KILLINEER AND COLPE LEGENDS
MY THANKS to Paddy Clarke for another remarkable piece of history, showing the great links between Meath and Louth, especially in that border area around Colpe and Julianstown. (Had the boundary change gone ahead, they might have been back in the Wee County!).
The tale surrounds two men, Larry McCormack and Jim Smith.
Larry was a Killineer man by birth and certainly knew all about the big occasions. He lined out with Louth from 1904 to 1919, playing in three All-Ireland finals and won four senior titles with the Tredaghs and a senior with Boyne Rangers in 1921. That was after Eamonn Ceannts (Ardee) couldn’t field as a lot of their players had been arrested by Free State troops!
He lived at Delvin Lodge and worked as a gardener for the Prestons at Gormanston. On one occasion, he missed the train from Gormanston to Dublin for a match in Croke Park against the Dubs.
He promptly jumped on his bike and cycled the whole way - arriving just before the start - and going on to give his usual top notch performance.
Jim Smith meanwhile came from Colpe and once won a Junior medal with the Bettystown GAA team in 1908. His mother was an Eakin from Ardee. Owning a farm at Townley Hall, Jim transferred to Louth and the Tredaghs just in time to help them win the 1909 Louth SFC.
He captained Louth when they won the 1912 All-Ireland.
A centre half back, he did something unheard of today in one game, keeping a Dublin team scoreless in a 0-3 to 0-0 Louth win!
His great business brain saw him help the GAA purchase Croke Park.
He is one of those recalled with the naming of the Old Gaels Cup.
Jim died tragically in November 1951 when he was knocked down.
Joseph Stafford, a farmer at Painestown, said he had been walking cattle home that day and met Jim at Andy Moonan’s gateway at Painestown.
Mr Smith was in his car, but when he got out, a car struck him, going on to strike Mr Stafford, who was with his son, Patrick Noel (18).
Jim died in hospital days later with a huge crowd attending his funeral.