REFERENCE NO. AR/1/37
GAA Oral History Project Interview Report Form
Name of Joe Jordan Interviewer
Date of Interview 3rd Feb 2011
Location N/A Name of Seamus Mallon Interviewee (Maiden name / Nickname)
Biographical Summary of Interviewee
Gender Male
Born Year Born: 1939
Home County: Armagh
Education Primary: Middletown Boys School
Secondary: St Patrick’s College Armagh
Third Level: Queen University Belfast
Family Siblings: 1 brother
Current Family if Different: Wife and 5 children
Club(s) Crossmaglen Rangers GAA [Armagh]; Thady Dwyers GAA [Armagh]; Middletown GAA [Armagh] Occupation Teacher
Parents’ Farming Occupation
Religion N/A
Political Affiliation / N/A Membership
Other Club/Society N/A Membership(s)
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Date of Report 24 July 2012
Period Covered 1940s - 2011
Counties/Countries Armagh, Antrim, Cavan Covered Key Themes Travel, Supporting, Grounds, Facilities, Playing, Training, Covered Managing, Coaching, Officials, Administration, Fundraising, Education, Religion, Emigration, Role of Teachers, Role of the Club in the Community, Volunteers, Rivalries, Scόr, All- Ireland, Club History, County History, Earliest Memories, Family Involvement, Childhood, Impact on Life, Career, Violence, Northern Ireland, The Troubles, Ban on Foreign Games and Dances, Retirement, Relationships, Economy / Economics
Interview Summary This recording takes the form, for the most part, of a recitation by Seamus Mallon of a written account of his life in the GAA. His earliest memories involve listening to match commentaries and results on the radio and being told stories by his father of Ulster championship games from the 1920s and 30s. He talks also about attending his first club and county games, including the 1946 Ulster final when Antrim defeated Cavan. Mallon’s own playing career was long and varied. It began with Middletown in the 1950s, but continued later with Keady Dwyers, Queen’s University and Crossmaglen Rangers. He would enjoy success with each, recalling such highlights as the winning of an Armagh minor title in 1957 (he also won an Ulster title with Armagh that year), a landmark Sigerson cup triumph in 1959 and 3 Armagh senior championships with Crossmaglen Rangers in the mid to late 1960s. He explains how he ended up playing with each of these clubs and discusses the training – or lack of, in some cases - done, the players he played with and against, the competitions they played in, the opposition they faced and how they fared. As he progress his own story, Mallon makes wider observations on games developments and the social, economic and political context.
Mallon’s transition to management began before his playing days had ended. He began coaching teams in the school where he worked in Crossmaglen and this led to a deeper involvement with club underage and later teams. He outlines the transformation of Crossmaglen’s fortunes in the 1970s and his decision, after seven years involved in senior management, to leave. Having moved home to Middletown in 1975 and tiring of the travel – exacerbated by the disruption caused by the Troubles – he returned to help in Middletown
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and talks about the fall and rise of Middletown’s fortunes in the 1980s. He would end up spending as much time helping with top Middletown team as had done with Crossmaglen. Stepping down from management, he remained hugely involved in GAA activity through participation in Scór and he details his involvement – with others – in an extraordinarily successful quiz team during the 1980s.
00:00:01 Introduction to Seamus Mallon, born in 1939 at Ashfort in Middletown, where he still lives. Remarks that all his life, except for 6 years in Belfast and 12 years in Cullaville,have been spent there.
00:00:30 Early memories of listening to Michael O’Hehir commentaries on the radio. Mentions also that it was compulsory to listen to Sean Óg Ó Ceallacháin on a Sunday night reading out all the club and county results.
00:01:00 Listening to the old schoolteacher, the late PJ O’Neill, a ‘dedicated GAA man.
00:01:15 Refers to other local GAA people like his father Frank Mallon, who had a ‘great memory’ of games from the 1920s and 30s. Recalls him telling of a ‘famous’ Ulster final in Castleblaney between Armagh and Cavan that was wasn’t finished because crowds rushed to pitch – it was ‘replayed in Croke Park’, the first time an Ulster final was played at the venue.
00:01:50 Refers to an Uncle from Middletown, Phelix Mallon, who went to a lot of the big county matches, bringing the young Seamus to his first Ulster final in Clones in 1946, when Antrim met Cavan. On the day, ‘Antrim defied all the odds’.
00:02:38 Mentions that Armagh people were delighted with Cavan’s defeat and recalls Kevin Armstrong sending in a high lob which ‘slipped in over the Cavan goalkeeper’s head.
00:03:10 Mentions supporting Antrim for a time and lists some of their players: Kevin Armstrong, Sean Gibson, Harry O’Neill, Paddy O’Hara, Sean Gallagher and Sean McEleavey (a ‘Keady man’).
00:03:40 Mentions also the ‘great’ Cavan players of the era: John Joe O’Reilly, PJ Duke, Victor Sherlock, Tony Tighe and Peter Donohue.
00:03:50 Attending his first Armagh county final in 1947, aged 8. The game was between Armagh Harps and Crossmaglen
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Rangers. Recalls several of the players: Patsy McConville (father of Oisín), Kevin O’Callaghan, Gene Morgan, Tom Clarke, Bertie Regan and John Martin for Crossmaglen and Jack Bratton, Malachy McMahon, Des Slevin, Harry Irwin for the Harps.
00:04:40 Mentions being a ‘fanatical’ Harps supporter at that age, but Cross won that game.
00:04:50 Talks about the local scene and ‘hectic’ games in the 1940s between Middletown and Collegeland, Grange and Ballymacnab. Recalls players from that era: Jimmy ‘White boy’ McGuigan and his brother Barney, Mick McNally, Phelim McQuaid, Phelim McGuinness, ‘wee Jimmy McNally’.
00:05:35 Reference to the ‘Dobbyn Park split’ which led to a lot of bitterness in the late 1940s. Mentions that there was break in the football in Middletown in the mid 1950s until a team was ‘strung together again’.
00:05:53 Credit a Monaghan man, Paddy McArdle, with the re-emergence of football in Middletown. Describes him as a ‘rock’ in every sense.
00:06:05 Mentions that the team included players who had played in the 1950s joined by a younger group including Charlie and Josie McGuinness, Gabriel McGary, Fergal O’Neill, Peter Markey and himself.
00:06:23 Mentions that he had only a year with them at 16 or 17 years of age. The team, he says, went into ‘voluntary liquidation’ in 1956 owing to a ‘shortage of players’.
00:06:40 Comments that they had won a mid-division junior league in 1955, but couldn’t get a team out the following year.
00:06:50 Refers to the typical opposition they faced during these years: Tullysaran, Blackwatertown, Grange, Madden, Ballymacnab, Poyntspass and Mullabrack.
00:07:00 Discusses the economic depression through the 1950s and remarks on the difficulties clubs faced in surviving.
00:07:15 Mentions that a few of the team from Middletown who didn’t go to England joined neighbouring clubs: Charlie McGuinness went to Madden, Sean Barrett and Peter Markey joined another club and Mallon joined Keady Dwyers.
00:07:28 Talks about the absence of coaching and tactics – it was mainly ‘catch and kick’ and solo-running was frowned upon.
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00:08:00 Recalls later joining Crossmaglen and telling John Martin that he learned to ‘go hard’ for a ball in Middletown field where it was the only way you’d get a kick of it.
00:08:14 Mentions that school matches were organised with neighbouring areas. Recalls one game when Jimmy Whan was playing.
00:08:40 Remarks that juvenile club football was ‘unknown’ in the 1950s.
00:08:50 Believes that clubs were no more than a ‘group of lads’ who came together for games. There was ‘little or no infrastructure’.
00:09:05 Mentions that meetings were held to give out details of matches, transport was by car or bicycle.
00:09:15 Togging out under a hedge and practice session going on until dark. Recalls characters from meeting such as PJ O’Neill, Owen Quinn, Packie McKenna. Mentions that Charlie McGuinness was match secretary and looked after correspondence. Recalls absentee referees, objections, the playing of illegal players.
00:09:58 The rise of Armagh county team in the late 1940s, reaching the All-Ireland junior final in 1948, winning the All- Ireland Minor in 1949 and running Cavan to a point in the 1949 Ulster final.
00:10:20 Reference to Armagh’s Ulster victories in 1950 and 1953 and the effect of giving young schoolboys their own ‘Armagh heroes and legends’: Refers to many of the prominent Armagh players of the era.
00:10:45 Mentions the ‘privilege’ of being seen with these men. Mentions also the honour of playing with them or against them.
00:10:55 Being ‘cup tied’ with Middletown at junior and only being allowed play for Keady Dwyers Minors in 1956. As a result, he says he missed out on a county senior medal that year when Keady beat the Harps. He confesses, however, that he was unlikely to have got his game on the senior team at 16 years old.
00:11:10 Playing minor and senior with Keady in 1957, winning minor title and losing senior final in the senior final.
00:12:05 Mentions the quality of the Armagh minor teams of 1956 and 1957. Keady had four players on the successful
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1957: Harry Loughran, Christy Toal, Seamie Finnegan and himself. The team was managed by Sam Johnson from Pearse og club and the trainer was Harry Haughey from Lurgan.
00:12:30 Recalls the ‘basic’ training involved with laps, push- ups and back and forwards.
00:12:40 Names a number of the ‘stalwarts’ of that minor team and the clubs from which they were drawn.
00:13:15 Suggests they may have had it ‘too easy’ that year in Ulster as they were ‘outgunned’ by a superb Meath team. Reflects the scale of Meath superiority. The Meath team included Seamus Clynch who he believes switched to rugby and Bertie Cunningham who would play for Meath for years afterwards. Another Meath player, Jimmy Halpin, would later represent New York.
00:14:18 Ending 1958 with another defeat for Keady Dwyers senior team against Harps – says it was the fourth meeting of the clubs in a county final in the 1950s. Mentions that these games became famous for being ‘ill-tempered’ with lots of ‘fisticuffs’. Recalls one final where 3 fights were going on at the same time with the ball ‘surplus to requirement’.
00:14:50 Mentions that Harps players at the time wee ‘known throughout Ulster’ for their performances in tournaments – Jack Bratton, Gerry Grimley, Matt Grimley, Eddie O’Neill, Pat and Jim Campbell, Joe Cunningham and John Hanratty.
00:15:12 Remarks that the Harps victory in 1958 ‘signalled their demise’
00:15:25 Lack of success in 1959 with club or county, but Mallon talks about the success he enjoyed with Queen’s University in the Sigerson Cup. Recalls defeating UCD, the assistance provided by Paddy O’Hara and the strength of the Queen’s team with players like John O’Neill, Christy Mallon, Mick Brewster, Charlie Murphy, Leo O’Neill, Brendan Donaghy, Peter Smyth, High O’Kane, Phil Stewart, Tom Scullion, Frank Higgins, Sean O’Neill, Barney McNally, Kevin Halpenny and himself.
00:16:10 Talks also about the strength of the UCD opposition and lists many of the well known players on their team.
00:16:25 Talks about the pattern of the replayed game against UCD.
00:16:40 Remarks that this Queen’s victory is regarded as
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‘one of the three big breakthroughs in Ulster’, alongside Armagh’s 1926 Junior All-Ireland title and Down’s 1960 Senior victory.
00:16:55 Mentions that he enjoyed little success in the early 1960s and refers to brief spells he had with St. Mary’s Training College and Phelim Brady’s, Belfast.
00:17:07 Mentions move to Crossmaglen to teach in 1963 and joining the GAA club.
00:17:15 Refers to previously breaking his leg playing illegally.
00:17:25 Comments on how Crossmaglen by the 1960s had put their downturn in the late 1950s behind them. Remarks that they had now the ‘nucleus’ of a good side and lists some of the players they had.
00:17:49 Talks about winning his first Armagh championship medal in 1965 defeating Clann Eireann. Won another in 1966, defeating Carrickcruppen. And another in 1967, defeating Wolfe Tones.
00:18:08 Talks about being ‘plagued with injuries’, sufferingshoulder dislocation and a second leg fracture in 1968.
00:18:23 Last game of football came against Ballymacnab in the now defunct O’Hehir Cup.
00:18:30 Recollections of training with Cross. They didn’t do much until they got to the final and even then it was ‘fairly haphazard’. Recalls the management of John Martin.
00:19:08 Reflects on the emergence of the great ‘Clan na Gael’ team in the late 1960s and their clashes with Crossmaglen.
00:19:25 Beginning of his involvement in coaching while still a player. Helped coach the St. Joseph’s High School teams in Crossmaglen.
00:19:40 Establishing first Under 16 team in Cross, winning Under 16 league in 1968 and reaching championship final in the same year, losing to Clann Eireann. Mentions a number of the players on that juvenile team, including Joe Kernan.
00:20:57 Mentions that this juvenile team would win the county championship in 1969, the club’s first underage success. Joe Kernan was the ‘dominant force’.
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00:20:55 In 1970, Crossmaglen reached the Minor and the senior final. Remarks that the Minor team was the essentially the same as the 1969 Under 16 team.
00:21:30 Reference to Cross winning first ever Minor title in 1971, defeating Sarsfields.
00:21:55 John Martin calls it day as Crossmaglen manager in 1973. Describes it as a ‘crossroads’ for the club.
00:22:19 Talks about being asked to move up to the senior ranks as the young crop of players were coming through. Reflects on initial disappointment in championship.
00:22:35 Mentions that by 1975 Thomas McCreesh and his brother Michael had transferred to other clubs, weakening further the ‘1960s element’ in the Cross team.
00:23:00 Talks about the difficulty of mixing the old and new players together, However, they did and won the 1975 championship, defeating Clann Eireann in the semi-final.
00:23:35 Discusses the ‘brand’ of football played by Cross, a combination of a ‘running game’ and high fielding. Considers the performance against Clann Eireann the best of his tenure as manager.
00:24:00 Recalls 1975 championship final between Crossmaglen and Armagh Harps, which required a draw. Mentions that the Cross squad included three Duffy brother, Paddy, Gene and Donal. Lists the Cross team and selectors, with Joe Kernan as captain.
00:25:10 Discusses the 1977 season. Outlines Crossmaglen’s path to final and the drawn and replayed final against Clann Eireann.
00:26:25 Discusses the meeting with St. John’s Belfast in a ‘robust’ Ulster championship game in Corrigan Park. Explains how loss of concentration cost Crossmaglen the game.
00:26:50 Reference to the defeat of the senior team by Carrickcruppen in 1978.
00:27:00 Losing to Carrickcruppen in the 1979 final.
00:27:10 Talks about his last game with Crossmaglen. Reflects on giving 7 years to the club, of the demands of travel after moving home to Middletown in 1975, particularly with the Troubles going on. Mentions frequent delays at checkpoints and stresses the time involved in travelling to
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training and matches.
00:27:45 Talks about being asked out to help out with Middletown. Considers the state the Middletown football in the early 1980s, remarking that it had taken a ‘nosedive’ by 1982. Mentions that they had been a Division 1 team in the 1970s, competing in the senior championship.
00:28:25 Says the team had changed a lot since the 1970s and reads out the names of those involved.
00:29:12 Refers to the drop to Division 3 in 1984 and losing in championship first round to Wolfe Tones. Recalls the frustration at poor attendance at training at the time,
00:29:55 Refers to Middletown’s potential to ‘put it up to the big guys’. Mentions 1982 senior championship, playing marvellously against Clan naGael.
00:30:10 Reference to defeat in the 1985 Intermediate championship and dropping to Division 4.
00:30:20 Regaining Division 3 status under the guidance of Pa McClatchey, a ‘former great’, in 1986. Mentions being asked to help with training the team at this time.
00:30:42 Recalls the run of the team in the 1987 Championship, defeating Mullaghbawn. Mentions that Peter McArdle typified the spirit of the team on the occasion. Mentions also the performances of Sylvester McConnell and Declan McBride.
00:31:35 Mentions ‘newcomers’ to the team: Paul McGuigan, Jimmy Gaffney, John McGuinness, Adrian Jordan.
00:31:48 Talks about the Intermediate semi-final – the first since 1976. Mentions the flow of the game and the key scores.
00:32:40 The Intermediate final, 1987: refers to his two fellow selectors – Barney Mullan and Pat Casey – and the hampering of their preparations by playing on the restricted playground of St. John’s school. Recalls the flow of the game and the disappointing end.
00:33:20 Describes 1988 as a ‘mediocre’ year and recalls playing games in the old Dobbyn Park as the sportsfield was being developed.
00:33;45 Retiring from management and expresses gratitude to the players. Says he gave same amount of time to
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Middletown as he did to Crossmaglen.
00:34:02 Talks about Scór and Middletown’s involvement since 1972. Reputation for solo-singing and novelty acts. Mentions Patricia McArdle, Jim and Una Hughes.
00:34:25 The arrival of Middletown’s ‘trailblazing quiz team’ in 1981. Joe Jordan, Brendan McDonnell and himself. Winning county title in 1983 and being beaten at Ulster final. It was the same again in 1984.
00:34:50 Remarks that the quiz team were the only Middletown winners at the 1985 Scór, going on to participate in the All-Ireland finals.
00:35:13 Regaining Armagh and Ulster titles in 1987, losing narrowly again in All-Ireland. Recalls finishing runners-up again in 1988 in the national finals, losing out in sudden death finish. Returning to national finals in the Gaiety theatre in Dublin in 1989, finishing runners up to a Cork team. Comments on winning 7 county titles and reaching 4 All- Irelands.
00:35:55 Mentions that Joe Jordan stepped down from the quiz team in 1990 owing to his growing GAA commitments. Reflections on Jordan’s contribution over many years.
00:36:28 Stephen McDonald joins quiz team in 1990, winning another Ulster title. Decided afterwards to step down from quiz team.
00:37:18 Revisits 1957 All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Kerry.
00:37:34 Reflects on the differences in preparation for football in Queens and what he experienced beforehand. Mentions that Paddy O’Hara had an ‘enlightened’ approach to training.
00:38:28 Interviewer reflects on training over the years and the influence of professional soccer on the training done by university gaelic teams.
00:38:53 Talks again about Paddy O’Hara, recalls his stature and his reliance on ‘cuteness’ when he played for Antrim. Alludes to his soccer influence.
00:39:20 Says that Cross were no different to Keady or Middletown – there was often nobody to train them. Cross ‘didn’t talk about training’ until they got to a final in the 1960s.
00:39:50 Interviewer remarks on the casual, haphazard approach to training in Middletown at this time.
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00:40:05 Mallon shows his medal collections, topped by his 1957 All-Ireland Minor runners-up medal, 3 Armagh senior championship medals, 1957 Armagh Minor championship with Keady Dwyers, Sigerson medal in 1959. Also shows a handball medal won in St. Pat’s Armagh.
00:41:02 Pride of place goes to a plaque presented to Queen’s team from 1959 by present Queen’s club. It commemorates the first Queen’s victory in a Sigerson cup. Recounts the drawn and replayed games with UCD in the final of that year. Mentions again the names of players who took part in that game.
00:43:15 Expresses gratitude to Keady Dwyers club for presenting plaques in honour of 1957 Minor final. Describes it as a ‘very kind gesture on their part’.
Involvement in Supporter Player Manager Coach Steward GAA □ Chairperson Committee Member □ Grounds-person
□ Caterer □ Jersey Washer Referee □ None
□ Other (please specify): ______
Record as a Player Player Junior club Middletown 1956; Keady Dwyers and then (Titles won; Length Crossmaglen rangers until 1969. of time played) Winner of mid-division junior league in 1955 with Middletown
Winner of Ulster Minor title with Armagh, 1957
Minor county tile with Keady Dwyers, 1957
Sigerson Cup with Queen’s University, 1959
3 Armagh Senior club titles with Crossmaglen Rangers, 1965- 67
Record as an Middletown GAC early 1980 and Crossmaglen rangers later Administrator 1970s committees (Positions held; how long for)
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Format □ Audio Audio-Visual
Duration Length of Interview: 00:43:39
Language English
To be filled in by Interviewer:
I hereby assign the copyright of the content of the above to the GAA Oral History Project on the understanding that the content will not be used in a derogatory manner. I understand that I am giving the GAA Oral History Project the right to use and make available to the public the content of this interview.
Signed: Joe Jordan
Date: 3rd Feb 2011
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