REFERENCE NO. AR/1/55
GAA Oral History Project Interview Report Form
Name of Gabriel Mallon Interviewer
Date of Interview 12th Feb 2011
Location Joe’s home, near Middletown.
Name of Joe Jordan Interviewee (Maiden name / Nickname)
Biographical Summary of Interviewee
Gender Male
Born Year Born: 1945
Home County: Armagh
Education Primary: N/A
Secondary: Armagh CBS,
Greenpark
Family Siblings: 1 brother, 1 sister
Current Family if Different: Married with children
Club(s) Middletown GAA [Armagh]
Occupation Inspector with Ulster Bus
Parents’ N/A Occupation
Religion N/A
Political Affiliation / N/A Membership
Other Club/Society N/A Membership(s)
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Date of Report 26th July 2012
Period Covered 1950s -2011
Counties/Countries Armagh Covered Key Themes Travel, Supporting, Grounds, Facilities, Playing, Training, Covered Managing, Coaching, Refereeing, Officials, Administration, Celebrations, Fundraising, Education, Religion, Media, Emigration, Role of Clergy, Role of Teachers, Role of the Club in the Community, Volunteers, All-Ireland, Club History, County History, Earliest Memories, Family Involvement, Childhood, Impact on Life, Career, Politics, Northern Ireland, The Troubles, Ban on Security Forces, Purchase of Grounds, Relationships, Economy / Economics
Interview Summary Joe Jordan is a former chairman of the Middletown GAA club and the Armagh county board. The interview begins with Jordan reflecting on his family background and his experience of growing up in rural Armagh in the 1950 and 60s. Certain memories are recalled in vivid detail and Jordan sketches out the broader changes that were occurring in the 1960s, in particular the arrival of television and the spread of the motor car. Jordan discusses his early introduction to Gaelic games through family, school, local recreational games and the radio commentaries of Michael O’Hehir. Jordan began his working life at 16 and, for a time, the demands of the job precluded a deeper involvement with the GAA. He began playing adult football with Middletown in 1968 and shortly afterwards he took up his first administrative role – as Assistant secretary. A long and distinguished record of service to club and county followed and Jordan discusses the personalities and politics involved in the GAA in Armagh from the 1970s onwards. The various roles and offices he has filled are outlined, with particular emphasis on his tenure as club chairman between 2001 and 2006, a period which coincided with unprecedented success for the county. In addition to the above, Jordan considers the role of various clergymen in the running of the GAA in Middletown and reflects on the history of the local sportsfield, first purchased for the parish in 1913. The interview concludes with Jordan’s reflections on his dealings with Croke Park and leading GAA administrators.
00:00:05 Opens with old family photograph.
00:00:20 Interviewer mentions that interviewee was born in
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Killelagh, Co. Armagh.
00:00:28 Born in June 1945. Mentions his father, Tom, being from outside the parish and the second oldest of six children.
00:00:58 Talks about his father’s childhood, place of residence of his later working life – he did a ‘bit of market gardening’.
00:01:28 Talks about his mother, her family background as the second youngest of 9 children.
00:02:04 Discusses his own siblings: mentions that he was the oldest of three children. Refers to his brother Tommy who had recently died.
00:02:28 Growing up in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Mentions that home was situated on the side of the road and that there were a ‘lot of callers’ when people were going for a bus.
00:02:50 Remarks that by the mid 1960s, everybody had cars.
00:03:15 Makes reference to people hunting rabbits and considers the proximity of people to each other in the local rural area.
00:03:30 Recalls a funeral on a ‘very snowy morning’. Describes the morning, the rituals of the rural funeral and seeing ‘men’s breath’ on the air.
00:04:30 Recollections of his first day in school. Mentions Canon Larkin coming to the house on a bicycle and, amid concerns that the local school would close, getting everybody of 4 years old to go to school.
00:04:50 Describes furniture in the school and the tarring of the road which ran past the school for the first time.
00:05:40 Mentions going to next door neighbour’s and feeding calves out of a bucket. Mentions learning to drive a tractor and plough on the farm.
00:06:00 Comments that he still worked on a Saturday on the farm after he started working in Donnelly’s in the early 1960s.
00:06:20 Comments on his old teacher in Menooney, Annie Kat Lavin from Mayo, who retired in 1955.
00:06:45 Comments on doing the 11-plus in 1956 and then passing the ‘13 review’.
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00:07:00 First memories of the GAA were the bigger boys in school discussing it. Refers to Joe Sheridan, Jim Sheridan, Pat Brady – all of them were ‘GAA fanatics’.
00:07:18 Mentions that in 1954 the Water Works went passed their house, with Leo McConnell working on it. Recalls him talking about a match between Middletown and Tullysaran.
00:07:50 Mentions Pat Brady calling and bringing him to see Middletown for the first time and knowing three of the players: Sean Barrett, Leo McConnell, Peter Markey.
00:08:20 Talks about the ‘wireless’ on a Sunday.
00:08:30Interviewer mentions that Killelagh is one of three villages in the parish of Tynan, where Middletown was the team. He situates the parish in the west of Co. Armagh. Mentions that a neighbouring parish to that of the interviewee would have been Tullysaran. The parish was also on the border with Monaghan.
00:09:07 Joe mentions that Tullysaran field was 2 miles from his house and closer than Middletown. However, he describes Middletown as the ‘hub’ of GAA in the parish.
00:09:20 Refers to his Uncles Paddy and Ned Loughran playing for Middletown. Paddy was the oldest in the family and Ned would have played just before the outbreak of the Troubles and Civil War – c. 1919-21. He would have continued to play for Middletown into the early 1930s. Remarks that his mother would have talked about Paddy’s playing days.
00:09:55 Mentions that Ned played in the 1930s until going to England in the middle of the decade. Says he got married and returned to play in Clady.
00:10:30 Talks about ‘card parties’ in the 1950s in his Uncle Ned Jordan’s house – refers to them playing cards during Lent and the ‘smart talk’ about the ‘Grab all Association’ and the ‘Gerry Arthur’s association’. Mentions wanting to get into the organisation to see what was really happening.
00:11:20 Discusses influence of Eithne O’Hare as a schoolteacher. Mentions her interest in sport and throwing up a ball and make the boys catch it. She also practiced the solo run and a whole ‘range of stuff’ with the boys.
00:12:05 Going to the Brothers after the 13 Review. Talks about attending trials and being picked for the Corn na nÓg. Recalls playing against Dungannon Academy in October
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1958 with Iggy Jones, the Tyrone footballer, as referee. Mentions being switched from corner back to No. 10.
00:13:20 Discusses the opposition played and their meeting with St. Colman’s in the semi-final.
00:13:50 Mentions the help provided in primary school and games played in the ‘flat bottom’ in front of Owensie Mullins home on a Sunday evening. Two teams would be picked – including Protestant boys – and they would play away.
00:14:12 Explains that a ‘bottom’ was a meadow, a flat field.
00:14:20 Refers to no football in Middletown in the 1960s.
00:14:40 Comments on having a wireless at home – using a ‘wet battery’ and a ‘dry battery’ the size of a cement block. Talks of the wet battery being taken away to charge and being returned for the weekend. Comments on the vivid commentaries of Michael O’Hehir making ‘giants’ of men. Refers to him commentating on the Cavan team into the 1950s, the Armagh team of 1953 and Kerry matches.
00:15:53 Discusses a local man called Mick Higgins, who now has a cup named after him. Describes him as an ‘ardent GAA man’ who travelled the country supporting Armagh. Mentions the impression he made on the ‘Harps’ people and his support for Armagh – he was the sort of man ‘who made the GAA what it is today’, helping to build the aura around it.
00:17:25 Comments on the Seán Óg Ó Ceallacháin on the radio on a Sunday night.
00:17:45 Mentions the only outlet he had was his cousin Jim Loughran played for Derrynoose. Mentions getting on the bicycle and getting a lift to play for Derrynoose Minors when they played at home.
00:18:36 Comments that everyone was buying a car and a television between 1964 and 1968 and his workplace, Donnelly’s, was so busy that it was ‘compulsory’ to work every night of the week but Friday.
00:18:58 Refers to luck of his luck in having a job and that others went away to work in England and Dublin, the majority never to return.
00:19:22 Mentions being the fourth member of staff in Donnelly’s when he started in 1961. Says that English and Maths was his downfall in school, so he started working at the age of 16 years.
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00:20:33 Says he couldn’t get into football in Middletown because of work.
00:20:45 Remarks that by 1968 when Donnelly’s had enough staff to ‘cope with the work’, Middletown were on the way to winning Division 4. Says he waited until the end of the year before started to play.
00:21:25 Remarks that colleagues in Donnelly’s who played with Middletown kept him ‘posted’ as to when football was starting again. He commenced playing in November 1968 with Oliver Grimes as trainer. This was his first ‘entry’ into Middletown.
00:21:50 Two months later, at the AGM, he ended up as Assistant Secretary. Mentions that only a dozen attended the AGM.
00:22:30 Mentions the ‘doom and gloom’ about due to the recession in 1969 – comments that a lot of the Middletown boys went to England. The difficulty in mustering a team meant that they were relegated again in 1969.
00:23:15 Discusses the progress of the club in the early 1970s.
00:23:40 Talks about his marriage and to a woman from Derrynoose.
00:24:40 Mentions Pat McCann arriving at his home and telling him that he was going to have part company with Middletown after failing to get a job in Keady school – he moved to work in Belfast and then to America – for good. Tells of McCann dropping to minute book into his home.
00:25:30 Refers to presiding over his first meeting as Secretary in April and being elected in his own right at the end of 1970 – when Eamon Curry was Chairman.
00:26:30 Mentions that a lot of players came back again, winning Division 4 again.
00:26:40 Refers to being appointed to attend county board meetings which were devoted to football, hurling, Ulster council matters and other matters – refers to Alf Murray, Gerry Fagan and Gerry Arthurs bring involved and to being the ‘youngest’ man in a room of ‘legends’.
00:27:45 Mentions Alf Murray’s experience in beating the northern government in getting grants and urging clubs to have constitutions – he mentioned that Clann Eireann had
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beaten the system by having a constitution. Joe remarks that the idea went over the heads of the older members of board, but it ‘struck’ a chord with him.
00:28:55 Talks about going to Alf Murray and getting a copy of the Clann Eireann constitution and gradually adapting it to Middletown’s requirement. Says that by new constitutions was adopted at the club’s annual convention in the 1973. Explains what this meant for the club in terms of organisation, the election of officers, the establishment of a bank account, the distribution of a booklet with the constitution to members etc.
00:30:40 Talks about the impact of this organisation on players and the rising fortunes of the club: winning Division 3 in 1973, winning Junior championship in 1974, promotion to Division 1 for first time in 1975, winning Intermediate championship in 1976. Describes these as ‘great years’ and mentions the ‘gates’ at games with the big teams playing in Middletown.
00:31:40 Comments on the impact of Armagh’s All-Ireland final appearance in 1977 on crowds at club games in the sportsfield.
00:32:00 Discusses the club’s relegation in 1977 and explains why it was a ‘stroke of bad luck’ – includes reference to a referee not turning up and the referee being chosen by the toss of a coin.
00:33:08 Mentions Midletown staying at the top of Division 2 until 1980.
00:33:15 Mentions his tenure as club secretary ending in 1979 – says he felt he was there long enough and a new generation’s voice needed to be heard.
00:34:00 Returns to his first involvement with the county board with meetings running to 2 am. Mentions Joe Canning coming up the idea of a football board - dealing with senior football - and replacing all county minor board with divisional boards with new responsibilities. Remarks that the divisional boards had been abolished in 1966 due to the impact of emigration. They were re-introduced for the start of 1973.
00:35:40 Recalls Gerry Fagan, Tom Lynch and John O’Reilly calling to his home and asking to become secretary of the mid-Armagh Division. Explains his curiosity to see how things were done.
00:35:40 Says he became secretary of the mid board in
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February 1973, with Tommy O’Hare of Ballymacnab as chairman. Between secretary, Vice-Chairman and Chairman, he was involved with the mid-divisional board from 1973 to 1993.
00:37:00 Remarks on dealing with men of the highest calibre with only the GAA interest at heart. Believes the GAA could be described as the ‘Give all Association...’
00:37:45 Describes Gerry Arthurs as a ‘great man’.
00:37:57 Refers to being an ‘ordinary committee’ member in Middletown in 1980-81 and then becoming Vice Cairman in 1982 and Chairman in 1989. Continued in the role until 1993, staying on as a committee member.
00:38:32 Refers to being Chairman of the Football board for five year, becoming County Vice chairman during this time. In 2001 he became County Chairman, holding the post until 2006. After that, he acted as Press officer for the county and served as the county representative on the Ulster Council.
00:39:15 Discusses the involvement of various clergymen in the club. Mentions Fr. Cassidy arriving as a young curate in 1971 and his GAA background – says he was ‘up to his neck’ in the team when they won the junior championship. Fr. John Fox, a Tyrone man, was also a ‘big GAA man’, serving as club chairman and selector when club won the Intermediate championship in 1976. Fr. Fergus Breslin was a GAA man, but was not involved in Middletown. Comments on Fr. Sweeney, his interest in football and his knowledge of the all the ‘skullduggery’.
00:41:17 Discussion about Fr. Toal and his role in transferring the field from pariochial ownership to the GAA.
00:41:29 Talks about the importance of the sportsfield and mentions that it was bought in 1913 by the parish for the ‘national pastimes’. Says that it was requisitioned for the 1914-18 war effort and it was ploughed and dug – it remained much the same way until 1985 when the bulldozer came in to make PJ O’Neill Park.
00:42:55 Refers to a book by Seamus O Ceallaigh which mentions that fields were bought at the urging of Archbishop Croke Park. He mentions a meeting in Maynooth in 1910 urging bishops to return to their diocese and establish fields in each parish.
00:43:40 Mentions that it wasn’’t until after the Troubles and ‘convulsions’ of the Civil war and partition that the GAA got
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around to building a good field in each province, before then encouraging each county and club to develop fields. Mentions that Middletown was far ‘ahead of the posse’.
00:44:10 Believes club should celebrate the acquisition of the field on its centenary in 2013.
00:44:20 Discusses his ‘journey’ to becoming county chairman. Recalls being chairman of the mid-board in 1988 and being told by John O’Reilly he was the ‘man for the job’.
00:45:10 Mentions his naivety in believing you ‘stood on your track record’ and losing by 4 votes.
00:45:30 Going for – and getting - the Vice-chairmanship of county board in early 1990s.
00:45:55 Mentions being told to let people ‘know you’re interested’ as you couldn’t canvass for the job of county chairman.
00:46:25 Discusses the politics of the county board in the mid 1990s and the influence of geographic considerations.
00:47:00 Mentions being content enough with his own GAA involvement and discusses his decision to contest the chairmanship in 2001.
00:48:30 Mentions John O’Reilly, then President of the Ulster Council, instructing him to ring people and let them know he was interested. ‘Fate decreed that I got it’, he says of his election at the convention at Middletown – the first occasion a convention had been held in the club.
00:49:40 Mentions receiving a phone call from Joe Kernan, then only a recent appointment as county manager. Mentions being asked to attend a dinner with players and management and telling Kernan that he would do whatever was needed to win an All-Ireland.
00:51:25 Discusses the start of training in January, challenge matches and early National League matches. Recalls defeat to Laois in quarter final – a ‘total and absolute disaster...the train was derailed.’
00:52:44 Mentions the input of Des Jennings, a psychologist.
00:53:10 Mentions that Jennings was in favour of going to La Manga on a training trip. Refers to reaction of the Treasurer. Mentions also his subsequent discussion with Joe Kernan and his reasons for suggesting La Manga – Kernan also had two backers willing to meet the majority of the cost, put at
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approximately £8,000.
00:55:08 Talks about the itinerary in La Manga: training in the morning until 12; followed by a rub-down and physio; followed by a mid day meal and rest; returning to the pitch for 3 hours in the afternoon. The evening was taken up with showers, meal and a conference.
00:56:10 Talks about collecting Michael Alwright, kicking coach with the England rugby team, from the airport. Mentions him setting up 4 cameras around the training pitch and doing a session for a day and a half on kicking a ball. Mentions a number of the top players had been ‘momentarily’ stopping to kick a ball during the games and Alwright got it out of them.
00:57:30 Remarks on returning from La Manga and the ‘new atmosphere’ in the camp. Refers to the camaraderie built up. Mentions that mid and north Armagh boys would have known him as a bus driver, but the ‘boys’ from the south wouldn’t – remarks that would never have equated Killelagh with the GAA. Jordan recalls telling them that many of the ‘big farmers’ around the area were big GAA men and not afraid to ‘put their hands in their pockets’ when Armagh needed money or support.
00:58:53 Mentions attending training and matches and building a camaraderie with the players.
00:59:30 Mentions his approach to counteracting the ‘pessimists’ views on the La Manga trip at the following week’s county board meeting. Refers to the large attendance at the meeting and his account of the trip.
01:00:58 Mentions the ‘proof of the pudding’ was the first round of Ulster championship against Tyrone and refers to the efforts to counteract the ‘blanket defence’. The game ended in a draw with Armagh winning replay.
01:02:05 Charts progress through championship and the games – draw and replay - with Sligo. Mentions that disaster nearly struck in the drawn game.
01:02:40 Comments on the quality of John McCloskey’s training and the emphasis on using the ball – believes that it ‘paid off’ in the replay with Sligo in Navan.
01:03:25 Discusses preparations for the Dublin game. Mentions Jackie Meehan, a boxing coach from the Ardoyne in Belfast, and his influence on how players recuperated from games. Talks about wrapping team in wet towels – soaked in
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buckets of ice – and supping water for an hour after games.
01:05:33 Describes the confidence in the camp prior to the Dublin game which he describes as a ‘humdinger’ and better than the Dublin-Kerry match of 1977. Refers to the luck of Dublin hitting post at the end of the game.
01:06:28 Returning to an All-Ireland final for the first time since 1977.
01:06:50 Mentions receiving training in health and safety following the Hillsborough disaster and beginning the planning for the home-coming to Armagh for the team, win or lose, after the All-Ireland. Mentions the meetings with various ‘blue light people’, estimating the likely turnout, the route.
01:08:20 Mentions being the bus-driver for the homecoming in 1977 which was done on a ’wing and a prayer’. Mentions conversation with Joe Kernan and not being willing to be involved if it was like 1977.
01:09:28 Pre-final prepations: Estimates of the possible turnout at homecoming; press conferences, media attendance at training and trying to ‘dodge the media’.
01:10:10 Talks about the decision to return to Armagh through Crossmaglen and the route thereafter.
01:10:48 Travelling to Dublin and Citywest on the night before match and the players meeting. Attending mass the following morning. Jordan talks about the ‘eerie’ mood and sensing that it could be the day.
01:11:55 Pre match meal and moving to Croke Park. Talks about players choosing places in the dressing-room. Mentions his conviction that Armagh would win and his reflection on previous generations of Killelagh men and what they might have thought.
01:13:38 Being asked to check the weather and his role in carrying ‘the tool box’ with spare gloves, boots and studs etc
01:14:25 Displays a photograph of himself holding Sam Maguire on the steps of the Hogan Stand. Explains how he got there and recalls meeting John McEntee.
01:15:55 Shows another photograph of himself holding National League trophy in 2005 – another first.
01:16:00 Discusses preparing speech for all-Ireland final night in advance and acknowledging those who went before and
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those who helped the players.
01:17:40 Mentions returning to the All-Ireland final the following year – refers to the pressure of being champions and the sending off of Diarmuid Marsden.
01:18:00 Comments on 2004 as one that got away and recalls the return of the team in 2005.
01:18:00 Recaps Armagh’s achievements – at Senior, Under 21 and Minor - during his tenure as chairman and describes it as a ‘dream-time’.
01:19:10 Mentions finishing up as chairman in 2006 and taking up the ‘PR job’. Mentions also being elected in 2008 as Armagh representative on the Ulster Council – refers also to Paul McArdle and suggests that he would make an excellent county chairman.
01:19:50 Mentions getting a job from Ulster Council in 2010 to chair a referees committee to recruit and train referees.
01:20:20 Mentions never thinking that he would end up in the positions he held.
01:20:50 Talks about his enjoyment of his working life with Donnellys (for 14 years) and later with Ulster Bus (for 26 years). Mentions rising through the ranks in Ulster Bus ( he rose to Schedules Inspector), the quality of the job and the conditions. Recalls meeting education board and get a handle of numbers in secondary school to plan bus numbers and routes.
01:22:45 Describes the job as an ‘education’ and seeing how the ‘other half lived’ – mentions his amazement at seeing people drunk at 11 o’clock in the morning.
01:24:00 Remarks on visiting all but 4 clubs when he was county chairman and believes he holds the record in the number of cup he presented to Crossmaglen. Mentions that the small club he didn’t visit would be surviving off a ‘hut’ and a ‘field’.
01:25:15 Dealing with Croke Park and attending annual congress. Recalls move to remove ban on security forces and the reasons why ‘southern government’ wanted it removed. Mentions the debate in every club and believe it failed first because people felt it was being ‘bounced on them’.
01:26:47 Refers to being on ‘friendly terms’ to Joe McDonagh
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and Sean Kelly. Mentions also Jack Boothman, a ‘great character’ and the occasion he visited Middletown.
01:27:04 Describes Nicky Brennan as a great ‘character’, but notes that he knows little of Christy Cooney.
01:27:18 Mentions his liking for Sean Kelly, as well for Joe McDonagh, Sean McCague and Peter Quinn.
01:27:40 Mentions that Croke Park would have used county chairmen as the ‘pulse’ of the GAA, depending on them to have their ‘ear to the ground’.
01:28:15 Recording concludes with footage of a house and its surrounds.
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 Played underage football with Derrynoose and adult football (Titles won; Length with Middletown, commencing in 1968. of time played) Record as an Middletown club secretary 1970-1979, becoming Vice Administrator Chairman in 1982 and Chairman in 1989. Continued in the (Positions held; how role until 1993. long for) Served as secretary, Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the Armagh mid-divisional board from 1973 to 1993.
Also served as Chairman of the Football board for five years, as well as County Vice Chairman. Elected county board chairman in 2001, holding the post until 2006.
Post 2006, he acted as Press officer for the county and was elected as the county representative on the Ulster Council in 2008.
In 2010, the Ulster Council appointed him chairman of a new referees committee.
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Format □ Audio Audio-Visual
Duration Length of Interview: 01:29:33
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: Gabriel Mallon
Date: 12th Feb 2011
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