Éire Óg Greystones
GAA Club

Intermediates Fixtures/Results

Junior B Fixtures/Results

Mens Pictures

Brilliant Double For Greystones

Trailing by four points at half time on a scoreline of Greystones 1-4 (7) Rathnew 3-2 (11) things were only getting worse for the seasiders as they quickly conceded a further goal and a point to leave them 8 points in arrears. The Junior Hurling Final of 1956 was proving to be a tough task. Rathnew had opened with a blitz of 2-1 without reply. Only for Andy Byrnes goal just before halftime it would have been all over for the “Gaels of Greystones”. The men in Blue and White were to prove they were made of stern stuff.

In the A.G.M. notes of the 12th of January 1957 the officers for the preceding year are recorded as the Reverend Fr. Lee as President of the Club. John Cullen, Chairman, J.J. Whiston, Secretary and G. Byrne, Treasurer. The juveniles were very strong but badly supported in that ’56 year with the minors beating Bray before going out to An Togher in the football championship. Receipts from the gates were nil and new jerseys had to be purchased. Dances and raffles had to be held to cover the travelling expenses. Thanks were expressed at the efforts to keep the youth of the town interested in the games.

No club had ever completed a double in both hurling and football at Junior level in Wicklow up to the achievements of the class of ’56 from Greystones. Teak tough men possessed of all the skills they proved to be excellent exponents at both disciplines. Fortunately a number of them are able to join us tonight to take a trip down memory lane. The captain of the Football team was Andy Byrne, an intelligent powerhouse from the centrefield, who was equally adept at both codes. Andy, John and their brother Gary (mascot to the footballers) came from a stalwart family. Their mother May was a great sportswoman with a love for all games. Their father Gareth ran the club for years.

The captain of the Hurlers was Henry O’Kelly an evergreen if ever there was one. He played right up to 1981 when he won another Junior medal with St. Ferghals. He also won two senior hurling medals with St. Kevins, Bray and a Leinster Junior medal with Wicklow in 1965. Two unique characters appear in dispatches as J. Doyle and J. Mc Namara. They were two fine players who were regularly commented upon in the newspapers of the day as greatly influencing the outcome of the games they featured in. But who are they you might well ask? J. Doyle was in fact Brother Seamus Bolger, a man of the cloth who was a popular teacher in St. Kevins National School. J. Mc Namara was in fact Fr. Paddy Mc Auliffe, a priest based in Aughrim. A squat powerful man he was as fine a striker of the sliothar off the ground as Nicky Rackard, the Wexford legend. The need to disguise their identities a reflection of the times.

In the build up to the semi-final of the Junior “B” Football Championship a keen game was expected at Ashford between Greystones and Annacurragh. Included in the Northerners line up was former County star Eddie Earls, a first class keeper in Jimmy Toole and young Davy Fox (currently a trustee of the club) bringing plenty of thrust to the half-back line. Jimmy Whiston, Andy Byrne and Declan Clarke are others who could hold their own with the best. The full forward line included none other than one of our current Presidents Des Mitchell. The game was played on the 4th November 1956 and was a double header with the Senior Hurling Final between Avondale and Barndarrig, a game won by the latter. Cead isteach 1/-. One shilling, the equivalent in todays terms 10 Euro. Greystones triumphed on the day on a scoreline of 2-5 to 0-3 having led at half time 1-4 to 0-2.

The Junior “A” Football Final in Aughrim that year was won by Dunlavin who accounted for Knockananna. Fortunately, the Junior “B” Football Final would not be played for some time due to the semi-final between Donard and Brittas Whites ending in a draw 2-1 to 1-4 on the 16th December 1956. The date is significant as this was the same day as the Junior Hurling Final in Ashford already mentioned above. Rathnew had qualified by beating Killaveney 4-4 to 3-3.

In the Hurling Final with the scores poised at Rathnew 4-3 (15) Greystones 1-4 (7), Rathnew must have been confident. Jameson had rattled three goals to the Greystones net. They hadn’t reckoned with Mc Namara, O’Flaherty and Byrne who were to explode into action. O’Flaherty with two goals and Mc Namara, a point, with just a point in reply from Rathnew left the game delicately poised at Rathnew 4-4; Greystones 3-5. A sideline puck from Mc Namara was to prove the decisive score, as he drove the ball all the way to the Rathnew net to leave Greystones leading by a point with only a few minutes to go. Hurling was swift and the tackling was severe but the game was sporting. Mr. J. Smullen refereed. Greystones had won on a scoreline of 4-5 to 4-4 to set up the first leg of the historic double. Victory was regarded as a surprise to the winners.

The Football Final would not be played until the 24th March 1957. Greystones were regarded as slight favourites. A large number of Northern Gaels made the journey to Aughrim. Pre-match entertainment was provided by the Greystones C.B.S. band who played the teams around the field. The large crowd appreciated the bands grand rendering of musical items. Reports of the match are sketchy with the final scoreline still a mystery. Nonetheless a stout Donard effort was stymied. Twelve of the team that were victorious also shared in the Hurling triumph. Although missing their star centrefield man Eddie Earls the Greystones men fully deserved their victory. The whole fifteen played manfully but a special word of praise was reserved for Davy Fox, who played brilliantly in the early stages when the rest of his colleagues seemed to be suffering from stage fright.

Whiston and Doyle also shared big honours in the history making event. O’Kellys long kicks were a major factor and Willie Earls was heroic at centrefield. Andy Byrne, John Gregory and Davy O’Connor (former photographer with the Bray People) were also singled out for special mention. Commenting recently on those days Davy Fox says: “they were the greatest days of my life. I came into the club at 16 years of age. Nobody knew me locally and I dug with the other foot. I made friends for life. I played a lot of football and had the opportunity to go on and play for the County at Senior level. To win that double was a great achievement for a small club with a small panel of players. They were good players, big strong men possessed of great aerial prowess”. Davy went on to play well into his late thirties and also featured as a prop for the Greystones Rugby Club at 38 years of age.

Unfortunately, it is with regret that whilst researching this team for our commemoration tonight, we learned that many of the boys have passed away to the playing fields high in the sky. The panel appears below. Others left Greystones, some of them shortly afterward, to travel far afield. Some of them are in poor health and are unable to join us and others have commitments that prevent them from partaking in this occasion. They are all with us in spirit and it is fitting that we acknowledge their pioneering achievements in keeping Gaelic games to the forefront of sporting opportunities in Greystones.

Go raibh maith agat, a chairde go leir.

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