Reeling In The Years 2 Club Football 1988-1998

[Silken Thomas]

Club Scene- 1988-1998

If you’re between the ages of 30 and 50, and from the major seven clubs (Clara, Edenderry, Ferbane, Tullamore, Shannonbridge, Gracefield and Rhode) of the period, this will be worthwhile.

If you’re just like me (which is neither an admission of class or vintage), with an unhealthy and unstable obsession with Gaelic football, you will simply like what I have written.

For what it’s worth I also have the names of everyone who played in the Championship finals of the period and will produce them if asked.

Enjoy.





‘Adversities do not make a man frail. They show what sort of man he is...’

Despite their centenary year celebrations and a significant head start the principal town side were suffocated grimly by Ferbane in 1988. Enjoying superiority at midfield through their self proclaimed best midfield in Leinster(Mark Plunkett and Dave Kavanagh), Tullamore took advantage of Ferbane’s lethargic beginning as they raced into a 2-2 to 0-0 lead. Ferbane though, as was customary of the time, reeled the ‘blues’ in and ended up on the right side of a six point deferential. Jackie Kenny lifted the cup as their commitment (267 training sessions since March 1986) held them in good stead. This same commitment was noticeable when a significant proportion of this team returned to win the 1996 Intermediate final.


‘Confidence and superiority: It's the usual fundamentalist stuff: I've got the truth, and you haven't.’

The mascot was different( occasional Offaly panellist Gerry Grehan) but the destination of the title was far from unique as despite a valiant display from Stephen Darby the Ferbane juggernaut continued mercilessly as they walloped Rhode on a 3-14 to 1-9 scoreline in October 1989. This facile victory stretched Ferbane’s winning streak to a monster 52 competitive matches spanning three calendar years. And facile it most certainly was as the West Offaly men led by 18 points with fifteen minutes to go. This stat would hint at a comeback but charity was a mere accessory to pity as Ferbane wound down triumphantly.


‘Excellence in any department can be attained only by the labour of a lifetime; it is not to be purchased at a lesser price.’


Lengthy records, Gracefield's dreams and the hopes of many neutrals came crashing down in 1990 as Ferbane bulldozed past the border towns challenge on a record scoreline of 5-9 to 1-6. Pat Doyle was the more celebrated in a total team performance as Ferbane served due notice on a serious assault on Six in a Row. A paltry gate of 3,000 had been eroded considerably by the final whistle as Ferbane ran riot. Despite the last hour withdrawal of Seán Grennan, the border side couldn’t prevent Captain John Kelly accepting the cup.


‘To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.’


With the traditional Offaly powers of Rhode and Tullamore in a lengthy slumber it was up to the men of Clara under the tutelage of ex Kerry player JJ Barrett to re shape the local football landscape. Despite falling to a highly regarded Thomas Davis (Three-in-a-row Dublin Championship winners) team in the Leinster Club final of 1991 Clara will be remembered for ending a 27 year drought when they beat favourites Gracefield on a 3-7 to 1-6 scoreline. The main talking point however was the mass brawl which culminated in the dismissal of James Stewart and Vinny Byrne as Colm Scanlon was knocked out cold. Gracefield had already slipped unconscious themselves to concede 3 desperate goals in a niggly affair.


‘Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.’


Suitably re-motivated, Ferbane returned ravenously to binge at the top table as they consumed Tullamore on a 2-7 to 1-9 scoreline in October 1992. Fielding their much famed 100 year old full forward line (Pat Doyle, John Keena and Brendan Lowry), Ferbane were too clinical and determined to be usurped by the ‘League of Nations’. Tullamore, with a little help from Templemore, controlled possession but despite their best ‘shift’ allowed the West Offaly men to escape on the day. Noteworthy cameos from ex Doon supremo Paul Mollen and well known physiotherapist Johnny Grehan allied to a ‘Man of the match’ performance from Bernard Flynn tilted the balance in favour of Kevin Gavin’s slick charges.


‘The road of life can only reveal itself as it is travelled; each turn in the road reveals a surprise’


Shorn of the Reynolds’ brothers through injury and with their opponents given added motivation due to the suspension of Brendan Lowry, it was widely accepted that a Clara win was an implausible event in the Senior Championship final of 1993. The ‘Hawks’ had infinitely different ideas though as they blew Ferbane away with a vibrant display from a team with eleven players under the age of 25. Clara, under their third different stewardship that year, also had Pádraig Moran to thank with a 2-1 salvo which, along with other contributions, helped negate Séan Grennans awesome influence. Even the appearance of Tony McTeague’s son couldn’t halt Clara in this six goal swashbuckling thriller.



‘So our human life but dies down to its root, and still puts forth its green blade to eternity.’


Standards seemingly slipped briefly when Ferbane’s dying kick saw them edge out a youthful Shannonbridge selection in 1994. Despite being in Junior ranks in 1989 Shannonbridge had to be clipped (10-08) in a low scoring encounter where they started favourites in many peoples eyes- despite their maiden final appearance. With an average age of 24 the Roscommon border outfit trained by triple All-Ireland club corner back loser John Dowling learned a valuable lesson as they attempted ill advised rough house tactics on an almost neolithic Ferbane unit still being anchored by 1982 All Ireland winning medallist Michael Lowry.


‘Tranquil pleasures last the longest; we are not fitted to bear the burden of great joys.’


The western reign was spectaculary ended when the Reds burst onto the scene in 1995. Tipped by the likes of Matt Connor, Clara were expected to prevail especially after slaying the Ferbane dragon but despite paring back a nine point lead to one mere score, defeat would be their lot. Led by the mercurial Peter Brady and marshalled by ‘Man of the Match’ Finbar Cullen, Edenderry harboured loftier ambitions than the loveable loser as they were to begin an incredible biennial reign. The return of ex-Offaly keeper Donal O’ Neill, the score taking of all their six starting forwards and a new found full backline assuredness were the main catalysts in a 2-10 to 1-10 victory well marshalled by Eddie ‘child’s body’ Dunne.


‘For what is the best choice, for each individual is the highest it is possible for him to achieve.’

Inspired by their Western counterparts and a steady stream of talented youngsters (Minor A League winners 1988) the ‘Bridge’ caught Tullamore cold in the 1996 showpiece. With three All-Ireland U-21’s on the bench (Mick Devine, Alan O’ Shea and Niall O’Shea) Shannonbridge’s greater desire sunk the ‘Blues’ in a titanic tussle. For players like Mark Plunkett, Pj Martin and exemplary freetaker Paul Rouse County Final despair would be their lot as they fell 1-11 to 0-12. 1991 Offaly footballer of the year Vincent Mooney applied the coup de grace with a sizzling 15 yard effort that only accentuated the loss felt by Offaly County teams of the mid nineties.


‘As one knows the poet by his fine music, so one can recognize the liar by his rich rhythmic utterance, and in neither case will the casual inspiration of the moment suffice. Here, as elsewhere, practice must precede...’


1997 though was all about the ‘Reds’. Club of the year thanks to Minor, Under 21 and Junior A success, Edenderry’s never say die spirit, resulted in another glorious chapter being written in the ‘reds’ history. Despite the lack of a true proven scorer Edenderry ground out victories tactically and cleverly which was a point lost on many of the footballing public in the immediate aftermath of the famous ‘Michael Mahon’ showpiece. A showpiece that will perhaps always haunt Bernard Flynn and his 13 metre miss which ended Mel Keenaghan’s chances of obtaining the club players ultimate dream. After a first half dominated by the Claffey brothers, Peter Brady led superbly, orchestrating havoc in the Ferbane defence, havoc that led to Niall Comerford poking home a fortuitious goal four minutes into injury time.



‘It is in the compelling zest of high adventure and of victory, and in creative action, that man finds his supreme joys.’

For the likes of Ken Kelleghan and Pat ‘Dingle’ Daly though the 1998 decider will always be seen as the pinnacle of the decade and indeed of their careers. From Stephen Darby’s Trojan underage work(Minor A winners of 1992,1993) to Rhode’s incredible training regime( Two and a half hour training sessions one of which on the day of the Senior All-Ireland Hurling final) and lest I forget a core of incredibly talented players, the ‘Village’ ended 23 years of misery. Standing in their way were the ‘Reds’ who were expected to swat the imbalanced village aside. Instead it turned out to be a fantastic first County final for the 16 year old Alan McNamee as he watched his side choke the life from the faltering reds on a 0-11 to 1-4 scoreline.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Good stuff, Silky.

Incidentally, I've an inkling one of the Ferbane wins of the late '80's was controversially played on a Sunday evening. Which one?

And which one did they lose the use of the microphone for the winning captain's speech when someone cup the cable with a knife?

I didn't get to many football finals in that era. I recall the first Ferbane win, over Kilcormac in 1986. Don't think I was at another until the Clara win on a hot day in 1993.

Nor did I attend Shannonbridge's famous win in 1996, though I was in Killeens and Maisie's that night, and what a night it was! The place was electric. Sad to see Maisie's boarded up as I drove through the village recently for the first time in some years.

Club Scene- 1988-1998

If you’re between the ages of 30 and 50, and from the major seven clubs (Clara, Edenderry, Ferbane, Tullamore, Shannonbridge, Gracefield and Rhode) of the period, this will be worthwhile.

If you’re just like me (which is neither an admission of class or vintage), with an unhealthy and unstable obsession with Gaelic football, you will simply like what I have written.

For what it’s worth I also have the names of everyone who played in the Championship finals of the period and will produce them if asked.

Enjoy.

[Bord na Mona man]

Good stuff, Silky.

Incidentally, I've an inkling one of the Ferbane wins of the late '80's was controversially played on a Sunday evening. Which one?

And which one did they lose the use of the microphone for the winning captain's speech when someone cup the cable with a knife?

Does anyone remember a battle of the mascots years ago?
Where a dog savaged a hen.
Or did I dream that up?

[Archangel]

settle down there lads....sounds like you're making all this up as you go along..
Seriously, there are some strange and wonderful things always going on.

[The Magpie]

Great Post ST. Some good memories.

Clara under the tutelage of ex Kerry player JJ Barrett

It would be sinful though, to take from Ollie Daly's achievement in 1991 - it was he and not JJ that led Clara to the Dowling Cup and Leinster Club Final.

[Silken Thomas]

Great Post ST. Some good memories.

Clara under the tutelage of ex Kerry player JJ Barrett

It would be sinful though, to take from Ollie Daly's achievement in 1991 - it was he and not JJ that led Clara to the Dowling Cup and Leinster Club Final.

Considering you were probably playing around this time i'll take your word but I was always under the impression that in 1991 J.J trained the team.
Was Ollie Daly manager

As for 1993 I believe Ollie Daly started off in charge before a 'players revolt' banished him.
J.J Barrett took the reins but quit over the cancellation of a training session due to an underage match.
Noel Kelly became the final front man in the Paddy Dolan trained set up.

Can you 'Clara'ify?

[TheManFromFerbane]

Can you 'Clara'ify?

Oh God

[Georgio1]

Any chance of a return to the glory days in Ferbane with the maestro Kevin Gavin back in charge? A pure gentleman, but by God could he dish out a heavy training session!
The committment of that Ferbane team was unreal, and they maximised their talent to the limit. Similar to the scenario for the hurling over the last few years many teams threw in the towel, and hadnt the work done to match them.
Shannonbridge was a breath of fresh air and was a pity as was stated earlier that Vinny Mooney did not push on to make an impact with the county, he was an explosive player with a sweet left foot.
The unfortunate team during/at the end of that time was Doon, they were the one team with a gifted forward line, but the lack of a couple of tough defenders and solid keeper cost them a shot at county final day.

[Silken Thomas]

Any chance of a return to the glory days in Ferbane with the maestro Kevin Gavin back in charge? A pure gentleman, but by God could he dish out a heavy training session!
The committment of that Ferbane team was unreal, and they maximised their talent to the limit. Similar to the scenario for the hurling over the last few years many teams threw in the towel, and hadnt the work done to match them.
Shannonbridge was a breath of fresh air and was a pity as was stated earlier that Vinny Mooney did not push on to make an impact with the county, he was an explosive player with a sweet left foot.
The unfortunate team during/at the end of that time was Doon, they were the one team with a gifted forward line, but the lack of a couple of tough defenders and solid keeper cost them a shot at county final day.

Ferbane's commitment was unreal in fairness. I mean unbeaten in 52 competitive games . Kevin Gavin was also a great motivator and certainly wasn't afraid to drop an established name. He was blessed that Ferbane's Minor A winning sides of 89,90 and 91 were constantly freshening things up too. The likes of Dinny Kelly, Paul Mollen, Michael and Brendan Lowry were some club men to have. You then had the likes of Sean Cullinan, Cathal Maher and the Grennans breaking through from underage sides. Ferbane had an embarassment of riches with huge numbers training.

Vinny Mooney was gifted but seemingly hard work. He was named player of the year in Offaly despite not playing in the Senior Championship . He left for New York for a while and at one time picked up a substantial ban for playing illegally.

The Doon outfit of 1998-2004 were more than decent but were short one or two and had no real panel. Vinny Claffey was usually watched like a hawk. Doon were unlucky too that when talented players like James Coughlan and Damien Hunt were emerging key players like Kieran Rigney and Eugene Boland were regressing.

[Plain of the Herbs]

The football championship alternated fron knockout to group to knockout and back to group again during that period, didn't it. Could someone be more specific in what years were which, please.

Ferbane came mighty close to winning a minor double in 1991 so, losing out on the hurling leg of the double to Ballyskenagh.

Ferbane's commitment was unreal in fairness. I mean unbeaten in 52 competitive games . Kevin Gavin was also a great motivator and certainly wasn't afraid to drop an established name. He was blessed that Ferbane's Minor A winning sides of 89,90 and 91 were constantly freshening things up too. The likes of Dinny Kelly, Paul Mollen, Michael and Brendan Lowry were some club men to have. You then had the likes of Sean Cullinan, Cathal Maher and the Grennans breaking through from underage sides. Ferbane had an embarassment of riches with huge numbers training.

[Georgio1]

That minor team in '89 went on to win the only All Ireland minor club competition ever run, after winning Leinster they competed over a weekend in Belfast, winning a semi final against Dungiven of Derry, and I think Mervue from Galway in the final. And te irony was that the Ferbane/Belmont(to be correct!) minor team of '88 was probably superior to the '89 team.
Also Sarans in Ferbane had a great run over these couple of years. Reaching a Leinster semi in the Senior A only to be beaten by St Mels. The last Offaly team before St Mary's to get as far in the A competition, so underlines the significance of Edenderry's achievements. Barry Daly from Ballycumber was a smashing player on that schools team, along with Jim Killeen . Sadly talented players like Jimmy Hiney and Roddy McNamee moved away and were lost to GAA. Cathal Flynn was another great footballer who packed it in at an early age.
Aye Silken, Vinny Mooney never liked the hard training, even from school days he was allergic to the harsh winter days! But a great character, with savage ability.

[Silken Thomas]

The football championship alternated fron knockout to group to knockout and back to group again during that period, didn't it. Could someone be more specific in what years were which, please.

Ferbane came mighty close to winning a minor double in 1991 so, losing out on the hurling leg of the double to Ballyskenagh.

Ferbane's commitment was unreal in fairness. I mean unbeaten in 52 competitive games . Kevin Gavin was also a great motivator and certainly wasn't afraid to drop an established name. He was blessed that Ferbane's Minor A winning sides of 89,90 and 91 were constantly freshening things up too. The likes of Dinny Kelly, Paul Mollen, Michael and Brendan Lowry were some club men to have. You then had the likes of Sean Cullinan, Cathal Maher and the Grennans breaking through from underage sides. Ferbane had an embarassment of riches with huge numbers training.

1988- Group Format
1989- Group
1990- Group
1991- Group
1992- Knockout
1993- Knockout
1994- Knockout
1995- Group Format
1996- Group Format
1997- Knockout
1998- Knockout
1999- Knockout
2000- Group

I'm 100 per cent on all years except 89, 90 and 91 and I have good reasons to think those three years were group format.

[Hocker]

What a great read, fair play to ya for putting in the time and effort!!
Of this period from 1988 to 1998 would anybody (LS u might be most in the know?) like to name a best starting 15 with 6 subs, this team should probably comprise of just players who played in a county final in this ten year period (Sorry Vinny Claffey)...
There'll surely be 4 or 5 players who never represented their county on this team?
I'll stick 1996 winning captain Declan mcEvoy from Shannonbridge in at number 11 just to get the ball rolling

1....................
2....................
3....................
4....................
5....................
6....................
7....................
8....................
9....................
10....................
11.Declan McEvoy - Shannonbridge
12....................
13....................
14....................
15....................

Subs:
16....................
17....................
18....................
19....................
20....................
21....................

[True Red]

A little known fact about Rhode. Their first championship won under the group format came in 2004. All the rest were won on a knockout basis.

Anyway i have pegged in 2 of the Reds onto the team there and one on the subs.

1....................
2....................
3....................
4....................
5....................
6.Finbar Cullen - Edenderry
7....................
8....................
9.Peter Brady - Edenderry
10....................
11.Declan McEvoy - Shannonbridge
12....................
13....................
14....................
15....................

Subs:
16....................
17....................
18....................
19....................
20....................
21.Cillian Farrell - Edenderry

[bracknaghboy]

Only players who played in county finals.............cant include in our Frank so...