THE MAN BEHIND THE WIRE: Ballinagar's magical year an inspiration to all small clubs in Offaly

BALLINAGAR have enjoyed a magical 2022 and their run of success is a feel good story that should provide hope and inspiration to every other small club.

The club's success story this year has captured attention far beyond their local and parish boundaries.

They have won four titles, the Junior and Junior “C” Football Championships and the Division 4 and 5 Football Leagues. They have went through their 28 competitive games unbeaten and it has been an extraordinary run by a club who has been starved of success almost all their existence.

Before this year, Ballinagar had won just two championships, the Minor Football Championship in 1932 and the Junior Football Championship in 1988.

On the surface, the 1932 minor win was a huge one but the circumstances of it, the composition of that Ballinagar team has been long consigned to history. What is known is that they were well beaten by Belmont in the final but won it on an objection in the boardroom – Belmont fielded a few fairly hairy minors by all accounts and Ballinagar were awarded the title.

The 1988 Junior Football Championship win was their biggest ever success, certainly in modern times. They beat Mucklagh in that final on a memorable evening in Ballycommon and that team has occupied a cherished place in Ballinagar's history since then.

Junior was Offaly's third tier at that time – there was no senior “B” in existence then while there is now and junior is the fourth tier as a result. However, 2022 has been easily Ballinagar's most successful year ever. They have never had such a sustained, consistent run of success, won so many games, collected so much silverware.

It has been amazing to witness and the celebrations in the little village will be remembered for a long time. The GAA is a great organisation to celebrate and Ballinagar have been joined in their festivities by friends and supporters from across the north Offaly area.

Those people have made an effort to join in and congratulate Ballinagar as they are fully aware of how rare success has been for them and what it means to their members and the wider community.

Above all else, Ballinagar's success shows the importance of perseverance, of soldiering through bleak years when hope is in short supply and winning titles is an impossibility.

The wheel can always turn if you stick in there and it has turned quite spectacularly for Ballinagar this year. Those things, however, don't happen by chance. It takes some good fortune, things happening the right way but it simply can't happen without good leadership, good structures and a consistent approach to doing the right thing.

Ballinagar is one of Offaly's smallest clubs. It is one of three in Killeigh parish, along with Raheen and Clodiagh Gaels. It is located on the western fringe of the parish and is the smallest club there. Both Raheen and Clodiagh Gaels have a wider geographical area and traditionally have had a bigger pick.

Clodiagh Gaels is a new club, a 2015 amalgamation between Killeigh and Killurin. Killurin, however, was only formed in 1985 as a breakaway from Killeigh and were only in existence for thirty years. Before that players from Killurin played with Killeigh.

Raheen has two villages, Geashill and Cloneygowan while Ballinagar is bordered on its other sides by Daingean, Ballycommon and Cappincur.

There were attempts to bring the parish together a few years ago when Ballinagar and Raheen held amalgamation talks. Both held EGMs with Ballinagar members supporting amalgmation but Raheen falling just short of the required 75%. Ballinagar were badly stung by that and would be reluctant to go into that process again, even if there is a strong case to be made for joining and providing football at the highest possible level in the parish – that won't be a runner at the moment though and next year, we have the mouth watering prospect of the two clubs clashing in intermediate.

Ballinagar's stars began to change in the 1990s, during a period when the club was really heading onto its knees and in pure survival mode. By the end of the 1990s, most of the 1988 junior football champions had either retired or were well over the hill. For a brief period at the start of the 1990s, they had two teams but numbers became a serious issue. There were times when they were struggling to field one team – waiting for players to arrive close to throw in time for championship games was not unusual for a few years from the mid 1990s into the 2000s and the club was not and could not be competitive on the playing fields.

David Gorry, club chairman as recent pitch developments took place and the structures began to be put in force that helped enable the current run of success, was easily Ballinagar's best player in the 1990s and only for his excellence, the club would have struggled to cope with the beatings they would have sustained. There were many others who kept the flag flying when times were tough – the Cuskelly's were a great force of nature for Ballinagar and many players gave tremendous service when it would have been easy to throw in the towel: families such as the Betson's, Cunningham's, Malone's, O'Meara's, Dolan's, Daly's, Gallagher's, Darcy's etc along with individuals helped the club keep their head above water in those difficult years.

Those people served as officers and many of them played on longer than they might have intended as Ballinagar stayed on the road. Donal Cunningham and Paurig Gallagher and, later, Cathal Daly made the long trek down from Dublin for a number of years when the club's need was at its most acute – Donal and Paurig weren't able to make the 1988-1992 team but were crucial to fielding teams later on. There were many more like them who helped them survive – as did so many of earlier generations.

One of the newcomers into the area spoke to me recently about walking into the local pub and a “victory celebration” in full flow. He was stunned to discover that the party was over a challenge game win over Kilcavan but the reality is that any victory was so rare for a few years in that era that it was worthy of celebration.

In the 1990s and 2000s, land in the village was snapped up by property developers. Three significant housing developments took place on the Cappincur, Geashill and Daingean roads out of the village and life in Ballinagar changed. Newcomers forced Ballinagar people to open up as people moved into the area from Tullamore, other parts of Offaly and outside county boundaries.

Ironically, there aren't many players from the three biggest housing developments playing for Ballinagar now but these were instrumental in the local club turning the corner. A lot of one off, stand alone houses were built and as young couples had children and they grew up, Ballinagar GAA Club benefitted – though it took a while for the corner to be turned and there were plenty of bad days, until quite recently.

They wouldn't have benefitted without doing the right thing, providing the right coaching and putting their weight in behind the Na Fianna minor club – Na Fianna looks after underage football and hurling in the parish. They have separate minor hurling and football clubs but it is a model that has served the parish and its adult clubs well.

Na Fianna have enjoyed great success in underage football and hurling. Na Fianna won the Minor Football Championship in 2019 and Ballinagar's growth was very evident on this. They not only had the biggest contribution of players on this team but they also supplied the star names. One of these, Morgan Tynan was outstanding as Offaly won the All-Ireland U-20 Football Championship in 2022 – ironically, he missed the latter stages of the Junior Football Championship this year with a hamstring injury and it was a serious achievement for Ballinagar to win without him. Ryan Strong, a former Offaly minor footballer was also out injured while his twin, Adam was in Texas on a college placement, only coming home that week especially for the game and coming onto play an important part in the second half.

A lot of people have noticed the emergence of players from Ballinagar on county minor and U-20-21 football sides in recent years. Four Ballinagar players, Tynan, Adam Strong, Diarmuid Finneran and Geordi O'Meara played U-20 football for Offaly this year. Many others have played minor in recent years, including that quartet and others such as Ryan Strong, Robbie Gallagher and Jacob Beatty. It is an extraordinary contribution from a small club.

It did lead to pressure. Ballinagar simply had to get out of junior football ranks but that wasn't easy. It may be the fourth tier and well down the pecking order but there is always a decent team or two in it. Daingean won it a couple of years ago while Tullamore won it last year – that was Tullamore's second team and junior was way too far back for them to be in. Kilcormac-Killoughey were there this year and many people thought they would bounce back but Ballinagar were able to get the better of them in the final this year.

It was a huge breakthrough win for Ballinagar, absolutely crucial for them. If they hadn't won this year, they may have been able to point to the absence of Morgan Tynan, the the two Strong's and Kilcormac-Killoughey's presence as excuses but there would have been serious pressure on them next year – and with senior clubs such as Rhode and Edenderry fielding their second teams here and Clodiagh Gaels back down from intermediate ranks, there would be no shortage of banana skins there.

It is a huge relief to Ballinagar to be up and there is a window of opportunity to make further progress. Ballinagar will now be setting their sights on senior “B” football but at the moment, that is a bridge too far for them – intermediate champions, Ballycommon showed how far ahead of them they are when they comfortably won a challenge on Sunday at the official opening of Ballinagar's new stand and gym. A challenge game between understrength teams is not the place to be judging sides but Ballinagar are certainly short of the athlecisim and physicality of Ballycommon and a couple of others at that level at the moment. They won't have to contend with Ballycommon next year but there is still considerable improving to do by Ballinagar for the higher grade.

Staying up has to be their first priority and take everything as it comes after that but Ballinagar have the quality of players, the numbers and the desire to make further progress in the coming years. They will have players on Offaly U-20 and senior panels this year and the development of these, the training they will get will help raise the bar for everyone else in the club.

It is a hugely exciting time for Ballinagar and it has been a great journey. Ballinagar first played football in the 1890s and were reformed as a club in 1916. They came and went over the years and were out of existence for most of the 1960s. They made a couple of attempts to reform in that period but weren't allowed after objections from St Mary's and Pat Leogue snr mainly – they were the big club in the parish at that time, before Raheen was formed.

Since reforming in the late 1960s, Ballinagar have always fielded. They had some great tough footballers in the 1970s but gained a notoriety for some of their physical play. They were beaten by Kilcormac in the 1981 junior football final while Ballinagar had a number of players on the Raheen side that were beaten by Edenderry in the 1985 Senior Football Championship final.

Junior players were allowed play their own grade and with a senior club in the parish at that time. By 1988, Ballinagar players were concentrating on their own club and they received their reward that year. They were beaten by a Vinny Claffey inspired Doon in the 1989 Interermediate Football Championship final, lost to St Brigid's in a semi-final the following year and then entered decline.

While the Ballinagar teams that enjoyed success this year included a large amount of players from new families in the area, they also featured some traditional Ballinagar names. There were connections with the 1988 junior football champions – this year's winning squad included Brian Malone, a son of John and Ray Daly, a son of Enda. Robbie Gallagher, a son of a '88 panelist, Paurig was a key figure in the attack while Geordi O'Meara's father Patrick featured on Ballinagar teams in the 1990s.

The Finneran's are an example of the role newcomers into the area have played. Diarmuid Finneran's brother Shane was a key player on the junior “C” winning side and while their parents, Alan and Kathleen moved into the area towards the end of the 1990s, they are very much Ballinagar people – Alan, a native of Roscommon, was an ultra dependable player who helped Ballinagar survive in the 1990s and 2000s. David Gorry's son, Jack was man of the match in the junior “C” final win over Edenderry and there is a great mixture of the old and the new on both teams.

Off field development has also taken place. The new stand and gym was officially opened by Offaly GAA chairman Michael Duignan on Sunday while they have purchased additional land to develop. Club chairman, Ciaran Darcy, a player in the 1990s, availed of the opportunity to tout for Ballinagar to be given the club of the year award at Offaly GAA Convention in December.

That has emerged as a desire for some Ballinagar people but it really doesn't matter, it shouldn't matter and it probably shouldn't happen.They have won the things that counted this year and in any event, Shinrone's achievement in winning the Senior Hurling Championship trumps everything Ballinagar have done in 2022. Shinrone also have exceptional facilities and any small club – they are a split parish with the Knockshegowna end playing in Tipperary – that wins a senior championship for the first time simply must be recognised.

Ballinagar's focus now should be on improving further, building on what has happened this year staying up and then trying to mount a meaningful challenge in intermediate. That is the only thing that counts now.