New book a must-read for fans of GAA or local history

Cavanman's Diary

On the opening page of George Cartwright’s new book ‘Breffni Park to Kingspan Breffni’, the Cornafean writer lays out the background to the original decision to develop a GAA stadium in Cavan Town.

“In the aftermath of a run of bad defeats for the Cavan team at the All-Ireland semi-final stage during the late 1910s and early 1920s, the need for new grounds, owned by the county board, was identified as a priority,” Cartwright writes.

“It had become obvious that Cavan were beaten for speed and stamina when they played in Croke Park or Navan and, if they were to win an All-Ireland, they needed to be accustomed to playing on a full-sized pitch.”

It was that simple, at first. In time, a new committee was set up and tasked with acquiring a new pitch – and then the work really started. And in the intervening 100 years, it has rarely stopped as the place moved with the times.

A former county board chairman, Cartwright was heavily involved himself with the development of the stadium during his time as an officer of the board and, as such, is intimately acquainted with the ins and outs of such projects and the slog that is required, much of it in the background and unnoticed and certainly under-appreciated by the general sporting public.

Throughout this 270-page tome, Cartwright charts the story, from those humble beginnings right through to today, with the addition of the new sensory room completed just in time for print.

Having previously penned a history of his own club, a book of Cavan GAA records and the excellent biography of John Joe O’Reilly, the hallmarks of Cartwright’s writing are clear here again – a readable style, which is detailed yet concise, a deep appreciation of his subject matter and most of all, exhaustive research.

As someone with such an involvement in and knowledge of Gaelic games over several decades, it could be said he had a headstart but this book must have taken a monumental effort given the depth of the research. He drew on newspaper archives, academic works and local publications, magazines and booklets and official programmes for events, first-hand interviews as well as the county board’s own minute books, a treasure chest of a primary source.

What makes the book, though, are the anecdotes, the little yarns here and there, which add a great dash of colour and bring bygone events to life.

For example, I hadn’t heard before the story of how the grounds got its name. At the official opening 100 years ago last month, General Eoin O’Duffy noted that “what Croke Park was to the Gaels of All-Ireland, Bréifne Park would be to the Gaels of Ulster”.

O’Duffy, Cartwright notes, “was referring to the medieval kingdom of Bréifne, anglicised as Breffny or Breffni, which corresponds to the Roman Catholic diocese of Kilmore and it was the first occasion that the word Bréifne was used in conjunction with the Park. It was a name that was to stick and so the new grounds became popularly known as Breffni Park.”

In the 1920s, hurling was very strong in Cavan. After Cavan lost an Ulster final to Antrim at Breffni Park, four of the Cavan hurlers played for the Cavan footballers in a challenge match against Armagh immediately afterwards.

There are many more unusual tales, such as the goalkeeping Morgan brothers, John and Charlie, who in 1928 lined out in opposition to each other in the Ulster final at Breffni, one playing for Cavan and one in the colours of Armagh.

Chapter 5, ‘The Men Who Made It Possible’, is full of such interesting tidbits. Some of the key movers and shakers, like JJ Clarke (Teemore) and Seamus Gilheaney (Drumreilly) came from other counties originally while a large number of west Cavan natives were integral in the development of the Cavan Town stadium.

The tercentenary of the death of Owen Roe O’Neill, in September 1949, was another occasion many younger readers may be unaware of. In fact, George writes, “it was perhaps the biggest event ever organised in Cavan Town”, with 75,000 present on the opening day. The culmination of the celebrations was at Breffni Park, with a reporter from the Derry People and Donegal News evocatively describing the scene.

“A blaze of searchlights and floodlights lit up the great Park. On the amphitheatre of the hills around, the thronged thousands gather who cannot find entrance to Breffni. Nearly 20,000 people are gathered there, as on the green sward in the eerie lights which flicker and flood and stab the darkness...”

There is also a fascinating passage about the 1963 Ulster final, which drew a massive crowd (possibly 55,000 including 6-8000 who took to the hills over-looking the grounds), larger than the stadium could really handle. The Sunday Press subsequently ran an opinion piece lambasting the venue but only in their northern edition (presumably so as not to offend readers in Cavan and surrounding areas).

This newspaper picked up on it and hit back. All in all, a delicious saga, well told.

The book opens with a chapter titled ‘Before Breffni Park’ and authoritatively lays out the scene back then. Noted historian Bridie M Smith’s research from the first half of the 20th century is referenced. She wrote about ‘faichi’ (lawns), which were essentially level, green squares of grass on which hurling matches were played to mark ancient pagan festivals. Among the places mentioned are Shantemon, Tullacmongan, Farragh (near Crossdoney) and Magh Slécht in Templeport.

The fledgling GAA faced many challenges and securing pitches was a major problem. A field in Swellan in Cavan Town known as ‘the Lake Field’ or ‘the Militia Field’ was a popular venue; it had previously been the home of Cavan Cricket Club. That site hosted the first county final, when Maghera MacFinns and Ballyconnell First Ulsters met in 1888.

Later, the Showgrounds in Cavan Town (now Terry Coyle Park) were utilised and the author goes into detail on the political machinations employed to secure usage of that venue. Back then, teams would arrive, often by train, accompanied by bands, with a legion of supporters following behind. It must have been quite a sight.

As time moved on, the Showgrounds was deemed unsuitable. A meeting in 1922 got the ball rolling; in time, the grounds were purchased and the rest is history. And no better historian than George Cartwright to document it all.

This book is a must-read for anyone with even a passing interest in Cavan GAA or local history. Like the John Joe O’Reilly biography, it will surely sell out so the advice is, do not delay in picking up your copy. You won’t be disappointed.

Main pic: The smoke billowing from the chimney pots on the roof of the caretaker’s residence did not deter these supporters from securing a good vantage point to view the Ulster SFC semi-final between Monaghan and Armagh, June 1979.