Waving ‘Old Glory’ for St Colman’s College

The red and white flags of St Colman’s College are flourishing around Claremorris and neighbouring clubs these day as the All-Ireland final draws near.

The sense of excitement and pride is palpable ahead of the big showdown with St Patrick’s of Maghera in Croke Park on Monday.

WATCH: Footage from St Colman’s College 1977 Hogan Cup win

A new generation carries the old torch of a proud school that opened its doors for the first time just days before the end of World War 2 in 1945. Memories of winning the title in 1977 have been revived in the days since the current crop defeated Coláiste Mhuire, Mullingar, in the semi-final and on St Patrick's Day, they will become the first team from St Colman’s to play in a final in Croke Park.

The 1977 team, captained by Eugene Macken, won the Hogan Cup for the first and only time in the long and proud history of the Claremorris College.

Around four years ago, a video recording of highlights of that win over Carmelite College, Moate, surfaced and generated a lot of interest. The game attracted several thousand people to Hyde Park in Roscommon with Colman’s emerging winners by a single point, 1-11 to 1-10.

The 23 minute segment featured a package compiled by RTÉ at the time. The excellent commentary was by a young Jim Carney from Milltown who later went on to host The Sunday Game and do several big game commentaries for the national broadcaster. Jim served as Sports Editor with The Tuam Herald until his retirement in recent years.

Jim, who said he was ‘gobsmacked’ to see the footage after all the years, recalled that it was shot on one camera and that it still looks great.

“The 1977 Hogan Cup final against Carmelite, Moate, was a magnificent contest: an hour of fast, skilful, fair and honest football. It took a huge collective effort by St Colman's to win it and, no doubt about it, it was teamwork that did it,” he said.

“No man shirked his duty and all put a sturdy shoulder to the wheel. There was no hiding place and everybody volunteered to stand up and fight.

“I was back at Hyde Park in 1981 for the Hogan Cup final when Michael Lynam's last-gasp penalty cruelly broke Claremorris hearts and Moate snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. So, on reflection now, it was even more important that the heroes of '77 put their school's name on the Hogan Cup Roll of Honour.

“If I sounded a little extra excited in the '77 commentary, perhaps it was the fantastic buzz I got from watching two lads from my own parish (Milltown), Pádraig Coyne and Aidan Varley, win Hogan Cup medals; two great lads - from two great families - and I'm very proud of cousie and Aidan.

"That's just personal; it's not that I single them out from their team-mates; the victory was a collective effort.”

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In the words of The Sawdoctors song, ‘Galway and Mayo,’ it was a ‘different world back then’ and heaven really was a game of football. The dance hall scene was still in full flow and singers and bands like Big Tom, Joe Dolan, Gina, Dale Haze and The Champions, Roly Daniels, The Memories, Tweed, Gene Stuart and The Homesteaders, The Indians and so many others, were still packing the halls and marquees.

Among the number one hits in the Irish Top 20 in 1977 were Living Next Door To Alice (Smokie), Don’t Cry For Me Argentina (Julie Covington), Knowing Me Knowing You (ABBA), Back Home Again (Dickie Rock), I Need You (Joe Dolan) and Big Tom Is Still The King (Susan McCann), the lyrics of which I penned one night in the midlands.

I was working with the Bank of Ireland in Abbeyleix at that time and Con Houlihan from Kerry, the finest sports writer ever to grace the island of Ireland, was our ‘God’. His Monday, Wednesday and Friday evening columns on the back page of The Evening Press were our weekly sermons and Mary and Loughlin Moran in the newspaper shop across the road from the bank always ensured they held copies for me.

They were salt of the earth Laois people with hurling and GAA coursing through their veins.  

Our side of the parish in Cloonmore had a closer affinity with Kiltimagh in our primary school days. Cuiltybo NS was less than three miles from Kiltimagh while Claremorris was seven and over the hill in Barnacarroll.

Having two aunts with small pubs in Kiltimagh meant that a week or two each summer was spent in the town and it was where I made many lifelong friends that endure to this day.

The advent of secondary school days saw Claremorris come into focus in a new way. With the exception of a few from Ballyfarna and Murneen schools, I hardly knew anyone in St Colman’s on my first day in the college.

One of my earliest memories was when we were ‘paired’ off for the double seats in the classroom and I was partnered with Gerry Heneghan from Creeveshill, Irishtown. He said to me: “How ya, scan!?” It was the first time I had ever heard the word that was such an integral part of the local lexicon in the Irishtown, Ballindine and Milltown areas. 

Gerry later went on to St Pat’s in Drumcondra and became principal of a school in Milltown, Dublin. He retired around five years ago. To this day when he calls me, he still opens with the greeting, ‘How ya, scan?!” Old friends are best.

There was no getting away from the Gaelic football culture of St Colman’s College. We were immersed in it from the outset. Noel Higgins captaining the college to their first Connacht senior title in 1970 and Eugene Macken raising the Hogan Cup in 1977 were great moments as was John Finn leading the team of 1981 to the All Ireland Final only to lose to an injury time penalty goal.

My memory of that day is of all of us ready to race on to the pitch with Fr Michael Lyons, Tony Geraghty and all involved with the team to acclaim our heroes when the referee awarded a penalty to Moate deep in injury time with us two points ahead. It took some time for the heartbreak to subside.

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John Finn later went on to win five senior Connacht titles with Mayo and played in the All Ireland semi final against Dublin in 1985 where he received a broken jaw in a highly controversial incident. He was also a leading member of the Mayo team that reached the All Ireland Final against Cork in 1989 for the first time since 1951.

In 2007, a few of us past pupils of St Colman’s gathered in Kilbannon near Tuam where Fr Michael Lyons had just retired as a priest in the parish at the time. It was a magic night full of laughter and the loveliest of memories.

Fr Lyons was our science teacher in the college and later went on to become principal. I think it is fair to say that this genial son of Moylough in Galway was universally loved by every pupil who sat in his classes. He was affectionately known as “Mickey” and was certainly a huge favourite with us all.

On that night in Kilbannon, we recalled with much affection the golden era of St Colman’s and the Connacht Colleges Senior ‘A’ titles in 1970, 1977 and 1981. The teams were captained by Noel Higgins, Eugene Macken and John Finn and all three were present on this special night in Kilbannon where we were also joined by Ger Conroy and ‘Tick’ and Pat Higgins.

We were blessed with many fine teachers who were part of our journey through those times and in later life, some who have sadly departed these shores with the passing time. We also lost some classmates along the way including my good friend Frank Farragher from Garrymore who died in a road accident in Switzerland where he was residing at the time.

He was a brother of TJ, our biology teacher, who died suddenly in 2004, and an uncle of the current Minister for Finance, Jack Chambers.

The love for the red and white is there in the hearts of so many of us who passed through those gates. Every now and then memories are rekindled in various ways akin to dropping an anchor or finding safe harbour.

We delight at the achievements of past pupils of the school and the exploits of those going through the college each year. At the end of the day, it truly does come down to a sense of place.

Eighty years on from the opening of this school, we are still proud to wave our “Old Glory” every time we get the chance. St Colman’s abu!

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