Last week
many of the survivors of the Castlemitchell winning team of 1953 were guests of
honour at a club celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of the
club’s first success in county championship football. The club had its origins in the late 1930’s
and it’s generally agreed that the Wexford man, Bill Paire, who was then
working in the area, played a big part in the initial stages of the club’s
formation. It was Bill who ordered the
set of white football jerseys from M.G. Nolan of Duke Street in which the
players, known locally as the “Sandpits”, togged out for their first
matches. These were tournament games
played in Geraldine Park, Athy and “friendly” matches against other rural teams
from the area. After a year or so of such
games they were encouraged by Fintan Brennan, District Court Clerk in Athy and
a member of the Kildare County Board to affiliate and on so doing
Castlemitchell entered a team for the Kildare Junior Championships. The first team selected to play for
Castlemitchell in a junior championship match included Jim Hendy, P.J. Hughes,
Joe Bermingham, James Donnelly, Christy Myles, Bill Donnelly, Tim Fennin, Tom
Donnelly, Jack Kelly, Pat Fennin, Mickey Myles, Peter Donnelly, Jim Connor,
Jack Corcoran and Joe Luttrell. Success
eluded the club until it achieved its first victory on the playing field in a
match played at the Bleeding Horse against
near neighbours Rheban.
Castlemitchell
Gaelic Football Club reached its first football final in 1943 when it contested
the Junior Championship Final against Kilcullen. That game ended in a draw and was not
re-played until June of the following year when on the Ballitore pitch the
Kilcullen men ran out relatively easy victors.
Another eight years were to pass before the men from Castlemitchell had
another opportunity to win silver. This
time the Club was playing in the 1952 Intermediate Championship Final against
Ballymore. The match was played in
Newbridge on 19th October, 1952 and again defeat was the sad lot of
the South Kildare players who went under on the score of 1-8 to 1-6. The following week the team returned to
Newbridge to play in the 1952 Intermediate League Final against Kilcock and for
the third time in a row were defeated in the last hurdle, this time on the
score of 3-8 to 1-0. Castlemitchell
Gaelic Football Club seemed destined to be ever a bridesmaid and never the
bride. That team was trained by Bill
Delaney and included Mick Donnelly, Jim Donnelly, Bill Donnelly, Tommy
Donnelly, Peter Donnelly, Josh Hendy, Eddie Conway, Tommy Comerford, Joe
Comerford, Danny Flood, Pa May, Peadar Dooley, John Bradley, Paddy Redmond and
Danny Shaughnessy.
A change in
the officers of the club occurred at the end of 1952. Jim Connor, one of the players on the early
Castlemitchell teams and Club Secretary from 1939 to 1952, emigrated to
England. His place as Secretary was
taken by Joe Bermingham, while Josh Hendy on retiring from the playing panel
took up the position of Club Chairman.
In no way disheartened by the defeats of 1952 Castlemitchell set out
with ambitions to win some silverware the following year. By now the team had lost Danny Flood who played
full back on the Kildare Senior team.
New members on the 1953 team included Jimmy Curtis, Mossy O’Reilly and
Brenny O’Reilly who joined five of the legendary Donnelly brothers, together
with Paddy Redmond, Peadar Dooley, Tommy Comerford, Joe Comerford, Ned Conway,
Pa May and Pashal Myles. This was the
team which in October 1953, almost twelve months to the day following the
defeat of the previous year, brought the Intermediate Championship title to the
rural club nestling on the borders of Kildare and Laois. The famous victory, the club’s first success
in a County Final, was achieved after a titanic struggle extending over three
matches in the semi-final against Naas Gaelic Football Club. The final was played in Newbridge on 18th
October 1953 against Young Emmett’s, a team based near the Curragh. Victory fell to Castlemitchell on the
scoreline of 3-4 to 0-4.
Last week
John Bradley and Cha Chanders who were both subs in 1953 joined teammates Peter
Donnelly, Brenny O’Reilly, Ned Conway, Peadar Dooley, Tommy Comerford, John
Donnelly, Mick Donnelly, Jimmy Curtis and Paschal Myles as guests of honour to
commemorate the Club’s victory of 50 years ago.
Josh Hendy who was chairman in the year of the Club’s first County
Championship Final win was also a guest of honour.
In the
years that have passed several members of the 1953 panel have gone to their
eternal award and their names were recalled with pride and sadness. Paddy Redmond, Paddy Fennin, Tommy Donnelly,
Joseph Comerford, Pa May, Jim Donnelly, Dan Shaughnessy, Mick Doogue and Bill
Donnelly R.I.P. Mossy O’Reilly who
played in the 1953 Final composed a witty ballad with which to remember the
deeds of the Castlemitchell players. I
end this Eye on the Past with Mossy
O’Reilly’s victory song for the 1953 Intermediate Champions Castlemitchell.
Come listen
all supporters where you may be
And I’ll
sing for you a verse or two about our victory
And if you
pay attention I won’t detain you long
While I
tell to you the principals in this our victory song
2
On the 18th
of October we went to Newbridge town
To play the
great Young Emmett’s for the Intermediate crown
With all our
men in the best of form each one was loyal and true
We showed
those boys from Emmett’s what we could really do
3
Now here is
to Mike Donnelly a hero on that day
And the
Amer Bux he did his stuff and gave a grand display
Also Peadar
Dooley he caught balls brave and high
And so did
Tommy Comerford who’s better known as dry
4
Here’s to
Jimmy Curtis the baby of our side
He kept
balls to the forwards some were scored and some kicked wide
And also
Brenny O’Reilly who starred it on the wing
And John
Donnelly was outstanding and should be crowned as king
5
Now here’s
to Tommy Donnelly and I know you’ll all agree
That he
outplayed Joe Winders in this great victory
Also Joseph
Comerford I’ll tell you one and all
He proved
to all in Newbridge he’s good although he’s small
6
Here’s to
our three half forward’s they starred it on the day
Ed Conway
was outstanding and a star was Paddy May
And if they
were in trouble they always thought to cross
To O’Reilly
on the other wing who’s better known as Moss
7
God Bless
our three full forwards they never missed a score
Peter
Donnelly he’s our captain and he’s sixteen stone or more
And Pascal
Myles he scored two goals a gallant lad is he
And Jim
Donnelly waltzed right through their backs in this great victory
8
Now thanks
to all our substitutes who stood upon the line
And if they
had been called upon I’m sure they would do fine
As when
Paddy May was injured when he increased our goals to three
He quickly
was replaced that day by Danny Shaughnessy
9
Now to
conclude and finish up I wont tell you any more
But next
year we’ll be Senior and we’ll hit up Ballymore
So follow
us to Newbridge where ever you may be
And we’ll
win another final as we did in fifty three
By Mossy O’Reilly
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