Get the paint out

KILLINAN END

A new mural painted on the wall of Littleton GAA grounds, the home of Moycarkey/Borris, is a welcome new addition to the collection of physical art honouring the GAA’s place in local communities.

The representation of the All-Ireland-winning captains outside Semple Stadium pays tribute to the extraordinary record and contribution to Tipperary hurling of the local Blues’ club down the years. In another part of that town, there is, of course, a mural of John Doyle, Pat Stakelum, the Rattler Byrne, and Jimmy Doyle. On the other side of those premises, some of the greats of more recent years have emerged with their own artists’ depictions.

Statues have always been one of the go-to ways of remembering people who have made exceptional contributions to society. Ahane has honoured Mick Mackey in Castleconnell and his team-mate down the road in Annacotty, Jackie Power, with statues. Other stars similarly honoured include the famous Roscommon footballer Gerry O’Malley, Cavan’s John Joe O’Reilly, Páidí Ó Sé and John Egan of Kerry. Kilkenny have honoured Droog Walsh, Ollie Walsh, and Eddie Keher. Let us not forget either that Christy Ring is memorialised in statues at Cloyne and Cork Airport.

While we’re at it, it is worth mentioning a small memorial statue to Fr Michael Griffin in Barna, outside Galway city. He was most likely shot by the Black and Tans in November 1920, when the ‘Tan War’ was really getting seriously out of hand – this was the same month as the Kilmichael Ambush and Bloody Sunday. His name is remembered in Fr Griffin’s, a club in the Renmore area of the city which produced Liam Sammon. We cannot mention Bloody Sunday and not acknowledge the relatively new statue of Michael Hogan in his native village of Grangemockler.

There is honour too in naming a road after a famous GAA player. Tuam has done this with Frank Stockwell, whose 2-5 from play in a 60-minute football final in 1956 has hardly been surpassed for quality. You could hardly honour Frank without including another road for his ‘terrible twin’, the great Seán Purcell, and indeed the hometown of the aptly named Tuam Stars did so. A few GAA clubs have memorials almost by default. A statue of Liam Mellowes overlooks Eyre Square in Galway, though that is more in recognition of his suffering in the national cause – yet a club there claims his name.

There is an understated elegance about Jimmy Doyle Road in Thurles. When younger, you would wonder about the naming of train stations after the 1916 heroes rather than granting them great memorial statues. Yet now, with some maturity, you sense the wisdom of this. Where better to remember Kent (Cork), Ceannt (Galway), Colbert (Limerick), Heuston (Dublin), Daly (Bray), and the rest, including MacDonagh station in Kilkenny, than where people congregate every day? The Mackey Roundabout between Newport and Castletroy always catches the eye if you don’t make it to Castleconnell to see the man himself overlooking the village.

Club names play a part too. There was a football club in Wexford town between 1957 and 2000 which catered for “soccer players and lads that had fallen out with their own clubs” (according to local intelligence!) and which had perhaps the most celebrated name of them all – Dan O’Connells. Scarcely a town where they could not claim some fame. Across the county of Tipp, Sean Treacy’s, Fr Sheehy’s, C.J. Kickhams (both Mullinahone and Knockavilla-Donaskeigh), J.K. Brackens, and Thurles Sarsfields stand out as memorialising individuals in their club names.

If Knockshegowna can claim perhaps the most evocative club name in the North Tipp division, Kilruane MacDonagh stands alone in the memorial sense. The grounds of MacDonagh Park in Cloughjordan and Nenagh, Newport’s Lacken Park, and Borrisoleigh’s Bishop Quinlan Park all commemorate local people with quite a story to be told.

The Moycarkey/Borris mural memorialised four players – Johnny Ryan, John Flanagan, Rhys Shelly and Kieran Cummins – All-Ireland medallists all. It is what could be called a representative sample. This is a modest, understated club, unlikely to publicly draw attention to the reality that, if they were to do full justice to their history in a mural, they’d need the Great Wall of China. They already have an acknowledgement of that heritage in Two-Mile-Borris, referencing a previous All-Ireland-winning team, and the near future is not without promise either.

Shane McGowan has provided a good example in North Tipp of how compelling a well-done mural can look in a public space. Is there something to be said for the likes of Borris-Ileigh and Toomevara following Moycarkey’s lead? Borris can even do a Sarsfields on it – Jimmy Finn, Seán Kenny, Bobby Ryan and Brendan Maher all brought the MacCarthy Cup to the parish and led the county in a most distinguished manner. Kilruane, Roscrea, and Borris have all won All-Ireland titles. Plenty of incentive there to get the paints out.