GAA Oral History Project Interview Report Form

REFERENCE NO. AR/1/42 GAA Oral History Project Interview Report Form Name of Joe Jordan Interviewer Date of Interview 7th Feb 2011 Location Interviewee’s home, near Middletown, Co. Armagh Name of Adrian Jordan (Nickname ‘Sid’) Interviewee (Maiden name / Nickname) Biographical Summary of Interviewee Gender Male Born Year Born: 1970 Home County: Armagh Education Primary: Middletown Boys School Secondary: Armagh CBS Grammar; St. Patrick’s College Grammar School, Armagh) Family Siblings: 3 sisters (Paula, Louise, Fionnuala) Club(s) Middletown GAA Club [Armagh] Occupation Hotel & Catering (Waiter & Bar Tender) Parents’ Retired Ulster Bus Driver and Inspector [Father]; Chef Occupation [Mother] Religion Roman Catholic Political Affiliation / SDLP leaning, but not a member of any political party Membership Other Club/Society N/A Membership(s) 1 REFERENCE NO. AR/1/42 Date of Report 15 July 2012 Period Covered 1970s - 2011 Counties/Countries Armagh, USA, Americas, Kerry, Galway, Tipperary Covered Key Themes Travel, Supporting, Grounds, Facilities, Playing, Training, Covered Managing, Coaching, Education, Religion, Media, Emigration, Involvement in GAA abroad, Role of Clergy, Role of Teachers, Role of Women, Role of the Club in the Community, Volunteers, GAA Abroad, Identity, Rivalries, All- Ireland, Club History, County History, Earliest Memories, Family Involvement, Childhood, Impact on Life, Career, Politics, Northern Ireland, The Troubles, Relationship with the Association, Socialising, Purchase of Grounds, Relationships, Economy / Economics Interview Summary Adrian Jordan is a former hurler and footballer with Middletown GAA club, Co. Armagh. His introduction to Gaelic games came from his upbringing in a GAA family and his schooling at Middletown Primary School, where Gerry O’Neill, a former Armagh footballer, was Principal. Games were still infrequent and it was only when he attended the Christian Brothers Grammar school that his hurling and football life took off. Influenced by Br. Laurence Ennis, who coached all the school teams, he competed in many of the major colleges competitions, from Corn na nÓg (which he won) to MacRory Cup. Football in his youth was, he says, ‘full time work’: he combined training and playing in school and with the Middletown club. Among the distinctions during this period of his life was his selection as an Ulster Colleges ‘All-Star’ and he explains how he escaped school to attend the trials. On the club front, Jordan discusses making his senior debut as a 15 year-old and then starting his first championship match against Mullaghbawn in 1987. He discusses the fortunes of the Middletown club in football and hurling through the late 1980s and 1990s. He reflects on the wider club scene in Armagh, on training methods at the time and the particular difficulties Middletown faced in trying to combine both football and hurling. In 1998, Jordan moved to America and he charts his GAA experiences in New York – where he played football and hurling with three clubs - and Key West Florida. He talks about the people he met, the competitions he played in and the overriding emphasis on work over Gaelic games in the United States. The interview concludes with memories of a childhood spent travelling in the company of Armagh teams, 2 REFERENCE NO. AR/1/42 of a visit to Galway and meeting with Joe Cooney. In addition, there are reflections on his hurling days with the county and the changes in training methods since. However, he also looks to the future of the GAA and the prospects for encouraging greater cross-community participation in the north. He cites the importance of participation in the sport and the benefits to the individual and society. 00:00:05 Adrian Jordan introduces himself, giving his date of birth. Mentions being born in Killylea and his family’s move to Middletown when he was 3 or 4 years old. 00:00:30 Talks about being introduced to the GAA ‘at home’ among his family and refers to becoming a members of the GAA in Middletown. 00:00:50 Attending St. John’s, Middletown, where Gerry O’Neill was the headmaster. Comments that he had been a member of Armagh’s 1953 All-Ireland team and that he learned ‘the basic skills’ from him. O’Neill also introduced him to hurling. 00:01:20 Mentions playing underage hurling and football in Middletown from the age of 8 up. Continues to play – now for the Over 35s or ‘Master’s’ team. 00:01:45 Only games in primary school were against Glassdrummond Primary School ‘a couple of miles up the road’. It was ‘once a year’ fixture. Mentions also games on the school sports day. 00:02:30 Attending the Christian Brothers Grammar school, where, he says, his football and hurling really took off. His first year in the school was also the first year of Br. Laurence Ennis as headmaster in the school. ‘He was the coach of all the teams’. 00:03:112 Comments that the hurling would not have been as strong. 00:03:20 Talks about playing on the Dalton Cup team, the first year competition. Recalls a blitz in the grounds of St. Pat’s Armagh. Recalls also playing in the Corn na nÓg and beating Letterkenny in a final in Omagh – this was just an Ulster-based competition at the time. 00:04:30 Doesn’t recall too much about the Rannafast Cup, remarking that he has a better recollection of playing with his club at that stage. 00:04:50 Describes sport as a ‘full-time job’: training for 3 REFERENCE NO. AR/1/42 football and hurling five nights a week after school, returning home for dinner and then down to Middletown for more football and hurling. 00:05:08 ‘Unlike today’, he observes, there would have 2 carloads for 15 or 16 lads. 00:05:50 Refers to some of his team-mates (and their clubs) on the successful Corn na nÓg team: Kevin McAuley, a Pearse Óg’s man, was captain. Others mentioned include Paul Kelly, Gary Harney, Joe Fagan, S. McGinn. Remarks that he was the only player from the Middletown area. 00:06:30 Talks about reaching a McLarnon Cup final on St. Patrick’s Day in Lurgan, losing to St. Louis from Glengormley. Mentions being corner forward on that occasion and being in 6th year at the time. 00:07:30 The amalgamation of the Christian Brothers and St. Pat’s College to become St. Pat’s Grammar school. Says he spent one year there and played MacRory Cup football, losing to St. Colman’s, Newry, in the quarter final. 00:07:58 Playing his first senior football and hurling game for Middletown aged 15. His first start was a Division 4 play-off against Clady, a game held in Keady. He came on a sub and they won narrowly. 00:08:45 Starting his first championship match against Mullaghbawn in 1987. Recalls reaching the final that year and being beaten by the Grange. 00:09:00 Talks about going in 1987 with the Christian Brothers to New York and Conneticut. 00:09:20 Getting to the Ulster Schools final in first year with St. Pat’s Grammar school, losing to St. Mary’s, Belfast. Discusses the positions he played with hurling and MacRory cup teams and explains the reason for being placed at corner forward against St. Colman’s in MacRory cup quarter final. 00:10:18 Tells a story about being denied permission to attend a hurling trial in Co. Antrim by Loughiel by Br. Kelly and being sneaked out the back door by Br. Ennis, so he could drive himself to the trial in Loughiel. 00:11:10 Describes the trial which was a selection from the ‘rest of Ulster’ against Ballymena school, which had just won an All-Ireland. Says he was ‘lucky enough’ to get picked on the Ulster Colleges team. It was an ‘All-Star’ and no games were played by the provincial side. Remarks that he was the 4 REFERENCE NO. AR/1/42 first ‘All-Star’ from St. Pat’s Grammar School. 00:12:10 Playing (and losing) an Intermediate final against Mullaghbawn in 1992 and the following week playing a hurling final. Believes it was Kieran McGeeney who marked him for Mullaghbawn. Says that this was the beginning of a great Mullaghbawn team which would win senior championship and an Ulster championship. 00:13:00 Mentions the overlap in players on the hurling and football teams and the amount of training involved: ‘it was full- time work’. Contrasts it with later when players became more inclined to ‘pick and choose’. 00:13:27 Interviewer recalls a conversation with Benny Tierney who told him that the final against Middletown was Mullaghbawn’s 11th and they lost the previous 10. 00:13:40 Talks about being captain for the 1994 final against Madden, the quality of the Middletown team and the losing of the game. ‘Still have nightmares about’, he casually remarks. 00:14:50 Reflects on the preparations for the 1994 final. ‘It was a bit up and down’. Comments that Monaghan’s Gerry McCarville was a great coach, who ‘taught the basics well’. Refers also to John Morrison coming in near the end and the confusion as to who was in charge. Mentions also John McDonnell as a ‘good manager ‘who put ‘trust’ in the lads. 00:15:54 Comments on being 24 in 1994 and recalls an injury at the start of the final to Paddy Sheridan. Describes that Middletown team as ‘well balanced’ and reflects on various players such as Jimmy Gavin, Lappin, Sheridan, Arthur Hughes, Stephen and Alan Taylor. Considers that the team could have gone the way of Mullaghbawn had they won.

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