A tale of rich harvests, splits and droughts

It is close to a year now when it all kicked off. When well-known soccer personality Bernard O'Byrne began his history of Gaelic games in Athboy. He recalls the day and the hour with absolute clarity.

"There was a funeral in the town (of club great Christy Kelly Snr) and some people had brought individual photos of their time as players to show each other. We sat down afterwards for a chat and somebody said: ‘It's a pity we can't put all these photographs together into a single collection.’ Of course me with my big mouth said maybe I could look at that and make something out of it."

The result was unveiled to the world in one of Athboy's most famous hostelries - Floods - recently when 'A GAA Story: A History of Gaelic Games in the Parish of Athboy, Rathmore & Rathcairn' was launched. The event attracted many of the club's great stalwarts (including a few nailed-on legends) from the past who for one night at least relived great days when they soldiered together on Athboy teams. The glory days.

Among those great stalwarts in attendance for the launch was Pat McElhinney who captained Athboy the last time they won the SHC back in 1972. Fifty long years ago. Other legends from the area at the launch included Eddie Mahon, Mick Mellett and Tommy Hanley, all of whom played senior football for Meath.

The book took O'Byrne a year to put together much of his time spent in front rooms of houses talking to people, collecting data and sometimes taking down photos from walls and reproducing them for his publication. He agreed it's a rare occurrence for a man so steeped in soccer to pen the history of the local club. Not that O'Byrne could be described as your common or garden, ordinary soccer man.

Among his many roles in the sport he was treasurer of the FAI before becoming the topman at Merrion Square from 1996 to 2001. He has lived in Meath for 24 years, 10 of that in Trim, the rest in Athboy. He is also now chairman of Athboy Celtic AFC. He has also served as CEO of Basketball Ireland.

"It's an historical rarity that the chairman of the local soccer club would end up writing the history of the local GAA club," he said. "That isn't a tribute to me, it's a tribute to the community in Athboy. We are all sports people, we get on with each other. They trusted me to tell the story, I am an outsider, they knew I had no agenda." he said.

And what a history there is. The author writes in his introduction how there are traces of Gaelic games in the area that goes back to the 1700s, including references of hurling games played in local fields. There are some tales told in the book that recount other remarkable episodes. There is, for example, the story of how Irish scholar and champion of the Land League, Fr Eugene O'Growney, whose surname was adopted by the club, had five funerals.

He died in California in 1897 at just 36. He was interred in Los Angeles but friends and admirers wanted him to be buried in Ireland. His body was brought to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Dublin. In each location he lay in state before he was finally interred in Maynooth.

Hurling was for many years, the main game, the only game in the area. There were barren spells but years of plenty too when a hefty harvest of titles were bagged. The O'Growneys Athboy enjoyed a particularly bountiful spell in the 1920s. SHC crowns were won in 1923, '26, '28 and '29.

The team contained players whose names have resonated down the years - the 'Rack' Doherty, Tommy Carrigy, Jim White and Bob Collins to name just a few. Larry Mitchell Snr as well. He was known as the 'Horse' a name that perhaps hints at his tremendous physical prowess and stamina. Larry was the father of the Mitchell brothers who graced Athboy teams of later years including the legendary 'Lag' Mitchell.

Success wasn't always sustained. The 1930s, '40s and '5s were tough times to be trying to make shilling in Ireland. Emigration hit many areas hard, local teams suffered. The big prizes eluded Athboy.

During the 1960s and '70s other heroes - Cuchullains of their time - emerged to wear and green and gold, Mattie Mullen, Christy Kelly, the Ennis clan, Pat, Noel, Tommy. So many others. Heroes. Big men in every sense who eventually reignited the glory days. The Jubilee Cup was won in 1966, and '67 the same year Meath claimed the Sam Maguire with a certain young Rathcairn man on board, Mick Mellett. A SHC three-in-a-row was completed in '68.

The SHC mountain was climbed again in 1970 and '72, the last time a team from Athboy achieved the feat. As well as the triumphs there were defeats - and a split in the camp led to the setting up of Martinstown GAA club (mainly football) and those who wanted to stick with Athboy and the small-ball game.

As the years passed many ales of heroism emerged. There is the amazing story of the precocious David 'Scobie' Martin for instance. He was selected to play senior hurling for Meath. He was just 15!

As well as the serious business of winning trophies there were also laughs, plenty of laughs. Bernard O'Byrne told the Meath Chronicle of a tale told to him in his research by Brendan McNulty, not only a great GAA man from the Athboy area, a great man full stop.

"Brendan used to bring small Jemmies and small bottles of Baileys to matches on cold winter days," recalled the author. "He would give them to Pat Tuite who was the leading light, today he would be called the coach. At half-time one day Brendan went looking for his little bottle of Jemmie because he was so cold. Pat told him he gave it to the referee. Brendan wasn't too impressed but he was eventually fine with it as the referee gave his team an iffy free near the end and they won by a point!!" Great days, great laughs.

O'Byrne's book outlines other aspects of the GAA in the Athboy area such as the referees from the area, the ever increasing participation of women as well as the formation of Clann na nGael in more recent times.

It's a story of heroes on and off the pitch trying to do their bit for the local community. The pride of the parish.

* ‘A GAA Story’ is available in Floods and Centra Athboy or directly from the author at bjobyrne@hotmail.com