Memories of Castlebar's Town Leagues during the glorious 1950s

The 1950s were a great time for Gaelic football in Mayo. The county won two All-Ireland football titles, in 1950 and 1951.

The Castlebar town leagues were immensely popular at the time and the competing teams were the Hams (bacon factory), Hats (hat factory), St. Mary’s Hospital and St. Gerald's College.

There was intense rivalry between the various teams and no holds were barred, particularly when it came to the semi-finals and finals.

There was a trainee manager by the name of Sammy Bryson working in the bacon factory at the time, a professional soccer player with Linfield, Belfast, the leading club in Northern Ireland.

Dan Carroll, works manager in the bacon factory, convinced Bryson he should tog out with the Hams in a vital game against the Hats. He was described in The Connaught Telegraph as the Hams' ‘secret weapon.’

To put it mildly, Bryson played a blinder and scored two goals following dazzling runs.

Michael Hynes, a Hats, Mitchels and Celtic star at the time, said Bryson was trickiest player he had ever come across.

Another athlete who made an impact on the Castlebar sporting scene in the early 1940s was Johnny Rawe from Belfast who was also employed in the bacon factory.

Rawe was an outstanding athlete who had some thrilling tussles with Eugene Giblin and Mike Flannery, both members of Castlebar Athletics Club.

After leaving Castlebar, Johnny Rawe joined the Royal Air Force and was involved in many bombing raids over Germany in World War 2.

The McEllin brothers, Manulla, were noted cross-country runners at the time and were winners at several competitions all over Ireland.

In later years, John Hanley, Station Road, Castlebar, was one of the leading athletes in the west of Ireland.