TJ a cut above the rest while ladies complete full set
TJ Darcy taking a sideline cut.
When Conor Daly, Carlow’s tall refereeing recruit from Kildare, threw in the ball to get the recent Mount Leinster Rangers v Naomh Bríd Senior Hurling Championship game underway, he was, along with the players, setting a little bit of history rolling as well.
The 100th consecutive flagship hurling championship had just commenced, a major milestone, all the more major when you learn how the sporadic earlier efforts to establish the small ball code in Carlow had floundered badly.
While the GAA was founded in 1884 the first attempt to run a Carlow hurling championship did not come until 1903 when two Tullow clubs, Sons-of-the-Shamrock and Faugh-a-Ballagh along with Carlow town’s Shamrocks and Bagenalstown Volunteers affiliated teams but while semi-final draws were made and dates set there is nothing in the archives to suggest the games were played.
On Sunday, February 16, 1908 in the Patrician Field, Bagenalstown, the first official Carlow hurling championship took place. ‘The Nationalist’ preview of the game makes interesting reading.
“Gaeldom will be astir on Sunday next and the clouds of apathy, disunion and dis-organisation once more, let us hope, forever removed from the Gaelic fields of Carlow. Gaels of the county will assemble in their thousands to witness two great contests listed to take place at Bagenalstown, under the auspices of the Co Board.
“Carlow-Graigue and Tullow will line out for football laurels and the hurlers of Bagenalstown will cross camáns with the stalwarts of Graigue. The first match is advertised to commence at one o’clock, when Mr Christopher O’Phelan, Tullow, will whistle the hurling teams on to the playing pitch. The contest is certain to be productive of some fine play; and considering that it is one of the first games of hurling we have had in the county for many years it ought to attract a large gathering.
The Graigue men have about 12 months experience and have learned to wield the caman with much effect. Bagenalstown on the other hand may be said to be the ‘home of the hurler’ as far as Carlow is concerned and cannot therefore field an inferior seventeen. We have no doubt that whichever team wins, the match will be a good one, and conducted in a really Gaelic spirit.”
Bagenalstown beat Carlow-Graigue on an unknown scoreline. However, as was often the norm in those days, on an objection a re-fixture was ordered, which Graigue won. Given the February setting one suspects this was the 1907 championship but the entire competition was played in the calendar year 1908 and to all intents and purposes it was the ’08 championship. Old records credit Carlow-Graigue with the hurling championships of 1906, 1907 and 1908 but there wasn’t a ball pucked nor a draw made in ’06 while ’07, ’08 would appear to have morphed into the one championship.
To O’Donoghue’s Field in Clonegal went the honour of hosting the first Carlow hurling final when on Sunday, July 19, 1908 Carlow-Graigue beat St Patrick’s, Tullow, again, alas, no scoreline was recorded.
In the 18 years between 1909 and 1926 there were just five championships played – 1914, 1915, 1916 and 1920, 1921 – with the ’21 ‘event’ a two-team competition with one conceding a ‘final’ walk-over! In 1909 there had been one game played (in mid-November) before it was decided to abandon the competition. Three teams affiliated in 1923 but no record of games taking place can be found though a hurling medal from that year has surfaced.
On Sunday, September 18, 1927 the first game in a three-team league format Carlow Hurling Championship took place in St Mullins where the hosts were beaten 8-2 to 4-3 by Carlow Town. Bagenalstown were the third team in the competition and while it was originally decided to play the championship on a double-round system, home and away, it was left at one round after St Mullins had lost their opening two games. Thus on March 11, 1928 in Leighlinbridge (most likely Meaney’s field) the county final took place, Carlow Town, captained by Johnny Murphy, inching out Bagenalstown 2-3 to 1-4.
Every year since – apart from 1941 when a draw was made but the ‘foot and mouth epidemic prevented action – the Carlow Hurling Championship has taken place, a continuous century of clashing ash.
100 years on the go it may be but the Carlow hurling championship still provides plenty of ‘haven’t seen that before’ moments none more so than on Friday evening July 3 in Dr Cullen Park when Bagenalstown Gaels wee wizard TJ Darcy gave a perfect Joe Canning impersonation by brilliantly cutting two 30m line-balls over the Mount Leinster Rangers bar.
In the first half from the stand side-line he sent the sliotar sailing between the Deerpark End posts. In the second half from the terrace side-line he lofted the sliotar over the scoreboard end crossbar. It may well be the first time ever that a player has pointed two line-balls in a Carlow SHC match. Haven’t yet got the chance to verify the claim by consulting the archives and know Brendan Hayden, Pat Coady and John McDonald to name a few would have had that shot in their locker but maybe, just maybe TJ Darcy has created history?!
Because of this fantastic feat I asked Pat Ahern to get a snap of TJ in the Gaels game against Ballinkillen on Saturday evening in Dr Cullen Park, preferably taking a line-ball. Pat, fair play to him, captured him doing just that, a great shot of a great shot!
Every GAA child, boy and girl, dreams of playing in an All-Ireland final in Croke Park. Every GAA child, boy and girl, has turned their back garden into Croke Park and, be it with big ball or small, simulated scoring the winning goal in the All-Ireland final.
Not every GAA child, boy or girl, grows up to live their dream. And if your back garden has a Carlow address the chances of that dream becoming a reality would appear to be in the realms of complete fantasy.
However, after last Sunday’s dramatic in Breffni Park, Cavan, the Carlow ladies footballers not only clinched their place in the All-Ireland Junior final in Croke Park but by doing so completed the full set as now the county’s flagship football and hurling teams, the county’s flagship camogie team and the county’s flagship ladies football team have ALL reached Croke Park All-Ireland finals.
Not only that but Carlow clubs have also contested All-Ireland finals in Croke Park in hurling, football, camogie and ladies football. Another full set.
For the Doubting Thomas’ and Thomasina’s among you and mindful of the truism ‘there will never be another first’ let’s recall the historic Carlow Croke Park All-Ireland final firsts … County football: Sunday, November 9th, 1924, Carlow, captained by Barney Hennessy of Graiguecullen, played Tipperary in the 1923 All-Ireland Junior final. Alas Tipp’s second string prevailed 2-6 to 1-3 County hurling: Sunday, October 23, 1960, Carlow, captained by ‘Black’ Billy Walsh of St Mullins, played London in the All-Ireland Junior final replay, the drawn game having taken place cross-channel in New Eltham. Again, alas, Carlow lost 4-8 to 2-11.
St Patrick’s Day, March 17, 1993, (a Wednesday) Éire Óg from Carlow Town come oh so close to winning the All-Ireland Senior Club final, playing a thrilling 3-6 to 2-9 draw with Cork’s O’Donovan Rossa. The West Cork won the Limerick Gaelic Grounds replay 1-7 to 0-8.
Sunday, February 12, 2006, Erin’s Own of Bagenalstown, captained by Fergal Byrne contested the All-Ireland Club Junior final against Fr O’Neill’s, beaten 2-16 to 2-10 by the East Cork brigade.
Sunday, September 11, 2016, Carlow, led by joint captains Marion Doyle of Myshall and Teresa Meaney of Ballinkillen, were crowned All-Ireland Premier Junior champions, beating Armagh 4-10 to 2-7 in Club camogie: Sunday, March 5, 2007, Myshall, captained by Niamh Quirke are victorious in the All-Ireland Intermediate Club final, inching out Eglish of Tyrone 1-10 to 1-9.
Saturday, December 14, 2024 Bennekerry/Tinryland, captained by Shannen Cotter, win the All-Ireland Intermediate Club final, beating Annaghdown of Galway 2-10 to 1-7 Ladies County football: Sunday, August 2, 2026. Mark the date in your diary, book your tickets now. That’s the day the Carlow Ladies footballers, captained by Róisín Bailey of St Anne’s (Tullow, Grange/Ardattin), play Antrim in the All-Ireland Junior final, the little girls of the back gardens of yesteryear now women on a mission in the real Croke Park.
