GAA Bits in Brief

Matt Ruth, who played senior football with Tipperary, won an All-Ireland intermediate hurling medal with Tipperary, a Munster senior hurling medal with Limerick and an All-Ireland senior hurling medal with Kilkenny.

On 9 July 1944 Tipperary senior footballers, despite a game effort, lost the Munster final to Kerry by 1-6 to 0-5 on a wet day at Limerick Gaelic Grounds. Mick Cahill and William (Bunny) Lambe, at mid-field for Tipperary, had the better of the great Kerry mid-field pairing of Paddy Kennedy and Sean Brosnan. Mick Cahill was then 18 years of age. Tipperary had an outstanding goal-keeper in Jim Williams. All have now gone to their eternal reward. At right-half forward, Tipperay had the speedy Sean Cleary, thankfully hale and hearty, and living in Galway for many years.

Sunday, 21 August 1955 is a golden day in the annals of Tipperary football. Having drawn with Kerry in the Munster minor football final in Killarney, the replay was fixed for Semple Stadium, Thurles. The Munster Tribune of 26 August 1955 reported as follows:

A magnificent back-line, a forward line that played fine aggressive football and a sound mid-field, all combined to give Tipperary a great 0-9 to 1-5 victory over the mighty Kingdom. The outstanding Tipperary players were: Tom Walsh (Cahir), Davy Stapleton (Clonmel Commercials), Philly Tobin (Grangemockler), Liam Boland (Clonmel Commercials), Gus Danagher (Fethard) and Michael Moroney (Clogheen).

The cup was not available for presentation after the game but was presented to captain Liam Boland following the team's decisive win over Mayo in the All-Ireland semi-final played at Limerick Gaelic Grounds on the following Sunday. Tipperary lost the All-Ireland final to Dublin by 5-4 to 2-7, through the concession of some very soft goals.

The Farmer's Son

Where'er are scattered the Irish nation,
In foreign lands or on Irish ground,
In every calling and rank and station
Good men and true will be always found:
But 'midst their masses
And ranks and classes,
When noble work must be dared and done,
No heart's more ready,
No hand's more steady
Than the heart and hand of a farmer's son.
His homely garb has not fashion's graces,
But it wraps a frame that is lithe and strong;
His brawny hand may show labour's traces,
But 'tis honest toil that does no man wrong.
For generous greeting,
For social meeting,
For genial mirth or for harmless fun,
'Midst high or low men,
'Midst friend or foemen,
Oh, where's the match for a farmer's son?
T.D. Sullivan

History Revisited? No Thanks!

Nearly 100 years ago the Bolsheviks came to power in Petrograd, Russia during the October revolution of 1917. They proclaimed the Bolshevik-controlled Soviets as the actual government of Russia. They had ousted the provisional government which was in place since the overthrow and murder of Tzar Nicholas II and his family in the February Revolution of 1917.

The Bolsheviks set up "The Russian Communist Party". The people they disliked, for one reason or another — or for no reason at all — were accommodated in mass graves, gulags and, except for certain privileged groups, were denied human and civil rights. These actions would resonate with those of the provo gangs in areas that they control on this island.

At the end of World War II, the United States and United Kingdom, having saved Russia from the Nazis, proceeded in a cowardly fashion to allow them to annex most of Eastern Europe and impose communist tyranny on those countries until the nineties. This was in line with what Stalin envisaged when his foreign secretary, Molotov, signed an "unbelligerent treaty" with the Nazi foreign minister, von Ribbentrop, in 1938.

The Irish terrorists, whose evil deeds surpassed those of the Bolsheviks prior to coming to power, are hoping to get into government after the next General Election with the support of Bolsheviks lackeys in this country. One has visions of Ireland being the new North Korea. I believe that there is still sufficient decency and intelligence left in the Irish people to prevent this from happening. But be afraid, be very afraid!

The Old School in Kilcash

Last Friday night, 17 October 2014, I attended the Community Hall, Kilcash, Co.Tipperary. This building was the old school in the village. It consisted of a girls' school on the west side; living quarters in the middle; and a boys' school on the East side. A new school was opened in 1958 and continues to provide for the educational needs of the children in the area.

The old school has been converted into one building and refurbished in a very attractive style. Great credit is due to the committee for providing this lovely community hall in Kilcash.

The building is 200 years old this year and to mark the occasion, the committee invited former pupils of the school to join them last Friday night.

Two distinguished guests gave talks. The renowned historian, Dr. Vincent Comerford, spoke about The National School system and it's predecessor, The Kildare Place Society. Dr. Comerford was born at South Lodge in Grangemockler parish and has many cousins in the area. Con Manning spoke and showed slides, tracing his family association with teaching in the area going back to the 18th century.

It was great to meet old class mates and neighbours that I seldom meet. Overall a pleasant occasion.

A Sporting Memory

1940 Munster SHC Semi-Final: Limerick v. Waterford

Mick Mackey was marking Christy Moylan, a delightful exponent of the code and their duels were the highlight of the game. On two occasions, both players got a little rough with each other, and on the second such occasion after they were separated, play was suspended because of an injury to a player at the other end of the field.

Mick Mackey ran to the sideline and asked for an orange which a spectator supplied and on returning to his position divided the orange in two and threw half to his opponent Christy Moylan who was down on his knee six or seven yards away.

The gesture received a tremendous ovation and when the full time whistle blew, with the teams level, these two great sportsmen were seen to hug and embrace each other in the middle of the field.

From The Munster GAA Story by Jim Cronin:

This game was played in Killarney on 16 June 1940, and ended Limerick 4-2 Waterford 3-5. The replay was held in Clonmel on 14 July 1940. Both teams had played at this venue in the same stage of the Munster championship in 1937. This game was described as one of the best during the Shannonsiders' reign at the top when they pulled the game out of the fire in added time. The amount of added time played was a bone of contention with Waterford officials and supporters for many years afterwards. 

The 1940 replay was another titanic struggle with a similar pattern to previous encounters between the teams. Waterford were in the ascendancy for most of the contest only for Limerick to pull it out of the fire in the final minutes. Limerick went on to win the All-Ireland, beating Kilkenny 3-7 to 1-7 in the final. This win was the final curtain for this great Limerick team. The county did not win another senior All-Ireland until 1973.

Thanksgiving Day in Canada

Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada. It was first celebrated in 1879 and has been observed annually since 1931 on the second Monday of October.

Old Slievenamon

The following is taken from Romantic Slievenamon which was edited by the late James Maher of Kickham Street, Mullinahone, Co.Tipperary.

— Old Slievenamon! — Did we ever indulge in day-dream of which you were not part and parcel? Its sweetest draught was to contemplate the happy homes around thy base, freed for ever from the despoiler! 

Was the dream of love? It was to thy azure outline the beloved one turned her eyes to hide the blush and the tear, called up by the impassioned avowel. And when the trembling hand was at length yielded, and the pure heart wooed and won — you old mountain! Peeped in, through woodbines and sweet briar, upon a home scene, the like of which — alas! — is but too seldom to be found save in the visions of the dreamer. 

And when the time for such visions was gone by, and despair crept in where hope had been —when the cup of sorrow was drained to the very dregs — was it not to thee we fled — like a child to it's mothers lap — and thou has heard the groan which torture and the rack would fail to wring in the hearing of human ear? 

And when every earthly hope had withered, save one — what was it? — to sleep the last long, peaceful sleep beneath thy shadow. And saddest thought of all, is this too, but a dream, never to be fulfilled? 

We do not wonder at the reply of the United Irishman, when asked, after a lifelong exile, why he returned to a land where there was not a single friend or acquaintance left to bid him welcome — "I came back" said the exile, "to see the mountains".

— Charles J. Kickham, Tales of Tipperary.