‘This is a brilliant book for any sports fan and an excellent introduction to a beloved Irish landmark and the GAA.’
Irish Independent
‘Steeped in the author’s love for the venue, the games and indeed Ireland itself, you can almost hear the clash of the ash, the thump of a ball and the roar of the crowd rising from the pages. Hats off to Graham Corcoran too for some stirring and evocative illustrations.’
Irish Examiner
‘Who better than the “voice of Gaelic games” himself, Micheál O’Muircheartaigh, to tell The Story of Croke Park?’
Evening Echo
‘Jam-packed with fascinating facts, this informative book will captivate GAA fans young and old.’
RTEjr
First published in hardback 2020 by The O’Brien Press Ltd, 12 Terenure Road East, Rathgar, Dublin 6, D06 HD27, Ireland
Tel: +353 1 4923333; Fax: +353 1 4922777
E-mail: books@obrien.ie Website: obrien.ie
Reprinted 2021.
This edition published 2023. The O’Brien Press is a member of Publishing Ireland.
The moral rights of the author and illustrator have been asserted.
ISBN: 978-1-78849-450-2
Photographs courtesy of Croke Park Library and Museum.
Cover design by Emma Byrne.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilised in any way or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher.
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The paper used in this book is produced using pulp from managed forests.
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The Story of Croke Park
Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh
illustrated by Graham Corcoran
My First Visit to Croke Park
It was All Ireland Football Final Day, 26 September 1948. I was standing underneath the Cusack Stand, but closer still to Hill 16. Reigning Champions Cavan were taking on Mayo after an absence of twelve years.
I arrived early and had plenty of time to look at the wonders around about. The pitch, the stands – Hogan, Long and Cusack – and naturally the green box between the Hogan and Long stands from where Michael Ó Hehir broadcast. What a sight.
Nachiontachanmacansaolaruairibh.
Above all, I recall the almighty gale that blew down the pitch from Canal to Railway end.
THE MATCH
Of course the football claimed all the attention once it started: After Tyrone and Dublin in the Minor (won by Tyrone), it was Mayo and Cavan in the Senior.
The score at half time was Cavan 3-3, Mayo 0-0, with two Cavan goals by Tony Tighe, as good as I have ever seen.
‘NO HAWKERS ALLOWED’
Upon the shrill of the half-time whistle, ignoring the‘No Hawkers Allowed’signs, a group of ladies raced out onto the pitch, carrying baskets of apples, oranges and other snacks.
The Cusack Stand was their target, and the pace was brisk: the
half, with a pair by the lively Tom Acton, but Cavan’s genius Mick Higgins scored one more against the gale in that half hour of wonders. Mayo really responded to the challenge, and as full-time approached they trailed by a single point. They were then awarded a close-in free at an angle. There was complete silence as the free was taken, and almost instantaneously the silence was shattered as Mick Higgins rose to win possession, securing another All-Ireland win for the Breffni men, with a full-time score of Cavan 4-5, Mayo 4-4.
More than eight goals have never been scored in an All-Ireland Final before or since. What a day; what memories.
It may seem strange now, but for a long time Ireland was ruled by Britain. The rules were seldom easy – for example, King Edward declared in the mid-1360s that it was now illegal to play sports like hurling or football!
A NEW ERA
As the worst years of the famine passed, a new era began. On 1 November 1884, seven men met in the Hayes Hotel in Thurles, Co. Tipperary. There, Michael Cusack led the formation of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), created to protect and develop Irish sports – hurling, Gaelic football, athletics and rounders.
Years later, stands in Croke Park were named in memory of Michael Cusack and Maurice Davin, while the stadium itself was named after Archbishop Croke.
Sea,nachraibhnarialachaúddian agusdaingean?
This was the way of it until the mid-1800s. Then the ban was lifted, but there was no rush to play sports for a while, as the Irish people were now suffering a terrible famine and poverty.
Michael Cusack
GROWTH OF THE GAA
Ever since 1884, the GAA has grown and grown. There are over 2,300 GAA clubs across the thirty-two counties of Ireland, from the two dozen in Longford to the 260 in Cork. There are over 400 more clubs all across the world –from Buenos Aires to Hong Kong, Kuwait to Johannesburg.
The GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association have over half a million members worldwide. They promote Gaelic football, hurling, camogie, handball and rounders, and indirectly the Irish language. Lots of children join their local club before they even start school!
Gur fada buan é Cumann Lúthchleas Gael.
ForbairtarÁiseannaImeartha–Development of the Grounds
Croke Park or Páirc an Chrócaigh is Ireland’s most famous sporting venue. It’s where the GAA’s biggest games in hurling, Gaelic football, camogie and ladies’ football are played. On big match days, the stands are filled to capacity with over 80,000 followers cheering on their teams, and the atmosphere is extraordinary.
Croke Park is in Drumcondra, Dublin, near the scene of the Battle of Clontarf, a very famous battle. It took place in 1014 AD, between invading Vikings and the Irish forces led by Brian Ború, High King of Ireland.
BUTTERLY’S FIELD
The development of Croke Park began in 1864, when Maurice Butterly rented 21 acres of land south of Clonliffe Road, which became known as‘Butterly’s Field’. Back then it would have been surrounded by farms, with cows and sheep grazing close by. Before long the‘Field’became popular for staging events such as running, cycling, football, and even racing small dogs called whippets.
In December 1891, Butterly’s Field held its first GAA athletics meeting, with competitions in sports like running, weight throwing and jumping, all of which were very popular.
Bóthar Jones – Jones’s Road
In the early years of the GAA, All-Ireland finals in Gaelic football and hurling were played in lots of different venues in Leinster and Munster. Back then, counties were represented by their leading club – not really a county team like we have today. As well as the football and hurling finals, match days usually included the Long Kicking Championship of Ireland and the Poc Fada in hurling.
In 1894, Maurice Butterly sold his sports field. From then on it was known as ‘Jones’s Road’. The GAA rented playing areas, and the first All-Ireland Finals to be played there were those of 1895, though they were not played until 16 March 1896.
Tipperary won both the football and hurling finals on that day, with Tubberadora defeating Tullaroan of Kilkenny in hurling, and Arravale Rovers beating Pierce O’Mahony’s of Meath in football.
A BUSY REFEREE
All four events were refereed by the same person, JJ Kenny of Dublin. Dheinségaiscemóraranbpáircanláúd, achdheinsébotúnamháin– an error in his score-keeping gave Tipperary a one-point victory when the correct result was a draw.
Having realised that he had erred, JJ later dropped letters by hand to all the Dublin newspapers correcting the mistake. Meath did not seek a replay, and so the case ended there and then.
The like of it has never happened since.
FRANK DINEEN
In 1908, Frank B Dineen bought Jones’s Road for £3,250 and put it in trust for the GAA. Dineen also paid for the grass to be re-laid and for terracing to be built for spectators. The Limerick man from Ballylanders is the only person in history to have served as both President and General Secretary of CLG. His contribution to the Association is commemorated in the name of the north stand – now known as Dineen Hill 16.
PáircChuimhneacháinanChrócaigh –Croke Memorial Park
By 1913, the GAA could finally afford to buy Jones’s Road from Frank Dineen for the sum of £2,400. From then on it was called Croke Memorial Park, in honour of Archbishop Croke.
A STAND TO STAND IN!
Back in those early days, seating for spectators was not the most comfortable. There were two stands on the Jones’s Road side of the ground, and the Long Stand was the better of these two. It had a sloping, rough floor and a corrugated iron roof that slanted towards the pitch. But no seats!
It was possible to climb up onto the roof, and on big match days it was normal to see people being helped up by stewards or even Gardaí so they could get a better view. Ideas of health and safety had not yet surfaced.
FOUR IN A ROW
Ba’éCluicheCeannaisPeilenabliana1913anchéadchluicheaimríodh aranbPáircfaoinainmnua,PáircanChrócaigh.CiarraíagusLoch Garman a bhí san iomaíocht.
Kerrywon,butwhowoulddreamofthewondersaheadfortherunnersup? That clash of 1913 was the first of Six All-Ireland Final appearances in a row by the Model County, including winning a wonderful four in a row from 1915 to 1918 in the ‘Páirc’ that weaves magic.
This was a national record, and though Kerry equalled it on two occasions, it did not ‘fall’ until Dublin surged to a new high with their fifth in a row in 2019.
Incidentally, Wexford were first to include a priest on a team. Father E Wheeler played on the winning teams of 1915 and 1916, and some people credit his presence with their run of good fortune!
Bíonn cabhair Dé ar an mBóthar.
Réabhlóid – Revolution
BhísétráthúilgurthosnaighrénuaisaolCLGsabhliain1913.Change was needed and it was welcomed.
The years from 1910 to 1920 were very eventful. Europe suffered terribly during the First World War, while Ireland struck for freedom in the Easter Rising of 1916.
In the world of GAA, a national competition for junior inter-county teams began in 1912. In 1913, teams were standardised as fifteen players, parallelograms were painted around the goals and the value of a ‘goal’ was reduced from five to three points.
GAELIC SUNDAY
In 1918, the British Government proclaimed the GAA a ‘dangerous organisation’. Gaelic Games without a permit were now banned.
The GAA reacted by organising football games all across Ireland, all starting at 3pm on 4 August of that year.
The day became known as Gaelic Sunday. About 54,000 players took part in those games, and 100,000 spectators turned up to watch. This peaceful protest against the unfair ban succeeded, and the ban was ended.
The Irish were still fighting for independence from Britain in 1920. On 21 November of that year, the footballers of Dublin and Tipperary were playing in Croke Park. During the match, a troupe of British soldiers entered the Park. They began to fire at random into the crowd, in retaliation for the killing of fourteen British operatives early that morning. Fourteen people died in Croke Park that day – thirteen spectators and Tipperary footballer Michael Hogan. Hundreds more were wounded.
