Story of the first Carlow SFC
The first Carlow Football Championship medals of 1889.
With the GAA in its infancy, the first staging of the Carlow Senior Football Championship in 1889 was a major undertaking, 15 enthusiastic teams setting out in pursuit of the coveted silver medals.
This week, on the day ‘The Nationalist’ publish our ‘Every Kick of the Ball’ supplement charting the history of the competition, we delve into the archive to bring readers the story of that first ever championship.
That we can give the Ballon O'Gorman Mahons, the pioneering legends of 136 years ago, the first ever county champions, a deserved place beneath the sporting spotlight is thanks to Pat O'Neill, a former Editor of 'Carloviana'. Pat, who himself is a native of the Ballon area, penned a detailed article on the 1889 championship in his excellent 2009 edition.
On the front cover were the excellent photos of the first medal, which we reproduce here today.
On Sunday, March 3, 1889 at the then famed Ballybar Racecourse, the first ever Carlow Senior Football Championship match took place with Carlow (Town) beating Donore by 0-1 to 0-0. The match was refereed by the chairman of the Co Board, EJ Doyle.
On Sunday, March 10 the Co Board staged a SFC treble-bill in Ballon. Aghade Street Volunteers beat Nurney 0-5 to 0-2, a game reported as containing "no rough play whatsoever." Next into the fray were Clonegal Rapperees and Grange Pride of Erin who drew 0-3 apiece but Clonegal lodged an objection to one of the Grange points scored at the end of the first half.
It seems that the referee awarded Grange a free kick and when it was taken blew time and the Clonegal players maintained they stopped playing when they heard the whistle. Tullow Stars and Stripes were leading Ticknock Gladstones when the referee called a halt as the crowd encroached on to the field.
On that same Sunday in Carlow, Carlow beat Ballybar by 4-7 to 0-0, the town sides second victory on successive Sundays.
At a Co Board meeting at the end of March the Clonegal v Grange and Tullow v Ticknock matches was ordered to be replayed.
On Sunday, March 24 in Tullow, the Co Board staged another SFC treble-bill. Eventual champions Ballon O'Gorman Mahons beat Myshall 0-3 to 0-2 in the opening joust, then Rathvilly inched out Tinryland 1-2 to 1-0. The Clonmore v Hacketstown local derby was not finished. Fr Lawler gave a colourful description of the match: "Play was impossible from the start, one highly excited individual shouting after fifteen minutes 'there are no bones broken, nor no men killed yet." Certainly the Quote of the first Championship! Both clubs were suspended from the competition at the following Co Board meeting.
On Sunday, April 14 the first round replay and re-fixture were scheduled for decision, Clonegal advancing by either beating Grange or receiving a walk-over (there was no report of a match) while in the Tullow v Ticknock contest 'the tie was awarded to Tullow', but no scoreline was given.
Two second round games involving teams not tied up in objections or appeals were next played off, the first on Sunday, April 7 in Grange when Rathvilly beat Carlow 1-0 to 0-2, the second on Sunday, April 14, the Ballon O'Gorman Mahons beating Aghade in Castlegrace though no scoreline was recorded. On Sunday, May 12 at Fenagh, Tullow Stars and Stripes beat Clonegal Rapparees 0-5 to 0-2 in the last of the second round games, a result which left just three teams in contention for the championship. The fact that both Clonmore and Hacketstown had been evicted from the championship in the board room meant that Ballon O'Gorman Mahons had no semi-final opponent and were through to the first county final.
The first ever Carlow SFC semi-final took place in Grange on Sunday, May 19 where the Tullow Stars and Stripes outscored Rathvilly 1-0 to 0-0, little other than that known about the match itself.
The Tullow Stars and Stripes, however, were not yet guaranteed a final place as they had to survive not one but two objections, both Clonegal, who they beat in the second round and semi-final victims Rathvilly lodging protests. On May 26th at a Co Board meeting it was learned that “the chief grounds for both objections was the violence and intimidation used by the Tullow crowd who are in the habit of following the team to matches. The committee, whilst strongly condemning the conduct of the Tullow outsiders, determined to uphold the referees decision.” FIRST CARLOW SFC FINAL
Where: Shamrock Hotel Ground When: Sunday June 9, 1889, 3 o'clock Admission: Three pence. The Shamrock Hotel stood on the site of the present Shamrock Plaza building and the playing pitch referred to as Paddocks was a field behind the Hotel, adjacent to St Patrick’s College.
Ballon O'Gorman Mahons 1-1 Tullow Stars and Stripes 0-0 On Sunday the final tie for the County Carlow Football Championship was played between Ballon and Tullow clubs. The affair was brought off at Carlow under the management of the Carlow club.
The ground, which is very nice and level, was roped in, and the players were quite free from the intrusion of outsiders who frequently cause much embarrassment to the contesting teams.
Indeed all the arrangements were admirable and reflect great credit on the members of the Carlow club. The greatest interest was centred on the event, and lovers of the manly pastime were present from all parts of the county. Mr F Stenson, Athy, was chosen to act as referee. Mr EJ Doyle was field umpire for Ballon; and Mr Murtha Rooney filled a similar position for Tullow.
Ballon won the toss and, of course, chose to play with the wind which was blowing pretty strong at the time. Immediately on the ball being thrown in the Ballon men rushed the ball up to their opponents goal, and very soon after, they kicked a goal. Before the conclusion of half-time they added a point to this score. After change of sides Tullow reversed the condition of affairs so far as keeping the ball up to their antagonists' goal went; but notwithstanding the most determined efforts on their part to score, they failed to do so, and the referee at the end of time declared Ballon the victors by the score mentioned to nil. The match was well contested all through and it was played in thorough accordance with the rules of the game. It is to be regretted that some of the partisans of either side did not imitate the conduct of the players. Immediately after the conclusion of the game a series of rows took place, and at one time it looked as if a riot was imminent. After some time, however, peace was restored and the crowd dispersed. An objection has been lodged to the decision of the referee by Tullow on the ground that the referee
disallowed a 40 yards kick, The matter will be considered by the county committee.
The Co Board met on Sunday June 16th when Tullow Stars and Stripes had five grounds of appeal to their County final objection. However these multiple objections did not seem to cut much ice with the Co Board as "after a lengthened discussion it was unanimously decided to uphold the referees decision and overrule the objections."
When the Carlow Co Board set up the championship in 1889 they decided that 'the players in the winning final team to receive a silver medal each'. One of these medals has the 136 years. It is owned by Seamus Cummins, Chapel Street, Ballon, whose Grand Uncle, Michael Fetherstone was a member of the Ballon team of 1889.. The medal is a silver cross with engravings on the centre both back and front. According to Fr Lawler it was minted by Hopkins Jewellers of O'Connell Street, Dublin. The engraving in the front centre reads 'County Carlow Football Championship 1889' and on the back simply 'Ballon Team'
In 1889 gaelic football was played by teams consisting of 21 players a-side and in his GAA history of Carlow, published in 1927, Fr Lawler lists the 21 Ballon players who took part in the final of that year. However this list does not include the name of Mick Fetherstone, the man whose medal illustrates this article As Fr Lawler wrote his account over 30 years after the game and probably relied on the recollection of locals, it was, by force, not an exact science The 21 players listed were: John Cummins (Capt), John Nolan, John Keegan, Michael McAssey, Tom Donohue, James Brien, John Maher, Patrick Kerins, James Kerins, Gal Donohue, John Kealy, James Byrne, Thomas Connors, John Gahan, Peter O'Neill, William Murphy, Thomas Nolan, Patrick Brien, Brian Flynn, Myles Nolan, Lar Byrne.
