 1916 to 1946. 

The school day was less strenuous over seventy years ago. In September 1924 the three-quarter hour class system was abandoned in favour of hour classes and the number of classes reduced from seven to six daily. Class began at 9 a.m. with two hour classes, followed by a half-hour for catechism. There was a break until 12 o'clock, followed by two hour classes. Another break followed at 2 and the final class was from 2.30 to 3.30. Wednesday's classes were of half-hour duration and lasted from 9-11.30. 

New Examinations

The big change in September 1924 was the introduction of the new intermediate and leaving certificate examinations. They replaced the junior, middle and senior system in existence until then. In order to prepare the students for the new examinations, Rockwell introduced a system of monthly examinations with a galaxy to reward those who did well. We read that a galaxy went to Dublin to a match at Croke Park on November 22 (Bloody Sunday commemoration!). 

At the end of the year, on the occasion of Prize day, Fr. Dan Murphy welcomed the new examination system and in doing so outlined the deficiencies in the old: 'The griefs laid at the door of the old system were many and varied. The minor complaints I shall not say to mention. But .there is one thing for which, I think, the system was responsible and that is, its failure to give those who studied under it that really intellectual development without which it is normally impossible to rise to the heights of one's profession in after life. It was a system which developed rather the memory than the intelligence, which favoured the system of cram rather than the gradual, internal development of all man's faculties. That system, as I say, has disappeared and the principles underlying the new system conduce far more to the full development of all man's faculties, than the system under which we have been working for so long'. He had one criticism of the new system. While it exacted much more from pupils and masters than the old system, the rates of remuneration for teachers hadn't increased at all! Fr. Murphy produced impressive statistics to show Rockwell's achievements under the old system during the previous six years. Its pass rate had been very good: in 1919,77 out of 112; in 1920, 79 out of 101; in 1921,69 out of 92; in 1922, 80 out of 89; in 1923, an exceptional 59 out of 61; in 1924, 59 out of 64. He believed the high percentage of passes, secured by Rockwell in every grade, showed that the members of the staff must have reserved their best efforts for the advancement of the ordinary boy of normal ability. This he regarded as indicative, not alone of the greatest conscientiousness, but also of the highest educational training. During the six years mentioned the average pass rate for all Ireland never went much beyond 50 per cent and he ventured to affirm that there were few colleges in the country that could show a better record of passes during the year. 

Scare 

In spite of this favourable picture there was talk during 1924 of closing down the College! It hasn't been possible to trace where this scare originated but it may have been mentioned in the light of the falling numbers. There is a reference to it in the Journal for October 26. Apparently, at the consecration of the Church in Cashel, Dean Innocent Ryan 'unhappily and needlessly harped back to the project of closing the College'. Previously, (on May 18) he had referred to a 'plot' to close the College. Now he said it 'was missionary zeal that underlay the proposal and that it was solely through the action of the priests of the Archdiocese of Cashel that the measure was rejected'. However, strong the notion of closure had been at any time, by October 26 it appears as if it had been put aside and was best forgotten. 

Relaxed Place 

Rockwell seems to have been a more relaxed place in the mid-twenties, in spite of its academic achievements. There were a good many free days. For instance, on October 7, the Journal reads: 'Whole day in Dr. Wilson's honour. The boys had a picnic to the Rock of Cashel and got back at 7'. For the intermediate results there was another free day and the boys went for a picnic to Athassel. But, as well as whole days off, there were regular half-days and even quarter-days! How civilised! There were regular power failures which curtailed activities like study. The entry for December 18 was: 'Light failed again for the 3rd or 4th time. The Xmas exam began at 1, instead of 5 as it is uncertain whether we could count on the electric light'. And, how welcome the following entry for December 22: 'Exams end at 12. Results read out at 5.30 (Please take note, present staff!) Boys were given vacation time till January 15 instead of 13'because the term's work had been good! ' 

And, a few final entries will add to the flavour of the period. September11, 1914: 'College invested in a car. The hall door servant, Luke Lyons, has been trained as chauffeur'. January 28, 1925: 'Sold 23 cattle at £19 average'. And 'The Crossword puzzle craze is rife among the staff'. March 3: 'The fathers were asked to think over the proposal to feed the boys better and to raise the pension to £60 or £65'. And 'The hounds came and found 2 foxes in our Black Grove'. May 17: 'The boys walked to Cashel, caught a Rockwell special train at 1.30 and went to Thurles to see Cork beat Limerick. They got back at 8.45'. May 19: 'Half year's increment of salary came from Hume Street. The max at present is £120 per annum'. June 11: 'Cinema pictures of the College were taken from the Pathe's Gazette'. The picture is nearly too good to be true and the problem with it is the absence of any boy's voice from the year telling us how it looked from his perspective.

<span class="postTitle">The Tipperary Hurler</span> West Tipperary Division G.A.A. Convention Handbook, 1997, p 24

The Tipperary Hurler

West Tipperary Division G.A.A. Convention Handbook, 1997, p 24

This painting, by the Limerick born artist Sean Keating (1889-1977), is one of six to appear in the 1997 calendar from the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery of Modem Art, Parnell Square, Dublin 1. It is of interest to West Tipperary people in particular because the model for the painting, Ben O'Hickey, was a distinguished Bansha man.

The picture was painted in June 1928 and was exhibited by the artist at the Amsterdam Olympia in 1929 as part of a world collection of pictures relating to athletics. Keating was the only Irish artist whose name appeared in the catalogue. From Amsterdam the picture was transferred to the Irish Artists Exhibition in the Hackett Galleries, New York where it was seen and purchased for £1,000 by George Moore, a wealthy railroad magnate. It eventually made its way into the Municipal Gallery's collection. 

The picture depicts a typical young Tipperary man of the farming class, with rugged, strong features and muscular build. The figure is seated against an Irish landscape that is almost as fine as the figure itself. According to Seamus McCarthy the red jersey with the sash, worn by the model, was a Galtee Rovers one from the twenties and was owned by a club player, Tom Compton. The hurley was made by Tom O'Hickey, the father of the model. 

Ben O'Hickey was born into a strongly nationalist family in Lisgibbon, Bansha in 1899. He was responsible for forming the Bansha Company' of the IRB in 1917. Two years later he was sentenced to eighteen months hard labour for wearing uniform. He was jailed in Cork, later transferred to Derry and later still to Mountjoy. From here he made a dramatic escape with other Sinn Feiners in March 1919 and joined Tom Barry's flying column, taking part in a number of attacks and ambushes. In one of these he was wounded and captured. He was taken to Cork Barracks, courtmartialled and sentenced to death. On the morning set for his execution, his sentence was commuted to penal servitude for life and he was shipped to Wormwood Scrubs and then to Shepton Mallet Prison in the Cotswolds. 

When peace was restored, Commandant O'Hickey entered the Metropolitan School of Art and studied under Sean Keating. During his time there he created a canvas portraying his experience in the death cell, entitled To What Red Hell. His teacher recommended its inclusion in the Royal Hibernian Exhibition but the committee declined to show it, considering the subject too controversial. Keating, O'Hickey and others were disappointed with the rejection and decided to found another outlet for young artists. Thus was the Academy of Irish Art founded and the first exhibition, which included To What Red Hell, was opened in the Round Room of the Mansion House by Sean T. O'Kelly in April 1931. The exhibition was a great success and O'Hickeys painting aroused much interest and media coverage. 

And so the man who was the model for The Tipperary Hurler was an artist in his own right, as well as being a patriotic Irishman. The remainder of his life was also colourful and exciting and Ben O'Hickey died on August 9, 1964. He is buried in St. Michael's Cemetery, Tipperary.

<span class="postTitle">Recent G.A.A. Publications - 1997</span> Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 1997, pp 124-125

Recent G.A.A. Publications - 1997

Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 1997, pp 124-125

HOGAN, VINCENT: Beyond the Tunnell: The Nicky English story (MedMedia, £10)

HUMPHRIES, TOM: Green Fields: Gaelic Sport in Ireland (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, £15)

KEENAN, DONAL: Babs: The Michael Keating Story (Storm Books, £10) 

KING, SEAMUS J.: A History of Hurling (Gill & Macmillan, £18) 

MURPHY, SEAN: The Prince of Hurlers: The Life and Times of Jackie Power (The Clare Champion, £10) 

O'HEHIR, MICHAEl: My Life and Times (Blackwater Press, £15) 

O'KEEFFE, CATHERINE, (ED): Marlfield Hurling Club, 1946 - 1996 (Sureprint, £10) 

O'ROURKE, COLM: The Final Whistle (Hero Books, £10) 

RACKARD, BILLY: No Hurling at the Dairy Door (Blackwater Press, £10) 

NUGENT, SEAN: Slievenamon in Song and Story (Sureprint, N.P.) 

As the above list testifies there is an abundance of G.A.A. pubications on the market for this Christmas. And, I heard, it may be added to in the very near future by books from Ger Loughnane and Jimmy Smith of Clare! The significant thing about the list is the overwhelming preponderance of hurling books. The sole exception is the autobiography of Colm O'Rourke, sponsored by Kepak and published last summer. The book brings to life one of the best known and respected footballers of the last twenty years, tracing his life from the earliest interest in football in Skyrne through some of the most memorable games in the colours of Meath. The autobiography discusses the extent of the rivalry between Dublin and Meath among other things and there is a stimulating article on the road ahead for the G.A.A. The book concludes with O'Rourke's scoring record over twenty years of senior football with Meath - his average was 2.47 points per match - together with the scores and lineouts in every championship game he played. 

The Marlfield club history presents the story of the club through newspaper accounts of its successes and defeats and this is f1eshed out by personal reminiscences of some of the major figures in the club. In existence since 1946 it made its first major breakthrough in 1954 when it won the south junior title. Senior breakthrough followed in 1960 after the club was strengthened by the addition of five new players, Mick Egan, Mickey Carew, Jerry McCarthy, Paddy Maher and Seamus Power. Of course the most influential figure on the side was Mr. Marlfield himself, Theo English. There is much more and Catherine O'Keeffe and all those involved in its production are to be complimented. If I am critical it's of a few minor things. I should have liked to have read a bit more about the lawn, some history of the Bagwells and, for those confused by many,of the placenames, a map would have been a help. 

There is a review of three of the books elsewhere in the Yearbook, the Babs story, Beyond the Tunnel and A History of Hurling. I was interested to read in the Babs' book that he claims responsibility for the high catch in hurling. "In those days not many hurlers tried to catch a high ball. Everything that came in the air was played in the air. I was different. I jumped for it and caught it." When I put it to him that this skill arrived earlier with Wexford he claimed it was in the backs they used it, not the forwards. He is very interested in the changing style of management from the time he played. At that time there was little rapport between players and management. No selector ever discussed your game with you. The first inclination you got of dissatisfaction was when you weren't picked to play. (Interestingly some of the players managed by Babs would claim you got the message when he stopped talking to you!) He reckons there was a failure in the management of the Tipperary team in 1966. Of his own days in management he is eloquent in the defence of his way of doing things. He admits that his five Ss, speed, stamina, style, skill, leading to scores, were not sufficient without a killer instinct. He writes about inviting Kevin Heffernan in 1989 to talk to the Tipperary players in order to try and instill the killer instinct. He would agree that Galway beat Tipperary physically in 1987 and 1988 as did Cork in 1992. 

Nicky English claims honesty in his account of his hurling life and' is difficult not to concur. It's a warts and all presentation and he is quite modest about his achievements. The famous kicked goal was pure luck: "As I closed in on Cunningham's goal, the sliothar at my feet, honestly hadn't a clue what I was going to do next. .. To this day, I still can't believe what the ball did." He is equally modest about the tap-over point in Killarney: he thought there was someone behind him andwas afraid of being hooked! He recalls the photograph from the Clare game of 1984 in the Cork Examiner "with shall we say, more than my tongue hanging out as I raced through on goal. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it. There I was, in all my glory, the side of my shorts opening just sufficiently for the family jewels to protrude. Incredibly to my knowledge, it got through every edition." He does not hesitate to write about the terrible decision made by the selectors in picking the 1990 team. And there is much more, all written in a very readable manner. 

Tom Humphries' book is not just a book about football and huling but one about Ireland and the Irish. It is the story of people, places and passions, tales about games which run deep in the Irish consciousness. It's about sports which have stirred a country like little else can. Anyone who has read Humphries in the Irish Times will know what an interesting and exciting writer he can be. 

A History of Hurling is an attempt to write a one-volume history of one of the oldest field games in the world, a game that stretches into the dim and distant past. The main part of the book concentrates on the history of the game since the foundation of the G.AA a traces this through the senior hurling championship. There are chapters on the other championships and competitions, on the geography of the game, on hurling styles and on the future of hurling. 

The Jackie Power book runs to 200 pages and recalls the life of Jackie from his birth in 1916 to his death in Tralee in 1994. His dazzling skills and ferocious courage come to life as his feats and deeds on the hurling fields of Ireland are detailed in the winning of two All Irelands, four National Leagues, seven Railway Cup medals, one Oireachtas, fifteen county hurling finals and five county football finals. The book also records his son, Ger's 8 All Ireland football medals with Kerry and grandson, Stephen McNamara's All Ireland with Clare in 1995. 

Michael O'Hehir's, My Life and Times, was launched with impressive pomp and circumstance by President Mary Robinson at a gala occasion in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin a few weeks ago. Over 700 people , chiefly from the G.AA and racing worlds turned up for the occasion. The book reads as interestingly as Michael used to commentate: 'At Cusack Park we climbed into a broadcasting box that had just 1 room for myself and my father. He struck me as being in a more nervous state than I was. Some 30 or 40 yards away in a kind of watchman's hut was Jimmy Mahon, the Radio Eireann technician. Through the headphones I got the word from Jimmy "Two minutes to one minute to go." And then: "You're on the air and off I went. I tried to describe as best I could what was happening on the field." The occasion was the Galway-Monaghan All-Ireland football semi-final, the place was Mullingar and the year was 1938 and with it began a distinguished broadcasting career that was to last until 1985 and include 99 All-Ireland final broadcasts. 

Sean Nugent has collected in 300 pages the songs and stories associated with Tipperary's most famous mountain. The legends and tales, associated with the mountain, have endured down the centuries and have created an aura of magic and mystery around the place. 

Billy Rackard's book is not only an account of hurling but of a family and a village. When he was born in 1932 the Rathnure G.AA club was founded. He describes how his father, Bob Rackard, set his sights on the beautiful, 5'11" Statia Doran and married her. They had nine children, of whom Billy was the youngest. The book brings us through childhood, an assortment of colourful characters and the exceptional hurling careers of himself, and his brothers, Bobby and Nicky. A great addition to the Wexford hurling story and to our hurling library. 

As I complete this review of recent G.A.A. publications Liam Griffin king to Pat Kenny about another book, to appear in the next few weeks on Wexford's success in 1996 and what it did for the county. The book isn't even printed yet but must be looked forward to. 

<span class="postTitle">Congress ’96 in London</span> Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 1997, pp 57

Congress ’96 in London

Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 1997, pp 57

The 1996 Congress of the G.A.A. was held in London. Lancaster Gate and the leafy environs of Hyde Park was the setting and the Royal Lancaster Hotel with its extravagant central London hotel prices was the location. The Irish Post set the scene in its report on the event: 'On Friday afternoon they started to arrive, a procession of Pioneer pins and paunches, official ties sloping down well-fed bellies. Those that were called to the bar returned with faces as long as a Yorkshire beef farmer .... £3.50 a pint, not much less for a cup of tea. The delegates voted with a two-thirds majority to repair to an adjacent (much cheaper) hostelry.'. And, over the course of the weekend, two other hostelries with Tipperary connections, Johnny Barrett's in Cricklewood and Tom Milne's British Queen on Uxbridge Road, did good business. 

The reason for holding Congress in London was to recognise the foundation of the G.A.A. in Britain. The year 1896 is regarded as the foundation year even though it is fairly certain that the earliest English club to affiliate to the Association was Wallsend and Newcastle-on-Tyne in 1885. The first London club to affiliate was Hibernian A.C. in Clerkenwell and soon after that Exiles of Erin. This was in 1895 and at the November meeting of the Central Council the clubs were congratulated on being the pioneers of the G.A.A. movement in Great Britain. 

Soon afterwards a club was established in Manchester and the governing body of the Association decided to send over teams to London to give exhibitions the following year with a view to spreading the movement in England. Perhaps the centenary marks this first formal connection as there was quite an influx of players and athletes from Ireland to London at Easter 1896. 

The Tipperary delegation included Sean Fogarty, chairman; Tomas O'Baroid, secretary; Tom O'Donnell, treasurer; Michael O'Brien, Silvermines; Sean Nugent, Kilsheelan; Noel Morris, Borrisokane; Michael Frawley, Emly; Liam Hennessy, Moycarkey-Borris; John Ryan, Holycross-Ballycahill; Jimmy Coliins, St. Mary's Clonmel; Seamus King, Cashel King Cormacs; Matty Connolly, Boherlahan-Dualla. Also present was Donie Nealon, Burgess, Munster Council secretary. 

Hurling Proposals 

Probably the most memorable event of the Congress was the sanctioning of the hurling proposals. These, which allow the losers of the provincial senior and minor finals in Murister and Leinster a second bite of the championship cherry, had generated quite an amount of heated debate in the run-up to Congress and still more when they were debated before being put to the delegates. In general, however, they were happy with the decision to experiment in the face of the challenges facing the game. It was a mood most urgently expressed by former president, Pat Fanning of Waterford 'Marking time is the inevitable prelude to decline', he said, before adding: 'If change is needed, resistance to change is unacceptable'. When the vote came it was overwhelmingly in favour, receiving more than two-thirds of the over 300 delegates. 

Perhaps, equally memorable was the election of Joe McDonagh as the youngest ever president-elect. It was enthusiastically received as was the confident and exuberant oratory which marked his acceptance. In getting elected, he defeated an excellent candidate, Sean McCague of Monaghan, by 214 voted to 103. He will bring to the presidency a great belief in the efficacy of coaching as an engine for the promotion and progress of hurling. 

Allied to this are impressive communica­ion skills and comparative youth which must be good for the image of the Association. 'More than that', as Sean Moran wrote in the Irish Times, 'in his sense of history, pride of place and command of language, he portrays a cultural joie de vivre that is sometimes lacking within the G.A.A. Joe McDonagh's love of Irish language, sport and music came naturally and unselfconsciously to him. He s a great spokesperson for the culture because his embrace of it is unforced and presents itself as a celebration of his identity rather than as an assertion of what he isn't. His enjoyment of that culture makes him what he is; he's not pursuing it to prove a point." 

Liam McCarthy 

The arrangements for Congress were in the hands of the London County Board, whose chairman, John Lacey, called the decision to hold it in London 'a message of unification and co-operation as the way forward into the next millennium'. All were agreed that the arrangements went very well. From a London perspective one of the highlights of the historic weekend was the unveiling of a headstone at the grave of Liam MacCarthy, the most famous son of the G.A.A. across the Irish Sea. This ceremony took place in the Old Dulwich Cemetery after twelve o'clock mass in St. Thomas Moore Church on Lordship Lane on Easter Sunday. 

The unveiling was a fitting reminder to delegates of the immense contribution made by the son of Eoghan and Brigid MacCarthy of Ballygarvan, Co. Cork to the G.A.A. in London. Born in 1853 in London, Liam MacCarthy married well and was 43 years old when the Association was formed in his native city. He was the first treasurer of the London County Board and later became president or chairman. He was also involved in the Gaelic League, Amnesty International and the I.R.B. In the latter he worked with Sam Maguire and Michael Collins. When the Provincial Council of Britain was formed he became its first secretary. He is best known for having provided the eponymous trophy for the All-Ireland hurling championship in 1922, for which he paid Edmund Johnson Ltd. of Grafton Street £50. He was a man of great character, proud of his Irish roots and Catholic upbringing, never smoked or indulged in alcohol. It is understandable that his compatriots should honour him with the title of 'Father of the London G.A.A.' 

It was fitting, therefore, that his memory should be honoured appropriately in this the Centenary Year of the London G.A.A. before a representative gathering of Gaels from many parts of the world and that it should be done at Easter, a symbolic time for Liam MacCarthy's religion and patriotism.

<span class="postTitle">The 1895 All-Ireland Double Centenary</span> Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 1997, pp 44-45

The 1895 All-Ireland Double Centenary

Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 1997, pp 44-45

The centenary of the first All-Irelands played in Croke Park was celebrated on March 15. The day was chosen because it was exactly 100 years since the hurling and football All-Irelands of 1895 were played. On March 15, 1896 teams from Tubberadora and Tullaroan contested the hurling All-Ireland while teams from Arravale Rovers and Pierce (Navan) O’Mahony’s played in the football All-Ireland. It was only right and fitting that representatives and teams from the four clubs should be invited to Croke Park to commemorate the event one hundred years later.

Only eight years after the inauguration of the All-Ireland championships, the governing body of the G.A.A. was facing a crisis in regard to finding suitable venues at which to stage important fixtures.

By 1895 it was clear that something would have to be done in the wake of the recent debacles at major games - the Phoenix Park fiasco when the venue for the two All-Irelands had to be changed at virtually a few minutes notice; the 1894 All-Ireland football final replay at Thurles, which was unfinished and the lack of crowd control at the Dublin-Meath game in the same year at Clonturk Park in Drumcondra. The latter ground had served reasonably well in its day but, with the rapidly growing support for Gaelic games, it was imperative that the use of grounds capable of housing much larger crowds than heretofore be acquired.

The problem was that the G.A.A. was not in a financial position to embark on any expensive acquisitions. Renting suitable pitches was the only option and the grounds of the City and Suburban Racecourse and Amusements Company at Jones’s Road had been used with success for the 1895 Leinster semi-final and final. With this experience behind them the Central Council had no hesitation in fixing the 1895 All-Ireland finals for March 15, 1896 at the venue.

Success

Under the astute direction of President Frank B. Dinneen and the General Secretary, R.T. Blake, no effort was spared to make the move to this new location and the staging of the first All-Irelands there was a huge success. For a week before the games the two sets of medals which were to be awarded to the winners were displayed in the window of Messrs Moore and Company, Grafton Street and tickets were on sale ‘all over the city’.  According to a newspaper report the price of tickets was 6d (2.5p) to the trotting track and 1/- (5p) to the stands up to the Saturday before the finals.  On Sunday the prices would be increased to 1/- (5p) and 1/6 (7.5p). The programme could hardly have been more attractive as, apart from the two games, the long puck and long kick championships were also down for decision.  The events were timed thus: football final at 11.45am; hurling final at 1.00pm; long kick at 2.15pm and long puck at 2.30pm.

There was a delay in getting maters under way as the train carrying the Tipperary teams arrived late with the football game eventually starting at 1 pm. Only the football match lived up to expectations. Against the breeze Arravale Rovers failed to score in the first half during which Pierce O’Mahonys scored three points. However, the Tipperary side improved in the second half, scoring four points without reply from Meath.  Willie Ryan notched the winning point seven minutes from the end to give Arravale Rovers victory by 0-4 to 0-3.

The Arravale Rovers team was as follows: Paddy Finn (capt.), Willie Ryan, Bob Quane, Jim Riordan, Mick Finn, M. ‘Jerry’ McInerney, Paddy Glasheen, Jack Carey, Mick Conroy, Dick Butler, Willie Ryan, Jack Heffernan, Jerry O’Brien, Paddy Daly, Batt Finn, Phil Dwyer, John Carew.

The hurling final, despite a brave showing by Kilkenny, especially in the open stages, gradually became a one-sided affair. Tipperary led by 1-6 to 1-0 at the interval and at the finish were easy winners by 6-8 to 1-0. One of the stars of Tubberadora’s success was Paddy Riordan, a Drombane man, to whom is attributed the distinction of scoring all his side’s total of 6-8 on the day. This score should give him the record for an All-Ireland final but, because it was never authenticated, the record is claimed by Michael ‘Gah’ Aherne, who scored 5-4 in Cork’s 6-12 to 1-0 win over Galway in the 1928 final. Paddy Riordan’s brother, Jim, played with Arravale Rovers on the same day. Mr. J.J. Kenny (Dublin) refereed both games and though there was no official figure issued, most estimates put the attendance at about 8,000. The size of this figure can be placed in context by the fact that the Ireland-Wales rugby international, played the previous day at Lansdowne Road attracted a crowd of 7,000. In fact the entire Welsh rugby panel were in attendance at Croke Park on the day.

The successful Tubberadora side was as follows: Mickey. Maher (capt.), E. Maher, Phil Byrne, W. Kerwick, John Maher, Denis Walsh, John Walsh, Peter Maher, T. Flanagan, Jas. Flanagan, Paddy Riordan, Jas Gleeson, Fergus Moriarity, John Connolly, John Maher, E. Brennan, Will Devane.

Sequel

The proceedings of the historic afternoon at Jones’s Road concluded with the presentation of medals to the winning teams and to the individuals who had won the long puck and long kick competitions.

In a letter to the Irish Daily Independent on the Tuesday following the finals, the referee, J.J. Kenny, stated that the result of the football final was incorrect.  According to his letter, he stated he should have disallowed one of the Tipperary scores for an infringement following a kick out from the Meath goal and that the correct result was a draw.  However, no action was taken on the foot of this disclosure and, though there was a lengthy discussion at the next meeting of the Central Council, with Pierce O’Mahony’s reluctant to press the matter, the result was allowed to stand. At a later stage the Central Council presented a special set of medals to the Meath side with the inscription ‘Virtual Champions of Ireland, 1895’.

A Century Later

The commemoration on March l5, 1996 began with a luncheon for the officers of the four clubs involved in Croke Park.  After the meal, which was attended also by G.A.A. officials and the Press, the President of the Association, Jack Boothman, addressed the group.  He paid tribute to the men of the past whose endeavours helped set in motion two of the most exciting and cherished field games in the world, hurling and football.  He had a special word of praise for famed Tubberadora, the home of so many great hurling names.  On hand to receive the presentation of a framed commemorative scroll from Mr. Boothman was vice-chairman of the Boherlahan-Dualla club, P.J. Maher.  In his words of thanks, the latter said the presentation would always have a special place in the hearts of his clubmen.  The presentation to Arravale Rovers was accepted by club chairman, Tom Richardson, who spoke in praise of the men who gave a lifetime of service to the club. Tullaroan chairman, Ger Doheny, and Pierce O.Mahony chairman, Liam Currane, also received scrolls and spoke of the momentous occasion enjoyed by their respective clubs.  The Tullaroan chairman remarked on the coincidence that he and the Tubberadora chairman were contemporaries at Pallaskenry College.

After the meal a limestone plaque was unveiled at the back of the Hogan stand inscribed thus:

Unveiled by Sean Boothman
Uachtaran Cumann Luthchleas Gael
15 Marta 1996
to commemorate the first All-Ireland finals
played in Croke Park 15 Marta 1896

Iomaint
Tubberadora V Tullaroan
Peil
Arravale Rovers V Pierce O’Mahony’s
1896 - 1996

(With the life of the Hogan Stand under threat with the new development of Croke Park, some of the spectators wondered would the plaque have a much shorter life than the event commemorated.)

Exhibition Games

After the unveiling of the plaque, two exhibition games, fifteen minutes aside, took place to mark the occasion. The results of a century earlier were reversed when the hurlers of Tullaroan and the footballers of Pierce O’Mahony’s claimed victory. In the hurling game there was an exciting finish.  Tullaroan were in front by 0-6 to 0-4 with about three minutes to go.  In the course of two minutes Boherlahan went ahead with a goal and a point but, in the dying minute of the game Tullaroan forced a penalty from which a goal was scrambled and this score gave them victory by 1-6 to 1-5.  The football was a much more one-sided contest with the Pierce O’Mahony players much fitter and more prepared than Arravale Rovers, running out easy winners by 2-6 to 1-1

After the games the teams were feted at a function and the contestants were presented with a fine commemorative medal to mark the occasion. The respective captains, Seamus Dunne of Tullaroan, Brendan Murray of Pierce O’Mahony’s, Philip Ryan of Boherlahan and Larry O’Donnell of Arravale Rovers, introduced the players and they received their medals from President Jack Boothman.

Overall then, an enjoyable afternoon and a fitting tribute to the men of one hundred years ago, who became the first to play All-Irelands in the famous venue.  Although the latter would not be recogniseable to the ghosts of these men, with the dramatic Cusack Stand dominating the scene, the games of hurling and football would be easy to identify even if they are played at a faster pace.

<span class="postTitle">The County Senior Hurling Championship 1996</span> Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 1997, pp 35-39

The County Senior Hurling Championship 1996

Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 1997, pp 35-39

They said it wasn't possible, that it couldn't be done, that Boherlahan-Dualla didn't have the talent, that Toomevara had too strong a panel and were fully focused on reversing last year's result. Although the mid men had annihiliated Cashel King Cormacs in the semi-final, the pundits and the experts had honed in on the clinical way the North team had despatched Thurles Sarsfields at the same stage of the competition.

Even though Boherlahan-Dualla had beaten them in last year's semi-final, that defeat was regarded as nothing more than a blip on all otherwise ascending graph to county honours. In fact with the talented team and the strength in depth right through the squad, Toomevara were predicted to go right through to contest the honours on St. Patrick's Day!

And, all that certainty was sanctioned by the betting men: in a two-horse race the boys in the green and gold were certs at 9/4-on and the minions from Boherlahan-Dualla didn't stand a chance.

That was, of course, outside the parish of Boherlahan-Dualla. Within the confines of this historic place the supporters believed in their chances and their mentors plotted and planned for victory. They did not consider anything less than victory. In fact, manager Martin O'Dwyer expressed disappointment on Sunday night at their margin of victory: he had forecast a five-point margin!
And the supporters were equally optimistic. One such, Eddie Bennett, on his way home from the pub through the wind and rain of the previous night, was positive he met the ghost of Dan Breen in Boherclough and he was headed for Boherlahan! There was no doubt it was an omen: Boherlahan would win!

And they did. In the end the margin was the minimum but there was no doubt that the Boherlahan boys deserved their victory. They had to endure setbacks and difficulties in the first half but they overcame them and the breeze in the final 30 minutes, and when Liam Maher hit the final winning point there was no supporter outside of Toomevara - who wasn't willing them to win.

When Philly Ryan received the Dan Breen cup on behalf of the team, he was doing something that no Boherlahan man had done for 55 years. The last man from the parish to receive the cup was Philly O'Dwyer in 1941, when Boherlahan had won their 13th and last senior county final. They had made another unsuccessful final appearance in 1953, when they were beaten by Borrisileigh.
That team was captained by Tom Kevin and included George Studdard, Andy Fogarty, Johnny Callanan, John Ryan (T), James O'Meara, Sean Leahy, John Walsh, Jack Doherty, Eamon Leahy, Sonny Maher, Paddy O'Dwyer, Michael O'Reilly, Philip Ryan, Mick Leahy.

When 1996 dawned there were a number of of serious contenders for county honours. County champions, Nenagh, were hoping to expand on their 1995 victory. Toomevara had very definite aspirations, feeling they had been ambushed the previous year. Cashel King Cormacs believed they had left it behind in 1995, when losing a seven-point lead to Nenagh, and intended to make amends.

Boherlahan had gained enormously in confidence a a result of making the breakthrough the previous year and saw no reason hy they couldn't go one better. And there were other teams who felt that 1996 could be their year.

Divisional Champions

The west division were first with their senior final and it was played for the first time in Rockwell Rovers' newly developed venue at New Inn on August 18. Cashel King Cormac's went into the game very hot favourites but they came a cropper against a very purposeful Clonoulty Rossmore side. On a windy afternoon. Cashel, who were going for four-in-a-row, had no answer to an opposition which played with determination and cohesion right through the hour and had a thirteen- point winning margin at the final whistle on a scoreline of 2-13 to 0-6.

The defeat left Cashel with the Crosco Cup final to play against Kickhams in order to decide on the second team for the county championship. When this game, which was, in fact, a replay, the sides having drawn on July 21, was played on September 8, Cashel came through by 2-11 to 1-10. Had they been beaten, the sides would have had to play once more because Kickhams would then have been Crosco Cup winners and Cashel would have been runners-up in the championship!

So much for the west. There were three divisional finals on September 8. In the south, the venue was Monroe and the, teams were Ballingarry and Killenaule. What had been billed as a potential thriller and a repeat of the 1992 final turned out to be a damp squib in which Killenaule had no answer to the opposition and Ballingarry won in a canter (2-17 to 1-10). Highlight of the game was the display of young star, Liam Cahill, who scored six points of the winners', total.
In the mid there was no doubt about Thurles Sarsfields' supremacy on the day. Inspired by Brendan O'Carroll, they put in a powerful performance to beat the holders, Boherlahan-Dualla, by 3-13 to 1-13 to take their 36th divisional title. This six-point margin of victory was achieved in spite of conceding 1-2 in the first four minutes of the game.

Matters were more complicated in the north. The final brought together the most unlikely pairing, Lorrha and Newport. Neither side seemed likely prospects in the beginning of the year. But then Lorrha put Nenagh out in the first round and Newport gave Toomevara their marching orders in the second round. The two sides eventually made it to the final at Nenagh on September 8.
For Newport it was a very special occasion as the club hadn't found itself in that position since as far back as 1931. There was a great atmosphere about the final, which was added to by the similarity between Newport's and Wexford's colours. The sides ended level at 0-12 to 1-9 with Lorrha's John Madden getting the last minute leveller. The replay was the following Sunday and a very exciting occasion saw Newport span a 61 year gap to become North champions by 2-13 to 3-6. In a welter of excitement, the Newport captain, Connie McGrath, received the cup from divisional chairman John Joe McKeogh.

As championship losers, Lorrha had to play league winners, Toomevara, to decide on the second team for the county championship. This game was played at Cloughjordan on September 28 and the league winners didn't have much difficulty in ousting a Lorrha side badly depleted by injury, on a scoreline of 1-16 to 2-7.

Quarter-Finals

In the quarter-finals the Mid played the South ann the North played the West. The first encounter was between Thurles Sarsfields and Killenaule, at Littleton, on September 21. The margin of victory of nine points by Thurles Sarsfields was comfortable but it flattered the Mid men somewhat and didn't do justice to Killenaule. The latter were much improved on their south final performance and could consider themselves unlucky to be behind by 2-13 to 1-7 at the final whistle.

The remaining three quarter-finals were played off on the weekend of October 5/6. In Clonmel on Saturday, Boherlahan- Dualla bounced back from their defeat in the mid final to record a comprehensive defeat of south champions, Ballingarry. They were in command of the game from the third minute when Michael Ferncombe scored a goal from long range and were well on top at the interval, when they led by 2-12 to 0-4. In the 7th minute of the second half, Liam Cahill goaled for the south side but it did not unduly worry Boherlahan, who went on to win comfortably by 2-18 to 1-8.

The two remaining semi-finals were played at Templemore in fine conditions on the following day. The first game, between Cashel King Cormacs and Newport, was very exciting because of the closeness of the scores and the doubt about the result until the final minutes. In fact, right to the end, Newport might have got the goal to draw but Cashel defended well and a combination of determination and luck kept their opponents at bay until the end and a scoreline of 2-11 to 1-11 in their favour.

The second game was a big disappointment. Clonoulty-Rossmore were only a shadow of the side that had impressed so well in the west final. Right from the start Toomevara had matters under control. They got the scores and their tight defence prevented the West champions from responding. It seemed as if the team was inhibited by the jerseys they wore, playing in the old Rossmore colours for the occasion. In the end Toomevara were comfortably in front by 2-17 to 0-9.

The Semi-Finals

Semple Stadium was the venue for the two semi-finals on October 13. In the first game Mid champions, Thurles Sarsfields, were pitted against North league winners, Toomevara. The Mid men, showing promise in the past few years and having given an impressive display in the Mid final, believed they had the material to upset the North men.

They opted to play against the wind in the first half and could have had a goal from Johnny Enright early on but it was stopped by Jodie Grace. This failure to score epitomised their play all through the match: they never really got going and had to work inordinately hard for the meagrest of rewards.

In contrast, Toomevara could do things effortlessly, could send over points at will and controlled the game right down the centre. The second half and the breeze brought no change in proceedings and the game dragged its slow length along to the final whistle without any prospect of a Sarsfields' revival. The final score was 1-17 to 0-6 with no less than eight players contributing to Toomevara's winning account.

In the second game, Boherlahan-Dualla gave a stunning performance, which demolished Cashel King Cormac's and destroyed any chance they had of making up for the county semi-final failure in 1995. The West men went into the match with reasonable expectations. In fact some of their more fervent supporters gave them more than reasonable expectations. And yet, there had been a large number of question marks about this Cashel side in the course of the year.

They were struggling to succeed. They were waiting for the good display to arrive. They did not recognise that things were going as badly as they were. And the day didn't change anything. Cashel got an ideal start with T.J. Connolly's goal but as if to confirm that the weakest time in a team's defence is immediately after it scores a goal, Boherlahan struck almost immediately with a Philip O'Dwyer goal.

Then when Cashel appeared to have absorbed the storm from Boherlahan, O'Dwyer struck again with another goal in the 21 st minute. This was followed by a third from Michael Murphy five minutes later. The Mid men led by 3-5 to 1-6 at half-time and any signs of a Cashel revival were shattered by another O'Dwyer goal nine minutes into the second half.

However, Cashel reduced their deficit to five points midway through the half and for a short while things looked more hopeful. But, just as the sun was about to come out, O'Dwyer struck agan with his fourth goal in the 17th minute. This put an end to Cashel's hopes and expectations and left Boherlahan-Dualla convincing 5-11 to 2-8 winners.

Whereas 0' Dwyer's performance grabbed the headlines, this was a great team effort in which every member grafted for everybody else and many players revealed high levels of skill. Boherlahan-Dualla showed a great level of hunger and commitment and a tremendous self-belief.

The County Final

The pairing for the county final was unusual. Neither team had won divisional honours. Toomevara had been beaten in the second round of the divisional championship by the eventual winners, Newport, who, in turn, had been beaten by Cashel at the quarter-final stage. The latter were beaten by Clonoulty-Rossmore in the west final, who were then beaten in the quarter-final by Toomevara, who defeated Thurles Sarsfields in the semi-final after they had beaten Boherlahan-Dualla in the Mid final.

And in the second semi-final, Boherlahan-Dualla beat Cashel, who had overcome Toomevara's earlier victors. It was really difficult to understand the way things were going.

Just under 10,000 spectators came to Semple Stadium on October 27 to watch the fare in reasonably good conditions. Although Boherlahan-Dualla had the breeze in their favour in the first half, it was Toomevara who got the breaks and the scores which gave them a five point lead at the interval.

The north men got a goal in the 14th minute from Kevin Kennedy, which was deflected into the net by William Hickey. Five minutes later Michael Murphy got through for the Mid men but failed to score.

In the final minutes of the first half, Toomevara got three points without reply from Boherlahan, who, in fact, had two scoreable opportunities driven wide by Aidan Flanqgan.

As the teams went in for the interval break the signs were not good for Boherlahan. Only the optimists might claim that the goal should never have happened and Flanagan might have scored the two points. Had both these things happened the sides would have been level at that stage. For Toomevara there was the loss of Bevans after 15 minutes, a player who had been giving a lot of trouble to Tommy O'Dwyer. On the positive side his replacement, Terry Dunne, was playing well and had scored two great points during the second quarter.

Boherlahan-Dualla resumed well and had two points in three minutes. But, when their spirits were beginning to rise, Toomevara came back with a point from Liam Nolan and then the finest score of the hour, a goal by Kevin Kennedy, to put the Greyhounds 7 points ahead and seemingly in an unassailable position. But the goal acted as a spur to the Boherlahan boys.

They responded swiftly with three ponts by J.J. McGrath, Ger Flanagan and Aidan Flanagan. Then, in the 11 th minute, a goal by Philip O'Dwyer. The game was now wide open. Boherlahan had a new lease of life. Points were exchanged. The sides were level and, in the dying minutes of the game, Liam Maher sent over the bar to give Boherlahan-Dualla the lead for the first time and victory when referee Willie Barrett sounded the final whistle.

It was a time to remember! After so many years in the wilderness, Boherlahan-Dualla had arrived in the promised land.

A jubilant Boherlahan captain, Philly Ryan, received the cup from county chairman Sean Fogarty as Semple Stadium became a sea of euphoric blue and gold. While this ecstatic celebration was taking over the field, Toomevara were left with the sadness of defeat and the query as to what had gone wrong. They had come up against a greater hunger but must have felt that they had left victory behind them.

The teams were as follows:

Boherlahan-Dualla - Philip Ryan (capt.), William Hickey, T.J. O'Dwyer, Tommy Dwyer, Seamus Hickey, Conor Gleeson, David Ryan, Michael Ferncombe, J.J. McGrath, Ger Flanagan, Michael Murphy, Brian O'Dwyer, Philip O'Dwyer, Liam Maher, Aidan Flanagan.

Toomevara - Jody Grace, Pat Maher, Rory Brislane, Aidan Maxwell, George Frend, Michael O'Meara, Phil Shanahan, Tony Delaney, Pat King (Capt.), Kevin Kennedy, Tommy Dunne, Ken Dunne, Michael Bevans, Kevin McCormack, Liam Nolan. Subs: Terry Dunne for Bevans, Liam Flaherty for McCormack, Bevans for King.

Referee: William Barrett (Ardfinnan). Man-of the Match: David Ryan (Bohrlahan-Dualla).
Boherlahan-Dualla selectors: Martin O'Dwyer,. Kieran Maher, Willie Joe O'Dwyer. Donagh O'Donnell (trainer). Toomevara selectors: Sean Stack, Dinny Haverty, Matt O'Meara.
 

COUNTY SENIOR HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP 1996 AT A GLANCE

County Final: October 27, 1996, Semple Stadium, Thurles - Boherlahan-Dualla 1-16, Toomevara 2-12.

County semi-finals: October 13, 1996, Semple Stadium, Thurles - Toomevara 1-17, Thurles Sarsfields 0-6. Referee: Tommy Lonergan (Kilsheelan).
Boherlahan-Dualla 5-11, Cashel King Cormacs 2-8. Referee: Michael Cahill (Kilruane-MacDonaghs).

County Quarter-finals: September 21, 1996, Littleton - Thurles Sarsfields 2-13, Killenaule 1-7. Referee: Michael Cahill (Kilruane-MacDonaghs).
October 5, 1996, Clonmel - Boherlahan-Dualla 2-18, Ballingarry 1-8. Referee: Richie Barry (Cappawhite).
October 6, 1996, Templemore - Cashel Ki ng Cormacs 2-11, Newport 1-11. Referee T.J. Corby (Clonmel).
Toomevara 2-17, Clonoulty-Rossmore 0-9. Referee: Willie Barrett (Ardfinnan).

<span class="postTitle">Donal O'Donoghue</span> North Tipp senior hurling final program page 27, September 8, 1996

Donal O'Donoghue

North Tipp senior hurling final program page 27, September 8, 1996

Playing in his sixth divisional final today, Donal O'Donoghue has given long and dedicated service to Lorrha. Since he made his first senior debut in 1979, the thirty-six year old Rathcabbin farmer has played in every championship. This year is his eigh­teenth and this makes him the longest serving member of the team and a player who had played longer than most in the his­tory of his club.

His hurling ancestry is impeccable. His father, Danny, and his uncle, Mick, gave long and distinguished service to Lorrha. When Donal came to the senior team in 1979 he slotted into the full back position in place of Felix Cronin. In the following year he was at corner back and, during his long career, he has played in every position on the field with the exception of goals. He has been one of the most ver­satile of players, always willing to play where requested. In latter years he has reverted to the fullback position and has made a good job of the position despite his low stature.

Although he has given away height and weight to many opponents, he has more than compensated with guts and determination. A lion-hearted player, he is noted for his swashbuckling style of dashing runs and daredevil abandon. His do or die spirit has often inspired his fellow players to lift their game. His skill level has always been quite good. He is a good reader of the game and a hard, fast tackler especially on the ground ball. His com­mitment to training has always been first class and his attendance at training sessions has been an example to all.
Perhaps it can be said that Donal's return from the game after so many years and so much commitment has been meagre, but it reflects the fortunes of Lorrha over the period. Of the five North finals in which he has played he was successful in 1984 and 1989 but unsuccessful in 1983, 1987 and 1992.

The highlight of his career was winning the divisional final in centenary year and one of his greatest regrets is defeat in the county final of the same year. In fact, he is of the belief that there were more low than high points in his playing career. Another great regret is los­ing the North semi-final to Roscrea in 1985. He hoped to go all the way that year and make up for failing at the final hurdle in 1984. Still another disappointment was the loss to Holycross in the county semi-final of 1989. He reckons Lorrha could have got to the coun­ty final that year but for some refereeing decisions and some injuries which saw him retire after only five minutes of the game and Ciaran Hough also injured.

Hurling has been his life and now in the twilight of his career nothing would please him better than to win a county final. Before that can be achieved victory has to be won today. After hurling, football has been a lesser interest in which he has .won divisional honours at intermediate and senior level. His favourite player at the inter county level has always been Nicky English. He has had his share of injuries in the course of his career, including a broken leg on two occasions and a broken ankle also. To an extent the nature of these injuries reflect the courage and determination of the player, a spirit and a heart that has always put his team and his club above any other interest.

<span class="postTitle">Tarmstedt and North Germany</span> Farmers Journal, July 1996

Tarmstedt and North Germany

Farmers Journal, July 1996

One of the highlights of my recent visit to Germany was a trip to Tarmstedt and surrounding villages in north Germany. Tarmstedt is predominantly rural and is situated about 25 kilometres to the east of the city of Bremen. The reason for my trip was to visit Willi Walter Dei and Wilhelm Evert, both of whom were on the German delegation that visited Cashel for the EC meeting of Rural Communes in June 1995. 

Tarmstedt is the chief village in a group of 17 rural villages. It is mainly a farming area and, in typical German style, all the farmhouses are concentrated in the village as opposed to the single habitations one gets in Ireland. The landscape and village scapes are well ordered, showing the results of generations of care and attention. For instance the roads are perfect. All the villages are linked by bicycle lanes. The street signposts are clear and easy to read. Every place is perfectly clean. I saw one woman sweeping up the street outside her farmhouse. It may come as a surprise to listeners to learn that a German householder is responsible for the footpath in the front of his/her house, to keep it clean or, in the event of frost and snow, to keep it clear. 

I stayed with Willi Dei for two nights. He was the translator for the group in Cashel and he is fluent in English and French. He is a teacher in the secondary school in Tarmstedt, which is the educational centre for the 17 villages. All the children to primary and secondary school are bussed to Tarmstedt. Some people have regrets about this development and believe the loss of the village school was a retrograde step. With the loss of the school some of the other infra-structure in the villages will disappear.

In Hepstedt, the village of Wilhelm Evert, these fears are real. While I was there there was a story in the local paper about the fate of the village inn. This famous Gasthaus, which was in the same family for ninety years is today without an owner. The couple who owned it and the son who succeeded all died within a year. The place was put up for sale but as of now there are no bidders. There are fears that nobody is interested because the future of the village would not justify the purchase. The strange thing is that the inn was doing a good trade in the past. Wilhelm Evert, who has been living in the village since 1956, coming originally from the east of the country and who taught with his wife in the local school until he retired, is somewhat pessimistic about the future of the place. 

Some of you are familiar with the name of Hepstedt because it is with this area that Cashel Community School have established an exchange. The school, as I said above is actually located in Tarmstedt, but it serves the community of Hepstedt. The local papers this weekend carry a report by Sean Hill about the exchange.

Farming under Threat 

I suppose the best way of grasping how things are going is to take a look at farming, the main occupation in the area. Wilhelm took me along to visit Helmut Hartmann, one of the local farmers, who farms 30 hectares and leases another 20. He pays between 320 and 400DM per hectare, approximately £140-£174 per hectare for the leased land. On the basis of 2.47 acres to a hectare this works out at £56-£70 per acre, rather cheap by Irish standards. 

However, there is a points rating for land in Germany, which must be somewhat equivalent to the system applied by Griffeth, when he worked out the valuation of land in Ireland in the last century. Under the German system the best land is rated at 100 points and is to be found in middle Germany, particularly around Hanover, where there is a good loemy soil. I am not too sure of all the criteria for deciding on the points rating of land. The land Helmut owns and leases rates between 25-40 on the German scale. Much of the land in the area was original cutaway bog and has been rehabilitated over a long time. If his land were the good loemy kind around Hanover he would pay double the price to lease it. And there would be a similar discrepancy if he went to sell. In that event his land would sell at 10,000 DM for pasture land - about £1,760 per acre - and 12,000 DM for arable land - about £2,112 per acre. In contrast to buy a hectare in Hannover would cost one 50,000 DM, about £8,800 per acre. 

Helmut milks twenty cows and carries about 50 young stock. His cows average 6,500 litres per year, about 1450 gallons. He has a quota of 80,000 litres, about 18,000 gallons, per year. His yield would put him well over quota, unless there is an extra quota with the leased land. He didn't indicate any difficulty with the quota and reckoned that quotas were not being filled in Germany since many of the producers in the former East Germany were failing to make quota. And, he added, quotas can be sold for 1.20 DM per litre, about £2.40 per gallon. Milk prices are 55 phennings per litre plus a 5 phenning subsidy from the government, which, in total, works out at approximately £1.17 a gallon, plus bonuses for butter fat etc. 

In order to get that yield Helmut feeds his cows 7-8 kilos of of meal per day all the year round. This works out at approximately 820DM , about £360, per cow per year. The cows are housed all the year round and are also fed on silage made from grass or maize. Helmut grows 5 hectares of maize, 15 hectares of barley, has 1 hectare of forest and the rest is grass. 

I asked him about the future of farming. He is a man in his seventies and has recently has a heart operation. As we drank beer at his livingroom table I noticed his was of the non-alchoholic variety. Forty years ago there were 40-45 farmers in his village. That number is now reduced to 20 and, he reckons. it will be down to 5 by the year 2000. He believes the minimum acreage a man will need to make a living will be 150 hectares, nearly 400 acres. Young people don't want to work the land anymore. They want a five day week and only eight hours work each day and the weekends free Already, many of the young farmers sons in the village have deserted the land for the big Mercedes factory in Bremen. 

Lack of Wives

And, there is another problem, women. German women do not want to marry farmers. Hermann has a 48 year old son working the land and he is unmarried. Another son, Christian, is living in Tasmania and married to an Australian. And, by the way they met in Ireland!! He and his wife were on holidays while I was on my visit and in response to my question could he see himself returning to farm in Hepstedt, he was very definite to the negative: No way. An interesting point made by Christian was that there were too many restrictions on life in Germany. In contrast Tasmania was a dream place in which to live, with great freedom. His wife was of the opinion that the disinclination of German women to go into farming is a rejection of the traditional role of the German farmer's wife which can be summed up in the three words: Kinder, Kirche, Kuche, children, church, kitchen. German women don't want this role any longer. I don't know if Irish women think the same way about marrying farmers but if they don't perhaps there might be scope here for the Knock Marriage Bureau. Maybe they should set up an office in Hepstedt. 

At any rate from the perspective of Hermann Holsten the outlook is bleak. He foresees the disappearance of family farms and their replacement by ranches and factory farms. This may lead to more efficient farming with higher production levels bringing about a lesser need for subsidies. In fact the future prospect may be very similar to that obtaining in Tasmania, where there are no subsidies but where the size of the farm is such that profit margins per animal or per acre need be much smaller than on smaller spreads. But, the price to be paid will be the disappearance of a strong tradition of family farming in the area and a way of life that stretches back into centuries of time.