COLMCILLE – A BRIEF HISTORY

When it comes to great organisational skills, Colmcille GAA club were ahead of their time. The Colmcille Tournament of 1889 is proof of that. Up to that date it was certainly the largest tournament of any kind ever held in County Longford. Eight clubs in total took part: Arva, Cornafean, Mullahoran and Gowna were the Cavan representatives and Drumlish, Mullinalaghta, Killoe and Dromard were the Longford participants. Funnily enough, Colmcille did not take part in the competition which was held in the townland of Corrandruag in a field given by Edward Fitzgerald. However, the people of Colmcille came together that winter and organised to form a football club themselves, to which they intended to enter into the first Longford Senior Football Championship in summer 1890. Twenty teams from the County entered. After many on-field disputes and a motley mixture of boardroom objections and walkovers, there were only three teams left in the Championship by June 1st. Rathcline got a bye directly into the final and the semi-final took place between Colmcille and Ballymacormack Grattans. According to the Roscommon Herald, an enormous crowd of respectable people went down to the match in Abbeycarton Lane, off the Battery Road, just outside Longford town, to see Colmcille emerge victorious.

On the following Sunday, 8th June, spectators from all over the county flocked to Abbeycarton Lane for the final County final between Rathcline Honest John Martines and Colmcille St Colmcille’s. The match was played in a field loaned by local farmer, Peter McLoughlin. With the breeze behind them, Rathcline scored four points in the first half while the North Longford side failed to score. However, with the elements now behind them, Colmcille found themselves prominent in the second half. Halfway through the half, when the ball landed in the Rathcline goalmouth, there was a schemozzle and the ball ended up in the Rathcline net. There was no further scoring until the final whistle sounded.

The most famous goal in Longford GAA Club history gave a unique victory to Colmcille on the scoreline – 1-00 to 0-04, as then a goal could not be beaten by any number of points. For the next three weeks many meetings at the Board level took place regarding the legality of the winning goal and what inscription should be on both the Winners’ and Runners-Up medals. Finally, an agreement was reached and the winners’ medals were inscribed “Columbkille Gaels Champions 1890”. The Rathcline medals were inscribed “Honest Johns for Superior Merit”.

From 1889 until the official opening of Fr McGee Park in 1982, Colmcille had no permanent home. Thanks to the meticulous research of two former club stalwarts, Sean Lynch and Liam Higgins, there is well-documented record of the various venues that were used throughout the parish. Probably a deciding factor where the team played, may have been related to where most players lived at a particular time. In the Purth area, the Club played their competitive games in fields owned by David Jones, Michael Duignan and John Flood. Some matches were also held in Ted William’s field in Culray. Games continued to be played in the same field that had hosted the 1889 Tournament and this field is now owned by the Reynolds family. Matches also took place on the Doping Estate but it was in Peter Higgin’s field in Rathmore (now owned by Willie Jones) that the club played most of their games in the interim.

It had great, whin bushes which served as the dressing rooms and where players togged out before their games. They left their good clothes and shoes under the whins where they would be safe until they would be togging in again! A special high enclosure of whins just inside the entrance was always reserved for the referee’s car!

Games also took place in Jim Kiernan’s field in Aughnacliffe, Willie Reilly’s field in Aughakine, Bernie Mulligan’s field in Dunbeggan and in Philip Hourican’s property in Rathmore. When Colmcille won the Forester’s Cup (a once off, County knockout competition) in 1913, the preliminary rounds were likely played at Hugh Brady’s or John Doyle’s as both players were then prominently associated with the club. Interestingly, the club had fields exclusively used for training purposes. John Moore’s field at Cleenrath, known as the “Barrack Field,” was a very popular choice. Seven evenings a week the club played here and indeed were encouraged to continue playing well into the night with the light from the Tilley Lamp which hung in the adjacent Matt Gormley’s shop. The sites where the Primary school and parochial house now stand, though belonging originally to P.J. Mulligan of Aughnacliffe, were known locally as “Kiernan’s Field” and were used intermittently for training sessions. Practice sessions also took place in Michael Corcoran’s field in Molly, in a place known as “Molly Meadow” and in Campbell’s field in Rossduff.

Every club over the years has members who put in sterling work for the furtherance of what they believe in. Parish native, Fr Phil McGee, was a passionate believer in his church, his school and the GAA. He was the first Principal of Moyne Community School which was a bastion of Secondary education where the three counties of Leitrim, Cavan and Longford converged. He was a very enthusiastic mentor of Gaelic Games within the Colmcille club (the spelling of the club name had now changed from the original!), often carrying carloads of youngsters off to training, away from such farming chores as turning hay, footing turf or cleaning out hen houses! At county level he was the driving force behind Longford’s success when they won the National League in 1966 and their first Leinster Senior championship in 1968. He was also a much respected member of Central Council, the GAA’s main controlling body at National level.

When he died suddenly in January 1975, the whole GAA world and his native Colmcille, in particular, were in shock. Immediately after his month’s mind Mass, a general meeting of the club was held. It was the unanimous feeling of all that the procurement of a new GAA Park would be the most fitting way to honour Fr Phil’s memory. A Special Committee, known as the “Fr Phil McGee Memorial Park Committee,” was established. Under the chairmanship of Seamus Reilly it consisted of the following people: Liam Higgins, Charlie Lee, John Moore, Sean Lynch, Paddy Mulligan, Pearse Daly, Peadar Gormley, Sean Doyle, and P.J Devine. Later, Fr Sam Holmes and Brian Lynch were added. When Fr Holmes got another pastoral appointment he was replaced on the Committee by Vincent Hawkins. The people of the parish and friends at home and abroad contributed generously to fundraising for the purchase of the grounds and the provision of a first class playing field, and ancillary facilities. Almost immediately, members and local business people donated two thousand pounds. Having inspected various portions of land, it was eventually decided to approach the Irish Land Commission to purchase the O’Reilly estate at Aughacordrinan. A price was agreed and on October 24th, 1978 the Commission handed over 9.5 acres to the Chairman of Longford County Board, Mel McCormack, with clubmen Charlie Lee, Seamus Reilly, Sean Lynch and Liam Higgins acting as Trustees for the GAA. The cost was three thousand pounds.

A house to house collection for funds was launched at once within the parish and the adjoining townlands of neighbouring parishes. Various functions such as dances, bazaars, draws and raffles were held for the next four years. By mid-1982 the pitch was almost complete. Local contractors, skilled tradesmen, and ticket sellers aided by a powerful, genial, voluntary workforce in one last mighty effort, successfully completed the project. After a Mac match took place on August 29th, 1982. What made the extra special was the fact that Offaly, the newly crowned 1982 All-Ireland football champions, Offaly, were the first County team invited to play on the new pitch. And what really made it really exceptional was the fact that the Offaly team were managed by a Colmcille man and brother of Fr Phil, one Eugene McGee, respected journalist and GAA history-making coach.

Further pitch developments took place with the laying of a new Prunty pitch and additional training facilities in 2008. These were blessed at a reopening ceremony by then Bishop Colm O’Reilly, another parish native. Amenities have again been upgraded with a new tarmacadam area, clubhouse and a walkway around the perimeter of the pitch. Colmcille have always had great volunteers who have served the club with great distinction. Jackie Flanagan is an example of a great organiser at underage level for over 40 years. His total enthusiasm is appreciated by adults and youngsters alike. Pearse Daly, after whom the meeting room in the current clubhouse is named, was a County Board delegate for over 60 years. He went to his first County Board meeting on a bicycle in the 1940’s, a round trip of 32 miles.

Since that first Senior championship victory in 1890, Colmcille have added a further six Senior titles along with many honours at different, adult and underage levels as well as many successes in Scór. The concept of the importance of a voluntary ethos is alive and well. With Fr Phil and Eugene McGee, Pearse Daly and many others to guide them from above. The loyal, determined, present-day supporters down below are surely in safe hands.