Galway ex-pats keep hurling alive in the Big Apple
It was a momentous occasion for the Galway hurling fraternity in New York when the club celebrated their 100th anniversary with a major dance being organised.
Players from the past and present were honoured by the club on Saturday night with former Galway hurling star Joe McDonagh being the guest of honour.
The Galway club in New York had had incredible success over the last century and it was marked with a lavish celebration in the Astoria World Manor in New York. The club have won 16 senior titles.
Efforts to start hurling in New York during the 1890s were short lived. There is some evidence of a Galway club in 1905 but the GAA were not established then.
Games involving Galway took place in subsequent years but the GAA were not established until 1914 and the Galway club were to the forefront of this.
Galway won the first hurling final in New York defeating Cork by 1-7 to 2-0. Galway man Joseph Fahey was president of the NY GAA in 1917, 1918 and 1920 with the Galway footballers the NY champions in 1919 – the first of five titles for them.
The 1920s were barren years from a Galway perspective. Their 1924 team that was defeated by Clare was made up of Michael Coogan (Captain), William Lally, Paddy Kelly, John Hayes, James Holland, Mike Skeritt, Tom Ryan, John Farrell, Jerry Deeley, Martin Shaughnessy, Thomas Ford, Joseph McEvoy and Billy Stokes.
But Galway went on to win the 1940, 1942 and 1946 titles and lost the 1945 final to Offaly 3-02 to 0-05 before defeated Cork by the minimum 4-02 to 4-01 for the 46 title.
The 1940 lineout was Frankie Houlihan; Mike Donlon, Mike Noone, Johnny Hennessy, Paddy Morgan, Jim (Staff) Garvey, Tom Powers, Tom Cooney, Steve Quinn, Mike Cody, Paddy Cahalan (captain), Jack Turner, Bill Tonry, Tom Donlon, Barney Gibbs, Mikey Gilligan.
The ‘46 side included new arrivals Tommy and Pat Joe Nieland, Jack Gill, Ed McCarthy, Mick Loughnane, Sean Ford, John Finnigan, John Powers, Eddie Clarke, Michael Tierney and Tom Curley.
It was 13 years before Galway again rose to the top in the senior hurling division in NY. In the interim a number of tremendous players lined out for the side.
These included Martin Murphy, Billy Duffy, Mike Sweeney, Mike Moran, Paddy O’Rourke, Pat Keary, Paddy Fahy, Joe Nolan, Maurice Egan, Paddy Lally, Billy Newell, Tommy O’Shea, Mike Culkin, Mattie and Paddy Conneely, Tom Murphy, Mickey Maloney, Dermot Clarke, Tom Flannery, Jimmy and Pakie Moran, Syl Cronin, Bernie Feeney, Jackie Hanley, Billy Connors, Jimmy Murphy and Joe Forde.
They won titles in 1964, 1965 and 1966 as thousands of emigrants arrived in New York. It was nearly a ‘who’s who’ of Galway hurling at home.
The Galway line out in 1964 was Ken Croke (Moycullen), Pat Donohue (Ballinakill), John Maher (Loughrea) Martin Dempsey (Turloughmore) Mattie Maloney (Athenry), PJ Curtin (Kinvara), Jimmy Burke (Abbeyknockmoy), Jimmy Kelly (Loughrea), Frank Connolly (Craughwell), Mick Curtin (Kinvara), Jim Donohue (Ballinakill), Mick Bermingham (Dublin), Paddy Egan (Castlegar), Brendan Hynes (Gurteen), JJ Egan (Castlegar). Subs: Mattie Bane (Abbeyknockmoy), Frank Connors (Ballinakill), M Conway (Ballinakill), Bernie Rohan (Derrydonnell), L Kelly (Ballinasloe), Dennis Forde (Turloughmore) with Johnny Moran the manager.
Roll on to 1974 when Josie Harte (Gort) led out the side in August when they defeated Offaly 3-9 to 2-9 for the senior title. In the knockout victory that qualified Galway for the championship final, they defeated Clare 6-13 to 2-6 with PJ Qualter scoring 5-01 while Eddie Donohue added 0-4 and Mick Curtin 0-3.
Well-known hurling stars like PJ Molloy, Sylvie Linnane, Pierce Piggott, Brendan Lynskey and Steve Mahon all played with Galway during the ‘eighties. It was a time when club and county stars used to travel to the States for their championship. Galway won three senior titles in the ‘eighties.
This year they returned to their winning ways with victory in a game that featured Galway county players Aidan Harte, Conor Cooney and Johnny Coen.