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The 42
a day ago
- Sport
- The 42
A New York All-Ireland final and Croke Park championship meetings - Kerry and Cavan's history
WHEN CAVAN ARRIVE in Killarney this Saturday, it will mark the first championship fixtures between the sides since 2013. They don't share a storied rivalry. There's not that much in the archives. Prior to that six-point win for Kerry in the All-Ireland quarter-final, they collided in the 1997 All-Ireland semi-final where the Kingdom also triumphed. And then there's the 1947 All-Ireland final which has become a major part of GAA lore on account of the fact it was held at a baseball field in New York. It was certainly an unusual choice of setting, and it would not be the last time the Big Apple would host a Kerry-Cavan clash. The meetings may have been infrequent, but the ones that have occurred amount to a rich and fascinating history between the counties. **** 1947 All-Ireland Final, Polo Grounds, New York: Cavan 2-11 Kerry 2-7 We begin with the most documented tie of the lot. The motivation for bringing the All-Ireland final to New York was to mark the 100-year anniversary of the Great Famine and honour the Irish diaspora who fled to America as a result. A famous encounter followed, immortalised by the words 'just five minutes more' from legendary broadcaster Micheál O'Heir. There had been technical difficulties involved in organising the radio coverage at the Polo Grounds for people back home in Ireland, and O'Heir made the plea to prevent anyone on the airwaves who might disconnect the line. 📸 Members of the Cavan & Kerry squads raise a toast aboard the RMS Queen Mary as they sail home from NYC after the All-Ireland Football Final of 1947 🚢 🗽 🤝 #GAA #Sportsmanship #Legends 💙🤍 💛💚 — John Joe O'Reilly Memorial Monument (@johnjoememorial) October 1, 2022 Footage of that game has been well preserved. Images have been refined and enhanced. One particular shot captures some of the Kerry and Cavan contingent enjoying a drink together on board the Queen Mary while travelling back to Ireland. A book by Mick Dunne called 'The Star Spangled Final' is one such resource that captures the game and the events around it. Another is 'The Fairytale In New York' by Anglo Celt editor, Paul Fitzpatrick. He explains how Cavan played against Kerry at a tournament in London earlier that year, around the same time that Congress passed a vote to play the All-Ireland final in New York. 'As they were coming off the field, the Cavan and Kerry lads were saying, 'Look we'll see ye in New York in September.' 'Simon Deignan was playing at wing-back for Cavan, and went on to win three All-Irelands. He was also a referee. He refereed the Munster final between Kerry and Cork. Then a couple of months later, he was playing against Kerry in the final,' Fitzpatrick says. Air travel was in its infancy in those days but the teams travelled by plane. It took 29 hours to reach the States, according to Fitzpatrick, and the flight was 'unbelievably hairy.' Members of that Cavan team won two more All-Irelands in 1948 and 1952, but have remarked to Fitzpatrick that the '47 outshone them both. The experience exposed them to another world of living. 'The New York thing was just insane, really. You still had rationing in Ireland as well. The Cavan players all said that they couldn't believe that everywhere was lit up, everywhere had full electricity, the shops were full of food.' Advertisement The baseball grounds were not well received by the players as there was very little grass, making the surface difficult to play on. Another inconvenience was the mound of earth in the field where pitchers throw the ball during baseball games. But Cavan still prevailed by four points to become All-Ireland champions having lost the 1943 and 1945 finals. The team was packed with interesting characters, including Willie Doonan who served for the British Army during the war. 'They came from all walks of life,' Fitzpatrick continues. 'John Joe Reilly at centre-back was a commandant in the Irish Army and was nailed on certain future Chief of Staff in the Army before he died. And then you had John Wilson, who went on to become Táinaiste. 'Mick Higgins was born in New York the day that Michael Collins was shot.' The Fairytale of New York by Paul Fitzpatrick. In 1997, 50 years after the 1947 encounter, Kerry and Cavan returned to New York to play out a National League game in Randall's Island. Kerry won 1-12 to 0-8 with Maurice Fitzgerald accounting for 1-10 of the Kerry tally. A tribute match to mark the anniversary of another tribute match. A huge Cavan crowd travelled to honour a team that had just given them a summer to remember. 1997 All-Ireland semi-final: Kerry 1-17 Cavan 1-10 In 1997, Cavan ended a 28-year famine for an Ulster senior title. Their U21s had won a provincial crown the previous year before going on to contest the All-Ireland final. Interestingly, Kerry were their opponents as Cavan lost out by four points. Martin McHugh, an All-Ireland winner with Donegal in 1992, had just come on board as the new Cavan manager. And after losing the 1995 Ulster final, he helped them conquer the province with a one-point win over a Derry team that had won the 1993 All-Ireland. 'Cavan had lost the first round in Ulster seven years in a row, and then McHugh came in,' Fitzpatrick explains. 'The buzz in the county was insane. 'It probably inspired a full generation. In 2020 [when Cavan won the Ulster final], they didn't get that, because obviously it was the height of Covid so kids didn't get to go to the games. They didn't have a proper homecoming or anything.' Kerry were experiencing a drought of their own in those times. They were into their 11th year without a visit from Sam Maguire. That's a lifetime in their world. And when Fintan Cahill crashed home a goal just before half-time, Cavan were 1-7 to 0-9 in front. They could have been even further in front had Peter Reilly's shot not been saved by Declan O'Keeffe. However, Kerry survived the scare and a Mike Frank Russell goal shortly after his introduction from the bench propelled the Kingdom to a 1-17 to 1-10 victory. 'Cavan lost by seven points, but really that flattered Kerry,' says Fitzpatrick. 'They added on a few scores at the very end of the game. It was Maurice Fitzgerald who beat Cavan that day. A couple mark their wedding day by attending the 1997 All-Ireland semi-final between Kerry and Cavan. 'It was seen as a disappointment, because I think even at the time, people knew it was an unbelievable opportunity. Kerry were nervy enough, hadn't won in 11 years. At that stage, Cavan still had an insane support. Related Reads 'You couldn't be happy with Saturday' - Paul Geaney gets ready for charge at Sam Maguire New kickout mark penalty to apply in this weekend's inter-county senior games How will eliminated teams reflect on 2025 Sam Maguire exit? 'There was a couple who got married that day, and they got Seán Quinn's helicopter up to Croke Park and went to the game in their wedding clothes. It's unbelievable. The place went bonkers that time.' 2013 All-Ireland Quarter-Final: Kerry 0-15 Cavan 0-9 In the aftermath of 1997, Fitzpatrick felt that the prevailing sense in the county was that Cavan had arrived. Or, to put it another way, they had returned. Cavan were a dominant force in Ulster during the early 20th century, and 1997 inspired belief that more success would follow. But aside from contesting the 2001 Ulster final, Cavan drifted. Fitzpatrick points to the years between 2009 and 2012 as being particularly grim. 'A bad culture' developed as the county became Division 3 strugglers. But then a shift occurred in 2011. A first Ulster minor title in 37 years was followed by an Ulster U21 four-in-a-row between 2011 and 2014. Some of those emerging stars lined out for Cavan when they arrived in Croke Park to take on Kerry. Among them was Killian Clarke who was named at corner-back while Dara McVeety was added as a late change. Many predicted the breakthrough would be further down the line, but Fitzpatrick disagreed. '2013 was probably as good a chance as any because Monaghan beat them by a point in the Ulster semi-final and [Monaghan] beat Donegal in the final. We're all looking ahead to the years to come and, in actual fact, that was a big opportunity.' After being diverted down the old qualifier route that season, Cavan picked up wins against Fermanagh, Derry (after extra-time) and London. They also defeated Armagh in the Ulster championship earlier in the summer. But by half-time against Kerry, they were 0-11 0-2 down. Cavan's Killian Clarke tackling Kerry forward Darran O'Sullivan in the 2013 All-Ireland quarter-final. Cathal Noonan / INPHO Cathal Noonan / INPHO / INPHO They added seven points in the second half with a more spirited display but were wasteful in front of the posts. Kerry always had them at arm's length. Terry Hyland was the Cavan manager at the time, and his defensive style of football didn't suit some of the Cavan purists. 'It made sense because a bit like the current team, they were leaking so many scores,' says Fitzpatrick. 'The problem Terry had was trying to improve that style as the years went on. He went too far the other way. The supporters were getting a bit pissed off in 2013. 'A friend of mine was in the front row of the Hogan stand [for the Kerry game]. Ronan Flanagan went to take a sideline ball and he kicked it back to [Alan] O'Mara in goals, which obviously would be common enough. This ould fella in front of him, leaned across the barrier and threw his program at Flanagan. This was like a Cavan old timer who was still in the catch and kick mode.' Despite the optimism around their successful youths, the titles didn't pour in. They would have to wait until that famous Covid Ulster final in 2020. Players like Pádraig Falkner, Gerard Smith and Ciarán Brady featured along with Clarke and McVeety. A reward at last. There is some disappointment around what those players didn't win, but there is plenty of gratitude for what they did deliver for the county. 'There's huge respect for those fellas at the same time. They brought us from the bottom to Division 1. We're still reliant on probably eight lads that have 100 caps on the senior team at the minute.' Another meeting with Kerry awaits this weekend. Another instalment in the archives.
Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Gaelic football in Dublin was "absolutely dead and we were absolutely useless."
The Dublin/Kerry rivalry of the 1970s is explored in the new RTE documentary 'Hell for Leather - the Story of Gaelic Football.' Dublin came out of nowhere to win the 1974 All-Ireland title, capturing the imagination of the capital and sparking a rivalry with Kerry that revived the game in the capital. That All-Ireland final win over Galway in '74, under the late Kevin Heffernan, got it all going. Robbie Kelleher - one of the stars of that side - has no doubt about the effect the rise of the Dublin side of the 1970s had on the game in the capital and further afield. 'Gaelic football was absolutely dead,' four-time All-Ireland winner and four-time All Star Kelleher told RTE. 'I often tell a story of a friend of mine who was a teacher in Joeys in Marino, which was a hotbed of GAA and he went into a class of 15 year olds and asked could they name anybody in the Dublin team. 'And not one kid in the class could name one fella on the Dublin team whereas they could have named the Leeds United reserve team at the time 'It was seen as a kind of an ignorant game that culchies played. George Best and Denis Law were the idols. 'Then suddenly after '74 Jimmy Keaveney, Brian Mullins and Paddy Cullen, they were up there with the George Bests and Johnny Giles' of this world.' That was only the start of it for Dublin: 'Kevin felt you never really won an All-Ireland unless you beat Kerry along the way,' continued Kelleher. 'We beat Galway in '74 and then we were hot favourites against Kerry in '75 and they turned us over. 'Then when we beat them in '76 that was it for Kevin. That was his lifetime ambition achieved and he just packed it up after that. He'd said I've done everything now. We've ticked the box. We've beaten Kerry in an All-Ireland final.' The year it all ignited though was 1974 and that victory over Galway in the All-Ireland Final. 'It was an extraordinary day because we had come from such low depths,' said Kelleher. 'I don't think they had betting in those days, but if they had, we would have been at least 100/1 at the start of the year to win the Championship. 'I had played for four years before that. We were beaten by Longford one year, Laois another year, Louth another year. 'We won two matches in four years so we were absolutely useless. At the start of the year we were hopeless 'Kevin Heffernan said there used to be more seagulls in Croke Park than there were spectators 'It came from nowhere. We beat Wexford unconvincingly in the first round, Louth in the second round. The big one was Offaly. 'Offaly had been very successful in the early 70s and we beat them in Croke Park.' Dublin gathered serious momentum from that victory and would go on to soar to new heights. 'Then it just grew from 200 people in Croke Park watching us and suddenly we had 70,000 people in Croke Park,' said Kelleher. 'It was incredible then, the colour and everything. 'Before 74 you didn't have flags and things like that. The day of the All-Ireland in '74, I remember walking out the tunnel for the minor match and just looking up at Hill 16 and saying just wow, the colour was amazing. 'It was incredible and there wasn't great barriers in those days. My great memory from the end of the final in '74 when it was clear we were going to win was Heffo was down at HIll 16 end. 'With 'Sweet Aftan' (tobacco) in his mouth and he was trying to keep the spectators back from running onto the pitch. 'After the match the pitch was crowded and some fella came on anyway and he grabbed the crest off my jersey, ripped it off.' Kelleher says he could move freely around Dublin without anyone approaching him. 'I think it's very different in a metropolitan city the size of Dublin,' he says. 'If I was a star Kerry player and I walked down the middle of Tralee or Killarney everybody would know who I was. When I walked down Grafton Street nobody would know who I was. 'I am more likely to be recognised in Tralee or Killarney than Grafton Street. It's a bit different. We had a great run. I was very fortunate to be part of a great team at an exceptional time. Do I feel I am part of history? Not really. 'What I think we did do was change the course of the GAA, particularly in Dublin, but even nationwide. 'The image of the GAA changed very considerably, out of the Dublin/Kerry rivalry that existed in the 1970s. You can go through various phases in the GAA. A particularly important phase was the '70s and the rivalry of Dublin and Kerry. 'A lot has happened since then. You look around the clubs in South Dublin and the amount of work that's being done every Saturday morning is just quite incredible, but I think that changed the face of the GAA, not just in Dubin but countrywide.'
Irish Daily Mirror
02-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Rory Grugan felt like Armagh had 'something special' and wanted to go again
Rory Grugan was 33 when he helped Armagh land the All-Ireland title - but walking away never entered his head. It was a long and painful climb to the top with plenty of heartache along the way, including back to back Ulster Final penalty shoot out defeats and All-Ireland exits (2022/23). But the idea of 'One and Done' wasn't something the Ballymacnab playmaker entertained for a second. 10 months on from that famous All-Ireland Final win over Galway, Armagh are back in the last eight again and looking formidable. Their five point victory over Dublin at Croke Park at the weekend meant Kieran McGeeney's men not only topped the table for the third successive year, but they also made another piece of history. Armagh became the only side across the three years of the round robin series to qualify for an All-Ireland quarter-final with a game to spare. 'I think when you reach that pinnacle there might be a perception on the outside like, oh you'd walk away or whatever,' says Grugan, who hit eight points against Dublin. 'I was 33 at the time. It was honestly the opposite - where you wanted to go again. 'You felt like you had something special and that was Geezer's thing straight away. It's just the way he is. It's about driving it again and seeing where it can take us. 'No team in Armagh has certainly done it (back to back All-Ireland titles). It's obviously a very long way away to be talking about that type of thing. 'I suppose it's something that drives you, and we are at a stage where we are at an All-Ireland quarter-final and we'll just see where it takes us from there.' Grugan says Armagh can use all the experience they had from the good days and the bad ones. 'I think we are in a position where we probably were frustrated,' he says. 'You were in danger of being given a tag of not getting over the line in a close game, or nearly men, or whatever you want to call it. 'Then when you get there and you win that thing, there's definitely a sense of it taking a certain element of pressure off and it liberating you a bit. 'You know that you have that reliance on your experience to get over the line and to win that. 'That when it comes to it, you think that you've been here before. That doesn't mean that it's easy. 'If anything it's actually harder because you have teams that are coming for you now, but I suppose that experience stands to you. You'd like to think that it helps as the year goes on.' Grugan had an easy sell for his team mates in the huddle at Croke Park last Sunday as Armagh geared up for a first Championship encounter with Dublin since 2010. 'You are talking about being one of the older players,' he continued. 'I think when you know you are closer to the end in your career, you relish these things. 'I said after the game last week (win over Derry) I've never played against Dublin in a Championship game in Croke Park. 'I know it wasn't a sellout but I suppose playing into the Hill, the sun shining in Croke Park. I said it to the boys in the huddle before the game. 'This is why you play football. If you can't enjoy that, there's something wrong with you. It's obviously easier when you win. Those are the days you relish, so we'll be looking forward to being back here.' Grugan is playing as well as he ever has, conducting the Armagh attack and weighing in with scores and big defensive plays. 'I think you always have to try and improve,' he says. 'The minute you feel like you are the finished product you are in the wrong game. 'Even the new rules have rejuvenated it for me. You are looking for new things all the time. How you can get better and whether that's defensively or with your shooting and different things. 'There is so much of my game I would like to be better at. You'll come away after the thing (Dublin game) and it's all great, but there's so much I know from both the team perspective and even my own that you could do better. 'That's what high performance is. You are always striving for perfection. You will never get there.' The 34 year old French teacher says Armagh won't be treating the Galway game lightly, even though it's a dead rubber for them. 'I don't think at this level taking a step back or having some sort of mindset of not wanting to win a game is a good thing,' he continued. 'Momentum is a big thing. You have two weeks to Galway and two weeks after that to an All-Ireland quarter-final. 'So I think we are going to be really going after it. We just have to take it as a normal game. I know it's not do or die in the sense of we have already topped the group. 'There is talk about the boys that want their spot. Everyone is going to be pushing on, so I think everyone has enough pride in the thing to be saying they want to go on and win that game. 'It means you are going into a quarter-final with momentum rather than coming off a loss.'
Irish Daily Mirror
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Eoin McElholm's jawdropping scoring stats as Tyrone end Louth All-Ireland dream
With three All-Ireland under-20 football titles in four years the Tyrone conveyor belt is rolling at a serious pace again - and the others better watch out. More Sam Maguires seem certain to follow. The last time Tyrone had a run of underage success like this - 1997-2001 - landing two All-Ireland under-21 titles and two minor All-Irelands - we all know what happened. Stephen O'Neill happened. Sean Cavanagh happened. Conor Gormley happened. Philip Jordan happened. Kevin Hughes happened. Enda McGinley happened. Owen Mulligan happened. And we could go on Their talismanic leader from those sides, the late Cormac McAnallen, who passed away in 2004, captained Tyrone to win that 2000 All-Ireland under-21 title, just over 25 years ago. It's hard to believe the Tyrone captain passed away a quarter of a century ago, but his spirit was alive and well in Armagh City this evening. In Eoin McElholm Tyrone have an absolute gem. The Loughmacrory club man added another 2-4 from play in an All-Ireland Final to go with 0-7 from play in last year's under-20 final victory over Kerry and 2-5 in Omagh CBS' 2023 Hogan Cup Final win over Summerhill (Sligo). That's 4-16 from play in three All-Ireland finals, averaging out at just over nine points per final. Let that sink in. Talk about star quality and doing it on the big day. Tyrone fans will be praying they AFL snipers, who have already been in touch, don't come to pick off their prime assassin. McElholm had a Robin to his Batman at the Athletic Grounds this evening as Tyrone ran out 5-16 to 0-17 victors, or maybe McElholm was the Robin to Noah Grimes Batman. Grimes hit an unbelievable 2-6 from play as the dynamic duo shot 4-10 from play between them. Louth struggled to get a hand on the quicksilver pair to even foul them. And what an achievement for former Tyrone All-Ireland finalist and Ulster Championship winning player, Paul Devlin, to surpass Mickey Harte and Danny Ball's two All-Ireland under-21 triumphs and do it three times. Devlin said afterwards: 'The last three finals we've turned up in the final.' That was exactly it. Tyrone looked entirely at home with the occasion where Louth looked jittery, and it wasn't that they played poorly. Their midfield pair James Maguire and Sean Callaghan dominated the skys and scored some sublime points, but it was what happened on the ground that counted most. As soon as Tyrone got any measure of parity on the kickouts they made hay to run out 14 points victors. They were utterly ruthless. When Louth snatched at goal chances, Darragh Dorian blazing one gilt edge opportunity off the crossbar and Tyrone skipper Joey Clarke taking another off the line, Tyrone went straight up the other end and scored points. Those two incidents, both early in the second half, amounted to an eight point swing. Had Louth hit the net with both of them they would have been 2-13 to 2-9 ahead after 41 minutes. There can be no arguing with the winners though, and you'd fancy Tyrone would have mustered a response, so composed and well drilled were they, but that would have tested them. McElholm twice steadied himself, showing that rare poise that marks a player out, and rolled low to the corner of the net for goals. Grimes' finishes for his two goals were also coolness personified. Tyrone are doing some line in slippery as an eel inside forward man. For McElholm and Grimes see Darragh and Ruairi Canavan, or Darren McCurry. The small inside man is certainly back again with the three-up rule. And Tyrone made hay here with some outstanding defending and lightning quick breaks off turnovers that created acres of space for McElholm and Grimes to do their thing. The amount of Tyrone players who could use both hands and both feet to jink and weave in tight areas was notable too, as was their pace and athleticism. McElholm is a star in the making and plenty of others will follow the likes of 2022 All-Ireland winning under-20 captain Niall Devlin, Seanie O'Donnell and Ciaran Daly into the senior starting line-up soon enough. Devlin, Daly, O'Connell, and last year's All-Ireland under-20 winner Cormac Devlin, all started in last weekend's All-Ireland round robin victory over Donegal at Ballybofey. Louth weren't without their chances, with goalie Tiernan Markey having a couple of two point frees in the first half that tailed left and wide and those goal efforts. But Tyrone were operating on a different level and one that should have the others worried going forward.
Irish Daily Mirror
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ireland's best restaurant, cafe, pub and more named at Irish Restaurant Awards
Success was on the menu for acclaimed Cork eatery Dede at the Customs House, Baltimore on Monday as it took home the top prize at the All-Ireland Final of the 2025 Irish Restaurant Awards. The glitzy awards bash took place at the Clayton Hotel in Dublin, where over 1,000 of the country's top hospitality professionals, which included owners, chefs, managers and staff, gathered to celebrate the finest establishments in Irish food and drink. Now in its 16th year, the Irish Restaurant Awards - which have been dubbed Ireland's 'Food Oscars' - received a record breaking 165,000 public nominations for restaurants, cafés and venues across the country - the highest in the Awards' history. Prior to the night's splendour and opulence, regional events were held in Kildare, Cork, Sligo and Monaghan, where county winners across various categories were announced. From these winners, the All-Ireland winners were chosen. Taking home the top honours at Monday's ceremony was Dede at the Customs House, Baltimore, who were named Best Restaurant, while John Kelly of the Lady Helen Restaurant at Mount Juliet Estate was awarded Best Chef in Ireland. Renowned Chef Neven Maguire was also honoured with the Outstanding Achievement Award recognising his contribution to Irish food and hospitality. You can check out this year's winners in full in the list below:
