72 Sport Tue 24 November 09 The 19th with Joe Ó Muircheartaigh “Under Ger Loughnane’s management, Clare essentially did for hurling what Dublin and Kerry did for football in the 1970s. Training became almost year-long and ferocious. At a fi eld in Crusheen, a small village north of Ennis, players were subjected to a gruelling regime of hard winter training.” IN the review of The GAA, A Peo- as bad in early ’95 as they were in ple’s History in The Irish Times a few ’14, given the humiliating defeats in weeks back, Keith Duggan plucked a the Munster fi nals of ’93 and ’94. quote from the bowels of a book that But, again out of nowhere the All- was commissioned by the GAA that Ireland, that was a paradise lost for said: “much of the fun in being in- 81 years, came back to Clare, with volved in the GAA is its capacity for The GAA, A People’s History giv- controversy”. ing Clare’s achievements in ’95 and Those involved in the current con- again in ’97 their rightful and spe- troversy might not say that the whole cial place in the annals of hurling – a sorry, sad and protracted stand-off place way beyond the mere winning over the management of the Clare of All-Irelands. senior hurling team for 2010 is their “All-Ireland wins for Clare in idea of fun, but nonetheless they 1995 and Wexford the following should still read this book. year helped revitalise the game to a The considerable tome, which runs point where, for a number of years, to over 400 pages is, in the words of it surfed a wave of unprecedented one of the authors, Mark Duncan, popularity. Underpinning both these something that “moves beyond the unexpected breakthroughs were traditional histories we have at the charismatic management and an in- moment, which tend to be overly fo- tensity of purpose born in years of cused on the games and chronicles underachievement. who won what and when and how. “Under Ger Loughnane’s man- “Instead it’s about how people have agement, Clare essentially did for experienced the GAA and how it has hurling what Dublin and Kerry did impacted upon their own lives. The for football in the 1970s. Training emphasis was always about the ex- became almost year-long and fero- perience of the mass GAA member- cious. At a fi eld in Crusheen, a small ship as opposed to just talking about village north of Ennis, players were games,” Duncan adds. subjected to a gruelling regime of The GAA, A People’s History ful- hard winter training. As one player fi ls that mission statement and man- recalled: ‘At training you’d feel like date in resounding fashion, while its getting sick, but you didn’t quite be- interest to those warring factions in cause there was nothing there. You’d Clare GAA who have had their hur- havehave nnothing’.othing’. CCrusheenrusheen bbecameecame a leys drawn these past few weeks, is bywordbyword forfor sharedshared physicalphysical punish-punish- that the darkest hours always come mentment andand charactercharacter fformation.ormation. AAndnd before the dawn – the moral of that becausebecause itit wworkedorked fforor Clare,Clare, ootherther hoary old cliché from Clare’s point teamsteams wentwent inin searchsearch ofof a ‘Crusheen’‘Crusheen’ of view is that things always get ofof theirtheir own.”own.” better and that the current stand-off In between those All-Ireland tri- could yet be a harbinger for success umphsumphs ooff ’’1414 aandnd ’’1919 tthishis bbookook and happier times down the road. pennedpenned byby PaulPaul Rouse,Rouse, MarkMark Dun-Dun- And it mightn’t be too long a road cancan andand MikeMike CroninCronin doffsdoffs itsits hathat toto either. ClareClare inin manymany otherother waysways – ofof coursecourse A letter published on page 217 itit startsstarts withwith foundingfounding fatherfather MichaelMichael proves this so true: Cusack.Cusack. Dear Sir, And, if Cusack was the man who Clare hurlers in the past occupied sailedsailed thethe MayflMayfl oower,wer, itit waswas MicheálMicheál a proud and prominent position in O’HehirO’Hehir whowho diddid mostmost toto steersteer thethe the Gaelic arena. Unfortunately shipship towardstowards thethe massmass appealappeal thatthat in recent years, owing to a want of enjoysenjoys toto thisthis day.day. YouYou don’tdon’t reallyreally proper training and combination, toto seesee thatthat theythey areare properlyproperly trainedtrained waswas puckedpucked inin 1914).1914). GoingGoing byby thethe needneed toto readread aboutabout O’Hehir’sO’Hehir’s cur-cur- our representatives have greatly de- and equipped for their fi xture at WeWe remain,remain, tonetone ofof thethe letter,letter, thingsthings mustmust havehave riculum vitae here – 99 All-Irelands teriorated, until at the present day Limerick on the 9th August. In or- Yours truly, rotten in Clare back then – the coun- and all that from ’38 to ’84 – but how we fi nd ourselves occupying a very der to properly train the team, the ty had clearly fallen from grace in a his Ballynacally lineage impacted on insignifi cant position, indeed, in the Committee propose to bring them, James O’Regan, J.P., Sixmilebri- big way, but the important thing was his commentaries shows just how lo- annals of the GAA generally, regret, the week prior to the match, to La- dge; P. E Kenneally, J.P., Ennis; that the belief was there that things cal the GAA is. and universal disappointment, is hinch, so that they may be free from Dr. Fitzgerald, Newmarket-on-Fer- could and would get better. “For some years before I started expressed throughout the County at all disturbing attractions, and train gus; Rev. W. Scanlan, P.P., Tub- And they did, because four games broadcasting he had been bedrid- this condition of things, and a hope in such a manner as will enable them ber; Rev. M. McKenna, Killimer; later Clare were All-Ireland champi- den,” said O’Hehir about Patrick was expressed on all sides that some to bring back once more to Clare the Rev. Fr. McCreedy C.C., Quin; Rev. ons for the fi rst time ever. From drift- Garry from Ballycorick in Ballyna- steps should be taken to rehabilitate high prestige we once enjoyed. Fr. O’Kennedy, The College Ennis; ing along aimlessly to being the best cally, “so I’d imagine myself talking Clare to the conspicuous position Needless to remark the training of B. Culligan, J.P., Kilrush; Messrs. in Ireland, from chumps to champs directly to him. In those formative she once enjoyed when her hurlers the team will entail considerable ex- P.J. Floyd, P. McNamara, P. Pow- and all that – and in a very short years (as a broadcaster) it was not to were second to none in the land. penditure, and in order to defray this er, J. Callaghan, Dublin; M. Dug- space of time. the people of Ireland or anywhere I Yielding to the wish thus expressed, expenditure we earnestly appeal to gan, Scariff; W. Moloney, Tulla; P. The question is, could history re- was speaking to, but to Patrick Gar- a meeting was recently convened you for a subscription to assist us in O’Loughlin, Ballyvaughan; D. Hea- peat itself nearly 100 years on? Could ry, doing my best to tell him what and held in Ennis, of some of the the work we have undertaken. ly, Bodyke. Messrs. Stephen Clune, lightening strike again? was happening”. prominent men of the County. As a Subscriptions will be thankfully Quin, P. Kenny, Ennis Joint Hon. The lessons don’t end there. The result of the meeting, an infl uential received and duly acknowledged by Secs. book, which covers the GAA’s 125 Committee was appointed, and they the undersigned. The dateline is from July 1914 be- years also bridges the 81-year gap were ordered to take the team, that is Trusting that your response will fore a ball had been pucked in cham- between 1914 and ’95 when Clare’s Above: going to represent Clare in the Mun- be spontaneous and generous, and pionship (with no National League second All-Ireland was won. Come Images from Th e GAA: A People’s ster Championship, on hands, and thanking you in anticipation. back then it also meant before a ball to think of it, things probably felt just History.