YOU CANNOT STEP into the present day story of Garrymore and their county final this weekend against Castlebar without first acknowledging their origin story of defiance, harsh judgment and penal incarceration.
‘The Magnificent Seven’ are recognised on the walls of their clubrooms and their story unfolds, given the respect it deserves.
The time was the outset of World War 2, when the Garrymore club was only a few years after being established. A local field in the Killeenreavagh area had been used by the local teenagers to get some football practice in.
However, the ownership of the field changed over time and the new landowner, M. Kennedy, wasn’t the free and easy type. He complained to the local gardaí. They issued a warning against playing football in that field.
The eight boys, aged between 15 and 17, played on. They were summoned to court in Claremorris where they appeared without legal representation.
All were served with a choice by the sitting judge: pay the individual fines of nine shillings, or do time in jail.
One of the eight did not go – he had to stay behind and help his very ill father.
Seven boys were taken from their homes in two groups, to Ballindine Garda Station on Christmas Eve, 1941. At the station, the sergeant’s wife took pity on the boys, knowing their fate and cooked them a breakfast of rashers and sausages. For most, it was their first encounter with a sausage.
A plaque at the clubrooms details The Magnificent Seven.
Tony O’Toole, Sonny Commons, Joe Prendergast, Gabe Heaney and three Prendergast brothers, Sean, Tom and Paddy, were brought to Sligo Gaol.
It was a barbaric punishment and caught the local community by surprise. The very idea that children would be imprisoned for the Christmas period appears complete madness.
The landowner, Kennedy, was not a popular man in the district. During the Christmas period, his livestock of cattle and sheep were driven off his fields.
That very month Garrymore were also vexed with on-field matters, putting in an objection to the county board against Ballaghaderreen after they lost their county Junior final.
Played on 26 October in Foxford, it created controversy. Garrymore claimed Ballaghaderreen’s team sheet did not include the name of Kevin Forde, who played for a Roscommon club and moonlighted for the occasion.
A few days after Christmas, the last of the Magnificent Seven returned from Sligo. They all reported that they had been very well looked after in Sligo, seen by the authorities and inmates as young boys who had been badly wronged.
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An open-back lorry was secured and they were driven around the parish, feted as heroes. Bonfires burned in the fields.
Garrymore had their origin story.
***
Bonfires and heroes’ welcomes have been a glorious feature over the last few months in Mayo.
Ever since Andy Moran’s men kept swingin’, enough to break the walls of the Kingdom and land Sam Maguire, the interest in Gaelic football has flowed from the torrents of the intercounty scene into the domestic tributaries.
The perfect illustration of this came just over a month ago when Garrymore won their county quarter-final (held in their own club ground due to the format of the county championship) over Crossmolina, 0-14 to 0-12.
The crowd estimates range from 3,000 to what club chairman Pat Hession believes to be closer to 5,000.
That led to a logistical challenge.
The club grounds.
“We had to open up the fields. We had three or four neighbours, and we have very good land around Garrymore, so they all gave over their fields,” says Hession.
“We had 60 stewards making sure people got in and out of the gates and we had to have a one-way system. There is grass growing up the middle of the road, there is only room for one car at a time.
“So we had to do a one-way system to get in and out. There were close to 5,000 people there that night. It was an incredible thing for that amount of people to suddenly be in a rural place like Garrymore.
“But we enjoyed it. A lot of the club members pulled it out. Like, you don’t get to see the full match because you are still parking people as the game has started. You might miss the first 20 minutes of the match.”
Hession has had some year of it, experiencing it from a range of perspectives, including being an uncle of Mayo’s star defender, Enda Hession.
Like the vast majority, it wasn’t until the closing seconds of the All-Ireland final that he realised it might actually happen.
Homecoming
Two days after the final, Mayo brought Sam Maguire to the Garrymore grounds, where it was brought in by Enda and Eoin McGreal, the club representatives.
At that moment, the whole thing felt surreal. Because Garrymore really is a pitch out in the middle of nowhere. Hollymount is five miles away. Ballindine is four.
In the ‘90s, there was a thriving bar at the clubrooms. Back then, teams would finish the game, grab a quick wash and then go inside for a sandwich and a couple of pints with some spectators.
That habit is long gone, unfortunately. If there is a drink to be had, the players float off in the direction of The Ranch bar in Claremorris, long-time sponsors of the club.
The local primary school in Gortskehy is the feeder school but is tiny. It might be the smallest school in the country to have two All-Ireland winners in Enda and Eoin.
Garrymore's Eoin McGreal with Kobe McDonald. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Areas this size rarely can put up the numbers to field underage teams on their own steam. Instead, they amalgamate with Kilmaine for those reasons.
When this arrangement works, it operates under the name of Carras, the name of a local Church. They amalgamate at all levels, including U21 which is subject to special dispensation as it is an adult competition.
With their resources pooled, they are a strong outfit, competing at the top grade of Mayo football, with Enda Hession and Oisín Mullin winning underage titles together.
And once they all finish their underage careers, they go into senior for their club, based entirely on the parish boundaries, with no raids or tapping up. Kilmaine have their parish, Garrymore share their parish with Hollymount Carramore.
Turning senior
Since they turned senior in 1970, they have never dropped out of it. Only Ballina Stephenites have been in the top flight of Mayo football longer.
A win over Castlebar would see Garrymore join Crossmolina Deel Rovers as joint fourth on the roll of honour. Their previous titles came in a glorious spell, beginning with a three in a row of 1974, ’75 and ’76. They came back for more in ’79, ’81 and ’82.
This is their first time back, but they are discovering how this all costs money in the modern age. They have a GoFundMe page set up, naturally, but they are also running a rather unusual draw.
During the All-Ireland final, Enda Hession had an attempt at a two-point score. He didn’t quite make it, and in the process, his football boot split into two halves.
He made his way to Andy Moran and grabbed a replacement boot, ended up wearing two odd boots, which are now top prize in the club raffle.
“The last time we won a county title,” Pat Hession says, “we didn’t have a home pitch.”
They’ve come a long way since.
**
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From The Magnificent Seven to hunting the seventh star - meet Garrymore
YOU CANNOT STEP into the present day story of Garrymore and their county final this weekend against Castlebar without first acknowledging their origin story of defiance, harsh judgment and penal incarceration.
‘The Magnificent Seven’ are recognised on the walls of their clubrooms and their story unfolds, given the respect it deserves.
The time was the outset of World War 2, when the Garrymore club was only a few years after being established. A local field in the Killeenreavagh area had been used by the local teenagers to get some football practice in.
However, the ownership of the field changed over time and the new landowner, M. Kennedy, wasn’t the free and easy type. He complained to the local gardaí. They issued a warning against playing football in that field.
The eight boys, aged between 15 and 17, played on. They were summoned to court in Claremorris where they appeared without legal representation.
All were served with a choice by the sitting judge: pay the individual fines of nine shillings, or do time in jail.
One of the eight did not go – he had to stay behind and help his very ill father.
Seven boys were taken from their homes in two groups, to Ballindine Garda Station on Christmas Eve, 1941. At the station, the sergeant’s wife took pity on the boys, knowing their fate and cooked them a breakfast of rashers and sausages. For most, it was their first encounter with a sausage.
Tony O’Toole, Sonny Commons, Joe Prendergast, Gabe Heaney and three Prendergast brothers, Sean, Tom and Paddy, were brought to Sligo Gaol.
It was a barbaric punishment and caught the local community by surprise. The very idea that children would be imprisoned for the Christmas period appears complete madness.
The landowner, Kennedy, was not a popular man in the district. During the Christmas period, his livestock of cattle and sheep were driven off his fields.
That very month Garrymore were also vexed with on-field matters, putting in an objection to the county board against Ballaghaderreen after they lost their county Junior final.
Played on 26 October in Foxford, it created controversy. Garrymore claimed Ballaghaderreen’s team sheet did not include the name of Kevin Forde, who played for a Roscommon club and moonlighted for the occasion.
A few days after Christmas, the last of the Magnificent Seven returned from Sligo. They all reported that they had been very well looked after in Sligo, seen by the authorities and inmates as young boys who had been badly wronged.
An open-back lorry was secured and they were driven around the parish, feted as heroes. Bonfires burned in the fields.
Garrymore had their origin story.
***
Bonfires and heroes’ welcomes have been a glorious feature over the last few months in Mayo.
Ever since Andy Moran’s men kept swingin’, enough to break the walls of the Kingdom and land Sam Maguire, the interest in Gaelic football has flowed from the torrents of the intercounty scene into the domestic tributaries.
The perfect illustration of this came just over a month ago when Garrymore won their county quarter-final (held in their own club ground due to the format of the county championship) over Crossmolina, 0-14 to 0-12.
The crowd estimates range from 3,000 to what club chairman Pat Hession believes to be closer to 5,000.
That led to a logistical challenge.
“We had to open up the fields. We had three or four neighbours, and we have very good land around Garrymore, so they all gave over their fields,” says Hession.
“We had 60 stewards making sure people got in and out of the gates and we had to have a one-way system. There is grass growing up the middle of the road, there is only room for one car at a time.
“But we enjoyed it. A lot of the club members pulled it out. Like, you don’t get to see the full match because you are still parking people as the game has started. You might miss the first 20 minutes of the match.”
Hession has had some year of it, experiencing it from a range of perspectives, including being an uncle of Mayo’s star defender, Enda Hession.
Like the vast majority, it wasn’t until the closing seconds of the All-Ireland final that he realised it might actually happen.
Homecoming
Two days after the final, Mayo brought Sam Maguire to the Garrymore grounds, where it was brought in by Enda and Eoin McGreal, the club representatives.
At that moment, the whole thing felt surreal. Because Garrymore really is a pitch out in the middle of nowhere. Hollymount is five miles away. Ballindine is four.
In the ‘90s, there was a thriving bar at the clubrooms. Back then, teams would finish the game, grab a quick wash and then go inside for a sandwich and a couple of pints with some spectators.
That habit is long gone, unfortunately. If there is a drink to be had, the players float off in the direction of The Ranch bar in Claremorris, long-time sponsors of the club.
The local primary school in Gortskehy is the feeder school but is tiny. It might be the smallest school in the country to have two All-Ireland winners in Enda and Eoin.
Areas this size rarely can put up the numbers to field underage teams on their own steam. Instead, they amalgamate with Kilmaine for those reasons.
When this arrangement works, it operates under the name of Carras, the name of a local Church. They amalgamate at all levels, including U21 which is subject to special dispensation as it is an adult competition.
With their resources pooled, they are a strong outfit, competing at the top grade of Mayo football, with Enda Hession and Oisín Mullin winning underage titles together.
And once they all finish their underage careers, they go into senior for their club, based entirely on the parish boundaries, with no raids or tapping up. Kilmaine have their parish, Garrymore share their parish with Hollymount Carramore.
Turning senior
Since they turned senior in 1970, they have never dropped out of it. Only Ballina Stephenites have been in the top flight of Mayo football longer.
A win over Castlebar would see Garrymore join Crossmolina Deel Rovers as joint fourth on the roll of honour. Their previous titles came in a glorious spell, beginning with a three in a row of 1974, ’75 and ’76. They came back for more in ’79, ’81 and ’82.
This is their first time back, but they are discovering how this all costs money in the modern age. They have a GoFundMe page set up, naturally, but they are also running a rather unusual draw.
During the All-Ireland final, Enda Hession had an attempt at a two-point score. He didn’t quite make it, and in the process, his football boot split into two halves.
He made his way to Andy Moran and grabbed a replacement boot, ended up wearing two odd boots, which are now top prize in the club raffle.
“The last time we won a county title,” Pat Hession says, “we didn’t have a home pitch.”
They’ve come a long way since.
**
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To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
GAA Garrymore Mayo Mayo final October