Clare hurling history: Pa Howard's Collection

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Paddy Casey
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Clare hurling history: Pa Howard's Collection

Post by Paddy Casey » Sun Jul 27, 2008 11:42 am

Hurling is an important glue in Irish society, and particularly so in County Clare. According to reliable memoirs, transactions of historical societies, social surveys, as well as poems and newspaper reports, hurling was played in county Clare in the late 1700s. Michael Cusack, Carron, had seen hurling in Clare in his boyhood in the 1850s To Cusack must go the credit for starting and founding the GAA: without him there would have been no GAA, certainly not in the 1880s. He supplied the inspiration and the driving force. Cusack led campaigns for the re-organisation of athletics and the revival of hurling. He wanted the fullblooded game played in Clare in his boyhood. He was satisfied that, given encouragement and direction, public support for his ideas did exist. Gaelic democracy was pushing against the doors of Dublin Castle and the ruling class in Ireland had to make room for a strip of green across their colours and their ground. And so, in November 1884, came into being The Gaelic Athletic Association. (The GAA: A History by Marcus de Burca, pages 1-21).

An important historical record of recent hurling in the County is the book “Over 50 years of Hurling, 1949-2001: Pa Howard's Collection” edited by Jimmy Smyth and published by Jimmy Smyth of Clontarf, Dublin.

The book is a 564 page summary of names, dates, places and match results acribically compiled by Patrick Christopher (Pa) Howard of Tubber. It lists the names of 1280 players in 1040 games. Every player who ever donned the Clare jersey at any level for over 50 years is mentioned in this book. It traces the playing years of each player and his placing within each team from the time when he played his first game up to the time he eventually finished his career. It includes, dates, venues, names of players in their places and final scores in all championship, league, most challenges and tournaments, in senior, intermediate, junior, under 21 and minor inter-county games. Pa's collection starts on the 19 November 1950. The other games in 1949 and 1950 were researched from the Clare Champion. Also included in the book are details of the games played in the Master's competition, researched by Naoise Jordan, Parteen, (ex Whitegate) from and including 29 July 1996 up to and including 30 August 1998.

The compiler of the collection, Pa Howard, lives in Tubber and farms there. He has loved and played hurling for as far back as he can remember. He played hurling for Tubber at juvenile, minor, junior, intermediate and senior level for twenty-four years (1949-1972). He was secretary of Tubber GAA club from 1960 to 1975, and a Tubber hurling selector for ten years. He has also been a selector for the county minor and under twenty one teams. Pa's field was used by Tubber GAA club from 1962 to 1988 when the club developed its present facilities. He always had a great pride in Clare hurling. Apart from hurling his main interests are farming and Ceili music.

The following ad hoc committee was responsible for the organisation of the book: Pa Howard, Tubber, Michael O'Grady, Tubber, Jimmy Corry, Sixmilebridge, Padraig Mac Mathuna, Cooraclare, Pat Danaher, Tulla, Leo Doyle, Bodyke and Jimmy Smyth Ruan.

The book was generously sponsored by Pat O'Donnell. Pat was born into hurling in Crusheen, the heart of a great hurling area. From early boyhood when he paddled, fished and boated in the shadows of the ruins of St. Cronan's Monastery, Crusheen, to his days as a student in St. Flannan's College, to his playing days with Crusheen and St. Brigid's hurling club, Blanchardstown, he has remained a loyal Clare hurling supporter. In the early 90s when Clare senior teams were in the trauma of some heavy defeats, Pat was one of the founder and leading members of The Friends of Clare GAA in Dublin, who have since contributed almost €200,000 to the Clare County Board. At that time Clare were not an attractive proposition but he also stepped in to sponsor the Clare hurling teams that made history in 1993,1995 and 1997.

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