Down Memory Lane - 80th anniversary of the first of Corofin's 14 County Senior Football Championship titles

By JIM CARNEY THERE CAN BE NO taking away from Corofin GAA Club's magnificent achievements in all grades of football from 1991 to the present time, including eleven SFC titles in that golden era, but it is also of considerable significance in the history of the county's premier Gaelic football competition that the first of Corofin's fourteen Senior Championships was recorded 80 years ago, in early November 1932. Victories over Oughterard and Dunmore MacHales got Corofin through to the county final, in which they met neighbours Tuam Stars who had recorded a big win over Caltra in their semi-final. Captained by the fiercely determined, inspirational Paddy ('Staff') Stephens â€â€ in later years spelt Stevens â€â€ Corofin won the County Championship final at Parkmore, Tuam by 3-5 to 1-3, with Dermot Mitchell giving an outstanding display for the winners. The other members of the victorious panel were: (alphabetically) Dan Coen, Pat Coen, Tom Healy, Harry Hussey, Stephen McDonagh, Hubert McHugh, Mick Mannion, Tom Mannion, Jack Mitchell, Tom Molloy, Frank Morris, Eddie Morris, Paddy Joe Morris, John Mullen, Tommy ('Bonks') Niland, Harry O'Brien, Luke O'Brien and Mattie ('Cattie') O'Brien. Tuam: P. Kelly, T. Tunney, P. Hannon, T. Hughes, J. Hughes, D Grehan, J. Grehan, M. Mannion, P. Walsh, W. Birrell, M. Stewart, J. O'Rourke, M. Grehan, T. Acton, T. Crean. The early years of the County Championship had been dominated by Dunmore and Tuam. The MacHales were the first winners, in 1889, and they won it again in 1891, a year before Tuam Stars got on the Roll of Honour for the first time. Both of them featured regularly from then until 1913 when Ballinasloe emerged with a powerful team. So dominant did the St Grellans become, they were unbeaten in the County SFC from 1913 to 1929 although it should be pointed out, for the record, that the Championship was not completed in 1920, â€Ëœ21, â€Ëœ24, â€Ëœ26 and â€Ëœ27. Did any other club manage to compete well against the Big Three? Yes, Caherlistrane were the second winners of the county title, in 1890; Loughrea St Brendan's won it in 1898, Tuam Krugers in 1889 and 1901; Athenry De Wets in 1903 and 1904, and Annaghdown in 1931. Corofin's victories in 1932 and 1946 meant they were a major Championship force at long last. Loughrea St Brendan's, Athenry De Wets, Galway Gaels (winners in 1930), Tuam Krugers and a third Tuam town team, Tuam St Jarlath's, were no longer in existence. In later years, Corofin would also pass out An Céad Cath Gaelach, the Army team based at Dún Uí Mhaoiliosa (Mellows Fort), Renmore, winners of two SFC titles (1940, 1951) and two SHC titles (1947, 1948). The big breakthrough by Corofin in 1932 was 50 years in the making. Gaelic football was played in Corofin and Belclare as far back as the early 1880s, just before the national Gaelic Athletic Association was founded at a meeting in Hayes's Hotel, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, on Saturday, November 1st, 1884. It's well known from newspaper records (including the Tuam Herald) and from the memories of a lifelong club stalwart, on and off the field, Michael Mannion from Ballydoita, Belclare, that the merger of Corofin and Belclare in 1925 was crucial 'after forty lean years.' It came about after a specially arranged match between the two areas, played in Anbally (behind Varden's Pub, now Maloney's) on Easter Sunday of that year, and it was won by a Paddy Stephens-led Corofin team who had two points to spare over the Belclare men, captained by Patrick McHugh of Ballaghbawn. Mick Mannion, who died in the early 1980s, had the great distinction of being the only man who played for the County Senior Championship winning teams of 1932 and â€Ëœ46. For the record, the 1946 men were: (alphabetically), Christy Burke, Joe Carroll, John Carroll, Michael Comer, Frank Creaven, Jim Cullinane, Tommy Cullinane, Paddy Higgins, Tom Hogan, Gerry McCarrick, Paddy McHugh, Joe Mannion; Christy Mannion, Frank Mannion, Johnny (Seán) Mannion, captain; Mick Mannion, Martin Mannion; Paddy Noone, Paddy Roche, Pete Roche, Mick Stephens. A low-scoring County final at Parkmore, Tuam on November 10th, 1946 â€â€ a very wet, windy day â€â€ resulted in a four-point win for Corofin over the defending champions, Ballinasloe. It had a tragic sequel, the emotional and personal consequences of which severely damaged club and parish spirit for up to ten years. A 22-year-old member of the 1946 team, very talented and much loved by everybody, Joe Mannion, was accidentally injured in the County final, in a clash of bodies contesting the ball. He was taken to Galway Central Hospital, where he died within a few days. His family were grief-stricken and it also had a devastating effect on the Corofin team, all involved in the club, and the wider community. There was also â€â€ rampant in the late 1940s and worse in the â€Ëœ50s â€â€ the scourge of emigration. In an article for a souvenir match programme in the Centenary Year of the GAA, 1984, Mickey Mannion wrote: 'Every club had years of sunshine and shadows. Emigration kept clawing away at our best efforts. In January, we would register 60-to-80 players and out of that big number you could pick a team of great potential, but a few months later when the first practice was held you had the frustration of discovering that quite a few of the chosen team had emigrated. It was an annual occurrence. Often, our best football team was over the seas!'