Dedicated to the Royal Heroes

Congratulations Royal Meath on your splendid victory!
You’ve added fame unto your name in Gaelic history,
For sixty years you perservered and now in God’s good time
You’ve dethroned the Cavan champions in 1949.
A splendid and a trilling game, to watch it was a treat,
Stamina, youth and training ran the champions off their feet;
Good comeradeship and loyalty along with dashing speed
Were factors, too, which brought the Cup to the plains of Co.Meath.
‘Twas grand football on both sides with little loss of time,
And the right man had the whistle - Mr. Daniel Ryan.
Dan (a Kerry champion) who can be both strict and tough
Was there that day to see fair play and well he did his stuff.
The teams gave him no trouble, they took and gave in turn,
and the only man to leave the field was grand wee Frankie Byrne.
Frankie got an early knock that shook him to the knees
But not a foot he’d leave the pitch till be scored a crop of frees.
Young Frankie is a great wee lad, he’s known as Navan’s Star,
And straight and true (like Donoghue) he always clears the bar;
No need to single out a man for each man did his bit,
But I feel I must take off my hat to the Captain - Brian Smyth.
I’ve the same to say of Cavan, I compliment them highly,
They had a worthy skipper in peerless John J. O’Reilly.
And when the ball was handed to His Lordship Dr. Kyne
He saw the cream of Ireland as both teams stood in line.
Some Gaels had flown from Donegal and far-away New York,
And none can tell how many came from Kerry, Tipp and Cork;
From Counties Clare and Galway they left home in the dark
And found Mayo and Roscommon before them in Croke Park.
They came down from the Antrim Glens, Fermanagh and Tyrone,
Armagh, Louth and Monaghan and the Midlands, from Athlone;
All Ireland too, was listening to our radio compere
Who sent all hearts wild-beating. Well done Michael O’Hehir!
And when the final whistle went. Oh! what a mighty roar
Meath 1-10 and Cavan 1-6, that’s what each team did score.
All records there were broken ere the first kick of the ball,
And thousands who were turned away got no look-in at all.

Bob Costello