Galway Advertiser 1980/1980_09_04/GA_04091980_E1_006.pdf 

Extracted text

We are gateful to Mr. Jack Fallon of Leitrim for this photograph of the Galway hurling team who played in the All-Ireland final in 1925. They are, back row, left to right: Stephen Jordan; Joe Stanford (Gort), Paddy Joe Morrissey (Craughwell), 'Kruger' Broderick (Peterswell), Sonny Shaughnessy (Craughwell), Michael Conaire (Kilnadeema), M. Houlihan (Army), Darby Gilchreest. Middle row -- John Gormley ( G o r t ) , Mick Dervan (Tynagh), Ignatius Harney (Tynagh), Mick King (Galway city), Andy Kelly (Tynagh), Captain; Junior Mahony (Ardrahan), Pat Rooney (Craughwell), Jack Fallon (Leitrim), Dick Morrissey (Craughwell). In front are Jack Berry, the trainer, and Pike O'Donnell from Peterswell. Sadly the Galway team were beaten on that day, but

let's hope their luck will be different on Sunday. What ever way they play, let us make sure they have the

wholehearted and loud support of us all. It's time the McCarthy Cup crossed the Shannon again.'

This photograph is one of many on display in the new Galway G.A.A. Museum in Dunkellin St. in Loughrea.

They have many other items there as well, jerseys, hurleys, sliothars, etc. It is building into a remarkable

collection, one that we highly recommend you go and see. --T.K.,

galway

gl e a n i n g s
What is a Limerickman living in Galway expected to say about this year's AllIreland hurling final any way? Except perhaps to remind the Galway G.A.A. establishment that whatever pressure that has been brought on R.T.E. to date to broadcast the match on the second television channel in the national language which is still a vernacular over a large part of Co. Galway, has come from the Shannonsiders. The Limerick youth, it seems, are taking their commitment to the ideals of the founders of the G.A.A. a little more seriously, not just in promoting the use of Irish in their own club circles, but also by ensuring that whatever blame can be laid at the feet of official G.A.A./R.T.E. about lack of coverage of the big game in Irish will not be placed at the feet of the Limerick officials. What of the Galway G.A.A. establish ment? It seems they can look after their own in terests. How these square with the interests of Irishspeaking G.A.A. followers is another matter. SOFT SPOT It is difficult to find anybody who does not have a soft spot for the Galway team on this occasion. For even though our good friends in Limerick have not d o m i n a t e d the h u r l i n g scene over the years, their wait for another All-Ireland title is nothing like that of Galway who have been knocking on the door since 1923. There are all sorts of stupid superstitions about why Galway has not won a title since. Their span of disappointment, however, is shorter than Clare who last won an All-Ireland in 1914, and Laois whose only win was in 1915. But as neighbours Offaly proved this year breakthroughs are still possible, even if difficult. Of course it is an old Munster joke to suggest that Galway would not have won the 1923 All-Ireland hurling title either, only some 10,000 Munstermen were interned at the time, following the defeat of the Republican cause in the Civil War. It is assumed that all the best hurlers of the southern counties were Republicans also. A great majority probably were. But that has nothing to do with the issues for Sunday's game. NOT SO HOT The most interesting thing about the recent criticism of Udaras na Gaeltachta by Gael-Linn chief Donall O Morain is the muted reaction from most language circles and from the Udaras itself. In an interview with the Sunday Press under the heading "Democracy Gone Wrong" Mr. O Morain suggested that the decision to allow an elected majority of 7 members with 6 appointed by the Minister for the Gaeltacht on behalf of the Government, was misguid ed. Originally, he said, what was proposed was a six-

member minority group elected by the people of the Gaeltacht with the Govern ment nominating a 7member majority, including the Chairperson. Mr. O Morain felt the latter arrangement might have been better, but he did not explain why, anymore than he explained the source of his information on the original arrangement. He must have known, however, that the principle of demo cratic majority, however slender, was one of the main attractions of an otherwise, what are to some circles, a Udaras Bill which Fianna Fail and Denis Gallagher introduced on the strength of their 1977 election manifesto after almost a decade of delay and dis appointment about the establishment of the Udaras. IMPRESSIVE SCHEME Even this modest de velopment of the old Gaeltarra arrangement for Gaeltacht development was hotly contested within the Cabinet but Mr. Gallagher finally got his way following strong support from the Tanaiste George Colley and West Galway's Robert Molloy who, like Mr. Gallagher was dropped from the Cabinet after Mr. Colley's defeat in the Fianna Fail succession race. Just how long drawn out the Udaras controversy has been can be seen from the fact that back in the late 1960s, Mr. O Morain served on Comhairle na Gaeilge, under the Chairmanship of Noel Mulcahy--a body which was appointed by the then Minister for Finance, Charles J. Haughey, to advise the Government on language matters. It was this Comhairle which drew up the impressive blueprint for separate electoral areas for the Gaeltacht in local elections with the Gaeltacht Councillors from each Gaeltacht than coming together in a national "Comhairle na Gaeltachta."

This impressive scheme, proposed in 1971, was shelved by Mr. Colley who had become Minister for Finance following the Arms Crisis, while retaining responsibility for the Gael tacht, and has not been implemented since. The only rejection of the latest O Morain pronounce ment has come from Padraig O Ceallaigh, of Fal Carrach, Co. Donegal, who was elected on the Blaney ticket to the Udaras in December last, and who may be a candidate in the forth c o m i n g b y - e l e c t i o n in Donegal. Interestingly, Mr. O Ceallaigh was also a Haughey nominee on Comhairle na Gaeilge, and served with Mr. O Morain on that body under the C h a i r m a n s h i p of Noel Mulcahy (now a Fianna Fail Senator) in the pre-Arms Crisis days. FLIGHTS OF FANCY While some well-placed rumours about recommen dations to close the entire railway services to the Sligo/Mayo and Galway western areas are flying, the in-fighting to be first with the news about a rash of airports being proposed for the same region is occupy ing the minds of many politicians. It has been suggested that Transport Minister of State, Castlebar's Padraig Flynn has been selected by the Taoiseach to out-point Donegal Republican Neil Blaney by pressing ahead with plans for an airport for Letterkenny to serve the north west region, including Derry, to be announced in time for the Donegal byelection. Deputy Blaney has also suggested publicly that an airport for the north-' west should a top E.E.C. regional fund priority, though it is unlikely that this was the only item he discussed with Mr. Flynn during the course of a long conversation thay had at

this year's Connacht foot ball final--a fortnight before Blaney announced that he was not, after all, going ahead with a new party in the west. Down on Mr. Flynn's doorstep, the unflappable Canon James Horan, parish priest of Knock, is pursuing the case for an airport in East Mayo with vigour, and availed of the attendance of high-powered political brass at the recent funeral of the two murdered Gardai to have a quiet word in the ear of the Taoiseach, former Taoiseach, leader of Fine Gael, etc. about the report prepared by Transportation Analysis International Ltd. The reaction, even on the sad occasion, was said to be quite positive. Meanwhile Sligo has been pressing ahead with its own airport plans and Cabinet member Ray M c Sharry is glad that so far the local response for financial contributions to enable immediate payment of initial grants has been so positive. No wonder the trains cannot be expected to

make money in this part of the world! ONE FOR THE ROAD News from the North is seldom very encouraging these times. And while the following item may indicate expansion of a kind, we have an open mind as to whether it constitutes "progress" or not. In any case it appears that the small hilly Co. Tyrone village of Pomeroy is to have a new pub. With a population of 557, it already has 8 pubs. The new one will provide a ratio of 1 pub per 80 residents. Is this a record, or can readers give examples of even wetter ratios here in Co. Galway? We used to recall that some years ago the town of Knocklong in Co. Limerick had something of a reputation because it boasted of some 14 licensed premises. There were only three general shops in the village at the same time. Compiled by Nollaig O Gadhra

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