Is de bharr ceal deis imeartha le clubanna bunaithe Chumainn Lúthchleas

Gael (GAA) i mBoston a bunaíodh na Connemara Gaels. Thàinig formhór

pheileadóirí an chumainn as Conamara agus as oileáin Árainn. Ba Gaeilgeóirí

dúchais iad seo a d’imríodh do chlubanna sóisearacha. Ní raibh Bord Iarthair

na Gaillimhe fós bunaithe agus bhí sceideal imeartha teoranta acu. Ní raibh

aon iomaíocht fhánach d’ógánaigh, agus bhí fadhb ann le taisteal corr-uair.

D’eisimircigh go leor de na fi r óga seo go luath sa saol, cuid acu nach raibh ach

sé bliana déag d’aois, go tíortha ar nós Sasana agus Meiriceá. Bhí eisimirce as

chuile pharóiste in Éirinn, ach bhí Conamara an-bhuailte aici.

Bunaíodh Connemara Gaels Bhoston i 1961. Bhí an chéad chruinniú

in óstán Doggen ar Columbia Road, i South Boston. Ba é Cóilí Ó Conghaile

as an gCeathrú Rua, Co. na Gaillimhe a toghadh ina chathaoirleach. B’iad na

baill agus an coiste ná Páraic Ó Flatharta (An Cheathrú Rua), Séan Ó Cualáin

(An Cheathrú Rua), Páiric Ó Loideán (Cárna), Máirtín Mac Donncha (An

Cheathrú Rua), Aindréas Ó Conghaile (Baile Conaola), agus Cóili Ó Cualáin an

captain (an Cheathrú Rua/ Co. na Mí). B’é Páiric Ó Loideáin céad bhainisteoir

na fóirne. Sa deireadh, bheadh torhai bhunaith na Connemara Gaels le feiceál.

Chuireadar fáilte roimh pheileadóiri as áiteanna éagsúla in Éirinn, agus bharr

sin bhí tóir ar na Gaels mar chumann le bheith páirteach ann i mBoston.

not many playing opportunities with the established GAA clubs of Boston. The

majority of the club’s players came from Connemara and the Aran Islands. They

were native Irish speakers who would have played for junior clubs. The Galway

West Board was not formed then and they had a limited playing schedule. There

was little or no under age competition and traveling was sometimes a problem.

Many of these young men emigrated early in their lives, some as young as sixteen

years of age to countries like England and America. Every parish in Ireland

had emigration but Connemara and the West of Ireland were the greatly effected

by it.

The Connemara Gaels of Boston were formed in 1961. There first

meeting was held in Doggin’s Pub on Columbia Road, in South Boston. The

elected chairman was Collie Conneelly from Carraroe Co. Galway). The

members and committee were Pat Flaherty (Carraroe), Tom Finnerty (Rosmuc

Co. Galway) Sean Folen (Carraroe), Pat Lyden (Carna), Martain McDonagh

(Carraroe), and Andy Conneelly (Ballyconnelly, Co. Galway). Collie Folan

was the captain (Carraroe/Meath). Pat Lydon was the team’s first manager. The

formation of the Connemara Gaels in Boston would eventually pay dividends.

They welcomed players from different parts of Ireland and that made the Gaels

a popular club to be apart of in Boston.

The Gaels first taste of victory was in 1967. They beat Cork in the

Junior Boston Final. In 1972 they were promoted to the senior division. In

the following year, 1973, they won the Boston and North American Championships.

They beat Kerry in the Boston Final and played Philadelphia in the

Semi- Final and beat Detroit in the North American Final in Delboy Field in

Sommerville. The team manager was Paddy Keaney (Cashel, Co. Galway) and

the team captain was Pat Connolly (Lettermore, Co Galway) Mickey Whelan

(St. Vincent’s Club, Dublin).trained the team. He had won an All Ireland medal

with Dublin in 1963. He is currently a selector and mentor on this year’s 2011

Dublin All Ireland winning team. Players from the New York Connemara Gaels

played with the Boston Gaels, Joe Salmon (Renvyle, Co. Galway) Martin Lowery

(Cornamona, Co. Galway) Patrick Coyne (Renvyle Co Galway) and Peter

Conneely (Renvyle Co. Galway). The Boston Connemara Gaels had grown into

a formidable opposition and had gained the respect of all its competitors.

In 1978, Sean Connolly (Lettermore, Co. Galway), member of the

1973 Gaels team, went home to Ireland and played for Galway. Towards the

end of the 1970s some of the players moved to San Francisco and Chicago

leaving the club with a weak senior team. Paddy McGrath (Rosmuc) was the

manager from 1975 to 1978. In 1980 the Gaels won the Tom Curran cup. A

succession of managers from 1979 to 1989 would manage the Gaels and they

included Gary Timlin (Milton, MA) who managed the 1983 team that lost to

Galway in the Boston Final. Paddy Sullivan (Recess, Co. Galway) manager

in 1986, they lost the Junior final to Cork that year. Martin Faharty (Recess,

Co. Galway) and Denis Murtagh (Co. Meath) were managers up until 1988. In

1984, immigration from Ireland to Boston increased and the Connemara Gaels

were back in business. All the GAA clubs in Boston benefited from this new

wave of young players. A resurgence of the Connemara Gaels emerged with this

shot of youth. Gabriel Mannion (Cashel, Co. Galway) became the manager in

1989. In 1994, the Gaels reached the senior final Alan O Connor (Outherard,

Co. Galway) was the captain, but were beaten by Notre Dame. They would stay

in the hunt for glory and in 1997 with Pat O’Malley as captain (Clifden, Co.

Galway) they won the Boston Championship by beating Aiden McAnespies in a

thrilling fi nal. The Gaels had a pedigree of home based players which kept them

competitive.

The year 1999, in the Chinese culture it was known as the Year of the

Rabbit. But, that year will be remembered by the Connemara Gaels as the year

of the Save. The Gaels found themselves down in the intermediate grade and

having had premier years in Senior, this was a big fall. All hands were ordered

on deck and the Gaels would work hard to get out of purgatory. They reached

the intermediate final and played Notre Dame. The game started with both

teams shadow boxing for most of the first half, when suddenly the teams broke

out the heavy artillery. Points were blowing over the bar for both teams but

towards the end with a minute or two to go, the Gaels had a one or two point

lead. Notre Dame was about to land a bomb shell by way of a penalty. The

referee placed the ball on the spot and the kicker got into position, and blasted

the ball towards the left hand side of the Gaels goal. Steve King, (Roundstone,

Co. Galway) was our goalie. Every player wants a chance to shine in the lime

light, preferably in Croke Park with the game on the line. But, Steve had to accept

Canton, Mass. He made the save of all saves for the Connemara Gales by

getting a foot to the ball and deflecting it away from his goal. Matt Beatty, an

Australian, who had joined the Gales in 1998 ran in and recovered the ball. The

gun smoke was still lingering in Canton but the game was over. The Gaels went

marching in. The team manager was Martin Kerr (Beragh, Tyrone) and Dermot

Gormely (Carrickmore, Tyrone) was the captain.

In the year 2001, Martin Kerr brought the Gaels back to the Senior

Final with Michael Geoghaghan (Lettermore, Co Galway). as captain. They

played against Aiden McAnespies, who are now their arch rivals. The Gaels

were very much the underdog in that final as no one would give them a chance.

That day, the Gaels walked off the fi eld in Canton victorious.

In 2006, Viney O’Malley (Recess, Co. Galway) was the captain.

The Gaels were back to meet their old foes, Aiden McAnespies, but lost to a

very good team. In 2010, Kevin Clancy (Outherard, Co Galway) took over as

manager. Pat McNicholas (Bohola MoyDavitts, Co. Mayo) was the captain of the Gaels and

they reached this year final 2011 and played Aiden McAnespies. The result was

not in Gaels favor and Aidan McAnespies would even the finals 2/2. The future

of the Gaels looks bright even as immigration has declined to Boston. The Irish

youth league has developed home grown talent and senior clubs are tapping into

this fountain of youth that has become available to them.

Players like Brian Joyce Weymouth, Mass who was a player on this

years Gaels senior 2011 team, he played in goal. The youth league has given a

new life to the GAA, and the evidence was displayed at this years Continental

Youth Competition held in Canton Mass.

The Club President

Clubs survive because the members from year to year keep the fi res

burning. Collie Lyden (Carna, Co. Galway) is a life long member and current

president of the Connemara Gaels of Boston. Collie has stocked a lot of fi res

with the Connemara Gaels. He joined the club in the early 1960s as a player

and then a manager. He was appointed trustee of the New England Division and

Board in the 1980s. He continues to attend all the Connemara Gaels games in

Canton. His visit to the team’s locker room to hear the team being called out

and then walking out with the team to the field is in itself a ritual that he has

exercised for many years. He has passed on the love of the GAA and the Gaels

to his family. His son Joe Lyden was elected Chairman of the New England

Divisional Board from 1985 to 1996. In 2003, he was elected chairmen of the

North American board. He is the fi rst American born to hold both positions. We

thank Collie, his wife Bridget, and family for all their support and loyalty.

Historic Home Coming

In the fall of 1996, the Connemara Gaels of Boston made a trip home

to Ireland.

They played a Connemara selection in Outherard, Co Galway. It was a historic

occasion for the Gaels. The challenge game was not of great importance, but

their home coming was. It was 35 years since they formed the club in Boston

and returning to where the Gaels nurturing began it was a well deserved holiday.

They won the game. In 1998 they would return home to Connemara and to

play in Carraroe Co Galway a place were most of the founding members came

from. Carroroe had grown from a junior team to the senior football champions

of Co Galway in 1996. They had landed Connemara football to high standard

paving the way for the other clubs to go senior. Their cousins in Boston had

won the Boston champion in 1997 and all that was left to do would be to play a

game for old time sake. The game was played in Carroroe at cracking pace and

would go in to extra time. The evening faded and with the sun going down in

Galway Bay, Carroroe scored a penalty and won the game.