[caption id="attachment_70184" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Joey Scullion, of Loughgiel Shamrocks, Jamie Clarke of Crossmaglen Rangers, Dessie Dolan of Garrycastle, Cathal Parlon of Coolderry will feature in the All Ireland club finals at Croke Park. "]
Fifty years ago next weekend a 21 year-old Dubliner achieved something really special in the history of the GAA. On St Patrick’s Day, 1962 Des Foley made history when he won Railway Cup medals in hurling and football on the same day at Croke Park.
Foley lined out at midfield alongside Tipperary-born Michael Kennedy for the Leinster hurlers as they beat a Munster team that included the legendary Christy Ring. Then after a very short break Foley pulled on the Leinster jersey again and played at midfield again, this time alongside Mick Carley of Westmeath and they went on to beat Ulster in the football final.
As is happening this year, St Patrick’s Day fell on a Saturday in 1962 and the following day Foley lined out for the Rest of Ireland in their annual game against the Combined Universities at Croke Park. On the Sunday Foley’s midfield partner was Jarlath Carey of Down. Three games in 24 hours and the young man who would go on to become a Fianna Fáil T.D. for North Dublin, was on the winning team in all three games. The Railway Cup Finals of 1962 attracted an attendance of 40,000, but it was all downhill after that and it’s now all about the club and county and not the province.
The All-Ireland club competition gathered momentum in Connacht in the sixties but it wasn’t until 1987 that the custom of playing both finals at Croke Park on St. Patrick’s Day was introduced.
In recent years Crossmaglen Rangers have become experts in the football club competition. On Saturday next ‘Cross will be bidding to lift the Andy Merrigan Cup for the sixth time. Garrycastle, who are managed by Galway hurling manager Anthony Cunningham, have a potential match winner in Dessie Dolan, but I fancy Crossmaglen to win again.
There is also a first in hurling with Offaly champions Coolderry making their first-ever final appearance. They will play Loughiel Shamrocks, the only Ulster club ever to win the hurling title. That was 29 years ago when Loughiel beat another Offaly club St Rynagh’s. Liam Watson, who scored 16 points in Loughiel’s semifinal win over Na Piarsaigh, could be the man to help Loughiel bring the Tommy Moore Cup back to the Glens of Antrim for the first time since 1983.
PEOPLE’S CHAMP
FIGHTS INJURY
At Cheltenham most focus will be on the Gold Cup on Friday, which looks set to feature a rematch of reigning champion Long Run, trained by Nicky Henderson, and the people’s champion, Kauto Star, which is trained by Paul Nichols and ridden by Ireland’s Ruby Walsh.
Unfortunately the great Kauto Star suffered an untimely fall while schooling at home last week and at the time or writing his participation hinges on a weekend workout.
Presuming he does recover in time, Kauto will be bidding to become the first 12-year-old to win the blue riband since 1969; the stats are very much against him and he may struggle to deal with his younger foes. Long Run is likely to go off a short priced favourite, however he also not without his chinks, has lost twice to Kauto this season and his amateur jockey Sam Waley-Cohen has come in for criticism of late.
ST. PATRICK’S DAY
IS SPECIAL FOR TRAP
Happy birthday on St Patrick’s Day to Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni, who will celebrate his 73rd birthday on Saturday. Trap is unlikely to spend the day mulling over the Irish squad for the Euro 2012 finals as it seems very likely that he will stand by the majority of the 26 players who played in the qualifying games.
He doesn’t have to name it until May 29, but he says that the squad he will name on Friday, May 11 for the friendly against Bosnia-Herzegovina on May 26, will also be his Euro squad.
LARKIN GOES
BACK TO SCHOOL
Kilkenny hurler Eoin Larkin has taken a nine-month career break from the Army, so that he can go back to school and sit the Leaving Certificate next June. The 27 year-old former Hurler of the Year is now studying full time at Cork’s College of Commerce where he his subjects are: English, Irish, math, geography and history.
The James Stephens clubman admits that he didn’t like school when he was younger. ‘‘I didn’t want to be in school. I chose to go back and when you are that bit older, you are more inclined to learn that bit more. I did the Junior Cert and left after that. I couldn’t wait to get out of the place. I did three years of an apprenticeship and then Army job came up and I signed up.’’
At this stage I don’t know what I will do in the future, but for now stage it’s just head down and study and also get up to Kilkenny a few times a week for training,’’ said Eoin.
