'Reeling in the years' - 1953 & the county final v Rhode

Post date: Sep 07, 2018 10:22:48 AM

By David Farrell

In 1953 Edenderry and Rhode faced each other for the first time ever in a senior county final. By then Rhode had collected twelve county titles while Edenderry had collected just their second title two years earlier in 1951.

Edenderry faced Cloghan in the opening round of the championship in a repeat of the 1951 final and featured a number of younger players who had been promoted to the senior team such as Liam Moran, Joe Corcoran and Michael Nolan, as well as former Ballyfore junior Noel Flanagan. The reds wore the light blue maroon hooped jersey's on the day and scores from Archie McLoughlin, Sean Foran, Christy Carroll and Frank Byrne gave Edenderry a great start. They won the game on a score-line of 0-9 1-4.

Next up was a game v Walsh Island in which Sean Connell and Christy Carroll were both absent through injury. However, wearing their brand new red jersey's, Edenderry made light work of Walsh Island and recorded a relatively easy win 5-13 to 1-2. Frank Byrne top scored with 2-1 while Michael Nolan accounted for 0-5 and was described as the 'architect' of Edenderry's best moves.

Sean Connell & Christy Carroll returned to the lineup for the semi final clash with Tullamore and this time it was Archie McLoughlin who made the headlines for Edenderry. McLoughlin, the son of a Garda from Clara, scored all of Edenderry's 1-4 as they beat the blues 1-4 0-6.

(Members of the successful 1950's football team pictured in 2011)

In front of a then record crowd of 6000 people Edenderry and Rhode faced off for the first time ever in a senior county final. The opening half was a tight affair with points from Archie McLoughlin, Mick Brady, Joe Byrne & Christy Carroll giving Edenderry a 0-6 0-4 lead but just before half time Billy McCabe of Rhode put the ball past Liam Moran in the Edenderry goals.

Two minutes after the restart Christy Carroll put Mick Brady through on goal and Mick slammed the ball to the back of the net. Alo Brady, Sean 'Hooper' Farrell, Tom O'Neill and Liam Moran all gave excellent performances and kept Rhode at bay as the reds collected their 3rd ever county title. John Blong remains the only Edenderry man to captain Edenderry to two county titles.

Team: L Moran, T O'Neill, P Dillon, S Farrell, F Gorey, A Brady, J Corcoran, S Foran, S Connell, C Carroll, A McLoughlin, M Nolan, J Blong, J Byrne, M Brady.

Subs: N Connell for Byrne.

WHAT ELSE WAS HAPPENING IN EDENDERRY IN 1953?

FR MCWEY PRESENTS BOXING MEDALS TO SIX EDENDRERY MEN:

Fr McWey presented boxing medals and certificates to the following recipients at Nolan's Hall.

Joe Brereton - 1952/53 National Juvenile champions & Leinster juvenile championship.

William Keyes - 1952/53 Leinster Juvenile title.

Joseph Dunne, Tommy Cully, P Davey, Liam Corcoran, William Keyes and Joe Brereton - 1952/53 County medals.

All the boxers were members of the St Brigid's boxing club. The committee was represented by Messrs. P Mooney, P Dempsey, W Brereton, S Brereton, T Brereton, P Tyrrell and Leo O'Connell.

Lieut. M Collins represented the IABA of Offaly county board.

(Fr McWey)

SEAN FORAN APPOINTED TO CLERICAL POST:

Edenderry and Offaly footballer Sean Foran was appointed a clerical officer at the Kilpatrick briquette factory.

Edenderry legend Sean Foran RIP (Far right)

ANGLING CLUB FISHING COMPETITION CANCELLED:

Snow, frost and sleet prevented members of the Edenderry and Castlejordan Angling association from holding their annual Pike fishing competition. It was deemed to cold for even the Pike to bite.

EDENDERRY MAN FIGHTS IN MALAYAN JUNGLE CONFLICT:

Conscripted in England on his 20th birthday, Edenderry man Anthony Hurst fought in the Malayan jungle for the Commonwealth during the 'Malayan Emergency', a guerrilla war fought pre- and post- independence of the Federation of Malaya. He served as a machine gunner and witnessed his best friend, a young English man, shot 20 yards from him. Having carried his wounded body through miles of a swamp he discovered his friend had died upon reaching dry land. He was buried in the jungle. Anthony returned to Edenderry in February 1953 unscathed from the war and his mother told the Leinster Leader at the time "I prayed every night to St Anthony for him".

GOING WILD IN EDENDERRY - TOO MANY BARS AND DANCES:

Mr Justice O'Donoghue granted a bar licence for a dance in Edenderry Town Hall for Easter Sunday night but refused one for Eden Ballroom on the same night. The Justice had already granted a licence, reluctantly, to Eden Ballroom for St Patrick's Day. The Judge questioned the Superintendent asking "are there not too many of these applications altogether"? The Superintendent agreed with the judge that there are far too many and that there is nothing to stop the publicans applying to have a dance with a bar every night of the week. He added that they should be curtailed drastically but would leave the decision with the judge. Justice O'Donoghue agreed that there was far too many, particularly in Edenderry, but granted the application on this occasion.

NORTH OFFALY JUNIOR CHAMPIONS:

Edenderry beat Clara in the Junior hurling North Offaly final 5-5 2-3 after fine performances from M Brady (2-2), T Langton (1-1), Sean Foran (1-0), Sean Farrell (1-0), Sean O'Connell (0-1), Alo Brady, N O'Connell and J Corrigan. Edenderry met Belmont in the Offaly final.

MINOR HURLING FINAL:

The 1952 minor hurling final was played in March 1953 and Edenderry emerged victorious beating Birr 5-8 2-3. The highlight of the game was three 'seventies' from Mickso Connell, a feat deemed worthy of the finest senior hurling in Offaly. The scorers for Edenderry were Sean Farrell (2-0), M Connell (0-4), M Kelly (1-0), P Nolan (1-0), J Bowman (1-1), R Humpston (0-2) and E Connell (0-1).

EDENDERRY CARNIVAL BABY SHOW:

The Edenderry carnival was a major event in the 1950's and in 1953 they held a 'Baby show'. In the under 12 months old category first prize was divided between Charlie Quinn, Cokery, and Mary Walsh, Killane. Baby June Dunne, Rogerstown, came second while third prize went to Baby Oliver McCluskey, Green Hills. In the 1-2 year old category the first prize was divided between Chris O'Donoghue, Fr Kearns Street and Ellen Fennessey, Francis Street. Second prize was awarded to Tony Maher, Francis Street while Eileen Fay from Blundell House finished 3rd.

(Charlie Quinn (left) won 1st prize in the baby show at the Carnival)

BASKETBALL COMES TO EDENDERRY FOR THE FIRST TIME:

Something new in the sporting line was witnessed for the first time ever on June 4th at the local young farmers show, an exhibition game of basketball between the Air Corp (Baldonnell) and the Army (Curragh). The game was played at the show-grounds at 4pm.

'WILD COLONIAL BOY' CONNIE FOLEY COMES TO EDENDERRY:

At the Savoy cinema in Edenderry on October 9th, 10th and 11th the variety show 'Yankee Doodle Blarney' was playing. Topping the bill was well known Irish American star of radio, television and recording, Connie Foley. Born in Tralee, he emigrated to America in 1949. He worked in a hotel in Boston as a bell boy but was soon discovered as a real ballad singer and became a house hold name all over the United States of America. He was popularly known as 'The Wild Colonial Boy'.

(Connie Foley - The Wild Colonial Boy)