All-Ireland Cups and Shields: Paul Gallagher explains the unique charm of the Bulmers club finals and profiles four stalwarts who personify the best of the amateur game.
It's that time of year when the biggest show in Irish team golf rolls into town. No, we're not talking about the Ryder Cup. For the week before the action unfolds at The K Club, all eyes will be on Enniscrone Golf Club, where the Bulmers-sponsored GUI Cups and Shields National Finals take place.
To reach and compete in these finals is the culmination of serious hard work and dedication through the year. Golf clubs the length and breadth of Ireland have striven for the chance to attain a coveted All-Ireland pennant come the end of finals week. For months, they have gone toe-to-toe, bidding to advance from their provinces before taking their chances against the other provincial winners in the finals.
Along the way there are tales of woe and jubilation in equal measure. And when legions of fans come in support of their teams for the finals, club allegiances are boldly stated.
The fashion police would be impressed as traditional garb - Stylo shoes with waterproof flaps included - vies for notice with the latest in fairway fashion. Yet all wear their club colours with pride.
It's this pride and camaraderie that help make the Cups and Shields Finals the backbone of Irish amateur team golf, maintaining the sport's very best ethos. And with continued sponsorship from Bulmers over the years, the Cup and Shields Finals have been ensured a sound financial footing.
Don't imagine, though, that the general camaraderie blunts the competitive edge. Those teams who have made it this far won't be taking matters lightly. Competition in Enniscrone will be intense. But when the last putt drops, hands will be shaken, pints will be quaffed and the banter will flow as another chapter is added to the golfing annals.
Along the way there are always those who stand out because of their endeavours. In this particular billing you might say we have The Motivator in Ballinrobe's JJ Gannon, The Footballer in Galway legend Bosco McDermott, The Opportunist in Castleblayney's lively and enthusiastic Noel Flanagan, and finally The Strategist in Co Sligo's former Irish international Ken Kearney.
JJ Gannon (left) led his Pierce Purcell team to Ballinrobe's first-ever All-Ireland title at Shannon Golf Club in 2004. It was a particularly fitting venue - Gannon's father had played on the Ballinrobe team but lost in the 1980 final to Shannon at Lahinch Golf Club.
All week through hail, rain and shine - and there was plenty of each - Gannon was there for his players. The fact is, this hotelier had galvanised his team long before; in 2004 he closed his business down for a year, the better to channel his energies into the team.
"I had a pub and restaurant in Ballinrobe and in 2004 we knocked it down and rebuilt a small 10-bedroom hotel and pub," he explains.
"I was therefore able to dedicate a lot of my time to captaining the Pierce Purcell team. Most guys couldn't spare that amount of time but I was lucky to be in that position in 2004 as there's not much you can do when building work is going on.
"Watching as captain you feel you're playing every shot as you go from one match to the next trying to make sure they all do well," adds Gannon, who was as animated on the sidelines as a football manager.
"That said, the team was fantastic and they nearly always went one or two up at the start of their matches, which made it easier for us watching - they always came out of the blocks flying.
"From the very beginning you're just hoping to get through one round, then another, and all of a sudden we're in the Connacht final. To beat Loughrea was a fantastic feeling. Then to go on and win the All-Ireland was amazing."
In Shannon, Ballinrobe beat Tralee quite comfortably in the final (3.5-1.5) but they needed to go all the way to the 19th in torrential rain to beat Borris in a tough semi-final.
"It was a fabulous experience and there have been great friendships come of it since," enthuses Gannon. "We all struck a bond because of the journey. We're all due to meet in the next couple of weeks, almost like an anniversary, to reminisce over a meal and a few pints. It really was a fantastic achievement and it kind of put a small club in the west of Ireland on the map."
A few miles down the road from Ballinrobe, Galway Golf Club have among their numbers a sporting legend in Bosco McDermott (left), who was part of the great Galway football team that won three All-Irelands in a row from 1964 to 1966. When McDermott hung up the boots he retained the competitive edge by turning his hand to golf.
Galway have a rich pedigree when it comes to winning Cup and Shields Finals and for years McDermott, now in his 70s, played his part, representing the club with much success at various levels.
"I won my first Pierce Purcell with Galway in 1974 at Royal Dublin then won back-to-back Jimmy Bruen titles in 1980 and 1981," he recalls. "After that I played Junior Cup and even played Pierce Purcell this year. We also won three JB Carr titles in the over-60s section at Woodenbridge in Wicklow."
In fact, McDermott, alongside the then Galway captain Johnny Dooley, played a part in launching the Jimmy Bruen Shield, and the inaugural event - named after the great Corkman - took place when the Cups and Shields Finals were held in Galway in 1978.
"It was Galway who initiated the Jimmy Bruen," explains McDermott. "They proposed it to the Connacht Branch, who in turn proposed the idea to the GUI. It was proud moment when it was first played in Galway, where Stackstown won. Two years later I was captain of Galway's Jimmy Bruen team when we won in Lahinch in 1980. The following year we won it again at the Grange.
"For me golf was a great find because after you retire from football there is a great void and the first thing you say is 'what will I do with my time and also where do I channel my competitive instincts'.
"My advice to footballers and hurlers who give up the game at 30 or 35 is find a game. Lots of us played squash, handball or badminton to keep competitive but that leaves you when the legs go. Golf is a different type of competition and it doesn't matter what age or handicap you are - there is always the challenge of bettering yourself.
"Golf is like the GAA in many ways; you meet so many people through different networks and that is priceless. Golf is a mighty game and I'd recommend it to anyone and it more than satisfies the competitive instinct that burns within," concluded McDermott, who will see Galway's Senior Cup side compete for honours at Enniscrone.
Noel Flanagan (left) was the man who opted to take a putter from the rough in the final stages of his crucial match to send his supporters from Castleblayney into a frenzy as they beat Castletroy to lift the Pierce Purcell Shield at Rosslare last year.
On the day, Castleblayney had won their top two matches but lost the bottom two, so the outcome of the final came down to the middle match involving Flanagan and his playing partner Martin Moore. They were one up playing the par-five 18th, where Moore hit a good drive and Flanagan left his partner with 150 yards to go but he pulled his approach into rough on the left. Their opponents, Kieran Punch and Pat McNamara, had pushed a drive but found the green to leave themselves a 15-foot birdie putt.
Up steps Flanagan with putter in hand, but clearly comfortable with what he was doing.
"I must have been all of 60, 70 feet away from the hole but I just felt I had a better chance of getting it closer with a good putt than say a making a bad chip," he recalls. "I had to hit it firmly but she (the ball) ran up the green beautifully and by god didn't it stop about three inches from the cup."
The Castletroy pair missed their birdie and it was all over. It's on such fine margins contests are won and lost.
"Sure, there was a stroke of luck to it but it's all down to what happens on the day and it was our day."
And it's maybe just as well for if the Monaghan team hadn't won the town of Castleblayney would have been deprived of what followed. "The parties and celebrations were tremendous," recalls Flanagan. "They even paraded the team and all the supporters through the town, accompanied by an accordion band. There was a real festival feel to it all and by the time we got back to the clubhouse we partied all night. A tremendous experience, one I'll never forget."
One of Flanagan's Pierce Purcell team-mates in 2005, Eamon Tavey, will be back in action at Enniscrone, but in the lower-handicap bracket of the Jimmy Bruen Shield this time around. Tavey shot a staggering 51 points to win the Captain's Prize at Castleblayney and is now geared-up for more All-Ireland action.
And then there is Ken Kearney (left) the former Irish international who has a remarkable individual record of four All-Ireland titles in the Barton Shield and two All-Ireland Senior Cup medals. When representing Co Sligo (Rosses Point) Kearney brought a professional and cohesive approach to the team by drawing on his experiences of representing Ireland at amateur level for over 20 years.
As a result Co Sligo won three Barton Shield titles on the bounce from 1995 to 1997. The fact they also won the Senior Cup in 1996 and 1997 meant a rare double double at the top level, and soon other clubs were taking notice of their methods.
"It all really started in Co Sligo, when Gerry McManus, who was involved with the GUI Connacht Branch, took control of the Barton Shield and Senior Cup teams in the mid 1990s," explains Kearney. "From that point there was a great impetus and desire to win titles. The team started to work hard and work together and I think we might have been one of the first club teams to take this organised approach to achieving success . . . It's something other clubs noticed and tried to emulate.
"We took it very seriously and had our head professional at the time, Leslie Robinson, working with us two days a week," continues Kearney, who also won the Barton Shield with Galway in 1999 after having to move because of work commitments.
"In those winning years the Co Sligo team panel met twice a week and we always had a pool of at least eight players all capable of being on the teams. If you missed team practice it never went down well and there was always healthy competition for places.
"I've played a lot of international golf, represented Britain & Ireland and Europe at senior level, but there is nothing like playing for your club, particularly when you enjoy success, because there are so many people involved and supporting."
Kearney's day job saw him move once again and he briefly got to captain his home town club of Roscommon in the Jimmy Bruen. He tried to introduce a similar work ethic and Roscommon reached the All-Ireland semi-finals at Newlands in 2001. Now Kearney is back with the Co Sligo camp and looking forward to this week's action at Enniscrone.
"I was just speaking to Gerry (McManus) the other day because we are due to go again in the Barton Shield at Enniscrone. Like always we believe the Co Sligo team is very well prepared and we'll have our tactics and course management thought out.
"I noticed Limerick came through from Munster - we've had plenty of battles with them over the years. So when we all get to Enniscrone old friendships and old rivalries will surely be rekindled. It's fantastic; there's nothing like it."
And in a nutshell, that just about sums up the importance and the passion of being involved in the Cups and Shields Finals.
