A HOLIDAY THAT TURNED ROYALS INTO CHAMPIONS
ALL-IRELAND FOOTBALL FINAL, 1949 MEATH 1-10 CAVAN 1-6 CROKE PARK, ATT: 80,000
CROSS-COUNTRY runs. Long walks. No alcohol. A squad chasing an All-Ireland title bunkering up with each other. A bit of table tennis or tennis just to lighten the mood in between.
Those who think inter-county training camps are a hot topic right now, with the Wexford hurlers pitching up in Portugal and the Dublin footballers sampling a World War I history lesson in northern France, need only know that the idea of a team heading away together was all the rage back in 1949.
The Meath football team which lifted the Sam Maguire Cup for the first time that year — the famous ‘49ers’ — understood the significance of their shot at history.
In the build-up to the final, the decision was made to go on a collective training camp for a fortnight at the Gaelic Hostel in Gibbstown, just north of Navan.
Rare footage of the players being put through their paces by Father Tully is captured on the ‘Football Gold’ DVD as part of the highlights reel on the 1949 All-Ireland final.
The photo above is a snapshot from that camp: Peter McDermott, Paddy Connell, Pat Carolan and Frankie Byrne relaxing with a spot of tennis, Byrne being the only surviving member from that team.
The book ‘Four Kings’ documented Meath’s seven All-Ireland wins through the eyes of the four men whose storied careers in the number three jersey spanned the decades. Paddy O’Brien, full-back on the 1949 team, recalled the details of that training camp and how it set Meath up for the final against Cavan.
That ‘Football Gold’ DVD brings together that rare footage and captures O’Brien leading the team out in sprints on one of the days.
‘There were chalets for the students in what was an Irish summer college,’ he recalled. ‘We all had our own quarters. God, it was a great holiday!
‘It was the first time we had collective training. We had the immense advantage of being put through our paces by [trainer] Father Tully, who played as big a part in the subsequent All-Ireland as any man on the field.
‘He was very strict. He had us out early in the morning. We had breakfast first and then we’d be out on the training pitch at 10 o’clock. Running, fast sprints, that sort of thing. We’d go for cross-country runs in the afternoon — there was a lot of land out there.
‘In the evening we’d go for road walks. Paul Russell of Kerry was a selector at the time and he would help out. Ted Meade was another coach.’
Mattie Gilsenan and Joey Loughran were also there to provide ‘a world of useful tips and tutoring’.
And the secluded nature of their surroundings meant that there were few distractions in the evenings.
‘We used to play table tennis in the compound. There was real tennis as well. It kept all the fellas amused and out of harm’s way in the build-up to the All-Ireland.
‘There was no such thing as drinking or anything like that. We’d get to bed early.’
At no point, says O’Brien, were the players weighed down by a sense of history.
‘I don’t think we were. We were just taking it in our stride. We were very fit and ready for it.’
In that fortnight of preparation, the final seeds for success were sown. By the time Sunday, September 25 rolled around, Meath were primed and ready.
A record crowd of almost 80,000 packed the stadium. ‘Never before had such a crowd attended a sports fixture in Ireland,’ proclaimed Michael O’Hehir in the commentary box, as Meath went on to win on a scoreline of 1-10 to 1-6.
Captain Brian Smyth, another hero on the day, makes history as the first Meath man to lift the Sam Maguire Cup. And he made history in another way.
Not wanting to jinx the day, he never prepared a speech. And never uttered a word on the podium, just paraded the trophy.
When Meath reached the final in 1954, a return to Gibbstown wasn’t an option as the GAA had put a training ban in place.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
‘There was no such thing as drinking or anything. We’d get to bed early’