GAA Oral History Project Interview Report Form

REFERENCE NO. AR/1/41 GAA Oral History Project Interview Report Form Name of Joe Jordan Interviewer Date of Interview 7th Feb 2011 Location Interviewee’s home Name of Eithne O’Hare (nee Eithne O’Neill) Interviewee (Maiden name / Nickname) Biographical Summary of Interviewee Gender Female Born Year Born: 1931 Home County: Armagh Education Primary: St. Louis Convent, Middletown, Co. Armagh (Optional) Secondary: St. Louis Convent, Kilkeel, Co. Down Third Level: St. Mary’s Training College, Falls Road, Belfast Family Siblings: 3 brothers (Gerald, Fr. Brendan, Fergal) 2 sister (Deirdre) Club(s) Middletown GAA Club [Armagh] Aghagallon GAA [Armagh], St. Louis Convent Camogie Club, Kilkeel [Armagh] Occupation Teacher Parents’ Both teachers Occupation Religion Catholic Political Affiliation / None Membership Other Club/Society Co. Armagh Golf Club Membership(s) 1 REFERENCE NO. AR/1/41 Date of Report 13 July 2012 Period Covered 1920s - 2011 Counties/Countries Armagh Covered Key Themes Travel, Supporting, Grounds, Facilities, Playing, Training, Covered Officials, Administration, Education, Religion, Role of Clergy, Role of Teachers, Role of Women, Role of the Club in the Community, Volunteers, All-Ireland, Club History, County History, Earliest Memories, Family Involvement, Childhood, Impact on Life, Career, Ban on Foreign Games and Dances, Relationship with the Association, Retirement, Relationships, Economy / Economics Interview Summary Eithne O’Hare is a former club and county Camogie player from Armagh and a daughter of the former county chairman, PJ O’Neill. Her brother, Gerry, was also a member of the Armagh team defeated in the 1953 All-Ireland final. The interview opens with O’Hare reflecting on her family’s GAA background and her early association with Camogie – she possesses a photograph of herself from 1934 – the GAA jubilee year – holding a Camogie stick. She discusses her education at the St. Louis convent in Middletown where she played Camogie – she would represent Armagh at 13 years of age. From Middletown, she attended the St. Louis nuns in Kilkeel and subsequently attended St. Mary’s Training College in Belfast. She continued playing Camogie in Kilkeel but there was no Camogie in St. Mary’s. And with Camogie falling apart in Middletown during this period – she explains why – O’Hare ended playing with Aghagallon where, she says, there were a ‘lot of very good Camogie players’. Her Camogie days ended in her early 20s at a time she was preparing for marriage and was temporarily revived at the age of 40 when she togged out in a Past pupils versus students game at Kilkeel, to the initial embarrassment of her daughter who followed in her footsteps in attending the school. O’Hare’s GAA experiences were heavily influenced by her father, PJ O’Neill. Through him and her brother, she got to know many of the Armagh players from the 1946 colleges team, the 1949 Minor team and the 1953 All-Ireland senior finalists team. She tells stories about attending training sessions and games with her father, including an account of an eventful journey to Croke Park for the 1953 All-Ireland final. Towards the end of the interview, Eithne reflects on the progress of Camogie in Middletown since the 1970s; she considers the changes in the GAA and the continued support 2 REFERENCE NO. AR/1/41 and interest it enjoys. In addition, she reflects on her father’s legacy, the continued contribution of former students to the GAA and the sense of community the GAA it creates. 00:00:05 Eithne O’Hare introduces herself. Born 1931. 00:00:20 Talks about her father’s involvement in the GAA, both in football and the setting up of hurling in Middletown. 00:00:35 Mentions that mother, from Mayo, and father taught in the same school. 00:00:45 Father was originally from Tyrone but was a dedicated Armagh man. 00:00:50 Mentions being ‘conscious’ of the GAA, both football and camogie from an early age. One of five children, her 3 brothers played football – Gerald, Brendan and Fergal. 00:01:30 Talks about her interest in Camogie from an early age. Says she has a photograph of herself in the jubilee year, 1934, holding a Camogie stick. 00:01:47 Educated by the Louis nuns in Middletown and then at the Louis convent in Kilkeel. Mentions playing Camogie at school and representing Armagh as a 13 year old. 00:02:15 Continued playing Camogie in Kilkeel, but there was no team at St. Mary’s Training College. At this time, she says Middletown Camogie had ‘fallen apart.’ 00:02:49 During this time she says she played with Aghagallon where there were a ‘lot of very good Camogie players’. 00:02:55 Remarks on playing in the county Camogie team until 1955. 00:03:05 Says most of her childhood was spent around Gaelic football, where her father was heavily involved. 00:03:20 Remarks on the absence of television and Sundays in her house where people would gather around their radio ‘cheering and roaring’ for Armagh. 00:03:45 Recalls the profile of Cavan and waiting for the time when Armagh might beat them. 00:04:05 Talks about attending all the football matches around Middletown, Keady and elsewhere. 00:04:16 Talks about spending two years in Belfast after finishing in Belfast and moving to teach in Armagh. Mentions 3 REFERENCE NO. AR/1/41 that on Monday morning’s the reading lesson would consist of reading reports from Irish News of matches played the day before. Mentions they would also pick the teams on the Fridays before big games. 00:04:55 Expresses delight that a lot of her past pupils kept up their interest in the GAA, particularly Joe Jordan. 00:05:16 Mentions that they had a housekeeper who adored her father and Maggie – the housekeeper – would wash them. Eithne could put a name on every jersey, but her favourite was Alfie Murray from Lurgan, a ‘real gentleman’ and her ‘pin-up boy’. 00:06:00 Refers also to ‘Gentleman Jim’ McKeever from Derry, another favourite. 00:06:10 Discusses starting off playing Camogie with her sister in the big garden at home. Says she would head up to the sportsfield and older people were ‘very good’ to her. 00:07:20 Remarks that footballers ‘were not allowed to be in the field with the Ladies’ – says that the parish priest would take a ‘trot’ up the back way to the field and as soon as the word spread – there ‘always’ somebody on lookout - that he was coming ‘the men disappeared behind the hedge’. 00:07:45 Mentions Fr. Crilly who would take them in his car to play different teams. 00:08:00 Refers to some of the players in Middletown: Kitty and Margaret McKenna, Nelly McKenna, Maura McCoy, Bridget McQuaid, Kitty McLatchey. 00:08:35 Interviewer remarks that the McKenna were Pat ‘The Man’s’ daughters. 00:08:50 Refers to Monica Barrett. 00:09:00 Mentions the mix of the team and how ‘kind’ the older girls were to them. 00:09:08 Mentions that she missed out on a lot of playing when she went to Kilkeel and they weren’t allowed out. Recalls her father writing to get her out on one occasion and her helping Middletown to get into a final, but not being able to get out for the final. Middletown won the final, but she didn’t get a medal. ‘Not that I minded’, she adds. 00:09:36 Discuses her father being Chairman of the county in 1949 when Armagh Minors won the All-Ireland. Mentions knowing a lot of the team – Jack Bratton, Joe Cunningham, 4 REFERENCE NO. AR/1/41 Brendan O’Neill etc – going with her father to training ‘to keep him company’. 00:10:35 Recalls the team being housed in Armagh and a number of the players ‘slipping out’ one night to go to the pictures – only to be caught by Fr. Coyle, the curate in Armagh. Says her father thought it was ‘funny’, but Fr. Coyle didn’t. 00:11:10 Talks of knowing a lot of the ‘college boys’ who played in the Hogan Cup in 1946 because her brothers played on the team. Recalls the support which the college team received from people in Armagh – ‘they followed them everywhere’, including on the train to Dublin. 00:11:45 Remarks on how nice college football was to watch. 00:11:58 Talks about attending the Training college and always been sure of a dance at the ceilis because she knew all the boys. 00:12:15 Recalls one of her brothers being asked when they were going what they wanted to do when they grew up: ‘I want to go to a meeting’. 00:12:40 Build up to the 1953 All-Ireland: recalls as a ‘major event in our lifetime.’ Mentions that her brother was playing and travelled with the team. Eithne travelled with her father, departing Middletown and the car breaking down. Recalls cars passing them on the road and the housekeeper Maggie finding a mechanic to clean out the dirt in the petrol. 00:14:30 1953 All-Ireland final: mentions that father was in Hogan Stand and she was in Cusack Stand, with her fiancé and her Uncle Malachy, who had previously played with Derry. 00:15:05 Tells story about her father meeting a missionary priest on way into Croke Park and handing him a ticket. Her father thought he’d meet someone to sort him out and it was only at the last minute that he got into ground – spending the match sitting on a step in the Hogan Stand.

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