Trim man a witness to 60 years of GAA history

A veteran Trim GAA fan will this weekend complete a remarkable record - of having attended every All-Ireland football and hurling final for the past 60 years. It all started off in 1952 and, since then, well-known Trim clubman Ted Murtagh has been present to watch every game on the first and third Sunday of September since he was a young man. And the retired clothing and footwear store proprietor still feels that same sense of expectation in the build-up the big game every year and is looking forward to this Sunday's showdown between Dublin and Kerry just as much as that day 60 years ago when he walked into Croke Park for his very first final. Over the decades, there have been the good, the bad and the controversial games - and a couple of others that are best filed away in the 'forgettable' category. There was also the day he went to Croker and thought that he was never going to make it home again. It was the 1961 decider between Down and Offaly and Murtagh was one of 90,000-plus who somehow shoe-horned their way into a stadium built for 70,000. Caught up in the tsunami of bodies that pushed their way into the already overcrowded stadium, the young GAA follower thought that he was going to be crushed. Looking back now, he wonders how there wasn't a 'Hillsborough' in Croke Park long before the home of Sheffield Wednesday became a byword for sportsground disasters. "I just arrived at the gates and there were thousands of people there, queuing outside. The gates were knocked down and we all got in, and I got up as far as I could," he recalled this week. "I was nearly crushed to death. I came home and I remember my wife, my girlfriend at the time, Ann, saying: 'That's the last time you're going to an All-Ireland final without a ticket'. She could see I was shook up by the experience. I was nearly crushed, it was awful. I didn't see a lot of the game and I didn't see any guards or stewards." Even after so many years and so many finals, Murtagh retains a photographic memory of incidents from finals. He recalls the Cork v Wexford hurling meeting of 1956. Christy Ring unleashed an 'Exocet' that Wexford goalkeeper Art Foley somehow managed to block. It was a wonder save and Ring strode forward to shake Foley's hand. It was an iconic moment that has become part of All-Ireland folklore. There were so many other great events that Ted Murtagh witnessed up close and personal. And, more often than not, it was up close and personal. Back in those days, Murtagh recalls, long before health and safety regulations were strictly enforced, it was possible to sit literally at the touchline at an All-Ireland and watch the action unfold just a few metres away. Other moments are instantly recalled. There was the 1953 football showdown and how Armagh's Bill McCorry missed a penalty when the Ulster side had mighty Kerry on the rack; the wonderful performance of Kells youngster Michael Grace as Meath defeated Kerry to win Sam for the second time in '54, and the sight of the great Mattie McDonagh in tears after his county, Galway, lost out to Dublin in the 1963 SFC final. Back in 1950s, it was a shilling in for a sideline 'seat' and with no ticketing system in place, it was a case of first come, first served. Murtagh and a group of friends would leave Trim early on the day of the final, get into Dublin and soak up the atmosphere before making their way down to Jones's Road to secure their place. As the hype and the build-up to the All-Ireland finals intensified - and especially after the mayhem of '61 - the GAA started to organise the big day a bit better and tickets became as much an essential part of the final day baggage as a raincoat. As a referee for years, Ted Murtagh was in a good position to nail down a ticket. There were other occasions when the demand was such that he was left sweating until the eve, or even the morning, of the big game before he got his hands on the precious piece of paper. At times, old favours had to be called in before he got what he sought. Invariably, his extensive network of contacts within the GAA would produced the goods. There were close calls but somehow he has always managed to get there for the opening strains of 'Amrhrán na bhFiann'. And he can hardly wait for this Sunday to come. "I love the atmosphere of an All-Ireland final," he added. "The final that gave me the most satisfaction was the '67 win when Trim player Peter Darby captained the Meath team. There were great celebrations around the county after that win. Galway's three in row in the 1960s was a very exciting time. I don't think I saw a better footballer than Galway's Frank Purcell, he was magical." Murtagh doesn't like the new custom whereby supporters are stopped from going onto the pitch after All-Ireland finals. He always felt the race for position at the front of the Hogan Stand was an integral part of the big day out. When it comes to All-Ireland final day, Ted Murtagh has been there, done that, and deserves more than a t-shirt for his great record of consistency in showing up to the two biggest days in the GAA calendar each and every year.