The Genie in the Camp
Genie Kelly
On a point of authorised disclosure this is not the first time the above ‘Genie in the Camp’ headline was used in this newspaper?! Ahead of Éire Óg’s 1996 St Patrick’s Day All-Ireland Club football final tilt with Laune Rangers ‘The Nationalist’ published a special supplement and under that same headline was carried an interview with the Carlow champions club chairman: “Only his wife and the taxman knows him as Eugene Kelly,” opened sports editor Paul Donaghy. “To the thousands who enjoyed his crouching style of football he was Genie, the Éire Óg and Carlow midfielder who helped the YIs to six SFC titles.”
The same interview revealed Genie was Limerick born of a Carlow father and a Limerick mother but in Carlow since he was four. We also learned he admired the present team when he compared it with those he graced up to four decades ago. “In my time we were struggling to get the players into the training field two weeks before a semi-final. These lads have been training solidly for four years.”
The best team he was involved with was that of ’62 which defeated the O’Hanrahans in the final. “They had beaten us by double scores the previous year,” stated Genie, which brings us to another previously published article, this one penned by your scribe as part of this newspapers ‘Classic Photo’ series when that 1962 team was the picture under review.
A defining game in the annals of Carlow GAA history would not be an over exaggerating way to describe the 1962 Carlow Senior Football Championship final. A town derby for the second year in a row, Éire Óg, the new kids on the block, just six years in existence, against O’Hanrahans, the traditional giants, honour laden, and on the go since 1921. Éire Óg had won the JFC in 1958, the senior with a new flamboyant brand of football two years later, the red army were on the march. But the Blues too were stung into action, determined to quell the red revolution, and how O’Hanrahans cherished their 3-13 to 2-5 victory over Éire Óg in the 1961 county final. The old order restored. That final featured brother against brother, captured the notice of the daily papers, but it was the 1962 final meeting of the town rivals that would have more far reaching effects. The Blues were red hot favourites to frank the form and another crushing defeat for the YIs would test the resolve and loyalty of a still infant club. Victory, on the other hand, would be the crowing glory for Éire Óg’s founding fathers, establish them as a real force and that is exactly what happened, red beating blue 5-5 to 1-7 in a thrilling final.
‘The Nationalist’ report tells us: “Éire Óg’s star players were undoubtedly Genie Kelly and ‘Cran’ Hogan. Genie, operating around mid-field, gave a devastating performance and his soloes were a treat to watch, causing havoc with the Blues defence. Hogan, at full-back, was the anchor of the defence inn which JJ Kinsella. Tommy Murphy (later injured) and Lar Darcy were outstanding. A special word of praise must go to county minor Leo Farrell, who substituted for injured Frank Power. His display was perfect. Shots from, Doogue, on which a lesser goalie would fall, were taken expertly.” ‘Cran’ Hogan sent a bullet-like shot to the net from an early penalty as Éire Óg raced into an early 1-4 to 0-0 advantage. O’Hanrahan’s through rallied strongly and with Ned Doogue scoring a great goal with a shot to the corner, the Blues actually went 1-5 to 1-4 in front before a Vinny Harvey free tied the town rivals at the break. The second half was unusual in that Éire Óg failed to raise a single white flag yet won the match. Four cracking goals, two from Martin Brophy, another from Pa Joe Hogan (a superb individual effort as evaded two tacklers to punch the ball into the rigging) and the clincher from Jim Byrne sparked off hectic Éire Óg celebrations.
We stay with previously published articles to relay the story of Éire Óg’s early days and dip into an interview this scribe conducted with Vinny Harvey: “But for the fact that the official Wicklow GAA history was there before him, ’The Leather’s Echo’ would indeed be an apt title for a book on the life and times of Vinny Harvey. The ‘Have’ was there from the very start, a founder member of Éire Óg, and recalled with remarkable clarity the chain of events that saw himself and a group of like-minded youths subscribe a 2/6 a week for a fortnight so as the purchase a football. “A group of us teenagers would gather in Pert Nolan's field of an evening and borrow a football from a man who lived nearby and who minded the ball belonging to the established club. However it came to pass that for three weeks in a row the ball the ball wasn't let out and while we moaned and muttered Bill O’Brien, one of the elders who played cards while we played football, suggested paying a half-a-crown a week for a couple of weeks so as to purchase our own ball and Bill volunteered to mind the money”.
With the money collected, it was a enthusiastic bunch of boys who headed down Green Lane into Doyle's of the Shamrock Square to procure the brand new leather and passed the ball from man to man as they made their way back up to their ‘field of dreams’, littered though it was with broken bottles, ashes and a fair number of potholes. Among the budding footballers who made that fateful trip to buy the leather were Jimmy Byrne, Pa Joe Hogan, Bollum Hogan, Vinny Harvey, Genie Kelly, Yank Connors, Jimmy Travers, Paddy Travers and Mick Kelly.” How the echo of that first Éire Óg leather echoes to this day. Yes, Genie Kelly was among those pioneering young footballers and on Friday morning last his Éire Óg family and his actual family bade farewell to, in the words of the club itself, “arguably the greatest Éire Óg person since its foundation.”
Seamus O’Donoghue’s erudite eulogy and the spontaneous round of applause from the guard of honour as Genie embarked on his final journey spoke volumes for the esteem it which he was held by those steeped in the red and white.
Having won a MFL medal with a fledgling Éire Óg in 1956, then a JFC medal in 1958, Genie’s Carlow SFC career spanned the decade 1959 to 1969 during which time he played in 7 county finals, winning six medals - 1960, 1962, 1965, 1967, 1968 and 1969. The fact that Genie lined out at mid-field in all those games is a clear indication that his work-rate, intelligence and consistency in the engine-room was, literally, central to the town club’s successes.
Genie Kelly was part of a very good Carlow minor team who contested the 1957 Leinster MFC semi-final, losing narrowly to a highly rated Offaly team in Croke Park having earlier beaten Kilkenny, Louth and Wexford (the latter game also in Croke Park) to reach the last four. Not surprisingly Genie lined out at mid-field with those U-18s. He made his inter-county senior debut in 1958, coming on as a sub against Laois in an O’Byrne Cup game in O’Moore Park, Portlaoise and matching wits with the great Jack Kenna, “a real baptism of fire”. His swansong with the county was also as a sub, coming on against Wicklow in Gorey in the opening round of the 1969 Leinster SFC. In all the Éire Óg clubman made 42 senior appearances in the red, yellow and green - 47 if you include games played in the prestigious Players Wills tournament in Finglas, a tournament Carlow won in 1962 when beating Ulster champions Cavan (in a replay) and Leinster champions Dublin in the final, Genie a star at, yes, midfield. He was also in the centre of the field when Carlow contested the O’Byrne Cup final in 1964, losing to Westmeath having beaten Kildare, Laois and Longford. Genie was on the Carlow panel for the 1961-62 NFL semi-final ratting of All-Ireland champions Down.
Genie Kelly in his 47 Carlow senior appearances scored 2-8. The story of his two goals makes for interesting reading. His first green flag came in Croke Park, a NFL play-off against Kildare on March 6, 1966, a game the Lily Whites won well but in the last minute Genie rose high to punch a PJ Brennan cross to the net, thus joining the elite rank of Carlow men who have scored a goal in GAA headquarters. His second goal would also feature in an elite rank, a goal against Wicklow in Aughrim! And a goal that helped steer Carlow to victory. Charlie Keegan’s match report of that game, played on November 19, 1967 tells us “Carlow went five points clear when Ben Hennessy centred for club-mate Genie Kelly to box home a superb effort which left Andy Philips {a famous Railway Cup net guardian) motionless on his goal line.” So neither of Genie’s goals involved use of the boot!
Pearses, the minor branch of Carlow Hurling Club, won the league and championship double in 1957 and in this newspaper’s report of the town club’s championship final victory over St Mullins we read “Pa Joe Hogan and Genie Kelly combined well around midfield to give Pearses attack plenty of ball.”
Deepest sympathy to Genie’s wife Fran, sons Stephen and Robert, daughter Karen, her husband Paul, children, grand-children and great grand-children and to his many loyal friends and the entire Éire Óg fraternity.
