Home thoughts after first win
But I’d safely say, nowhere were the celebrations more hectic than in Cusack Park in Ennis.
Three years after that date in Thurles the Cratloe club was founded. Yesterday, 122 years later, we won our first county senior title.
And I say we, proudly, because I am from that parish.
Cratloe was always known as a place you bypassed, a small parish on the road between Limerick and Ennis.
There isn’t a village there as such, Setright’s pub is the most prominent landmark, along with the Woodcross Bar. But on Sunday evening, it became a place to stop awhile, a place to sit and wonder at the GAA, and its impact on grassroots communities.
It’s such a unifying organisation, the GAA; for newcomers to any town, village or parish in Ireland, it’s often a first port of call, and far more often than not you are received with open arms.
Of course, along with people coming in, people also leave. I’m one such person and moved a few miles up the road to Doora, where I have been welcomed, but the heart never leaves, the home place always remains the home place.
Because of Cratloe’s location, however, so close to Limerick, so close also to Ennis and to Shannon Airport, it was always going to happen that there would be an influx, and so it has happened. That influx has contributed greatly to this success.
I noticed yesterday in the programme, when the players were asked for the person who most influenced them, two names kept popping up – Joe McGrath, a Toomevara man, and Jody O’Connor, a Limerick man and principal of Cratloe National School.
That’s what I mean about people coming into the parish, the influence they can then have and it was great to see the players recognising that openly.
Another guy they mentioned was Colm Collins, a west Clare man, and a man who has really influenced the rise of football in the parish. Lest it might have escaped notice, Cratloe also won the Clare IFC title and face St Patrick’s of Limerick on Sunday in the Munster club championship. And they also won the U21A football crown in Clare ! – that’s three county championships in one year! Not bad, for such a small place.
I want to mention here also those who established the tradition in Cratloe.
My father often regaled us with tales of the teams from the 30’s and how they were the first team to win a county championship for Cratloe. It was a junior championship, but no matter, it was as well received and as well celebrated as the senior title on Sunday – that’s the way of the GAA.
Whatever level your club is at, when you win at that level it’s worthy of acclaim. The heroes of that generation are no longer with us, but several titles have been won in between meaning the lifeblood kept flowing.
That’s not to say that those who never won anything didn’t play their part as well – they did, and many a great player wore the blue-and-white with pride but without success. Yet their efforts and sweat kept the dream alive. Many of those also represented the club at both county and provincial level, long before the All-Ireland successes of 1995 and 1997 – I’m not going to name names for fear of the cardinal sin of GAA lists, the sin of omission!
But they’re there, and they know who they are.
The management team too deserve mention; many have tried to bring a Cratloe team to this stage, many have failed and on Sunday these men did the business. Mike Deegan, Michael O’Gorman, John Gleeson and the team trainer, a man who had a huge input, rugby-player Fiach O’Loughlin formed the core quartet.
And of course, in all management teams you have the guy who’s doing all the quiet clean-up work in the background, so we mention also Brian McMahon.
The great thing about winning a championship for the first time, however, is that is just that – the first time. It can be done again, but the first time is unique. I want to pay tribute, then, to this group of players. Watching them for the last few evenings, the way they handled their success and controlled their celebrations, has been very impressive. Their captain is Barry Duggan, and his winning speech is an example of what I’m talking about – it was dignified, intelligent and did full justice to the occasion. He did the parish and its people – past and present – proud.
At a time when young people are being criticised as a pampered generation, this was uplifting – they are a credit to their parents, and to the parish that fostered them.
Caught for space, I won’t name any other players – Barry will do to represent them, and worthy he is.
Everyone in Clare remembers Eamonn Taaffe, and his goal for Clare in 1995, the winning goal in the All-Ireland final; for all time now in Cratloe history, everyone will remember the name of Padraig Chaplin, the man who got the winning goal yesterday. Was it a brilliant goal? Well, when it comes in the last minute of your first county senior title win, and decides the match, it’s the goal of a lifetime, isn’t it?
Ballygunner await in the Munster club on Sunday week in Waterford, and I hope now that all of Clare gets behind Cratloe. Come on the Blues!
