Recently, the Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan upon his return from Rome after being elevated to the rank of Cardinal announced that Lent was the equivalent of spring training for Christians in preparation for Easter. Well the New York footballers have been involved in a very extensive bout of spring training as they prepare to take on Sligo in the first round of the Connacht championship in early May.
The unseasonably good weather and spring-like conditions have been a great boon to the training. Indeed Mickey Coleman’s rigorous training regimen is cultivating some Lenten-like bouts of self-denial among the Big Apple footballers. The early Sunday morning practices would not be compatible with a player experiencing a temporary bout of A.M.S., namely adhesive mattress syndrome, as a result from a little indulgence in some of the alluring night spots. Coleman, a musician and songwriter of some repute, has been known to use music as a motivational tool. However the Tyrone songster won’t be using the Commodores’ hit, “Easy like Sunday Morning” as the players go through their paces with passion and purpose as most of us snooze comfortably at that hour. Perhaps Olivia Newton John’s “Let’s Get Physical” might be more appropriate in these strenuous conditions.
Meanwhile the response to training has been very good, once the players gave their commitment. Currently on the squad are Alan Hearty, Gavin Joyce, Brian Cullinane, Ronan McGinley, Sean Kelly, Caolan Short, Conor Maguire, PJ Flanagan, James Moynagh, Paul Lambe, Kieran Conlon, Declan Reilly, Darren Moore, Dennis Corroon, CJ Molloy, Donnacha O’Dwyer, Conor Hogan, Shane Hogan, Rory Woods, Adrian O’Connor, Darren Walsh, Eoghan Hogan, Brian Sweeney, Dan Doona, Peter Hatzer and Mike Jim Fitzgerald.
While the infusion of new players is certainly welcome, it may lessen the complacency among the more established players and add a keener edge to the training . However there are also some notable absentees from last year. Brendan McGourty has gone to Australia while Pat Madden is relocating to the West Coast. Aidan Power is reported to be injured while Jason Kelly and Joe Bell are unavailable. On the plus side, the presence of Rory Woods up front will add considerably to the attack as will newcomer Eoghan Hogan from Limerick. In addition Fermanagh’s Conor Maguire, Westmeath’s Dennis Corroon and Down’s Gavin Joyce will give manager Connie Molloy and his selectors some extra options.
As training continues three times a week, management will be anxious to see how the squad is progressing. Challenge matches are essential as the Big Apple footballers have no other way to gauge progress or how well players play together. In the past Boston has always provided good opposition and the encounters are generally close and competitive. In fact it does not hurt that Boston feels that they should be playing in competitions similar to London and New York. They certainly have a very valid argument and hence the Bostonians feel that they have a very real point to prove against New York. At this stage two matches have been provisionally arranged, as the weather can always be factor at this time of year. New York will travel to Boston on March 24 and Boston will come to Gaelic Park on April 21 to help put the final touches to the preparations for the Connacht clash.
While the footballers and management are busy with team preparation, the New York GAA’s board of officers and delegates are busy preparing the bar and banquet room, for April 1 which is opening day for Gaelic Park. The Cavan Football Club will host the John Joe Cassidy seven-a side competition on that day. This year there will be a major change in tradition or perhaps it will be akin to a changing of the guard. Since 1945 the O’Donnell family, most notably through the patriarch of the family John Kerry, had been immersed in the affairs of Gaelic Park. Indeed the O’Donnell family and Gaelic Park were almost synonymous. The association began in 1945 when John Kerry O’Donnell, a former president ,secretary and treasurer of the Association stepped forward to rescue the Park from a group of soccer clubs who were trying to obtain the lease. He unloaded a number of his businesses to secure the lease on Gaelic Park, which was then known as Innisfail Park.
Such a bold venture in harsh economic times ensured that Gaelic Park would remain the home of Gaelic games . Thus began the long association between the O’Donnell family and the New York GAA. John Kerry was a very formidable individual and occasionally he and the GAA were on a collision course. There were a number of well chronicled instances of dour disputes over the years. Perhaps the most notable was the lockout in 1986 when the GAA wished to raise the entry fee from two to three dollars. Both sides dug in as no games were played on a few Sundays at the beginning of the season. The GAA eventually relented with the stipulation that the fee would be raised at a later date. Trouble brewed again in 1987 with the senior football final between Connemara and Donegal being the main casualty in this dispute, as it was never played.
However in 1991, the situation reached an impasse as the O’Donnell family and the New York GAA failed to reach an agreement on the terms of the lease.
When the bout of intransigence ended Manhattan College was the big winner as they had Gaelic Park, the O’Donnells had to settle for the bar while the GAA were left homeless, thus ending a 63-year tenure with the cherished patch of Gaeldom. After a nomadic existence for a few years the GAA returned to their former home after a mutually satisfactory agreement was arranged with Manhattan College. For most of the next two decades the three parties coexisted in relative harmony for the mutual benefit of all.
Last year the O’Donnell lease on the bar and catering facilities came to an end. Now the New York GAA has temporarily assumed the lease on that part of the property, hoping to eventually parlay it into a long term proposition. Over the last few months a meitheal of GAA folk have given the facility a major makeover. When it comes to volunteering, the GAA are always top of the class as painters, plumbers, carpenters, electricians, glaziers and a few jacks of all trades set about to upgrade the premises. New floors, lighting, wainscoting, decorating etc. have given the place a very comfortable ambience. Naturally the GAA is hoping that the improved décor will encourage various organizations to host their events there. Gaelic Park is still the mecca for Gaelic games, the GAA is hoping that it will become the epicenter for cultural and social events in the near future. That’s the stature that it once had in the Irish-American community. Perhaps greater days are ahead for this oasis of Irish culture.
