Memories of Meath's trip Down Under in '68

Memories of some of Meath's exploits on the playing fields of Ireland and abroad will be evoked when the launch takes place of Jim Gammon's publication 'Football Immortals' on Friday night in Brogan's of Trim.

It's a personal look back on the history of Meath football with Gammon drawing on his own experiences, particularly those surrounding the ground-breaking visit of Meath to Australia in 1968. All interested are welcome to the launch at 8pm in Brogan's of High Street.
Gammons takes the reader along a journey starting with Meath's achievements in winning the Sam Maguire for the first time in 1949. As part of his trip down memory lane he reproduces articles written by one of the most prominent figures of that team - Peter McDermott, written in 1974, the 25th anniversary of that first victory. 
Wilkinstown native Gammons, who now lives in Virginia, also focuses at other great days for the Royal County with a chapter given over to 'The Sean Boylan Years.' 
Gammons reflects back in great detail on that trip Down Under - and with good cause. He was one of the lucky few who got a chance to travel on what turned out to be a significant milestone in the history of the GAA. 
The Irish newspapers had decided not to send reporters to cover the trip and instead the job fell to Jim Gammons. 
"I had done some football reporting for the Meath Chronicle in the 1950s when Pat Quilty was editor. This was probably why the job of sending despatches devolved to me," he writes. 
"I had to be made an instant temporary member of the NUJ and so, was the only journalist to arrive with the team in Perth." RTE's Micheal O'Hehir also travelled but by another route. 
Gammons describes in great detail the memorable, marathon journey with stop-offs in places like Rome, Calcutta and Singapore. On the same flight as the Meath team was the legendary actress Marlene Dietrich who took part in a sing song with the players on the plane. 
Eventually the team landed in Perth where Meath played their first game against an Australian team made up of players more familiar with Aussie Rules football but were willing to 'compromise' when it came to the rules including the use of the round ball rather than an oval one they were more familiar with.
It was onto Melbourne for a game in the famous MCG venue, then Sydney, back to Melbourne. Wherever they played Meath proved too strong for the local teams and the tour was declared a resounding success. 
During their trip the team proved to be a magnet for Irish people who had travelled to Australia to build a new life - and not just those who had emigrated from the Royal County. Seeing the reigning All-Ireland champions was like getting another glimpse of the old country.  
"Australia '68 is a jumble in my mind now, but one thing comes back loud and clear - everywhere we were in Australia it was St Patrick's Day," writes Gammons. 
The author uses pictures from the trip that many will not have seen before. He also uses some very quotable quotes from others who made the journey. One, in particular, stands out. It came from Ollie Shanley: "The trip changed my life. I went out as Ollie and came back as Oliver."