The Al Roche Cup

THE AL ROCHE MEMORIAL CUP.

Joe Quille

The story of the Healy Cup acquired by the Lyre GAA, of which I was Secretary in the early 1950s, is well documented in previous Lyre Journals particularly so in the Journal published in May 1990.

Briefly the cup was named in memory of Con Healy Tralee, a friend of mine when I worked there. Con was a member of Kerry’s first All Ireland winning team of 1903 and in 1952 we invited his surviving colleagues, Moss McCarthy. Dinny Curran, Dinny Breen and Jamsey Gorman to Carrig for the district league final of that year between Smearla Rangers and Carrig Sarsfields, the inaugural year of the Healy Cup, and to this day I treasure the memory and privilege of introducing these legends of Kerry football to the huge crowd in Carrig that day and the subsequent presentation of the cup by Maurice McCarthy to a delighted John “Davy” Nolan captain of the winning Carrig Sarsfields team.

On a personal note a memorable day was crowned by my first official date that evening at Clahane Cross with Bridie Long, now my wife of over 40 years of wedded bliss.

Around 1954 I had with deep regret to relinquish my association with Lyre GAA as I had got a job outside Bray in Co Wicklow but still my heart was in Lyre and I had envisaged that maybe under 18 football could be organised in Lyre and for this I had another cup in mind by now I had moved to Limerick and was working in the Bar trade. There I met a Corkman Jack Hallinan who became a great friend. Jack was Area Manager of Beamish and Crawford and was a personal friend of Al Roche.

One day I told Jack of my plans for under 18 football in Lyre with a cup for the winners called the AL Roche Memorial Cup with the kind permission of the Roche family. Jack was very enthusiastic about the idea and was most generous. I got other contributions from Browns and McElligotts of Castleisland and permission from the Roche family and so the Al Roche Memorial Cup became a reality.

Sadly, the original intention that the cup be presented for minor football in Lyre did not, for some unforeseen circumstances, materialise, and for me that was a matter of deep personal regret believing strongly in the saying that the minors of today are the seniors of tomorrow.

But the story has a happy ending. It was presented to Lyre's own legend Billy Doran, Chairman of the North Kerry Board, for senior football competition.

Remember the big freeze?

56

Gone with the wind

Irish Times Letters Page of July 13 1984 carried the following letter regarding John B Keane’s publication of Dan Paddy Andy – The Man of the Triple Name. Sir,

Mr. Keane has treated with sensitivity, sympathy and understanding the community exemplified by “Dan Paddy Andy”. He will be glad to know that the wild music of the contrary rivers is not forgotten and that remembered too are the shadows of the clouds that raced like wild ponies across the brown uplands. We who come from that community owe a love of song to the soil and the sky of Lyreacrompane but we are duty bound to register resentment at a condition that contributed to its degradation and decimation. That condition was a lunatic version of Irish nationalism.

If John B Keane did nothing else but produce the Man of the Triple Name his reputation would be assured. With Dan Paddy Andy he has brought music, song and laughter to what in other hands would be a bitter requiem for a generation that’s gone with the wind.

Joe Carey Galway

Have you seen the song and video of Knocknagoshel on the Hill on You tube?

Some earlier Journals are still available Tel 068 48353