Return of cup to Castlebar Mitchels after 61 years evokes cherished memories of a golden era

A cup presented by Castlebar Mitchels to a touring New York Gaelic football team in 1961 has been allocated a special place in the Mayo club’s trophy cabinet after the beautiful silverware made an unexpected return to the county town.

Originally supplied and engraved by the late John Hynes, County Jewellers, Main Street, Castlebar, its journey home after six decades in America is a source of great joy for a number of the club’s former players and their families.

Its return has also served to evoke memories of one of the club’s most illustrious eras which culminated in Mitchels being the first in Ireland to undertake a football tour to the United States in 1960 at the invitation of St. Patrick’s GAA Club, Chicago.

A party of 92 experienced a series of long delays and aviation setbacks before finally touching down in America for matches in the Windy City as well as New York.

As a result of that trip, a New York selection arrived in Castlebar the following September during which they lifted the aforementioned trophy following a series of matches.

Jim Foley, a member of a famous Kerry Gaelic football family, was captain of the winning team. He had starred for his native county prior to his emigration to America in 1957. Foley was a member of the New York sides that won National League titles in 1963/64 and 1966/67.

Acclaimed as one of the greatest players ever to leave Kerry due to emigration, he lived in San Diego for 36 years after his time in New York. He also spent a number of years in Connecticut, where his brother Mick still resides.

After returning from his trip to Castlebar, Jim gave the cup to his brother and it was kept in Mick’s care in Connecticut for over 60 years until a nephew – Tim Foley from Broadford, Co. Clare – visited Mick at his home in Hartford, Connecticut, a number of weeks ago.

Mick asked Tim to make contact with Castlebar Mitchels to establish if the club would be interested in the return of the trophy.

And when Tim contacted the club’s public relations officer, Mick Baynes, via social media, the response was very much in the affirmative.

And this led to Tim, along with his wife Liz and daughter Ellen, arriving at the offices of The Connaught Telegraph, Castlebar, on November 26 last to present the cup to two members of the Castlebar Mitchels team who played against New York in 1961, namely Joe Foy and Jim Devaney.

Also in attendance were Russell Gibbons, son of the late Joe Gibbons, another member of the Mitchels team in 1961, Russell’s two sons, Ethan and Ryan, both of whom are current Mitchels players, former Mayo GAA star Donal Vaughan, now a member of Mitchels, and Seamus Devaney, son of Jim Devaney.

It was a fitting moment to fondly remember the deceased members of both teams, including New York’s Jim Foley, who died on January 18, 2014, in San Diego, a city in which he was a leading figure in the GAA and Irish communities.

Speaking to The Connaught Telegraph, Jim Devaney said it was a wonderful experience to be involved with Castlebar Mitchels during those eventful times.

He stated: “We had some outstanding players and we won a lot of titles. And, after all the years, it’s lovely to see the cup coming back to Castlebar because it brings back cherished memories to all of us. I can tell you the New York team we played in 1960 and 1961 was rich in talent, laden with some of the finest inter-county players in Ireland.”

Joe Foy has vivid memories of the historic 1960 trip.

“We got a great send-off from the members of Castlebar Urban Council before leaving the town at 7.30 on a Monday morning in the expectation of getting an early flight from Shannon.

“However our chartered aircraft, which had earlier arrived from Rome, was grounded by the airport authorities for reasons best known to themselves. So we were delayed until Thursday.

“If that was not bad enough, we had an emergency landing at an army base in Connecticut after two of the plane’s propellers stopped working.

“For security reasons we could not leave the plane in Connecticut while the repairs were being carried out. We got a supply of food taken to the plane to tide us over and I recall how it was delivered through the windows to us because the doors could not be opened.

“When we eventually took off again, the pilot discovered another problem and we had to return for further repairs.

“It was a very worrying ordeal and, in the case of most of the passengers, it was their first time ever on a plane and, naturally enough, they never wanted to see that particular aircraft ever again. It is true that the rosary beads were out in many cases.

“So it was early on Friday morning – four days after leaving Castlebar – that we eventually arrived in New York.

“The people who had gathered to meet us earlier in the week had long gone home. We did not meet anybody until we moved to our hotel. And that’s where it all started for us.”

Among the players to shine for Mitchels during that famous 1960 journey were Liam Malone, John Flannelly, Ray Clarke, Joe Foy, Eamon Kelly, Tommy O’Boyle, Tommy Quigley, Jim Devaney, Mick Kennedy, J.J. (Pard) Gibbons, Mick Corkery, John McAndrew, Richard Gaughan, Patsy Horkan and Mick Ruane.

All legends in the annal of the club.