I was privileged several times to have been in Croke Park when Galway won All-Irelands but none of them compared to September 7, 1980 when we won our first hurling title in 57 years. All of those years of frustration, of being gallant losers, noble in defeat, worthy opposition, of being classed as also-rans, chokers, of being told we had some of the finest hurlers never to win an All-Ireland, were all forgotten in that never-to-be-forgotten moment when the final whistle went. All of the hard luck stories, the near misses, the controversial defeats, the emptiness, all vanished with the sweet music of that whistle. We had to look at the scoreboard to make sure it was true. Galway 2-15, Limerick 3-9. The tears. The huge outburst of emotion and frenzied celebration was beautifully captured in Stan Shields’ photograph, our first image today.
Some say it was the Papal visit the year before that finally banished the curse on the Galway team, but in fact, they had already won the Railway Cup that year, appeared in the League final, Castlegar were All-Ireland Club Champions, UCG won the Fitzgibbon and Galway were Vocational Schools All-Ireland Champions. The first Sunday of September was the best of them all.
It was a day of highlights, the nervous tension as we drove to Dublin; the rumour that Fr Iggy had been inspirational when saying Mass for the team helped galvanise us all; the palpable nerves before the ball was thrown in; the reception the injured Fr Iggy got as he made his way to the dugout; the courage of Michael Conneely who seemed to be able to block the wind that day; the epic battle between Niall McInerney and Joe McKenna; the steely resilience of Sylvie Linnane and Conor Hayes; the concentration of Seamus Coen; impeccable Jimmy Cooney; the silken artistry of the Seán of that name; The phenomenal work rate of Steve Mahon and the grace of Michael Connolly; Joe Connolly’s leadership; Frank Burke’s distribution; Noel Lane’s runs at the opposition; PJ Molloy’s wonderful goal; the elegance of John Connolly; Bernie Forde’s ability to score from half chances; the backroom team of ‘Inky’ Flaherty, Bernie O’Connor and Cyril Farrell.
It was a very physical game, Eamonn Cregan played a blinder for Limerick in the second half and when Joe McKenna scored a goal for them with about 10 minutes to go there was not a complete fingernail left to the Galway supporters as the tension went through the roof. Limerick’s last minute attempt at goal which was deflected over the bar did not help the nerves either.
The aftermath was pretty sensational too. A blood-spattered Joe Connolly announcing, “Tar éis seacht bliain is caoga, tá corn Mhic Cárthaigh ar ais i nGaillimh arís ….” Probably the most inspirational speech ever made in Croke Park, not a word of English except “People of Galway, we love you” and, if that was not enough Joe McDonagh got thousands of Galwegians all to join in the most rousing rendition of 'The West’s Awake' ever heard as Fr Iggy appeared on the stand.
We were emotionally drained as we got into the car and with our hoarse husky voices we talked about those great Galway hurlers who played, year in, year out, never threw in the towel and never won an All-Ireland. This day was for them as well as for all those mentioned above. The first bonfire we passed was at Moate and then came that magical moment when we got to the bridge at Athlone – we cheered as loudly as our hoarse throats would allow us – we were helping to bring the McCarthy Cup across the Shannon. From there to Galway it was bonfires, maroon and white banners, flags, horns blazing, people singing, chanting and dancing on the side of the road.
The following day there were some 5,000 fans waiting at the bridge at Athlone for the team bus and the delay meant a long wait for the thousands around bonfires along the roadside as the motorcade was welcomed at Ballinasloe, Kilrickle, Loughrea, Craughwell and Oranmore before finally arriving to about 30,000 ecstatic supporters in Eyre Square at some ungodly hour. Joe Connolly’s opening words to the crowd were “The All-Ireland Champions of 1980 are Galway”.
Unforgettable. All of this happened 45 years ago next Sunday, but it is so ingrained into the memory that it feels like last week. Our team photograph shows our heroes, front row, left to right: Niall McInerney, Seamus Coen, Jimmy Cooney, Joe Connolly, Sylvie Linnane, PJ Molloy, Bernie Forde. At the back are Conor Hayes, Steve Mahon, John Connolly, Michael Connolly, Michael Conneely, Frank Burke, Noel Lane and Seán Silke.
