The greatest day in Wicklow GAA’s history
ST. PATRICK’S DAY, 1990, will forever hold a special place in the hearts of GAA fans in Baltinglass.
On that date 30 years ago, the club – which dominated football in Wicklow in the ‘80s and ‘90s by going on a run of winning eight consecutive senior county titles between 1987 and 1994; a record that has only been matched by Rathnew’s run of wins between 1996 and 2003 – became the first, and to this day only, club from Wicklow to win an All-Ireland senior club football championship, beating Roscommon’s Clann na nGael in the final in Croke Park.
The Baltinglass team that lined out that day was a who’s-who of legendary figures. Hugh Kenny would go on to manage the Wicklow senior footballers years later, while Seán O’Brien went on to manage the club’s senior footballers in 2019. Con Murphy, who scored the two goals in the 2-7 to 0-7 win, proceeded to serve as chairman of Baltinglass, while Kevin O’Brien became the only-ever Wicklow player to win an All-Star, in 1990.
The team, in-full, was as follows: Dan Leigh; Seán O’Brien, Hugh Kenny Thomas Donoghue; Brian Fitzpatrick, Pat Murphy, Brian Kilcoyne; Raymond Danne, Billy Kenny; Paul Kenny, Robert McHugh, Liam Horgan; Con Murphy, Kevin O’Brien, and Tommy Murphy. On the sideline, the team was buoyed on by manager, Tony Norton; trainer and selector, Tommy Murphy, and selectors, Tom Whelan, Ken Browne, and John Farrell.
The panel was rounded out by Billy Timmins, Tom Fox, George Bradley, Donal Buckley, Paudge Doody, Billy Nolan, Simon Murphy, and Peter Timmins.
‘As a group, they couldn’t be surpassed,’ reflected Martin Coleman, who was serving as club secretary at the time. ‘What they lacked in technique, they certainly made up with heart. They were totally dedicated and a finer bunch of lads you could not meet.’
‘They are still there as a group; we would meet at different things and they are still the same bunch of people that they were. There were probably other good teams inside the county, and outside the county, that were – maybe – as good or better than Baltinglass, but they didn’t have that final bit of self-belief or commitment.’
Their triumph in Croke Park was the long-term pay-off to over 10 years of building the strongest panel in the club’s history. It was a mix of experienced players who had been with the club since the late-1970s/early-1980s, while the likes of Paul Kenny, Hugh Kenny, Thomas Donoghue, and Kevin O’Brien were drafted in the late-80s and added that bit more youthful exuberance.
Their provincial championship win over Thomas Davis was not the first Leinster final of which they had been a part. Five years earlier, in 1985, they were edged out by Portlaoise in the decider; a loss that spurred them on towards their eventual ascent.
‘We were all talking about wanting to win a Leinster with that particular group of players. They were unlucky in ’85. Against Portlaoise, they were beaten in a replay by two points. From then on, we gained momentum and the group got stronger. This is a group of players that came together in the late-70s, early-80s, so they were a fairly mature group of boys by the time 1989/90 rolled around,’ Coleman says.
‘It was a special group of players that came together.’
The club’s journey to national glory was not free of speedbumps. Before having the chance to go up against Thomas Davis in the Leinster final, they had to meet Ferbane in the provincial semi-final. Up until Paddy’s Day, their clash with the Offaly champions was probably the most exhilarating, as two early goals helped them towards a five-point win.
The Leinster final that followed was a challenging task, as Baltinglass went into the final few minutes of the first game trailing by a point, only for Robert McHugh to nail a last-minute free from a wide angle to snatch a replay. That replay would go the way of the Wicklow club, thus sealing the second part of that year’s historic treble.
Their many struggles along the way necessitated the utilisation of the full extent of the team’s spirit and fortitude, which – to hear Coleman put it – was never going to be problem for this group.
‘It was a family, really. We had three Murphys (Con, Pat, and Tommy), we had two O’Briens (Kevin and Seán), and had three Kennys (Billy, Hugh, and Paul). That was over half the team. You had that bond with all of those lads. Their commitment was the telling factor; they were completely committed to the cause.
‘They didn’t know what failure was. Failure was never mentioned.’
Finally, after dispatching Cork’s Castlehaven in the All-Ireland semi-final, it was on to Croke Park to meet Roscommon’s Clann na nGael. Beating the Munster champions, who boasted the likes of two-time All-Star Niall Cahalane, was a major feather in the cap of the Wicklow club that still felt like they were being viewed as underdogs, especially when going up against Clann na nGael in the final
‘Clann nan Gael were playing in their third final in a row, so I suppose people from outside the county underestimated what this team could do, with Clann na nGael having been in as many finals as they had and their team was so star-studded.’
Everything about the build-up to that 1990 final was special. Gone were territorial rivalries with other clubs within the county. The journey that Baltinglass had partaken on the way to Croke Park had done away with many of those differences and had united the rest of the county around this team that was on the edge of glory.
‘It was a great bonding for the town and for the county. The county was starved of success, and people wanted to be involved with a successful team and, in fairness, the whole of the county got behind us,’ Coleman said.
‘I’d say that that was one of the most pleasing aspects. I am not just talking about the All-Ireland final day; right through the campaign, the clubs throughout the county got behind us. That was a very pleasing aspect of the whole lot of it. There was a bonding between all the clubs in the count.’
The early parts of the fateful All-Ireland climax were nip-andtuck, as Clann na nGael cancelled out both of Balto’s opening two points, the second of which coming from Con Murphy, who was an electrifying presence up front. As the first-half progressed, Tony Norton’s men slowly began to go through the gears and ended up firing the first major shot across the bow with the opening goal of the day through Con Murphy, after Paul Kenny had spurned an earlier chance from an exquisite pass from Kevin O’Brien with the outside of his right boot.
One goal became two shortly before half-time, when a highball into the Roscommon club’s square caused confusion in the defensive line, enabling Murphy to scramble home for his second of the day. Baltinglass went into the half-time break with a 2-2 to 0-4 lead; a deficit that Clann nan Gael were unable to overturn before the final whistle.
Every component of the Baltinglass team complimented the other. Seán O’Brien put in a rock-solid display in the full-back line, while Thomas Donoghue was similarly impressive in the half backs.
In midfield, Raymond Danne provided physicality under the high ball, while the full-forward line of Tommy Murphy, Kevin O’Brien, and Con Murphy ran the opposition defence ragged with their energy, pace, and movement; the latter two getting spectacular long-range scores in the second half when Clann na nGael threatened to rally.
After those two shots sailed over the bar, there was no coming back for Clann na nGael. What substantial attacks they managed to manufacture, were suffocated by the irresistible pairing of Thomas Donoghue and Seán O’Brien, while that aforementioned full-forward line continued to work tirelessly to create openings at the other end, right up until referee Tommy Sugrue blew the final whistle.
Con Murphy added another excellent score off his left peg to bring his own tally to 2-3 of Baltinglass’ total of 2-7, while Robert McHugh added another free, as well as a point from play, to settle matters. Meanwhile, a severely out-thought Roscommon side were restricted to just a single point following their early flurry; a simple free in front of the posts.
Once Sugrue brought the game to a close, the scenes were as jubilant and celebratory as one would expect. Players, management, and fans alike flocked onto the pitch to celebrate with the set of warriors who had brought Baltinglass – a town with a population of just under 3,000 people – to the promised land of club football. It was a suitable peak for a club that had won 15 county titles since their first in 1958; they would go on to win seven more in the years that have passed since. All that was left was captain Billy Fitzpatrick getting his grateful hands on the Andy Merrigan Cup.
Wicklow clubs have enjoyed plenty of historic moments beyond the county championship; the most recently being when Rathnew stunned the country by defeating Dublin heavyweights,
St. Vincent’s in the provincials, in 2017. It is the Baltinglass class of 1990 that leads the way, however, as arguably the greatest club team the Garden County has ever produced.