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May. '11.
Owen Roe McGovern, the last surviving member of Cavan's 1947 Polo Ground winning All-Ireland team, has passed away.
The Swanlinbar native won two All-Irelands, two national football leagues and four Ulster titles during an illustrious career with the Breffni County.
Born in 1918, Owen Roe moved to Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1957 with his wife Philis. The 93-year-old was the sole surviving member of the famous Cavan team which defeated Kerry in 1947 to become the only group of players to win the Sam Maguire Cup outside the Irish borders - a record which stands to this day. During his inter-county playing career, Owen Roe won two National League titles, two All-Irelands and four Ulster championship crowns. He had come into a fit and young Cavan team for the first time at the seasoned age of 27, after winning an All-Ireland medal as a member of the Armed Forces football team and impressing alongside his brothers James and Joe with Swanlinbar in the county junior championships of previous years.
"I played my first game for Cavan in 1945 and the trainer was Hughie O'Reilly and he was a good one," Owen Roe quipped.
"It was great to be training alongside players like John Joe (O'Reilly) and Mick Higgins. I will never forget Mick in the '48 final. He scored a goal which came from the sideline and it put is ahead and we won the final against Mayo by a point. "That was a great time and it was a good team," he added.
In his first season with the team, Owen Roe helped Cavan to lift a seventh consecutive Anglo-Celt Cup - a record which firmly speaks for itself and went a long way towards underlining Cavan's status as the aristocrats of Ulster. The best was yet to come though.
While their attempts at an elusive eight-in-a-row of Ulster crowns was marginally disrupted by Antrim, the Breffni Blues came back strongly the following year and returned to the provincial decider, where they would avenge their defeat to the Saffrons by sending them back across the border after handing them a 3-4 to 1-6 defeat.
Hughie O'Reilly's men had proved that they were well able to bounce back after defeat and, as Owen Roe recalls, he had the players sharp and ready to go again when the time came to play the champions of Connacht, Roscommon, come the first Sunday that August.
Two goals helped sink the Rossies at Croke Park and send the Cavan players on a trip that they would forever carry in their memories and be remembered as immortals for in their home county afterwards.
"I travelled over by boat and it was a desperate hot day when we arrived," Owen Roe recalled of his arrival in 'The Big Apple'.
In the final, the kings of Munster, Kerry, met Ulster's finest in Cavan at the Polo Grounds in New York on September 14, 1947, and the rest, as they say, is history.
"We were a fit team and although Hughie O'Reilly was a strict trainer with us, he was still very good," said Owen Roe.
"I remember a lot about that day. Kerry got away to a big start and they got a couple of slippery goals at the beginning. Cavan were the younger team though and they came out on top in the end, winning by four points (2-11 to 2-7)."
As one could only imagine, the celebrations for such a unique occasion, with a huge Irish population in New York, must have been colossal.
Owen Roe McGovern had lived it.
"The celebrations were great afterwards," he stated. "We were wined and dined and never let buy a drink anywhere. There were a lot of people who wanted to celebrate with us and they all wanted us to come into their pub afterwards.
"There were big celebrations when we came home as well. We came back on The Queen Mary and when we arrived in Dublin the welcome we got was terrific. We got a bus down to Cavan and there was nothing to beat the celebrations."
As members of the team, Owen Roe and TP O'Reilly had headed the celebrations when they finally arrived back to Swanlinbar, which still goes down as one of the liveliest nights in the village's history.
The following year, and what was fast becoming a great Cavan side were on the path to All-Ireland glory again after they'd beaten Antrim for the second time in as many years to triumph in Ulster and then slayed Louth by 1-14 to 4-2 in the All-Ireland semi-final. Perhaps even more so than in '47, the team were led from the back by their gallant captain from Cornafean, John Joe O'Reilly.
Having defeated Kerry by a ten-point margin in their respective semi-final, Mayo entered the final against Cavan the fancied side in many peoples' minds at the time.
Both teams produced a thrilling finale at Croke Park, in which Owen Roe had come on as a second-half substitute in defence. Tied at 4-4 apiece with ten minutes to go, Peter Donohoe kicked the decisive point from a free and Mick Higgins blocked a Peadar Carney 14-metre free late on to make sure Cavan would hold on to the Sam Maguire Cup.
Twelve months later, Cavan were denied what would have been the first three-in-a-row of All-Ireland titles in the county's history when they lost out to Meath by four points in the final. Owen Roe started at left corner-back against the Royals and to this day recalls it as a game which Cavan "should have won".
Three years later the Breffni men - captained by their talismanic centre-forward Higgins - had their chance to avenge the defeat of '49 against their neighbours and took it, which, astonishingly, remains as their last appearance in an All-Ireland senior final.
Owen Roe was not a part of the winning side in '52, as by that point he had been playing his club football in Dublin with Clann na Gael. Into his mid-30s, he played at centre-back with the club and led them to Dublin SFC finals in '49 and '54 both of which the team lost to an awesome St Vincent's side which dominated senior football in the capital, winning eight county titles between the years 1948 and 1955.
Three years after his adopted club's latter defeat to the Dublin kingpins, Owen Roe made the trip across the Atlantic again, but this time there no plans to return.
"I moved over here in 1957 for the same reason as everyone else - to look for work," he put it simply
"I started a team called Elizabeth Gaels. We got to the championship final and lost it and I was 45 years of age playing, or trying to play should I say, on that team. We weren't a bad team now."
With the help of Gaelic games, Owen Roe adapted to life in New Jersey and would eventually buy the Morley and McGovern public house in Roselle Park, which he went on to own for many years.
He had been a regular visitor back home up until recent years, with his last visit coming in October 2004, when he was a special guest of honour at the centenary celebrations of the Swanlinbar St Mary's club at the Slieve Russell Hotel in Ballyconnell.
Always a Cavan man through and through, Owen Roe still does his best to keep up to date with what goes on back home. When asked what he thinks of the current county team, he quickly responds: "What's wrong with them?"; thus he can't be too far behind the news.
At the end of January, he learned of the passing of an old friend back home after a short-term illness.
"Mick Higgins and I were very great," he said. "In '48 he came into the half-back line during the final and when we needed him most he played hell. He was a great footballer.
"A friend of mine called me from Birmingham and told me about (the death of) Mick and I was very sad to hear it.
"I prayed for them all and they're all gone now.
"What a wonderful bunch…I have great memories of that Cavan team".
Owen Roe McGovern was born in Swanlinbar, Co Cavan in 1918 and moved to Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1957 with his wife Philis, who is a native of Dowra. They have three sons and one daughter.
Peter McKiernan, was a native of Swanlinbar, Co. Cavan and was a long time member of the Cavan club in NY and as a member of the NY GAA board of Officers. He passed away peacefully on October 15, 2009 and with his passing the Cavan Club lost one of their oldest and fondest members. Peter was one of a kind that will never be replaced. Up to his last days in hospital he was still inquiring about his friends in the Club "tell them all I was asking for them" and was disappointed not to be able to attend the New York Championship final between Cork and Down. You can bet he would have been sitting in his familiar spot underneath the clock in Gaelic Park with all of the regulars.
Peter was responsible for setting up the players' insurance policy for the NY GAA and worked tirelessly to help players complete their paperwork correctly and get refunded for medical costs. He was never seen around Gaelic Park without a brown envelope under his arm looking for a Club delegate in an attempt to resolve a player's insurance claim. He also was a great advocate for Irish emigrants helping to find them work and provide financial advice. Peter never missed a Cavan Club meeting, or a NY one and he was honored by both as a Guest of honor.
Peter's friends were many, as was evident the night of his wake. Old and young came out to pay tribute and pay their respects It was in the months and years that passed when the football season opened again that he was remembered and spoke of kindly and continually in and around Gaelic Park. It is in his honor that the Cavan club now hold the Annual Golf outing.
This year the outing will be held at Van Cortland Golf club in the Bronx. It will be held on Monday June 27th, 2011. After golf there will be a three hour open bar and reception at Danny Macs bar on McLean Avenue. where prices will be presented and the monster draw will also be held.
Apr. '11.
CONGRATS to our clubman Geróid Mc Kiernan and his CAVAN team mates who were crowned Ulster U-21 Champions on 13th April. Geróid was man of the match and captain of the Cavan Under 21's who received the Irish News Cup.He also picked up the Irish Independent 'Sports Star of the Week' award.
Nov '09.
Formal recognition for GPA
After a decade-long campaign, the Gaelic Players' Association was today finally granted official status by the GAA.
The historic announcement, which follows a series of discussions between the two bodies over the last two months, was made at the GAA's Games Development Conference in Croke Park.
In a statement, the GAA said at they are "pleased to announce that common ground has been found which safeguards and enshrines the GAA's amateur status while at the same time affording the GPA official status and recognition as the Association's player representative body."
Leading county board officers were briefed on the contents of the document this morning and the approval of the GAA's Central Council will be sought at its next meeting, which takes place on December 5.
Welcoming the groundbreaking development, GAA president Christy Cooney said: "This is an important day for the Association and one that I believe will lead to a brand new working relationship with the GPA, a body that has been in existence for the past 10 years.
"We are confident that we can forge a relationship with our inter-county players that will be for the betterment of the GAA as a whole.
"We have always been committed to our amateur and voluntary ethos and the belief structure that has underpinned the values at the heart of our Association.
"With these proposals we have stayed true to these ideals, while at the same time coming to a position that recognises the important role that our inter-county players play in the promotion and commercial well being of the Association.
"Our exchanges with the GPA have been frank and cordial and I think the progress that has been made is reflected in the agreement that we have reached.
"I acknowledge the role of everyone involved, but especially Turlough O'Donnell.
"This is the beginning of formalising the relationship between the two bodies and we look forward to building on this very important first step."
Gaelic Players' Association Chief Executive Dessie Farrell said: "Official recognition for the players' association will provide a platform on which the GAA and the GPA can work together to secure a better future for our games and our players.
"This interim arrangement is the culmination of years of hard work on both sides to establish trust and understanding.
"I would like to thank the many people within the GAA and GPA who contributed to that process to date and the players who strived to have their distinctive voice heard within the GAA."
Feb '09.
Following a proposal by the club at county convention Owen Roe McGovern has been elected as a Vice President of Cavan Co. Board. As Andy Kelly stated at the clubs AGM in Dec. '08 it's the 60th anniversary of his return to Swanlinbar with his National League ('48) and 1947 All Ireland medals.
Round One of the Hotel Kilmore Championships are set to get underway on June 11th/12th/13th, with the first and second named teams, as well as third and fourth, taking each other on.
In the case of a three-way group the third team gets a bye into the second round.
July '08.
Swanlinbar Ladies win the Div 4, 9-a-side, League final against Shannon Gaels in Corlough to add to their win in the quarter final of the Junior B championship. Well done girls!!.
Feile '08: Dernacrieve Gaels hosted St Loman's club from Westmeath over the Feile weekend which proved a great success. Everyone who was responsible for organising and putting up the team visitors must take great credit. All the visiting teams had a terrific weekend and will go home with great memories.
Cavan minor boss Mickey Graham believes that his side are a match for any in Ulster after the young Breffni men went down to Tyrone on Sunday with a brave second-half display to their credit.
Trailing by 1-6 to 0-3 at the break, Graham’s side fought back to take a one-point lead thanks to Kevin Tierney’s goal five minutes from time.
Three late unanswered points proved decisive in handing Tyrone a place in the Ulster MFC final, but Graham believes that the Cavan players will learn from the harsh experience."We went in at half-time and talked to the lads," said the Cavan Gaels clubman.
"We lost our way a bit. Some of the boys were a bit nervous, so we just asked them for an honest team effort in the second-half and we got that.
"We came here to day as underdogs, but I think we showed that we are as good as anyone as anyone else in the province, it’s just that Tyrone were that wee bit more experienced. But these boys will learn from this and they can keep their heads up."
June '08.
Cavan 0-14 .
Armagh 1-4
Cavan produced a gallant second-half display to take their place in the Ulster SFC semi-finals after defeating Armagh by seven points on Sunday in Kingspan Breffni Park.
A rebounded goal from Robbie Tasker was the difference in Armagh taking a one point lead at the interval with the scores at 0-5 to 1-3, in favour of the Orchard County.
Gearoid McKiernan levelled Cavan early on the second-half and from there on in it was the hosts who would put in an impressive performance to seal a provincial last four place.
A Niall Murray free gave the young Breffni men the lead for the first time in the game, which was backed up with white flags from Niall McDermott, Oisin Minagh and McKiernan.
The visitors only score of the half came five minutes from the end when a Rory Grugan free was the only score on his side’s behalf that troubled a stubborn Cavan defence, but by then Cavan would have had their thoughts on a semi-final place.
Cavan - A O’Meara; D Barkey, M Leddy, D Tighe; K Meehan, F Flanagan, C Smith (0-1); G McKiernan (0-3), O Minagh (0-1); N Murray (0-4) (3f), N McDermott (0-3) (1f), N Smith; B Reilly, K Tierney (0-1), R Maloney-Derham. Subs - C McClarey (0-1) for R Maloney-Derham (44), M Kelly for B Reilly (55), S Cooney for K Tierney (60)
May '08.
Congratulations to Gearoid McKiernan on his 'Man of the Match' display in the Cavan Minors Ulster Championship opener against Antrim.
Apr '08.
Congratulations to the Boys in 5th and 6th class at Scoil Mhuire and their trainer Declan Maguire who won the County Cavan Under 13 Indoor Hurling Final in Ballyconnell on Wednesday 16 April beating Kilnaleck Primary School. The team was Patrick Mc Govern, Gary Mc Govern, Cathal O' Sullivan, Greg Mc Govern, Brian Deering, John Mc Govern and John Joe Mc Govern.
Swanlinbar Ladies Gaelic Football Meeting A meeting was held in the clubrooms on Saturday 9th February and officers were elected as follows. Kieran Martin, Chairperson, Shona O Brien, Secretary and Agnes Mc Govern, Treasurer. It is hoped to enter a team for the coming season.
Dec '07.
During his address to the recent Cavan Co. Convention in Mullahoran the Chairman of the Cavan Co. Board Philip Smith informed the club delegates present that in 2008 they would be launching ’Club Breifne’.
They were well aware of the success of ’Club Tyrone’ and it was intended to have over 300 members making a contribution of €750 each to the development of Gaelic games in the county.
It will entitle members to gain entry to club and county games. There will be a launch night and a pre-game reception as well as the addition of a Club Breifne jacket. Co. Board clubs will be given first option to seek members. He added that they were confident that there would be good support for this initiative.
Sept '07.
Ulster Council keen to see club at ’hub of their local communities
The inaugural Club Development Conference will be held on October 20th at the Stormont Hotel in Belfast and is the latest move by the Ulster Council to push forward the development agenda and aims to empower clubs to push the GAA agenda at local government level as well as within their own communities.
"This conference is designed to help the club official get some information in terms of community development, securing funding and facilities, getting things done better in the club," said the Council’s Ryan Feeney."On top of that, we’ll able to be looking at the new things that are being done in the club, such as fundraising programmes, and if they have something that’s going well then they’ll share that experience with others."
June '07.
Scoil Mhuire: Congratulations to the girls team from St. Mary's National School who won the Cumman na nBun Scoil final in Breffni Park on Monday 18th by beating a very strong Gowna side in a tense thriller. Well done to Alana Maher on her "M.V.P." award. She and Holly McGovern have earned an appearance in Croke Park on All Ireland semi final day.
EAMON COLEMAN. R.I.P.
The President of the GAA, Mr Nickey Brennan, has paid tribute to the late Eamon Coleman, the former Derry manager who guided the County to their only senior All Ireland title in 1993. Mr Brennan described Eamon Coleman as an outstanding servant of the Association who left an indelible mark on the G.A.A nationally but on his native County of Derry in particular. He said: "Eamonn was initially renowned as a very talented footballer and won All Ireland medals with Derry at both U-21 and Minor as well as Ulster Championships at senior level. "When he entered management, he enjoyed unprecedented success and will always be remembered as the man who guided Derry to their historic success in 1993."
May '07.
Goal fest at Kingspan/Breffni Park
As predicted in pre-match reviews the meeting of Cavan and Down in the Ulster SFC preliminary round at Kingspan/Breffni Park, Cavan on Sunday, 13th of May was close, unpredictable and exciting. Both sides fancied their chances of getting a result, with Cavan holding the slight edge mainly because of a better league campaign and also home advantage.
For the football purists this championship game was hardly a classic as the teams defended badly, took wrong option at vital times and didn’t know how to kill off a game when in command. On the plus side, the respectable crowd of around 13,000-plus were treated to a game that goals for either side came in abundance, plus a thrilling last few minutes when first Down looked to have booked their first round proper place, then came the Cavan comeback and that Jonathan Crowe goal, and not to be outdone Ronan Murtagh came upfield from defence to earn the Mourne side a deserved second chance in Pairc Esler, Newry next Sunday with a face-saving equalising point. Final score – Cavan 2-11, Down 3-8.
Cavan, will be thankful for getting a second chance, although they had the game snatched from their grasp in those final minutes. They will be first to admit that they were too inconsistent in their play over the hour, and some of the defensive play was poor to say the least. If they can galvanise the defensive, get a greater supply of ball around the midfield area they still have the players in attack to hurt this Down defence.
Cavan – Jimmy Reilly; P. Brady, Eamon Reilly, M. Cahill; Michael Hannon, A. Forde, R. Flanagan; Dermot McCabe 0-2, 1 free, Lorcan Mulvey; Ray Cullivan, Mark McKeever, Larry Reilly 1-2; Seanie Johnston 0-1, Gerald Pierson 0-3, one free, Jason Reilly 0-2 both frees.
Subs – Cian Mackey for Sean Johnston; Nicholas Walsh for L. Mulvey; Sean Brady 0-1 for Pierson; Johnathan Crowe for Paul Brady.
Down – Mickey McVeigh; Dan McCartan, D. Rooney, K. McGuigan; Ronan Murtagh 0-2, B. Grant, John Clarke; D. Gordon 0-1, J. Lynch; J. McGovern 0-1 from a free, A. Carr, Ronan Sexton 2-0; Daniel Hughes, P. Downey, Benny Coulter 1-1.
Subs – Martin Cole 0-2 for J. Clarke; S. Kearney for J. McGovern; P. Murphy for J. Lynch; P. McComiskey 0-1 for D. Hughes.
April '07.
ROSCOMMON v CAVAN , Div 2 League Semi Final, Croke Park.Full-forward Ger Heneghan was the star of the show as Roscommon sauntered into next Sunday’s NFL Division Two final thanks to a well-merited 2-13 to 0-14 win over Cavan at
Corner forward Heneghan catapulted the Connachtmen into the lead with a fine goal after six minutes and then later added four points as Cavan chased the game with a distinct lack of conviction.
Manager John Maughan will be pleased by a fine all-round team effort but a late injury to midfielder Seamus O’Neill will not have caused him to smile.
Cavan huffed and puffed and were always in touch without ever really looking like gaining parity after Heneghan’s early major.
But the clear domination at midfield where O’Neill and Michael Finneran held sway proved pivotal to Roscommon’s ability to maintain their early lead ’till the death.
Even though Rory Gallagher notched three first half points from frees, Roscommon were good for their 2-6 to 0-6 interval lead thanks, in part, to a fine Cathal Cregg goal after Heneghan had eyed the latter’s darting run.
Cavan showed a lot of appetite for the fray after half-time and with Dermot McCabe and midfield partner Michael Brennan both finding the target early on, Roscommon’s lead didn’t look quite so secure.
And when Anthony Forde and Martin Cahill both swept up from the back to get themselves on the scoresheet, the Cavan fans had at last some real hope.
However the subsequent dismissal of midfielder Brennan for a second yellow card in the 52nd minute and some further classy play from Heneghan put paid to any lingering Cavan hopes of getting out of jail.
Bingo starting on Monday February 5 in the Hall at 9.00 p.m. - €2000 in prizes. €1000 must go on 10th game.
County Hurling Champions: Congratulations to the Scoil Mhuire school team who won the U -10 Indoor Hurling final at Virginia College. Team members were : Dylan O' Sullivan, Bhreifne Mc Kiernan, Brian Deering, Patrick Mc Goldrick, John Joe McGovern, John McGovern, Cathal O' Sullivan (Captain), Conor McGoldrick, Conor Gilheany, Ryan Malanaphy and Sean McGovern.
While the McKenna Cup win over Derry in
He was in the thick of the action from the off, finishing the game with three excellent points and was a constant thorn in the Derry defence with his strong-running and great appetite for work. No far behind him was the UCD and Castlerahan star, Sean Brady one of the more experienced players on the starting line-out in attack. Brady a son of former Cavan star, Tony was listed at full-forward but took up a roving commission and the
Another real plus for the Cavan management was the form of midfield substitute Lorcan Mulvey. The Butlersbridge youngster replaced the injured Darren Rabbitte after 22 minutes. He made his presence felt when he came into the fray, scoring two points from play – his first within two minutes of his introduction after a pass from Michael Brennan.
And it was a good night all round for East Cavan, when Noel Rodgers from Knockbride defeated Drumalee’s Tommy Lyons, the well-known referee and club official for the post of Vice-Chairman which was held for the past number of years by Pauric Mahon.
The Convention also appointed a new Assistant Secretary, Orla O’Reilly from the Redhills club replacing Patsy Barry from Bailieborough.
George Cartwright the outgoing Chairman is Cavan’s new Central Council delegate replacing the long-serving Phil Brady from Arva who stood down this year.
Annual Dinner Dance The Silver Jubilee of St Marys first League win in 1981 was celebrated in the Slieve Russell last Saturday 28th. It was a memorable occasion for the team of 1981 who each received a framed picture of the team. A DVD of the history of the clubs triumphs over the last 25 years was presented at the dinner dance and is available from Houlihan Computers Mobile 086 0879645 Price €10.
Impressive JFC final replay win for Swanlinbar
West Cavan side, Swanlinbar are the new Cavan JF champions for 2006, when on Sunday last, 8th of October they convincingly defeated Munterconnacht in the final replay at Kingspan/Breffni Park, Cavan on a scoreline of 0-18 to 0-9. Two weeks ago the sides met at the same venue in the drawn final and it took a late point from Swanlinbar’s Damien Leydon to give his side a second chance.
And you could say they took this second chance in impressive fashion turning in a great team performance highlighted by some excellent point scoring, for which their opponents Munterconnacht has no answer to. Midfielder Michael Cunningham and full-forward Robert Prior were the stars of the show for the West Cavan side with both players leading by example and contributing 12 points to the winning tally, 0-6 apiece.
Swanlinbar started the game on Sunday in lightning fashion and after five minutes play were ahead by four points to nil. The East Cavan side slowly but surely worked their way back into the game and at the break they trailed by five points – 0-9 to 0-4.
In a carbon copy of the opening half it was Swanlinbar who were first out of the blocks and increased their lead with a Michael Cunningham point. Munterconnacht made a brief comeback and two points from John McCabe gave their big following some hope as the half progressed. When it looked as if Munterconnacht could work their way back into the game, it was then we saw the real worth of this Swanlinbar side. They upped their work-rate all over the field, and scoring five points midway through the second-half were well on their way to a championship success. Munterconnacht true to form battled gamely, but on the day they had come up against superior opposition who were full of running to the final whistle.
In the closing ten minutes Swanlinbar took advantage of a tiring Munterconnacht side and added four more points to their tally for a convincing nine points win at the finish.
A great team effort by the winning side, who on the day were far superior to their opponents in all facets of the game. As their team-manager Dermot Smith remarked: “We peaked on the day, and the overall team performance was a credit to the players and the work they have put in over a long championship season. We can build on this success, and hopefully we will come back stronger again next season.’’
As for Munterconnacht it is a disappointing end to a championship season that had many highlights for them. They will be first to admit that they didn’t do themselves justice in this replay, but also acknowledged the team performance of the Swad side, and their hunger for success. They more than likely let it slip the first day, but they are basically a young side, and will be back again next season.
Swanlinbar – Gavin Leydon; Liam Prior, Thomas Prior, Seamus Corrigan; Neil McGovern, John Cunningham, Damien Leydon (0-2); Michael Cunningham (0-6), Gearoid McKiernan (0-1); Paul Prior, Kevin Brennan, Padraig Leydon; Mark Cunningham (0-2), Robert Prior (0-6), Rory McBarron.
Subs – Michael Curran for Gearoid McKiernan (56 mins.).
Munterconnacht – Shane Roache; Jim Gilsenan, Donal Heerey (0-1), Declan Hetherton; Peter Cullen, Terry McCabe, Jamie Hetherton; Thomas Brady, Danny Nolan; Stephen Sheridan (0-3), Brian Cullen, Enda Yore; Shane O’Reilly, John McCabe (0-3), Darragh Carroll (0-2).
Subs – Mark Flynn for Shane O’Reilly (42 minutes), Val Yore for Terry McCabe (51 minutes). Brendan Plunkett for Darragh Carroll, injured after 56 minutes
Referee – Jimmy Galligan, Killygarry.
Despite the conditions both sides ’rose to the occasion’ and the crowd were treated to an excellent game of football, which held their interest to the final whistle. The West Cavan side, Dernacrieve had the better of the opening half and were good value for their 0-5 to 0-2 lead at the interval.
With the wind at their backs in the second-half it was Killygarry who forced the pace, and despite the best efforts of a gallant Dernacrieve side they dominated play. In the closing minutes the Killygarry side got the ’breaks’ with two late goals which gave them the title, but they will be first to admit that the Dernacrieve side made them battle all the way.
This was a very sporting game played in a good spirit by players and mentors from both sides. There was also a very lively supporting crowd in the stand to support their teams. Killygarry have come through some tough encounters during the season to win this title and Dernacrieve was one of these. This team fought admirably throughout and their best performers were Chris Curran and Gearóid McKiernan.
It was a cruel way to loose a final but the U-16 Dernacrieve panel did exceptionally well to reach it in the fist place.
Dernacrieve Gaels – Mark Maguire; Thomas O’Brien, Adrian Martin; Damien McGovern, Donal McGovern, Cian Feehan; Chris Curran (0-2), Cathal Martin (0-1); Declan Gilheany, Kevin McGovern (0-1), Brian McAveety; Gearóid McKiernan (0-3), Paul O’Brien.
The Breffni County were made to wait for this game but the delay seemed to give them little difficulty as Larry Reilly’s goal had them 1-03 to 0-01 to the good early on.
The home fans at that stage must were fearing the worst but Ronan Sweeney hit back with a goal for the Lilywhites which was the start of a great scoring run.
For the remainder of the half Kildare outscored the visitors by nine points to two, with the influential John Doyle (0-4) at the heart of most of the Leinster side’s best moves.
Those scores left it 1-10 to 1-5 at the break and the sides exchanged points on the resumption.
Cavan enjoyed their best spell in the third quarter as Seanie Johnston’s scoring prowess helped them narrow the gap to just two points on a host of occasions.
However, every time Cavan looked like making it a one point game, Kildare had the ability to pick off points. In the end the potency of the home attack was the difference between the sides as a run of late scores guaranteed them a five point win.
Cavan: J Reilly, M Hannon, A Gaynor, K Fannin, M Cahill 0-1, A Forde 0-1, C Collins, D McCabe, L Mulvey, M McKeever, S Brady 0-1, M Brides, L Reilly 1-0, E O’Reilly 0-1, S Johnston 0-6. Subs: R Flanagan 0-1 for Brides, E King for Mulvey, J O’Reilly 0-2 for McKeever, P Reilly for Cahill, J Jordan for Gaynor.
May '06.
Cavan crash out to Down in Casement Park and now must regroup for the qualifiers and hope the back door brings them more sucess.
April '06.Official opening of St. Mary's Park, Swanlinbar on Easter Monday 17th. April. See 'Picture Gallery' for more. A double DVD made up of clips from video tapes old and new is available now. Ask committee members for details.
Tough luck to the Dernacrieve Gaels U-16 team who contested the Div 3 Championship Final against Redhills on Sat 15th in Breffni Park. Having played some excellent football to reach the final they came up against a very strong Redhills side and never really clicked on the day. After a high-scoring and interesting contest Redhills came away with the honours on a 5-13 to 3-7 scoreline.
Redhills dominated the opening half and were good valued for their 3-5 to 1-4 lead at the interval. During this period the Dernacrieve side had plenty of possession but found scores hard to come by at times.
With the wind at their backs in the second-half and confidence high, Redhills upped the pace of their game, and the Dernacrieve side were under real pressure. In the end, the scores had to come, and with ten minutes of the game remaining the Redhills side were in command leading by 3-9 to 2-4. Dernacrieve then went in search of goals to cut the leeway, but were hit on the counter-attack as Redhills now with the finishing line in sight hit them for two soul-destroying goals from Rory Dunne and Mark Kelly, and there was no way back for the amalgamation side in the end.
Dernacrieve – C. Martin; Donal McGovern, Peter Prior; Padraig McManus, Christopher Curren (0-1), Sean McGoldrick; Padraig McGovern, Ryan Maher (0-1); Kevin McGovern, Gearoid McKiernan (1-3), Cian Feehan; Aidan Gilheany (1-1), Mark Cunningham (0-2).
Subs – Pauric O’Rourke for Cian Feehan; Adrian Martin (1-0) for Sean McGoldrick.
Redhills – James Brady; Turlach Mooney, Ciaran Smith; Fergal McDermott, Niall McCaffrey, Eoin McDonald; Rory Dunne (2-1), David Faulkner (1-0); Niall Greenan (0-1), Oisin Minagh, Packie Leddy (0-3); Mark Kelly (1-7), Joe Callan (1-1).
Subs – Francis Fitzpatrick for Niall Greenan; Martin Walsh for David Faulkner.
Referee – Harry Conaty (Butlersbridge).
GAA News. Sept '05.
Cavan win Sunday, July 03, 2005
The enigma that is Cavan football produced another unexpected twist as Donegal were beaten in a SFC qualifier by 1-11 to 1-10 at Breffni Park.
Cavan football appeared to be at an all-time low last weekend, when they were humiliated by Tyrone, but what a difference a week can make in football!
Goalkeeper James Reilly was the Cavan hero with a couple of stunning late saves, including a 68th-minute penalty stop to deny Brendan Devenney.
Donegal fielded an unchanged team from that which had beaten Wicklow last day, but Cavan made a late change to their selected side, with Mickey Graham coming into the starting fifteen in place of John Tierney.
Finbar O’Reilly got the home side off to a sweet start with a fourth-minute free and a ninth-minute ’45’ while Donegal opened their account through Brian Roper in the eleventh minute.
Mark McKeever and O’Reilly extended Cavan’s lead to three points by the end of the first quarter and the home support went wild when Larry Reilly bulged the Donegal net on 18 minutes.
Shell-shocked Donegal didn’t know what had hit them. 1-4 to 0-1.
Jason O’Reilly tagged on a point and there was an exchange of scores before the short whistle sounded with Cavan very much in the driving seat, 1-6 to 0-2.
The next two points were swapped before Brendan Devenney opened his account seven minutes after the turnaround.
Colm McFadden and Finbar O’Reilly had points and a Devenney goal on 50 minutes brought Brian McEniff’s men right back into contention at 1-8 to 1-5.
A Finbar O’Reilly point steadied the Breffni ship and Devenney and Larry Reilly swapped points, as did McFadden and Finbar O’Reilly.
Cavan ’keeper James Reilly had to be at his best to deny McFadden a goal and Devenney fisted over a point to reduce the gap to three points with four minutes’ play remaining.
Two minutes from time, Donegal got a penalty but Reilly again proved the hero when he excellently blocked Devenney’s drive and keep the three-point margin intact.
Four minutes of injury time were played and Cavan were hanging on desperately. Devenney hit two late Donegal points to close the gap to a single point but that was as close as they got. This was a stunning victory for Cavan, who have been rewarded with a third-round qualifier clash with neighbours Meath.
Poor Cavan performance in semi-final replay
Cavan senior footballers suffered one of their worst ever defeats in Ulster championship football when on Saturday evening 25th June at St. Tiarnach’s Park, Clones they went under to a rampant Tyrone side inspired by the maestro, Peter Canavan on a scoreline of 3-19 to 0-7 in the Ulster SFC semi-final replay.
Prior to the game, hopes were high in the Cavan camp and indeed amongst supporters - and they travelled in large numbers for this game - that they could turn over Tyrone on this occasion.
However, it wasn’t to be as Tyrone with a well thought out game plan were the masters on this occasion, and for long periods of the second-half of this game they made their opponents Cavan look very poor indeed.
The game was won and lost in the opening half as Tyrone with Canavan on fire, were clinical in their finishing, and finished the half ahead by 3-4 to 0-4, although Cavan dominated the possession stakes in this half but couldn’t put that dominance on the scoreboard.
Tyrone opened strongly in the second-half and scored three points in quick succession. This flurry of scores seemed to improve the confidence of the team as a whole and for the remainder of the half they played ’ducks and drakes’ with the badly exposed Cavan rearguard who were given a torrid time. And there was no let-up by the Tyrone side, who seemed to be determined to prove a point they are still the best side in the province and that last Sunday’s game with Cavan was just a ’bad day in the office’.
In the end, the dwindling crowd were treated to an exhibition of scoring by the winners with star acts such as Peter Canavan, Stephen O’Neill and attacking wing-half back Philip Jordan to the fore.
A great day for Tyrone football, as the side showed glimpses of the form that won them their only All-Ireland title to date at senior level in 2003. Could this be the start of a repeat of 2003? As for Cavan the least said the better. They were outplayed and outthought on the field of play and on the line on this occasion. Hopefully, this setback won’t have too much of an effect on the younger members of the side who showed up so well in the drawn game. You don’t become a bad team overnight, and they are lucky they have an opportunity to re-address the situation this coming Saturday and save their championship season against Donegal in the second round of the All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers. It is a tough ask, but Donegal themselves were in the same situation last Sunday ahead of their game away to Wicklow in Aughrim and produced the goods. Can the Breffni side emulate that feat. We all hope so, not alone for the players themselves, but for Cavan football in general!
After falling 1-6 to 0-6 adrift to Jason O’Reilly’s goal at the end of the third quarter, Tyrone appeared to have snatched victory with four successive points. However, Cavan were awarded four controversial injury-time frees and Lyng finally made the most of the fourth, changing the ball before calmly slotting over.
Tyrone felt hard done by and the players let this be known amid some ugly scenes, but the fact of the matter is that the O’Neill County did not deserve an Ulster final place on the strength of this performance.
The underdogs led by two points at the interval, 0-6 to 0-4, with three points from Larry Reilly and efforts from Jason O’Reilly, Finbar O’Reilly and Martin Cahill. In reply, Tyrone had a brace apiece from Ryan McMenamin and Stephen O’Neill.
Worried Tyrone boss Mickey Harte introduced the two Brians - Dooher and McGuigan - at half time and the changes had the desired effect as the Red Hands quickly drew level with points from Peter Canavan and Owen Mulligan.
Captain O’Reilly pounced for his goal in the 51st minute but Martin McElkennon’s side suffered a blow when handball hero Paul Brady was red-carded for stamping eight minutes later.
Two points apiece from Canavan and O’Neill seemed to have done it for Tyrone but there was a late twist in the plot courtesy of Lyng, whose point set up an intriguing replay.
An historic vote at the annual Congress has temporarily suspended Rule 42. This could see soccer or rugby played in Croke Park, and only Croke Park, should an agreement be reached on the leasing terms and granting of planning permissions by the local authority.
March '05.
A Kildare club footballer has been sentenced to three-months in prison for assaulting a referee at an intermediate football match last year. Brian Hyland of the Ballyheague club attacked Fintan Barrett at the end of a game his side lost by nine points. The cause of the attack was, apparently, a decision that Barrett had made during the game. It comes on the same day that a GAA task force recommended changes that the GAC be divided into two units, one to look after fixtures and the other to deal with disciplinary issues.
Congratulations to the Swanlinbar Under 14's who defeated Shannon Gaels in Ballyconnell on Saturday 6th Nov. 2004 to take the Roinn B u-14 Championship for the first time in club history. The team was as follows:Damien McGovern, Thomas O'Brien, Sheila Walsh, Roisin Leydon, Adrian Martin, Donal McGovern, Cathal Martin, Christopher Curran, Mary Cunningham, Cian Feehan, Kevin McGovern, Nora McGovern, Michael O'Rourke, Gearoid McKiernan, Declan Gilheany. Subs: Paul O'Brien, Mark Magiure, Ailbhe Curran, Brian McAveety, Aaron McBrien, Davin McBrien.
Swanlinbar Seniors played Cornafean in last league fixture on Sun 14th Nov '04.
Well done to the seniors who defeated Cornafean in the last league game on Sunday. In doing so they secured third spot in the Div. 2 table and a place in the semi-final of the league cup which will be against Ballyhaise on Sunday 28th Nov.Centenary Ball a huge success.
Swanlinbar 'had a ball' at the Slieve Russell on Sunday 24th Oct.2004. Member of the club and Cavan star of the forties Owen Roe McGovern was one of the guests of honour who also included well-known RTE commentator Micheal O'Muircheartaigh.