Author Seeks More Information
for History of GAA in Canada
By JOHN O'FLYNN
VANCOUVER - Over the better half of the year, I have been engaged in gaining further knowledge about the Canadian-Irish sporting community's history with Gaelic football, hurling, handball and rounders.
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JOHN O'FLYNN
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Through the cooperation of so many people in Canada, the United States and Ireland, too many to name, it has been a privilege to speak with all those who have participated in an interview process or by sharing their publications, photos and news clippings during this time of research. Their pride and enthusiasm about the Gaelic Athletic Association and their local clubs were very evident.
Since the days of Ras Tailteann and Feiseanna at Tara, Irish games have tended to symbolise the irrepressible nature of Ireland's spirit. The Tailteann Games were an ancient sporting event held in honour of Queen Tailte. They ran from 1829 BC to 1180 AD when they died out after the Norman Invasion.
A sporting festival bearing the same name was held by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1924, 1928 and 1932. This event that was open to all people of Irish birth or ancestry and the games were spread over a 16 day period of Olympian proportions.
The history of our Canadian Gaelic games, in the light of that spirit, proves a determination that the Gaelic Athletic Association's flag has flown strong in the past, and will continue to boldly fly, in the years to come.
The presence of the GAA in Canada is a validation that a very important part of our cultural legacy lives on in a strong, healthy and vibrant fashion. To all those who have made this possible in Canada - the players, their families, the coaches, their clubs and members, the supporters and sponsors - congratulations!
By your efforts, unselfish sacrifices and contributions you have enriched our Irish presence and sporting culture "a mari usque ad mare" (from sea to sea) across this great country of Canada.
I invite the faithful readers of The Celtic Connection to contact me if there are some Irish games or club history from any region of Canada that might be included in this effort to record our history.
There is representation from most areas of Canada in the history except for the following that could use some input: P.E.I., New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and the Territories. Information can be sent by e-mail john.oflynn@gmail.com. Fax (604) 922-3328, voice mail (604) 803-7232, or by mail to 2330 Cypress Lane, West Vancouver, B.C. V7S 3H9.
The following is a condensed version of Toronto GAA history from the 1950s:
An tUachtarán, Michael Kehoe of Wexford, a man whose concern for the difficulties besetting the fledgling GAA centers scattered throughout North America used his persuasion and ability to correct a long-standing inequity.
At the urging of officers from various North American cities, the Central Council established in 1950 the National Council GAA of the United States. Three separate divisions called zones were created by the National Council with New York classified as zone 1, Mid-West as zone 2 and New England as zone 3. Each zone was granted a provincial status with the parent body in Ireland.
Representatives from Chicago, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Buffalo and Cleveland formed the Mid-West States Championship while teams in Toronto, Rochester, Montreal and Syracuse made up the eastern half of the Mid-West Championship.
As the mid-west and New England zones completed their play-off schedule, Nua Eabhrach withdrew from the organization, thus dealing the inter-zonal competition a mortal blow. The zones were a failure partly because of the financial difficulties of transporting players and teams such vast distances, but mainly because of the withdrawal of New York, who regarded the zones as a burdensome imposition.
In 1953, a mid-west football selection beat a New England selection on a score of 10 points to nine in Boston and was declared the first All-American Champions. Toronto's three all-stars were Paul Reynolds, Sean McFearon and Kevin Nolan. In 1954, the Hartford Gaelic Football Club won the New England title, only to lose by one point to Toronto in a regional playoff.
On August 12, 1956, a Mid-West All-Star Gaelic football team defeated New England in Cleveland by a score of 21 to 14 to be crowned the All-American Senior Champions. Toronto's all-stars were John McHugh, Frank O'Kane, Jim Malone, John Duffy, Brendan Keogh (Vice-Chairman of the mid-west Council) and the captain of the team, Dominic Kilroy.
Detroit won the Championship in 1957 defeating Toronto by a score of 2-6 to 1-3 on a snowy day in Buffalo. Detroit's Padraig Pearse member Dan P. O'Kennedy composed a poem to commemorate the event. The Toronto footballers must have gotten wind of the poem as they returned in 1958 to beat Detroit by two points and there is no poem to be found about that Canadian victory!
Between 1950 and 1960, games between teams were closely contested, often times the difference between defeat and victory on the last kick of the ball. Chicago probably held the upper hand with Pittsburgh and Toronto vying for a close second place.
The Mid-West teams from Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Montreal and Toronto eventually evolved into the Northern Division once the American County Board was formed in 1959. Later, Toronto and Hamilton were delegated to a separate division leaving the four remaining teams.
At the first American County Board Convention, which was held at the Sylvania Hotel in Philadelphia on February 7-8 1959, Toronto's two delegates were Mike Lawlor and John Sinclair. This was a significant event in the history of the GAA in Canada and in all the cities where the games were played outside of New York and New Jersey.
It brought all of North America into the GAA family officially with direct affiliation to Central Council, representation at Congress, and an allotment of All-Ireland tickets to the finals each year.
Toronto's hurling team beat Detroit's Padraig Pearse by a point at home in 1959 but Boston Galway beat the Toronto selection in the semi-finals of the hurling championships in Syracuse later that year. Members of that 1958-59 Toronto team included Jack Reidy; Mike O'Mara; Danny Roche; Pat McClearn; Oliver Gilligan; Joe Kennedy; Mike O'Leary; Brendan Power; Larry Morrin; Maurice Houlihan; Pete Nolan; John Sinclair; P.J. Brosnan; Pat Lanigan; John Gilligan; Eddie O'Brien; John Hurley; Phil Walsh; Pat Mahoney; Tommy O'Connor; Pat O'Mara; and Billy Grant.
The 1959 American County Board football final was actually played on Easter Sunday in 1960. Toronto travelled west and the Los Angeles Football Club agreed to pay half the cost of the fares. The game was refereed by former Mayo player, Dr. Páraig Carney, and L.A. won by six points.
There are 35 or more pages about the clubs and games of Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa recorded with another 35 or more pages dealing with the rest of Canada. Football and hurling play a major component, there is some interesting history about the Canadian County Board, the Irish of St. John's, and some humorous pieces to share with you in the near future when all is complete.
John O'Flynn has been a life-long member of the Vancouver Irish Sporting and Social Club. He played Gaelic football in two North American County Board Junior Championships (1984, 1985) and attended the founding meeting of the Canadian County Board in 1987. John serves as the Canadian County Board Secretary and is the Chairman of the Western Canadian Divisional Board. He has presented workshops on Gaelic football to teachers at physical education conferences and recently has been involved with summer camps that introduce the Gaelic games to Irish dancers.
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