Peter the Great
March 01, 2010Once lords of the manor, Cavan's stock has nosedived over the past 40 years, conjuring up a great batch of frustration for the masses locally.
Understandably, the business of recalling when the Breffni blues were kings remains a favoured pastime among gaels in the county.
Going down memory lane never ceases to produce much-needed endorphins for all with the interest of Cavan football at heart.
In that regard, shooting the breeze with one of Cavan's stars from the county's glorious past provides enough of a feel-good factor to tide us over.
Peter Pritchard was one of Cavan's finest forwards in times past. He played at a time when Cavan were a feared force nationwide not just in Ulster.
Sadly, for the last year or thereabouts, Peter's recollection of Ulster title-winning days are scattered and piece-meal by dint of a flash of ill-luck.
While in the course of commuting over and back from England to visit his mother in his native Bailieboro, Peter picked up a virus.
He was hospitalised for a combination of nine months between stints under care from doctors and nurses on both sides of the Irish Sea.
The famous Shamrock was diagnosed as suffering from Encephalitis. It tackled him like no defender ever did and even threatened to beat him.
But with the same grit, determination and fortitude he showed as a tigerish attacker, the bold Peter appears to have weathered the attack.
From his home in Bermondsey, south London, Peter is still recuperating, still keeping a step or two ahead of the aggressor. And he's still winning.
"It (Encephalitis) has effected my memory and I struggle to remember a lot of things but I have improved a lot from the way I was at first," he says.
A glue-like defender is one thing but a serious virus is another and Peter readily admits that he's still fighting one of the biggest fights of his life.
Thankfully gaels in his adopted London and back in the 'oul sod have rallied around the former county star and have backed his mother of all fights.
Married to Joan (nee Flanagan) and proud father of Dawn and Laura, the now 65-year old Peter has been ensconced in old blighty since 1968.
For eight years, Peter and Joan were licencees of the famed Crown and Anchor pub on London's Old Kent Road where they did a roaring trade.
For exiled gaels the pub was Heaven-like and the Pritchards enjoyed their time there 'till taking their leave of the licenced trade three years ago.
Despite his 40 years-plus residency in London, Peter has lost none of his east Cavan brogue. Certainly there's no airs and graces about him.
His brother Patsy still lives in Bailieboro while brother Eugene resides in Surrey while sisters Kathleen and Molly are also based across the water.
For a long number of years now, Peter's GAA family has been made up of those members of the Association who have made their life in London.
In his early days in the English capital, he exhibited his Gaelic skills with the Garyowen club. He helped them underpin their dominant position.
Peter was a key man for Garyowen and won three London SFC medals, invariably as an attacking midfielder or a forceful half-back.
Although he was to become better known for his eagle-eyed goal-getting exploits, Peter was a versatile player, equally at home in attack or defence.
So at home was he in defence, in fact, that he actually plundered two goals from the left full back berth in the 1964 Ulster SFC final duel with Down.
It was as dramatic an outing for the 20 year old as he could ever have imagined. Thrown into the fray, he struck gold with 15 minutes to go.
"I came on as a sub that day," Peter explains. "We were playing against a great Down team but we had some great players too on our side as well."
He talks glowingly of the joy of playing alongside such luminaries of the time as Charlie Gallagher, Gabriel Kelly and Phil 'Lightning' Murray.
And then there was the mercurial Mick Higgins there as team-trainer. Again, the superlatives trip easily off the tongue of our man Pritchard.
"Mick was a brillant trainer," Peter declares. "He had a great way with players; was a very good man-manager and, of course, very knowledgeable.
"I wouldn't say he was a strict manager but he loved his sport and wanted his players to be as serious about training as he was."
"I always admired him. It was typical of him that he would send me a lovely get-well card. Unfortunately he died just six weeks after that."
Going by the presentation organised for him by the Cavan Association in London recently, it's obvious that a lot of people think well of Peter too.
Peter explains that the sadly departed Higgins had planned to travel to England to attend the presentation only for God to beckon him instead.
Born in 1944, Peter suffered the heartache of his father John Pat's (a one-time chairman of Bailieboro Shamrocks) death at the age of just 54.
One of the saddest aspects of the Pritchard family history was that Pritchard snr would never see his son feature in a Cavan jersey.
In 1956, Peter won an u14 county medal with his beloved Bailieboro Shamrocks and he continued to show immense promise at St. Pat's, Cavan, where he was also made a Prefect by the college authorities of the time.
In 1961 and '62 he featured prominently as a corner back on the college sides that secured back-to-back McRory Cup titles.
Sadly Cavan's college ambassadors were destined not to lift the Hogan Cup with Pritchard on board as they lost to St. Jarlath's in both semi-finals.
In 1963 Pritchard and co. lost out to St. Colman's in the final by a whopping 12 points.
"Only for Peter and Paddy Lyons, St. Pat's would have lost out by 42 points," a contemporary informed the 'Breffni Blue'.
Influenced as a youngster by the likes of clubmates Donal Kelly and Pat Clarke, he excelled at 'Pat's in the company of many a talented player that would later make their mark on various intercounty sides.
McRory Cup action saw him team up with the likes of Ray Carolan (Cross-Mullagh), Jimmy Stafford (Killinkere), Pat Gaffney (Drumalee), Joe Lyden(Leitrim), Paddy Lyons (Drumalee) and Michael Fagan (Westmeath).
Meanwhile on the club front, Peter was on the Bailieboro team that lost out to Virginia Blues in the 1962 SFC final.
Bailieboro suffered a similar fate with Peter again on board in 1963 when Mullahoran Dreadnoughts outgunned the men from the east of the county.
They were great days all the same - despite the bitterness of the defeats. Peter has great memories of doing battle with other great players.
In that regard, he recalls the exploits of Tom Magee (Wicklow), Eoin McBreen, Tom 'Smokey' Reilly (Carlow). Great players, great days.
Finally, Peter and the rest of the Shamrocks got their due reward when they annexed the 1964 SFC title, only to lose the final the next year.
After Cavan lost out in the Ulster SFC finals of 1956 (Tyrone) and '57 and '58 (Down), a period of change in personnel on the county team began.
It wasn't until 1963 though that Pritchard jnr received his senior county call-up. A year later, he was banging in the goals to Down's bitter regret.
All told, Peter played for Cavan seniors from 1963 to '68, winning two Ulster SFC medals, 1964 and 1967.
Those who observed the Bailieboro native's wiles on the football field when he was in his prime talk of his pace, his athleticism and his judgement.
His talents were good enough to see him receive recognition at interprovincial level, winning a Railway Cup medal with Ulster in 1968.
A Life President of the Dulwich Gaels club in London, Peter admits that he doesn't see many Gaelic football matches these days.
"I like the modern game though," he confirms. "It's a totally different style to ours back in the sixties but sometimes it can be very good, especially when they cut out all the fisting of the ball that goes on."
And the Cavan scene these days?
"We've gone back quite a bit, haven't we?"
"Things have changed for Cavan for the worse over the last fifty years even though we've had some great players down the years.
"You never know though. With so many loyal supporters and good administrators, Cavan's fortunes might take a turn for the good in the next wee while."
Here's hoping! Tweet
