Three generations of the Gordon family and the Provincial Towns Cup

The Carlow hooker readily admits it. Evan Gordon would love to become the third generation of the Gordon family to win a Provincial Towns Cup medal. His grandfather, Gerry, won one in 1977. His father, Barry, has four medals accumulated with the successful Carlow team of the nineties. His uncle, Vinny, also won a medal in that golden era with the Oak Park club. Uncle Alan, may not have a firsts medal but he was very much part of that era and has two seconds final wins to his name.

Evan says he is well aware what is at stake and his heart does skip a beat occasionally when he contemplates what is on the line. A little bit apprehensive he agrees but he says these are “good nerves.” “Of course there is pressure. I know that. I am like a broken record. Gerry has one. He (Barry) has four. I need one. It is an aspiration I have,” he says.

Evan points out that Carlow have been knocking on the door for the last number of years.

“It is the first year that we have a real chance. I remember ten years ago we couldn’t win a first round game but over the last three years we have got to a semi, a quarter and now a final.” Carlow have been an enigma this season. One day they look like world-beaters. The following week, they fail to produce.

“It has been our downfall this year. The Wexford promotion-relegation play-off was a game we should have won. We didn’t deserve to be relegated,” the youngest of the Gordons suggests.

Looking back over the years, apart from one year, there were relatively few set-backs for Evan’s father, where Barry featured on the Carlow 1992 team that went on to win three consecutive Provincial Towns Cups. They failed to do a fourth in a row but came back and added two more Leinster pennants before going senior. Barry was captain but had broken his leg when Carlow won their third final on the trot.

There is a story in itself as to how Carlow came to that wonderful era. Having lost a Towns Cup final in 1990, the Carlow Executive decided to bring in an outside coach for the 1991-92 season. Barry remembers what the new man brought to the club.

“Jim Lowry was a great coach. We knew about the opposition before every match. We knew what foot kickers would kick with. Jim used to have lads looking at the opposition. Roger Patterson used to go to other matches. Whoever we drew in the cup, Roger would go and watch them the week before. He would come back with a list of names and knew their weaknesses and strengths. On Tuesday night, Jim would have a white board, have their opposition team named out and told us what we had to do. We did lots of running. We were very fit,” says Barry.

The new coach struggled himself at times because the farmers, before they turned up for training for a new season, had to look after matters at home. Lowry tore his hair out but he discovered that when the farmers made themselves available their strength and conditioning was as good as those players who had been training for the previous six weeks.

“On a match day we were not allowed to eat certain foods but Trevor Atkinson and Albert Edgehill were allowed to have their bacon and cabbage,” joked Barry.

And what did it mean to him to emulate his late father, Gerry, and go on and win four times.

“Brilliant,” says Barry. Of course he couldn’t leave it at that and with a broad grin he said.

“Got one up on him.” Barry’s parents, Maureen and Gerry. married on the 19th July 1961. He had played football, hurling, rugby and handball in the Air Corps. Initially they settled in Graiguecullen where Gerry featured on the Graiguecullen team which won the Laois senior football championship title in 1965. The couple then moved to the house where Maureen still lives in Rutland, Bennekerry. It was here where Gerry ran his own engineering business.

“He was a slight fella at 17. When he went to the Air Corps they fed him steak every day and currant cake on a Friday because he wouldn’t eat meat that day,” she related.

Surely Maureen was exaggerating?

“No,” she said. “That is true.” Gerry only went back to rugby in the seventies. He made an instant impact.

“The first time he played rugby in Carlow he played with the seconds and he did so well, he was on the firsts the following week,” said his proud wife.

He was in his forties when he played in the front row for Carlow when they won the Provincial Towns Cup in 1977.

“Whole families never won a Towns Cup and played it all their lives,” said Maureen who, long before she became involved herself, recalls being encouraged to come up to the club by her husband. She was nervous.

“First time I went up and remember driving up under the arch. I said to Gerry, I would rather go somewhere else. I knew nobody. I remember Griffith Bailey and Bob Ringwood took me under their wings and treated me very well. They made me very welcome,” she recalled.

Maureen and her husband became that welcoming voice in Carlow Rugby Club. He was elected President for the 1982-83 season and it was a proud day for the Gordon family when Maureen assumed the role in 2009. She was very much part of that successful era for the club when they played in division one of the All-Ireland League.

“I loved the matches, I loved rugby. It was just a great time.” Gerry passed away in 2018. His loss is still keenly felt but the entire Gordon family still feed off what he brought to all their lives While Evan admits he is keyed up, Maureen says her husband took winning and losing in his stride.

“Gerry was never nervous. He loved playing rugby. He loved winning but when he lost, it was never huge for him. He loved the game.

“I remember he lost a game, I think against Enniscorthy, and the team were in the dressing room afterwards with their heads in their hands. Gerry came in, sat down and he told the lads they would win it next year. He told me they nearly threw him out of the dressing room. He took winning well and didn’t mind taking the odd loss.” The Towns Cup win for Gerry was indeed special.

“1977 was a great year. Gerry is always here. He is in the middle of it all. He loved playing rugby. Rugby was huge for him.” Rugby is still part of the glue which cements the Gordon family together.

“Every time we sat down at the table, we talked rugby. Rugby was the whole thing,” says Maureen who agrees the spirit of Gerry is with them in whatever they do.

“I am all Gerry. Every time Evan comes in to see me, he has to listen to stories about Gerry. He won two fifths (Coonan) Cups. Making the Towns Cups was brilliant but he did enjoy those ones and played until he was 55. It was time to retire then.” She admits she can go on a little bit too much when she talks about her late husband.

“I was just thinking there. You need to shut me up. I could talk about Gerry for hours.” And so it is back to Evan and his hopes for Sunday.

The hard work has been done. How the opposition is likely to play has also been noted. The players will be nervous but are clear in their minds what they must do to bridge a 28 year gap to when Carlow last won a Provincial Towns Cup. History beckons.