In 1985 when Sinn Fein spokesmen such as Gerry Adams visited London to speak with local politicians the Hornsey Journal was most scathing about local Councillors who listened to what they had to say. For the Journal, all politics was local and it reckoned that neither it nor the councillors should raise their eyes nor poke their noses higher than the parish pump.
But when another Irish Personage – SAM MAGUIRE, paid a visit it carried the following story –
“CUP OF THE REAL STUFF”
“Rarely seen this side of the Irish Sea, the All-Ireland soccer trophy came to North London, proudly borne by supporters of Kerry City during a weekend visit. Known as the Sam Maguire Cup, it has again been won by City for the 28th time in their history. It went on view in the Moray Arms pub in Durham Road, Upper Holloway, a hostelry better known for its affinity with Arsenal.”
Sure enough, the Gunners were represented by their kit manager Tony Donnelly (left), seen with Pat Spillane, Kerry’s Footballer of the Year, and Frank King, chairman of the Kerry City board of football .On the right are Sheila and Pat O’Sullivan of the Moray, who hosted the occasion.”
To give the Hornsey Journal its due, it printed my comment under its heading “Indeed…the REAL stuff!”
“I am framing your picture and story on the Sam Maguire Cup (March 1). As your columnist Stan Cole says, your paper is parish-pump orientated. It can be forgiven, when surveying the wider world for getting its smalls in a twist. You certainly have your Irish readers in stitches. You describe the Sam Maguire Cup as an All-Ireland Soccer Trophy now held by Kerry City.
The Cup is NOT for Soccer but for REAL FOOTBALL, played according to the Gaelic code. This involves jumping and catching, hand-passing, drop-kicking, shoulder to shoulder tackling and other graceful and robust activity undreamed of by the epicene Football Association.
Teams field fifteen players, and scoring features points (for shots over the crossbars) and goals, each worth three points, for shots under them.Again, the Cup is not competed for between Cities but between Counties. Kerry is a County of mountain, lake, rugged coast and sturdy people. It has a handful of towns, none of them called “Kerry”. Most of the towns would in England be considered vlllages. It has no cities.
That said, it’s amazing to see the Cup in your paper at all, at all, for, sure wasn’t the late Sam Maguire a renowned Fenian and Sinn Fein Republican.
Donal Kennedy
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