PROGRAMME PLUS – VOLUME 1, NUMBER 5, MAY 27 th , 2016

The fifth edition of ‘Programme Plus’ comes to you at the end of a less than stellar month for our hobby judging by the poor quality of many publications I have received. The back door ensures that numerous championship games played since our last edition don’t carry the same ‘bite’ of old now that the do-or-die aspect of first round encounters has disappeared.

And in keeping with that general theme, it seems to me that the vast majority of programmes for those matches were compiled primarily as a box-ticking exercise without any great effort applied to the content. Of course, I’m only going on what I’ve seen so far, but the general standard to date has left a lot to be desired in my humble opinion.

PROGRAMME OF THE MONTH: Given the dearth of decent content as outlined above, I was sorely tempted not to award a programme of the month at all this time around. However, that opinion changed on Wednesday when the Tipperary v. offering from last weekend arrived through my letter box.

It was comforting to note that Ed Donnelly and his team in Munster still deem a championship game in May as being worthy of a substantial publication. Certainly there was more quality in the programme than the game itself, with the 60 pages retailing for €4 and featuring a front cover photograph of a very serious-looking Bill Cooper and Brendan Maher holding the Munster championship trophy…does anyone ever crack a smile at these media events nowadays?

Twelve of the pages are devoted to advertisements with another six for promotional matters, and I’m grateful to Ed for giving this information bulletin a decent plug. The Semple Stadium debut for Hawkeye is marked on page nine, while Seamus O’Doherty from this parish devotes two pages to the last championship clash between the counties in 2012, along with a feature on Frank Murphy’s elevation to the position of Munster Council President.

Jackie Cahill chats to Lorcán McLoughlin and Brendan Maher while the Kilmeen-Kilbree and Knockavilla Donaskeigh Kickhams Juvenile clubs are profiled. There’s a particularly interesting two pages on the Munster championship campaign of 1916, including a cigarette card illustration of Cork stalwart Seán Og Murphy which will catch the eye of collectors.

There’s plenty of reading material and, while it’s by no means an outstanding programme, it’s the best of what I’ve seen so far this month. It certainly conveys the impression that this was an important game, and sadly I cannot say the same about some other championship programmes as I will be outlining below. Personally I’m not a fan of the rather bland typefaces and lay-out deployed by the current Munster championship programme printers, but the compilers always achieve high marks for content and that’s what gets my vote this month.

THE MONTH IN PROGRAMMES: There wasn’t as much to review this month, although the first item is of a quirky nature and may be of some interest to collectors as a result.

April 30 th , - Kilkenny Senior football championship final, Railyard v. Kilmoganny: The first Senior championship final of the year is already over, even though several counties haven’t even started their main competition. And for the record, Railyard completed the three-in-a- row with a 1-8 to 2-3 win over a Kilmoganny side featuring former Kilkenny star Noel Hickey in his familiar full-back position. The programme was 16 colour pages for €2, with the cover featuring cut-outs of the captains on either side of the Ned Langton Cup, and also informing us that it was the 124 th Kilkenny Senior football final. Page two carried the roll of honour and the results of previous rounds, while page three had a welcome from the Chairman of the Football Board, Tom O’Reilly, but an incorrect head and shoulders photograph (of another Kilkenny official, Tom O’Hanlon) was used. A paragraph explaining the background to the cup on offer was underneath.

Reports of the finals of 100, 75 and 50 years ago appeared on 4 and 5, although the lack of interest in football in Kilkenny isn’t a recent phenomenon judging by the only account unearthed from 1916. It read as follows: ‘ A very interesting football encounter took place in New Ross on Sunday last when Glenmore and Coolroe toed the line in the final of the senior football county championship. After a good game Glenmore were declared winners by 1-1 to 0-0’. That was it, short and sweet! Incidentally, the 1941 final, between Tullogher and The Rower, was also played over the border in New Ross, and this was a regular occurrence whenever south Kilkenny teams met as it was the most logical and practical venue.

There’s also a photograph of the Railyard mentors on the bottom of page 5, while 6 and 7 has team photographs of the two finalists. The line-outs are on 8 and 9, with two black and white photographs of Railyard and The Village from the 1960s on 10. Page 11 carries a report on the 1991 final plus a list of the Railyard and Kilmoganny club officers, while 12, 13 and half of 14 are devoted to the latter’s one and only Senior title in 2000, including their team photograph plus that of beaten finalists Dicksboro.

The current Kilmoganny mentors are pictured on the bottom of 14, while 15 has photographs of the beaten semi-finalists, Muckalee and St. Patrick’s, plus their respective captains. The sole advertisement, for championship sponsors J.J. Kavanagh & Sons, is on the back page of this compact but informative programme. The historical content alone shows the pride involved in producing a decent souvenir of the game, and it was certainly very good value for €2.

May 1 st , - Connacht Senior football championship first round, Roscommon v. New York: A belated happy 60 th birthday to Clare collector Seamas O’Reilly who celebrated the milestone in the Big Apple. And he nearly witnessed one of the biggest shocks in history as Roscommon were a relieved bunch to escape from The Bronx with a one-point win. As an aside, did you notice the ‘Sunday Game’ graphic declaring that New York are now in the qualifiers? Is there nobody up there - production staff, analysts and/or presenter - capable of noticing such a glaring error?

Anyway, back to more pressing matters. Seamas kindly sent me on the 40-page programme which cost $5 and, in keeping with the norm for games in the States, is top-heavy with advertisements. The cover has an action photograph of a New York player who unfortunately isn’t identified with a caption on page 3 which features the ‘Clár an Lae’ plus the words of ‘Amhrán na bhFiann’ and ‘The Star Spangled Banner’.

There’s messages from the New York Chairman, Laurence McGrath, and the Connacht Council President, Mick Rock, on 5 and 7 respectively, while no fewer than six pages of New York player profiles complete with head and shoulders photographs start on 10 (five per page). There’s a similar page for their mentors, plus a team photograph, before the centrespread which carries the line-outs, and the Roscommon content starts after the fold. There’s a team photograph from the National League semi-final in Croke Park, one page of player profiles with text only (name, age, club, position), and two pages of head and shoulders colour photographs. That’s the extent of the content apart from 22 pages of advertisements, but it’s an unusual addition to my collection nonetheless and I appreciate the efforts of Seamas in securing a copy for me on a very wet day.

May 1 st , Mullingar - Leinster Senior hurling championship round robin, Westmeath v. Offaly: Our man on the ground at this game was Offaly collector and programme contributor Patrick Donegan, whom I met for the first time a few weeks ago, and he has the following interesting observation to make: ‘ As a young boy, my father always advised waiting until we had entered the ground before purchasing the day’s programme. This was in the early 1980s, the era of unofficial programmes.

‘Earlier this month, at the Westmeath v. Offaly Leinster round robin fixture at Mullingar, I ignored that advice and purchased my souvenir from a young chap outside the gate, while I waited for my friend to arrive. After passing through the stiles I saw there were no programme sellers to meet patrons. I enquired of the man selling tickets for the half-time draw and was told that there were no programmes for sale inside the ground.

‘I thought this was strange. For one thing, there are presumably many who have a policy of buying their programme inside the ground; there is the security issue, and perhaps a child protection matter. I count myself fortunate to have made my purchase when and where I did. But I wonder how many others were less fortunate.’

That certainly seems a strange situation to me also Patrick. In fact, I can’t think of another ground utilising a similar policy and, as you say, it creates a security deficit and surely leaves the young sellers vulnerable. The programme itself was 24 pages for €3, with the Senior game preceded by the Minor quarter-final between the same counties. There’s an action photograph on the cover, again uncaptioned on page 3 which carries the Clár an Lae plus Amhrán na bhFiann. The referees are profiled on 4, with the welcome of Leinster Council Chairman John Horan on 5.

The Minor hurling results and fixtures are on 7, above a photograph of a successful Westmeath Combined Schools team. Gerry Buckley’s previous Senior meetings are on 8 and 9, including a photograph of the team which lost to Kilkenny in 1976, four weeks after accounting for Offaly in the last meeting of the sides in the competition. The Minor line-outs are on 10 and 11, with the Senior equivalent forming the centrespread.

There’s a current Westmeath team photograph on 14, with one of Offaly standing for the national anthem on 15 above details of the Cumann na mBunscoil participants. Pages 16 and 17 are devoted to Westmeath Coaching and Games Development, while the previous Minor meetings are on 19. Exactly one-third of the pages (eight) are either advertisements or promotional items.

May 3 rd , Aughrim - Electric Leinster Minor football championship, Wicklow v. Offaly: A poor value twelve-pager in black and white for €3. There’s five and one-third pages of photographs, the line-out pages, the cover, two-thirds of a page on the Chairman’s welcome, two pages of ads and one promotional page on the Wicklow golf classic. May 4 th Ennis - Electric Ireland Munster Minor hurling championship play-off, Clare v. Tipperary: A standard issue 16 pages for €2 from the Munster Council, along similar lines to the programmes from the opening round which featured in last month’s bulletin. There’s a questions and answers with referee Joe Larkin from Cork, a match preview by Ed Donnelly, a photograph of the Clare mentors and a player profile (Kieran Galvin), the line-outs, a photograph of the Tipperary backroom team, another welcome plug for ‘Programme Plus’, a Tipperary player profile (Gavin Ryan), and the roll of honour with a slight typo we spotted in the first round programmes corrected.

May 6 th , 7 th and 8 th , Wexford hurling championships second round: A 40-page, fully black and white programme carried the team details for all games in the Senior, Intermediate, Intermediate ‘A’, Junior and Junior ‘A’ grades (30 matches in all), although three clubs didn’t bother to supply lists - St. Mary’s (Rosslare) in Junior, plus neighbours Ballyhogue and Glynn-Barntown in Junior ‘A’.

May 7 th , Tullamore - Leinster Senior hurling championship, Offaly v. Carlow: Sixteen pages for €3, with the previous meetings on page 3 and, oddly enough, no welcome of any description either from the provincial or county Chairman. Offaly’s Seán Cleary is profiled on page 5, with details of the mascots on 6, team photographs on 7, the line-outs on 8 and 9, the mini-game participants on 10, and a look back at their meetings of 1963 and 1966 on 12 and 14 respectively. The referee isn’t named anywhere though which is another unexpected oversight.

May 14th, Portlaoise, Leinster Senior football championship, Louth v. Carlow and Laois v. Wicklow: The programme output for National League games in O’Moore Park this year has already attracted criticism in a previous edition, but this pathetic effort really took the biscuit. I honestly don’t know how the Leinster Council can stand idly by without having a word with Laois County Board and telling them this simply isn’t good enough.

Patrons had to part with €3 for 28 pages of minimal content. There was a county Chairman’s address on 3, details of the match officials on 4, and two ‘big match previews’ sparse in detail on 5. A children’s page was on 9 with Cumann na mBunscoil details on 10, and the line-outs on 12 to 15. The only editorial content after the fold though was two pages on Leinster handball. The absence of any information on previous meetings was notable, and it was an early candidate for the worst championship programme of 2016. It’s simply not good enough and, while they weren’t directly responsible for this sorry production, it reflects poorly on Leinster Council given that the games came under their jurisdiction.

May 14 th and 15 th , Tullamore, Leinster Minor hurling and Senior football championships, Wexford v. Offaly and Offaly v. : I’ll hand over to Longford collector David Nolan for his impression of this programme - ‘ A very disappointing effort unfortunately, with no pictures of either team, no token preview and no mention of the referee! The programme was 20 pages in total and this also covered the Minor hurling championship game between Offaly and Wexford which was held the day before.

‘Of the 20 pages, 6 of these were adverts and 2 ½ pages about previous Offaly Minor hurling semi- final appearances as well as past meetings with Wexford, with two pages on Cúl Camps in both counties. The only reference to the so-called main event was a brief report on the 2015 championship clash. I’m not sure if the Leinster Council or the Offaly County Board was responsible for producing it but it felt like a lazy and minimal production; surely they could have included a few team pictures at the very least?! The fact that the referee wasn't listed meant that both sets of supporters didn’t know who to roar at, at least while the game was competitive!! I know it’s not a high-profile game, with an attendance of just over 5,000, but the G.A.A. surely could print pen pictures or some bit of player promotion for occasions like this?’

May 22 nd , Tullamore, Leinster Minor football and Senior hurling championships, Offaly v. Wexford and Offaly v. Kerry: The highlight of this 20-page programme (€3) for me was the page devoted to Offaly’s latest centurion, Joe Bergin, listing his 35 championship and 65 league appearances since 2006 in full detail. The rest is along expected lines, with the stand-out extras including the list of previous Minor meetings plus a look back by Patrick Donegan at the Offaly v. Kerry National Hurling League Division 2 final of 1966 - a programme I recently acquired in an auction.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: I’m starting a new series this month by delving into my own collection and taking a look at a programme from many moons ago. However, I’ll try to keep it topical, and in that regard I thought it would be appropriate to start with the Leinster Senior hurling championship meeting of Westmeath and Offaly from 1976. The counties are next door neighbours of course, so it’s amazing to consider that their recent clash in Mullingar was the first for 40 years!

One of the interesting aspects of the 1976 programme is the absence of the year on the cover. ‘Sunday June 6 th ’ is all that’s stated, and the bottom left corner carries the signature of Michael Delaney who had replaced Ciarán O’Neill as Leinster Secretary earlier that year. The hurling game preceded the football clash of Offaly and Meath, and the programme was a slim affair.

For 10p patrons purchased eight pages comprising the cover, hurling line-outs on 2 and 3, football equivalent on 4 and 5, poor-quality photographs and details of previous hurling meetings on 6 and 7, and fixtures to come on 8. In fact, were it not for the Secretary’s signature and the back page credit for Quality Printers in Portlaoise, I would have been left to wonder if it was a pirate programme rather than the real thing.

I consulted with Gerry Buckley’s excellent ‘Lakeside Legends - Westmeath Football and Hurling Records up to 31 st October 2012’ for details of how the game unfolded. The Lake county triumphed by 1-14 to 1-11, with Michael Cosgrave of Lough Lene Gaels leading the way with a ten-point haul. Pat Bradley of St. Brigid’s chipped in with 1-1, while Declan Hanniffy was the Offaly goalscorer and Pat Delaney supplied five points.

THE COLLECTION - BY JAMES A. LUNDON (LIMERICK VIA GALWAY)

‘In as much as collectors come in all shapes and sizes, so do their collections. I’m talking about the physical manifestation of their collecting habits, i.e. the actual organisation and storage of the accumulated paper and memorabilia. I will now go through a few areas of interest which affect most collectors in one way or another, and my opinion and thoughts on each.

‘I have noted over many years that collectors store their material in unique ways, with no two being identical. As there are programme and memorabilia accumulators out there, there are as many different types of such accumulations. Some collectors are proactive about their collections, others are not. ‘Some collectors know what they have in their collections, but many others haven't a real clue. Some know where everything in their collection is at any one moment in time, while others, to put things mildly, do not. Such collectors are a nightmare to deal with as they are always likely to say, ‘I will swap you this for that, **if** or **when** I can find it,’ which could be a week, a year, a decade down the road!

‘Unfortunately, I know a few collectors who promise the world but never deliver; whether it is that they cannot find it, or otherwise, I don't know. Some collectors regularly spend quality time sifting and re-organising their collection, others haven't organised their collection in many years, if ever. Make no mistake: a small collection takes no effort to maintain; the bigger the collection is, the more work it demands of its owner to keep in shape. A good collection takes as much work during the year to maintain as does a decent garden!

‘Wherever you store your collection, it must be kept bone dry and shy of direct sunlight. Most collections are paper-based and are fragile to both light and water, very much so the latter hazard. I have seen some quality collections stored in garages, which is not secure from dampness - remember we live in Ireland, not close to the Sahara Desert - so such outdoor options must not be taken lightly unless there are no other reliable options.

‘By all means place large and inexpensive items in outhouses, but do so by keeping them off the ground (to avoid potential flooding) and in large bin wrappers inside cardboard or plastic boxes (to prevent general dampness). This should protect them from normal perils, but in any case you can still expect slight degradation in the crispness of the collected paper, especially news print, as it is very susceptible to undue air moisture over many years. Do not store any valuable or old items in outhouses, without ensuring they are very secure, both from the weather, but also from animal (and human) vermin.

‘Something else that needs to be considered very carefully is the keeping of your ‘core’ collection far away from your ‘spares’ accumulation. There is nothing worse for a collector - and I know better than most as it's happened to me a few times - than to give away/swap/sell something from your core collection in error.

‘Keeping your core and spares apart can be quite hard to do though, especially if you are a big collector or/and your available collecting real estate space is limited. You have to be very disciplined at all times, which means that you should carefully check every item when disposing of it, just in case. You must also know your collection very well as many older items can look very similar but are actually different programmes, something that is also a problem in the very modern era due to the generic nature of most modern programmes.

‘I store much of my collection in A4 photocopy boxes, the sort that six reams of paper usually come in from stationary suppliers. I have easy access to large numbers of such boxes as part of my work. I covet them very highly. I find them outstanding for a number of reasons.

‘They stack very well when full, up to four boxes high, which is great when you have limited space. They are made of strong cardboard and will last for many years when stored in dry atmospheric conditions and are stacked safely. They allow for the easy storage of most types of G.A.A. memorabilia: pretty much all types of programmes, the vast majority of magazines, all types of yearbooks, and many other miscellaneous types of memorabilia including jerseys and other papers, specifically A4-sized.

‘Books should be stored in piles or on proper bookshelves; they can also be stored in such boxes, if you have no shelving available, or the stored items are very rare and/or fragile. Newspapers should be stored flat as that is the most storage-friendly format. Never fold any item unnecessarily as it reduces its value but also its aesthetics.

‘More valuable and cherished items can be stored in other ways, so as to allow for ease of access and viewing. There is little point being a collector if what you are collecting cannot be easily referenced or enjoyed when desired. Old programmes should be stored in folders with see-through plastic sheets, but no programme post-1985 should be placed there as it is simply a waste of valuable resource, i.e. folder and plastic sheet.

‘I've seen collectors storing programmes in plastic sheets where the programmes are worth less than the plastic they are stored in - a solid fact, as we say in Limerick! It does not help that most modern programmes are both bigger and heavier than old programmes, which make them doubly difficult to store in such folders. Keeping modern programmes in folders is also a waste of valuable storage space.

‘A good A4 box will store 300 programmes efficiently, which is the equivalent of six folders choc full of programmes, or the storage space of three such A4 boxes. Such boxes are no-brainers for most collectors but it takes real effort to put such a system in place from scratch. Complete aside: a question for another day is whether there is any value in keeping modern programmes as they will never have any value and are pretty much alike in all other ways.

‘I've seen collectors store their programmes by competition - which I believe is the best way - but also by year, irrespective of competition or code. I've seen collectors simply have two sets of boxes: games they went to and games they didn't. Whatever way you collect, just make sure there is some method to your madness and that you always build in room for expansion, as otherwise you will run out of space eventually given the size and number of programmes being generated these days.

‘Always have room to add at least five years' worth of programmes to your collection, or at a minimum the ability to move things around to allow for a lot of expansion. Please make sure to label all your boxes clearly as otherwise you may have to open many different boxes unnecessarily, to find that elusive core or spare programme or magazine.

‘I have already gone on way too long here. You can see that I have strong and pretty fixed views on how best to design and store a collection. Whether it is right for you is another matter, but if you have nagging doubts about how your own collection is structured and stored, then this article may give you a few ideas. A small collection takes little or no work, a big collection takes a lot of effort in many ways, especially if you want to get the best out of it.’

LABOURS OF LOVE: Regular readers of the ‘Sunday Independent’ will have noted a feature by Dermot Crowe on the day of Longford’s Leinster Senior football championship loss to Offaly on a new book written by Mattie Fox. ‘The Glory Years - Longford GAA 1965-68’ is a fly-on-the-wall account of that yet to be repeated glorious era for the county, as the author’s father was county Secretary at the time so he had unrivalled access to the players and personalities involved. Apparently the book was launched last month and this was a source of annoyance to me given that I was in the county recently to report on a soccer match. It was a brief ‘in and out’ visit, but I would have sought out this book if I knew of its existence in advance. If anyone has purchased it, a review would be most welcome for the June edition.

I also noted that a history book was launched by Loughgiel Shamrocks in Antrim last Friday (May 20 th ). I hope to secure a copy in the near future, but for the moment I would direct readers to the club website ( www.loughgielshamrocksgac.com ) which includes an image of the front and back cover.

Last month I invited as many readers as possible to send me information on the best shop in each county when it comes to stocking local G.A.A. books. Alas, my plea fell on deaf ears and this was quite disappointing I must say as I didn’t even get one response. I get the message, I won’t mention it again…but for the record, the best shop in Wexford is The Book Centre on the Main Street. Club histories currently in stock are Adamstown, Glynn-Barntown, St. Ibar’s/Shelmalier () and St. Patrick’s (Ballyoughter).

THE CROSS OF CASHEL: I’m writing this bulletin just over 24 hours after Westmeath’s sensational Leinster Under-21 hurling championship victory over Kilkenny. The result sent shockwaves through the G.A.A. world and it’s one of the reasons why a straight knockout competition has so much to recommend it. The midlanders took their opportunity on the night and fully deserved their win by all accounts, so fair play to them.

Personally I’m a huge fan of the Under-21 grade, and I’m saddened by the decision taken to replace the football with an Under-20 development competition that won’t feature Senior inter-county players. I sincerely hope the powers-that-be will leave the hurling alone, and happily that appears to be the case for the moment at least.

And if you haven’t done so already, I would urge you to purchase ‘The Cross Of Cashel - All-Ireland Under-21 hurling finals 1964-2014’ by Jim Fogarty who is a very good friend to so many programme collectors. Tipperary native Jim was county and city librarian in Kilkenny before taking early retirement in 2008, and his contributions on items of a historical nature appear regularly in the Nowlan Park programmes.

He published his first G.A.A. book in 2012 - ‘The Dan Breen Cup - Tipperary County SH Finals 1931 to 2011’ - and it was an outstanding success. He then turned his attention to this comprehensive history of the All-Ireland Under-21 hurling championship, the definitive guide to the grade and the ‘bible’ everyone should turn to if there’s a fact to be checked.

It runs to 196 pages and features reports of every All-Ireland final plus photographs of the winners and some of the runners-up. I particularly like the fact that the clubs of the participants are listed as well as full Christian names, and I recall reading it from cover to cover when I purchased it two years ago.

The good news is that Jim has some copies still in stock, and he would be delighted to hear from anybody interested in boosting their collection by making a purchase. Contact Jim on [email protected] and make sure to secure a copy of one of the most important additions to the library of G.A.A. books in recent years. PROGRAMME FAIR: A programme fair with a slight difference for G.A.A. collectors will be held this coming Sunday, May 29 th , but it comes with a strong recommendation from this writer. It’s the Irish Football Programme Fair and it will take place in St. Andrew’s Resource Centre, Pearse Street, 2 (facing the Maldron Hotel on Pearse Street) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This is the annual event hosted by our soccer friends, and I will be making my way there again after last year’s gathering left a very favourable impression. Indeed, I was extremely impressed with the smooth organisation of the event, the vast range of programmes available, and the fact that soccer programmes are so much cheaper than G.A.A. items; so much so in fact that it prompted me to rekindle a passion for soccer collecting that I had neglected since my early teens.

I would urge as many readers as possible to attend if at all possible, even if it’s just to gain a greater appreciation for how the soccer collecting brethren operate. And you never know, you might pick up some G.A.A. bits and pieces too; I certainly did last year, as a Dundalk collector had a box of G.A.A. programmes hidden under his table before I spotted it and gladly spent a few extra shillings! Hopefully I’ll see some of you there this Sunday.

A GOOD CAUSE: Next up this month is a plug for a very good cause, and thanks to P.J. Maxwell for the tip-off. The Saint Vincent de Paul Society has opened up a new bookstore in its premises at Mulcahy House, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, and would be delighted to receive any surplus or unwanted sports programmes, sports magazines, autobiographies, annuals, general reading, Ireland’s Own, all categories of books, crime thrillers etc. It is hoped that G.A.A., rugby and soccer collectors will be willing to donate, and if so they may contact the Clonmel Chapter Archivist, Paul Lonergan, at 086- 2331683.

St. Vincent de Paul will have a stand at the annual Tipperary G.A.A. memorabilia fair in the Sarsfields Social Centre, Thurles, later this year, and if sports enthusiasts want to de-clutter or off- load their surplus stock, the Society will be glad to assist.

SPECIAL REQUEST 1: Perhaps some readers might be able to assist with a special request which came to me via Tipperary County Board. Tracy Ryan is very anxious to obtain a copy of the 1971 All- Ireland Senior hurling final match programme, and she would be delighted to hear from anyone in a position to assist at [email protected] . Tracy is trying to source the programme as a present for her father’s 60 th birthday as it was the first All-Ireland he went to, accompanied by his parents and brother who are all now sadly deceased. Therefore, it would have huge sentimental value and would make for a lovely surprise for Tracy’s father. I’m hoping some of our Tipperary or Kilkenny readers in particular may be in a position to oblige.

SPECIAL REQUEST 2: Next up is another special request; well, it’s actually a double-pronged one from our chief contributor, James Lundon. First of all, our Limerick nomad based in Galway is on the look-out for any pirate G.A.A. programmes post-July, 1996. He has traced the last known pirate programme to the Leinster football final of 1996, and would love to know if there are any known post that date/time. It will form the basis of a future article for the bulletin by James, so contact him at [email protected] if you can assist.

And on a completely different topic, James is also seeking a copy of the 2016 Fitzgibbon Cup final programme held in C.I.T. last March. Over to you again, collectors! SPECIAL REQUEST 3: And finally, there’s one more this month! Patrick Donegan in Offaly is trying to compile the full list of his county’s Féile na nGael participants since 1971. Somebody with the full set of Féile programmes could save him a lot of research, and I’m sure one of you fits that bill. Contact Patrick on [email protected] if you can assist.

JERSEY MATTERS: We haven’t mentioned jerseys or general G.A.A. gear thus far in the bulletin, but that’s about to change! I was contacted after ‘Programme Plus’ was publicised last Sunday in Thurles by Denis Hurley who runs www.prideinthejersey.com . His website seeks to chart all of the kits worn by the various counties, and he is always keen to find previously-unknown jerseys. Denis would be delighted to hear from anyone with an interest in this field who may have some rare items in their collections ( [email protected] ).

I was also contacted by Diarmuid O’Callaghan who has a specific jersey request that some readers may be in a position to help him with. He is looking for a Barry’s Tea-sponsored Cork jersey from the 1990s, and he would welcome any correspondence at [email protected]

DIRECTORY OF COLLECTORS: The fifth edition of the directory of collectors is attached in another Microsoft Word document, and there is just one change from number four: please note that Cork collector Dan Cronin has changed his mobile phone number. Thanks to all those who took the time out to forward their details, and it’s not too late for others to follow suit. I intend to attach this directory every month, so any additions or amendments will be accommodated. Hopefully it will help collectors in their quest to establish new contacts or liaise with people with similar interests.

TALKING POINT - THE PRECIOUS PLASTIC BAG: A relatively new collector contacted me recently seeking some practical advice. His request was simple: how does one keep a programme purchased at a game in the best possible condition?

No doubt many of us will have different methods honed and perfected down through the years, but here’s my own approach for what it’s worth. The most precious item I bring to any match I attend, apart from my press pass and/or ticket, is a humble plastic bag. Given the vagaries of the Irish weather, we are all too familiar with the scenario whereby the sun is beaming down for the Minor match but the heavens have opened before the Senior throw-in.

In those circumstances, the plastic bag is your only man to keep a programme in the best possible condition. And even if it’s a glorious day, I will always deposit the programmes I purchase in one of these godsends, safe in the knowledge that they won’t be marked or harmed in any way when I return home.

If I anticipate a small-sized programme, say 16 pages or less, I also like to bring one of those brown envelopes with the hard back, and ‘Do not bend’ written in red on the front that are on the shelves of all school and office supply stores. These are also useful as four or five programmes can be slipped into them easily before they are popped into the plastic bag.

Every collector should strive to do what is necessary to ensure that the programme purchased remains as close to mint condition as is physically possible. The value of any programme will automatically lessen with every blemish detected, and that includes such bad habits as heavy folds or creases, writing in scorers or team changes, and food stains (eating crisps while flicking through a programme isn’t a clever idea, and as for a greasy bag of chips? Don’t get me started!). It mightn’t seem like a big deal now, but consider that the programme you buy next Sunday may remain in your collection for 20 or 30 years until it becomes a valuable item to swap or sell. If that scenario comes to pass, you will be glad of the care you took in ‘minding’ the programme as it will be considerably more valuable down the line.

They say there’s no honour among thieves, and personally I don’t know anything about that. However, I do feel strongly that there ought to be honour among collectors. What do I mean? Well, if you have a swap and are about to do business with a fellow collector, you should let him or her know the precise details of any blemish on the goods you have to offer. Nothing annoys me more than receiving a swap in poor condition when the collector hasn’t played ball in advance by letting me know. At least if you’re told you will be aware of what to expect and will make a decision to proceed or otherwise based on how badly you want the item.

I buy my fair share of programmes in mail bid sales, and I do feel that some dealers could be a good deal more realistic and genuine when describing the condition of certain items. Suffice to say that what some label ‘very good’, I would regard as being downright poor, particularly in relation to markings in pen or pencil.

Of course, beggars can’t be choosers either, something that any self-respecting collector will have to accept. The reality is that many items pre-1970 do have certain blemishes, so the time comes when the question must be asked: ‘shall I pay money for this rare programme from the 1950s even though there’s writing on the cover and the team pages, or will I leave it for somebody else to purchase because it’s not perfect enough for me?’ That question is rhetorical of course, because the serious collector will always part with their cash in those circumstances.

There is a potential solution if you have a batch of poor-quality old programmes in your collection though. Check out www.progpres.co.uk , a programme preservation service operated by one Eamonn Fitzmaurice. It’s not the Kerry boss of course, although with a name like that there must be plenty of Irish blood stirring. Eamonn is based in the village of Metheringham, Lincoln, in the U.K. and has been in business for over 30 years.

His speciality is the repair and restoration of sporting memorabilia, and among the services he offers for programmes, tickets, books, magazines, newspapers, annuals, prints, cards, and any memorabilia on paper are: sellotape removed; tape stains removed; scores and team changes removed from pages - ink, biro or felt-tip; Tipp-ex removed; split spines and tears repaired; punch holes filled; dirt and stains removed; creases and folds flattened; programmes expertly removed from binders, albums and scrapbooks. I’ve heard of animals getting pedicures and all sorts of pampering in this mad world of ours, so why not treat your old programmes to some TLC too?!

Is there some aspect of programme collecting that irritates you, that you feel could be improved, or that you would just like to get off your chest? If there is, this ‘talking point’ section is designed for you. I’d like to hear from collectors with any genuine grievances, and perhaps by outlining the situation and getting reaction from readers we can come up with solutions. Any topic to help us in pursuing the hobby we love will be considered, so don’t be shy!

AN UPDATE FROM LEO: Last month’s ‘Talking Point’ referred in some detail to Carlow’s Leo McGough and his magnificent collection of hurling statistics. Well, I heard from the man himself within hours of the April edition being put to bed, and there’s a very welcome update on the information he has compiled. I’ll leave it to Leo himself to explain:

‘I have expanded the project in that it is now 'Flagship Hurlers' and encompasses all championship games played by a county's flagship hurling team be the grade Senior, Intermediate or Junior which gives the project a more rounded nature though obviously full line-outs for lots of the early Junior games are hit and miss depending on the local papers and the status of hurling to its 'G.A.A.' man! ‘I couldn't agree more re-the local paper being the 'gospel' and that's what I have tried to do as much as possible with ‘Flagship Hurlers’, though on occasion you might find that the local reporter was more a reporter than a G.A.A. man whereupon sometimes your John D. Hickey, or the Paddys, Purcell and Downey, might be a more reliable gauge. ‘While I have put publishing 'Flagship Hurlers' on the back-burner and thinking possibly of establishing a website at some stage, I continue to add bits and pieces, always tracking Christian names, clubs and for the non-established hurling counties this is a difficult process so little victories are the order of the day, a name here, a club there!’ Incidentally, Leo informed me he was on the way to Castleblayney as he wrote to me (don’t worry, he doesn’t drive himself!) for a Nickey Rackard match. He completed being at a G.A.A. game in all 32 counties last year, 28 of which he had been at a hurling game in so, naturally, completing the hurling 32 became his next target! Monaghan was picked off a few hours after his e-mail, so now he’s down to Fermanagh, Leitrim and Sligo! Fair play Leo, a hurling enthusiast to the core!

SWAPS, WANTS AND SALES LISTS: A couple of collectors, P.J. Maxwell and Michael Anderson, have distributed lists of available items and wants in the past month, while Seamus O’Doherty is selling a batch of National League programmes from 2000 to the present day, primarily for hurling games held in Thurles. Their e-mail addresses are listed here, so please make direct contact if interested:

• Michael Anderson ([email protected]) • P.J. Maxwell ([email protected]) • Seamus O’Doherty ([email protected])

ADVERTISING THIS BULLETIN: If you know your local programme compiler, please cut and paste the following and ask them if they would be kind enough to include it in their upcoming programmes:

‘PROGRAMME PLUS’ INFORMATION BULLETIN

'Programme Plus' is a new monthly information bulletin for collectors of GAA match programmes, histories, yearbooks, magazines, photographs, etc. It is distributed via e-mail on the last Friday of every month and is free of charge, with its sole aim being to highlight all aspects of collecting for enthusiasts. In order to be added to the mailing list, please forward your e-mail address to Alan Aherne who is compiling the information bulletin ( [email protected] ).

FUTURE EDITIONS: The publication schedule for the remainder of the year is outlined below. If anyone wishes to contribute to the content, the deadline will be the Tuesday before the publication date. I have been forced to hold over some contributions from P.J. Maxwell until next month due primarily to time constraints on my part, but rest assured that two very interesting features on avid collectors will be carried in the June edition.

Here is a full list of publication and deadline dates for the rest of the year: • Volume 1, Number 6: Friday, June 24 th (deadline: Tuesday, June 21 st ) • Volume 1, Number 7: Friday, July 29 th (deadline: Tuesday, July 26 th ) • Volume 1, Number 8: Friday, August 26 th (deadline: Tuesday, August 23 rd ) • Volume 1, Number 9: Friday, September 30 th (deadline: Tuesday, September 27 th ) • Volume 1, Number 10: Friday, October 28 th (deadline: Tuesday, October 25 th ) • Volume 1, Number 11: Friday, November 25 th (deadline: Tuesday, November 22 nd ) • Volume 1, Number 12: Friday, December 30 th (deadline: Tuesday, December 27 th )

CONCLUSION: That’s all for this month folks. I hope you found something of interest in this bulletin and I would urge as many collectors as possible to contribute to the June edition. In particular, it would be great to receive programme reviews; either compile them yourselves, or send me a copy of the programme; if that’s your preference, I’ll then give my own opinions, and I’ll send you something in return.

My e-mail address is [email protected] , and I’d love to hear from you to discuss all aspects of our hobby. Don’t forget to print and post the bulletin to any collectors you know without e-mail access, and feel free to contact me with any information worth sharing in next month’s edition!

Mise le meas,

ALAN AHERNE