A New York All-Ireland final and Croke Park championship meetings - Kerry and Cavan's history
WHEN CAVAN ARRIVE in Killarney this Saturday, it will mark the first championship fixtures between the sides since 2013.
They don’t share a storied rivalry. There’s not that much in the archives.
Prior to that six-point win for Kerry in the All-Ireland quarter-final, they collided in the 1997 All-Ireland semi-final where the Kingdom also triumphed. And then there’s the 1947 All-Ireland final which has become a major part of GAA lore on account of the fact it was held at a baseball field in New York. It was certainly an unusual choice of setting, and it would not be the last time the Big Apple would host a Kerry-Cavan clash.
The meetings may have been infrequent, but the ones that have occurred amount to a rich and fascinating history between the counties.
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1947 All-Ireland Final, Polo Grounds, New York: Cavan 2-11 Kerry 2-7
We begin with the most documented tie of the lot. The motivation for bringing the All-Ireland final to New York was to mark the 100-year anniversary of the Great Famine and honour the Irish diaspora who fled to America as a result.
A famous encounter followed, immortalised by the words “just five minutes more” from legendary broadcaster Micheál O’Heir. There had been technical difficulties involved in organising the radio coverage at the Polo Grounds for people back home in Ireland, and O’Heir made the plea to prevent anyone on the airwaves who might disconnect the line.
📸 Members of the Cavan & Kerry squads raise a toast aboard the RMS Queen Mary as they sail home from NYC after the All-Ireland Football Final of 1947 🚢 🗽 🤝 #GAA #Sportsmanship #Legends 💙🤍 💛💚 pic.twitter.com/zlXN3l3din
— John Joe O'Reilly Memorial Monument (@johnjoememorial) October 1, 2022
Footage of that game has been well preserved. Images have been refined and enhanced. One particular shot captures some of the Kerry and Cavan contingent enjoying a drink together on board the Queen Mary while travelling back to Ireland. A book by Mick Dunne called ‘The Star Spangled Final’ is one such resource that captures the game and the events around it. Another is ‘The Fairytale In New York’ by Anglo Celt sports editor, Paul Fitzpatrick. He explains how Cavan played against Kerry at a tournament in London earlier that year, around the same time that Congress passed a vote to play the All-Ireland final in New York.
“As they were coming off the field, the Cavan and Kerry lads were saying, ’Look we’ll see ye in New York in September.’
“Simon Deignan was playing at wing-back for Cavan, and went on to win three All-Irelands. He was also a referee. He refereed the Munster final between Kerry and Cork. Then a couple of months later, he was playing against Kerry in the final,” Fitzpatrick says.
Air travel was in its infancy in those days but the teams travelled by plane. It took 29 hours to reach the States, according to Fitzpatrick, and the flight was “unbelievably hairy.” Members of that Cavan team won two more All-Irelands in 1948 and 1952, but have remarked to Fitzpatrick that the ’47 outshone them both. The experience exposed them to another world of living.
“The New York thing was just insane, really. You still had rationing in Ireland as well. The Cavan players all said that they couldn’t believe that everywhere was lit up, everywhere had full electricity, the shops were full of food.”
The baseball grounds were not well received by the players as there was very little grass, making the surface difficult to play on. Another inconvenience was the mound of earth in the field where pitchers throw the ball during baseball games. But Cavan still prevailed by four points to become All-Ireland champions having lost the 1943 and 1945 finals. The team was packed with interesting characters, including Willie Doonan who served for the British Army during the war.
“They came from all walks of life,” Fitzpatrick continues.
“John Joe Reilly at centre-back was a commandant in the Irish Army and was nailed on certain future Chief of Staff in the Army before he died. And then you had John Wilson, who went on to become Táinaiste.
“Mick Higgins was born in New York the day that Michael Collins was shot.”
In 1997, 50 years after the 1947 encounter, Kerry and Cavan returned to New York to play out a National League game in Randall’s Island. Kerry won 1-12 to 0-8 with Maurice Fitzgerald accounting for 1-10 of the Kerry tally. A tribute match to mark the anniversary of another tribute match. A huge Cavan crowd travelled to honour a team that had just given them a summer to remember.
1997 All-Ireland semi-final: Kerry 1-17 Cavan 1-10
In 1997, Cavan ended a 28-year famine for an Ulster senior title. Their U21s had won a provincial crown the previous year before going on to contest the All-Ireland final. Interestingly, Kerry were their opponents as Cavan lost out by four points.
Martin McHugh, an All-Ireland winner with Donegal in 1992, had just come on board as the new Cavan manager. And after losing the 1995 Ulster final, he helped them conquer the province with a one-point win over a Derry team that had won the 1993 All-Ireland.
“Cavan had lost the first round in Ulster seven years in a row, and then McHugh came in,” Fitzpatrick explains. “The buzz in the county was insane.
“It probably inspired a full generation. In 2020 [when Cavan won the Ulster final], they didn’t get that, because obviously it was the height of Covid so kids didn’t get to go to the games. They didn’t have a proper homecoming or anything.”
Kerry were experiencing a drought of their own in those times. They were into their 11th year without a visit from Sam Maguire. That’s a lifetime in their world. And when Fintan Cahill crashed home a goal just before half-time, Cavan were 1-7 to 0-9 in front. They could have been even further in front had Peter Reilly’s shot not been saved by Declan O’Keeffe.
However, Kerry survived the scare and a Mike Frank Russell goal shortly after his introduction from the bench propelled the Kingdom to a 1-17 to 1-10 victory.
“Cavan lost by seven points, but really that flattered Kerry,” says Fitzpatrick. “They added on a few scores at the very end of the game. It was Maurice Fitzgerald who beat Cavan that day.
“It was seen as a disappointment, because I think even at the time, people knew it was an unbelievable opportunity. Kerry were nervy enough, hadn’t won in 11 years. At that stage, Cavan still had an insane support.
“There was a couple who got married that day, and they got Seán Quinn’s helicopter up to Croke Park and went to the game in their wedding clothes. It’s unbelievable. The place went bonkers that time.”
2013 All-Ireland Quarter-Final: Kerry 0-15 Cavan 0-9
In the aftermath of 1997, Fitzpatrick felt that the prevailing sense in the county was that Cavan had arrived. Or, to put it another way, they had returned. Cavan were a dominant force in Ulster during the early 20th century, and 1997 inspired belief that more success would follow. But aside from contesting the 2001 Ulster final, Cavan drifted.
Fitzpatrick points to the years between 2009 and 2012 as being particularly grim. “A bad culture” developed as the county became Division 3 strugglers. But then a shift occurred in 2011. A first Ulster minor title in 37 years was followed by an Ulster U21 four-in-a-row between 2011 and 2014. Some of those emerging stars lined out for Cavan when they arrived in Croke Park to take on Kerry. Among them was Killian Clarke who was named at corner-back while Dara McVeety was added as a late change.
Many predicted the breakthrough would be further down the line, but Fitzpatrick disagreed.
“2013 was probably as good a chance as any because Monaghan beat them by a point in the Ulster semi-final and [Monaghan] beat Donegal in the final. We’re all looking ahead to the years to come and, in actual fact, that was a big opportunity.”
After being diverted down the old qualifier route that season, Cavan picked up wins against Fermanagh, Derry (after extra-time) and London. They also defeated Armagh in the Ulster championship earlier in the summer. But by half-time against Kerry, they were 0-11 0-2 down.
They added seven points in the second half with a more spirited display but were wasteful in front of the posts. Kerry always had them at arm’s length. Terry Hyland was the Cavan manager at the time, and his defensive style of football didn’t suit some of the Cavan purists.
“It made sense because a bit like the current team, they were leaking so many scores,” says Fitzpatrick.
“The problem Terry had was trying to improve that style as the years went on. He went too far the other way. The supporters were getting a bit pissed off in 2013.
“A friend of mine was in the front row of the Hogan stand [for the Kerry game]. Ronan Flanagan went to take a sideline ball and he kicked it back to [Alan] O’Mara in goals, which obviously would be common enough. This ould fella in front of him, leaned across the barrier and threw his program at Flanagan. This was like a Cavan old timer who was still in the catch and kick mode.”
Despite the optimism around their successful youths, the titles didn’t pour in. They would have to wait until that famous Covid Ulster final in 2020. Players like Pádraig Falkner, Gerard Smith and Ciarán Brady featured along with Clarke and McVeety. A reward at last. There is some disappointment around what those players didn’t win, but there is plenty of gratitude for what they did deliver for the county.
“There’s huge respect for those fellas at the same time. They brought us from the bottom to Division 1. We’re still reliant on probably eight lads that have 100 caps on the senior team at the minute.”
Another meeting with Kerry awaits this weekend. Another instalment in the archives.
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