Liam Gleeson and Monasterevan's road to being Kildare Senior Football Champions

Liam Gleeson was a part of what is now a legendary Monasterevan team. The 1977 Senior Football Championship winners were the first top tier title holders in the club since the Titanic sank, and remain the only ones to do so since.

Liam and much of the Gleeson family have been entrenched in Monasterevan for many years, with his father a long time secretary and former president.

The now Monasterevan vice-president began playing for the first team at the age of 16 and won an Intermediate Championship with the club in 1971, although he doesn’t recall much of the game.

“I got knocked out in that game. I ended up in the hospital in Athy until the following Wednesday. It was before half-time. My cousin came on for me and scored a brilliant goal. He still tells me that only I got knocked out we would have never won it,” Liam laughed.

“I don’t even know what happened. I just got a belt from behind and woke up somewhere else. I don’t remember anything about the game itself.

“I know Bob Harrison was full-forward and Tom Tighe was marking him that day and they both got put off.”

Monasterevan were on a clear upward trajectory, winning Division 2 in ‘72 and Leinster Leader Cup (Division 1) the year after. All before reaching their first Senior Championship final for over 60 years that same season.

Liam and this rising Monasterevan team faced Raheens in the ‘73 final and came up short 1-7 to 0-4 with squandered opportunities the order of the day.

“We had wasted several chances. Even personally, I missed an open goal in the first quarter of an hour. We kicked something in the region of 22 wides that day,” Liam recalled.

It was nevertheless a wonderful surge from the Intermediate grade just a couple of years ago and the then Monasterevan centre-forward attributes their rise to the quality of both playing and coaching staff during that time.

“We had great coaches at that time, Brendan Quinn the Dublin footballer and Christy Moore from Meath,” Liam said.

“Brendan Quinn came down to coach in ‘75. He got us to the county final in ‘76 and we won it the year after. We had a great bunch of players and we were like a family at that time. A tremendous panel.”

It was a battle with Raheens again for the 1976 Senior Football Championship decider and once again the result was the same with Raheens lifting a third SFC in less than 10 years

“We thought we got a raw deal after a few decisions went against us. It was a spilling wet day and Matty Colgan, our star forward, was knocked out and had to be brought to hospital. That was a big loss to us, he was a superb footballer.

“It was tough stuff (back then). You had to fight for everything on the field.”

“We thought we had missed our chance, but we came back stronger in ‘77. Brendan Quinn was brilliant with us.

Foiled by Raheens twice in Senior deciders and, as Monasterevan learned, finals don’t get any easier. They faced a Carbury team who had won three of the last six Senior Championships in the 1977 final.

“They were a fantastic team, but we had great players all over the field ourselves. I can’t even begin to mention all of them because you wouldn’t want to leave anyone out, but we had great footballers at that time,” Liam explained.

“We got off to a great start. Bob Harrison scored a goal in the first minute or so and about five minutes later Matt Colgan scored a penalty. We built up a lead and then they came back at us. Carbury missed a penalty with 10 minutes to go and that was vital at that stage. It was nip and tuck most of the way through.”

The full-time whistle blew with Monasterevan 2-8 to 2-6 ahead to give them their first Senior title in 66 years.

“I couldn’t believe it. We were shellshocked. To come back and win it after those losses, it was a tremendous feeling,” Liam said.

“There was great comradeship within the team. We went places together, even when we weren’t playing. We had great supporters during that time too and brilliant club officers that kept us together down through the years.”

A first title win since 1911 and an achievement that has not been replicated since sent that Monasterevan squad on to club legend status.

The most recent of those celebrations was the 40th anniversary of the SFC win, with 50 years only a couple away now.

“We had a big night in the club. Almost everyone was there, but of course a couple had passed away at that stage, but we remembered them as well that night,” Liam recalled.

“It’s great to be a part of and thankfully we have won a couple of Intermediate championships since. We are hoping to be on the road back because we have great talent coming and good young players.”

Liam retired from playing in 1980 having played in four separate decades. The Monasterevan stalwart coached the club’s U16s side to an ‘A’ Championship and the same group to a minor final during his time over them.

As well going further afield to Nurney to lead them to a Junior 'B' Championship title and Jack Higgins Cup in 1984.

Despite having long stepped away from coaching, Liam remains heavily involved in his beloved Monasterevan GAA and is their current vice-president heading to another exciting year.