Hugely popular Offaly GAA hall of famers rekindle golden memories of 1980s at awards

THERE was plenty of good old fashioned humour and quick witted one liners as the two latest inductees into the Offaly GAA hall of fame were unveiled to an appreciative crowd at the annual awards night on Friday.

Paddy Kirwan, Ballyskenach and later Birr, was a key figure during the Offaly hurling breakthrough years in 1980 and '81, getting some of the most important scores in those never to be forgotten years – they won their first Leinster senior hurling title in 1980 and first All-Ireland a year later.

Brendan Lowry was a superb forward for Offaly from the 1970s through to the early 1990s. A deadly finisher, his three first half points were instrumental in the 1982 All-Ireland senior football final win over Kerry. He was also brilliant during a golden era for Ferbane as they won five in a row senior football titles from 1986 to 1990.

A large volume of players of the year awards were presented to Offaly football, hurling, ladies football and camogie stars along with referees of the year and handball recipients.

A special cheer, however, was reserved for the hall of fame awards and master of ceremonies, Michael Duignan was at his best as he guided the two men through a very entertaining, informative and funny questions and answers session for 25 minutes.

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The former Offaly GAA chairman asked the right questions as he got the best out of the two very popular recipients, joking about them being “shy” men and never seeing them as “nervous”.

“It is fantastic for me as a former player who grew up looking at these lads to be up on the stage with me. They really inspired me and I mean that,” said Mr Duignan.

Paddy Kirwan on his life and times

Paddy Kirwan talked about how Offaly hurling emerged in the 1980s. “It is all about being lucky really, I came at the right time as regards Offaly hurling. Ballyskenach is a small place and there isn't much to do only play hurling and I was lucky that in 1969 a great group of Offaly hurlers came (Offaly lost narrowly to Kilkenny in the Leinster final) and a brother of my, Johnny happened to be on the team.

“Back in those days, a car would come and bring a player off to a game and I was his plus one. A plus one is now an extra defender! I was brought up with that great Offaly team of 1969 and I am delighted that one of them, Pat Joe (Whelahan) is down there tonight. Paddy Molloy was one of the great hurlers, Damien Martin, Johnny Flaherty and it was gas that eleven years later, I togged out with those two guys in a Leinster final.

“Ballyskenach is a small place and we produced some nice hurlers. There is a few All-Jreland medals there. I would say there is more in Ballyskenach than Roscrea!!”.

He spoke with passion about the 1980 Leinster final win over Kilkenny. “I always look on 1980 as the greatest victory for Offaly hurling. I always will. Earlier on in 1980, we played Kilkenny in Tullamore in some kind of a game and they absolutely beat us back out the gate. They were walking off the field after the game and saying keep it going lads, the usual aul manure. Six or eight weeks later, we stuffed them in Croke Park.

“That was the start of it, that was a great win for Offaly. Then a couple of minor teams came along and Offaly just took off. Great but 1980 will always be my biggest moment, more so than 1981.”

Paddy Kirwan was a key player on the Offaly team that won the Leinster U21 hurling title in 1978 and he was asked about the change as Offaly hurling moved from a notoriously fractious club scene to becoming a powerful county force.

“Maybe it was over competitive,” said Michael Duignan with Kirwan replying: “Tasty is the word I would use. In 1978 Paudge Mulhare (St Rynagh's) was a great manager, he kept it very simple. Five or six, myself, Aidan Fogarty, Jim Troy, Mark Corrigan, Danny Owens, we didn't turn out too bad. That was a very good team. We beat Wexford and Laois surprised Kilkenny which probably helped us along the way too and we beat Laois in the final. We were unlucky to just come up short against Galway in the semi-final.

“It is all about being lucky. Great Offaly hurlers were there before our time and they were there after your (1990s) great team and they were just unlucky. You can be lucky and unlucky and I was one of the lucky ones, I was just there at the right time.”

One of the most iconic moments in 1981 was provided by Kirwan when he scored a huge free from well inside his own half to beat Laois by 3-20 to 6-10 in the Leinster semi-final. A score immersed in Offaly hurling folklore, with the distance getting “longer” by the year, he joked: “We were very kind to Laois that day. The full back line was playing the off side and it wasn't working. We were always coasting four or five points in front and then we would feel sorry for them and give them a goal. Then we might go back four or five in front and give them another goal.

“With two minutes to go we were two points up and unfortunately we gave them another goal. I was right beside the Laois dugout and they all leapt into the field and were leaping everywhere. By the time they had landed my great friend, Pat Carroll caught the puckout and stuck it over the bar. Everyone talks about my point but my point would have been a little bit trickier if Pat hadn't got the one before it. A great man and a huge loss.

“To be honest with you, it was 106 yards. I can tell you because Micheal O'Muircheataigh came in and measured it after the game and brought me with him. What people forget is there was a very strong wind into my face as well!!”

Kirwan recalled the 1981 All-Ireland final win over Galway. “A great group came at that time. We got there in 1981 but in 1980 we won that Leinster. I know ye were the benefits of it in the 1990s (1998 when time was blown up early as Offaly were heading to an All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Clare, getting a refixture and going on to win the All-Ireland) with the bad watch and the bad time but Galway beat us by two points in the All-Ireland semi-final and went on and won the All-Ireland. That game was blown up with two minutes to go also but we hadn't enough to sit on the pitch then.”

He concluded by saying he was honoured to get this award. “It is a nice wind up to your career. I want to thank all the players I hurled with in Offaly, Ballyskenach and Birr and all the clubs I was lucky enough to train in my career, 36 years, A lot of anti-depressants in that time! They were great. All them lads and teams I hurled with are the reason I am here tonight and Brendan is here tonight. We won't leave out the camogie teams as I was lucky enough to train some very good club camogie teams and the Offaly camogie team.

“I am delighted to see Sarah Harding get the camogie award because her and Charlie Mitchell (senior hurler of the year) have the X factor that not everyone has. I want to thank my family for putting up with me. It took them a while to learn that when I lost a game, it was better to keep away. Lastly I want to thank all my good friends, the referees. They were always very nice to me when they asked me my name.”

Brendan Lowry on his life and times

Brendan Lowry's story was different than Paddy Kirwan's in that he grew up witnessing success at club and county level - he was a child when Offaly won their first All-Ireland senior football titles in 1971 and 1972 with older brother Sean centre half back in 1972 while Ferbane won three senior football titles in the 1970s.

He grew up with ambitions of replicating those wins, recalling: “My idol years ago was Tony McTague. My brother Sean was playing but everyone in Ferbane wanted to be like Tony, do what he done and try and win what he did. We all aimed for that in the national school, in the vocational school in Ferbane. Brendan Ryan was our principal in Ferbane, he is still alive by the way, he must be over 90 now. Tom Wright, Ray O'Loughlin, he played with Offaly as well, they all put in fierce work in the schools in Ferbane. The seeds were sown in the schools and it just helped.”

He was asked about the footballers in his own house. “Ah yeah. We had the Jockey (Eamon Lowry) as well, he wasn't too bad either. We had Sean and Mike (Mick, corner back in 1982) as well. Four of us played football and that was all we done. We grew up in St Cynoc's Terrace and we played football every day we came home from school. Pat Doyle lived in the Terrace, the Kelly's. Paul Mollen is down there, he lived in the Terrace. We nearly had the Ferbane team in the Terrace, the Kenny's were just beside us there.”

Lowry won Leinster U21 football medals in 1977 and 1979. “Johnny Mooney and Gerry Carroll were there in 1977. Seamus Lynam (Erin Rovers) was very good at that time. Ollie Bracken, he went to Amercia. Ernie McGuire (Both Tullamore), there were so many good players at that time. Eugene McGee was over the U21 and he brought us on to the senior then.”

He talked about Eugene McGee's influence as manager. “I only really got to know him when I finished playing because when I was playing, he would barely speak to you. That is the way he managed. He talked to the older boys but he wouldn't really talk to us. You just had to do what you were told. If Eugene McGee wanted to say something to you, Seanie or Richie Connor (1982 captain) would say it to you. McGee told you to do this or that. Tom Donoghue (A Galway native won won an All-Ireland senior hurling medal with Offaly in 1981) did all the training.”

Offaly lost to Kerry in the 1980 All-Ireland semi-final and 1981 All-Ireland final. He outlined: “Eugene McGee used to say that to beat the Kerry team of that era, you just had to score more than they scored. He said, Bomber Liston is going to score two goals or Mikey Sheedy, John Egan, Ogie Moran, Ger Power, Pat and Tom Spillane, they were going to score whatever. What did we score in the All-Ireland, 1-15, did we get a goal? We did!! Every backs man was trying to hold his Kerry man to the least amount of scores. That if they scored 13 points, we'd score 14. That is the way it was, they were so good and they proved it afterwards. They were beaten in 1983 to a last minute goal in the Munster final and then they won three in a row after that. It proved how good they were but we were the better team that day and we were probably unlucky in 1981 as well. Jack O'Shea got a good goal that day and only for that, we could have won it.”

He talked about the impact of families on 1982 – there were three Lowry's, two Fitzgerald's, two Connor's, two O'Connor's and two Darby's on the panel. “You travel to training together. Dinny Wynne used to travel with us. The Furey Brothers and Davy Arthur were out at that time, it used to be here comes the Lowry brothers and Dinny Wynne, that was always said.”

Lowry concluded: “I am privileged to get this honour. Colm Scanlon (brother in law) warned me not to cry and I won't cry but there is nothing as nice to be in among Offaly people. There is so many people who did so much. Teachers, club mates, players who played with the county. Everybody, family, friends. So many people have so much of an input on everyone and it is just great.

“I meet so many people when I travel around the world. I think everyone wants to be from Offaly! I was at a (golf) tournament in Atlanta and I saw two people with Offaly jerseys. Everywhere I go to see Shane playing, you always see an Offaly jersey so I said I'd go over and make it my business to see where they are from. We are from Navan, they said! We just bought the two Offaly jerseys. It is great, I am just proud, proud.”