On Friday 24th October 2003, Ballybay Pearse Brothers GAA club came together to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of a truly magnificent occasion - the winning of the Co. Monaghan Senior Football Championship title in 1953 for the very first time in that club's long and very proud history. It was an auspicious occasion, and a particularly nostalgic one, as the survivors of that remarkable team met and reminisced, along with their legions of supporters. With local historian and former brilliant footballer himself, Paul McCarthy, acting as a truly efficient and top-rate 'Fear-a-Ti' for the occasion, it proved to be a night to remember and those who were privileged to be there, will surely recall the night's celebration as one of the most enjoyable and memorable events ever in the history of one of the great strongholds of Gaeldom in mid-Monaghan. Ballybay had always been a stronghold of Gaelic Games and the first major success that came to them was in 1950 when they joined with their neighbours from Latton to capture the Senior County title. However, it was Latton's name that went onto the 'Honours List' but the names of Tommy Bradley, Peter Duffy and Charlie McCarthy, to mention just three were Ballybay men, and played a major role in the annexation of the county title that year. During the nineteen-thirties other great Ballybay players came to the fore with the formation of a Ballybay club and great players such as PF 'Rex' Keelaghan, who won an Ulster Championship with Monaghan in 1938, and Paddy Ruttledge, who was a member of the Monaghan minor team that reached the All-Ireland Minor Final of 1939, soon became household names. Junior County Honours came Ballybay's way in 1943 with a team that included Jack 'Stookie' Kerr and Jack Smallhorn of Cavan fame. A minor title followed in 1945 and football was now 'on the way up' in the mid-Monaghan town. Neighbours Clontibret were now the 'form' team in senior ranks, capturing their first county title in 1949 and going on to become the first ever club in the county to win a 'four-in-a-row (1949-1952) of county titles, and the example would soon be followed by Ballybay. Success finally came in 1953 when they reached the County Final for only the second time in the club's history. They had been there once before ... in 1922, when they lost to Monaghan Harps on a 2-4 to 0-3 scoreline. This time, however, it was to be 'Ballybay's Day', as they defeated Donaghmoyne, 2-8 to 0-6, in the final played at Carrickmacross. What a celebration there was in the mid-Monaghan town on that occasion with the American Cup, the team trophy for the Senior Championship, being carried triumphantly through the streets of Ballybay. No wonder 1953 is etched in Ballybay history, and quite rightly they celebrated the Golden Jubilee of that great success in October of 2003. Another factor that led to Ballybay's remarkable rise to fame during the 'fifties was the acquisition by the club of Pearse Park, which was to become one of the most popular venues in the county and would later stage Lagan Cup semi-finals and final, All-Ireland Colleges semi-finals and finals, Sigerson Cup finals, Railway Cup semi-finals, etc, etc, when no other pitch in the province was playable. Mainly through the efforts of people like Tom McGrane, Jack Kerr, John F Conlon, Vincent McAviney, John Gilsenan, Leo Finlay and several others, this playing area had been purchased and their tireless efforts were finally rewarded in April of 1951 when Pearse Park was officially opened by the then President of the GAA, Mr M Kehoe. Ballybay GFC now had a home of its own, and one to be truly proud of. But success didn't end in 1953 and, for the next decade, Ballybay along with their great rivals Clontibret would dominate the Monaghan football scene to such an extent that it has truthfully been described as 'The Ballybay-Clontibret Golden Era'. Following 1953, Ballybay reached the finals of 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1962 and 1963 of that same particular Golden Era and won the title in '53, '54, '57, '59 and '62. During the same period there were three drawn finals, '57, '59 and '63 so that it could be truthfully recorded that the Pearse Brothers actually played in eleven senior finals in as many years. Truly an amazing record. Over that remarkable period, Ballybay names that successfully strode the Monaghan football scene were, the Ward brothers, Noel, Dessie and Finbar; the McKearneys, Paddy, Tom and Sean; the McNallys, Paddy and Thady; Phillip Duffy; Billy Morgan; Cathal McQuade; Eamonn McGahey; Matt Conlon; Dodo Murphy; Phillip Smyth; Francis Noel Duffy; Pa Duffy; Mickey Donoghue; Mick McCaughey; Jimmie Connolly; the Duffys, Mickey and Paddy; the McCabes, John and Mickey; the McEntees, Paddy, Mickey and Martin; the Lynchs, Peadar, Pat, Lorcan and Noel; Jim O'Hanlon; Paul Flynn; the McCarthy's, Paul and Cathal; Liam Maguire and John Moen. An impressive list, but not even a comprehensive one. It was but fitting then that, during the October 2003 celebrations, each member of the successful 1953 team should be presented with a framed print-out of the sports page from the 'Dundalk Democrat' newspaper for September 12th 1953 where the historic event had been fully recorded. There even was a film recording of some of the better moments of the 1953 team's success, which had been made by the late Canon Kirk PP, on that famous occasion. It even included several shots of the crowd attending the game and it certainly evoked some very pleasant memories for those in attendance. Ballybay had also made it a 'Senior Double' in 1953 when they won both championship and league (Owen Ward Cup) titles. Ballybay had beaten Donaghmoyne in the 1953 final and Clontibret in the 1954 final, but lost out to the O'Neills in 1955 and 1956. In 1957 however, following a replay, it was again Ballybay's turn with this successful team: - Thady McNally, Jim O'Hanlon, Liam Maguire, FN Duffy, Mickey Conlon, Pa Duffy, Dessie Ward, Mickey Donoghue, Dodo Murphy, Mick McCaughey, John Moen, Tom McKearney, F Ward, M Ward and Eamonn McGahey. Sub used: Philip Smith. With very few changes to the side they regained the title in 1959 with victory over Clontibret, again following a replay. The 1962 winning side read: - T McNally, J O'Hanlon, D Ward, P Flynn, S McKearney, M O'Kane, E McAleer, M McCabe, J McCabe, J Moen, T Galligan, M Duffy, F Ward, P Duffy and S McCarthy. They defeated Castleblayney in the final at Gavan Duffy Park in Monaghan half-ways through the 1963 season as the 1962 championship had been held up by a series of objections, appeals and counter-objections, none of them involving Ballybay it must be added. Although reaching the final again in 1963, a seven year gap was to follow before Ballybay again took the title, when they defeated Castleblayney in the 1969 final with this team: - Paul McCarthy, Oliver Cregan, Frank McNally, Jim O'Hanlon, Paddy Kerr, Eamonn McAleer, Sean McKearney, John McCabe, Brendan Dowling, Gerry Connolly, Cathal McCarthy, Kevin Duffy, Brian McCarthy, Tony Campbell and Tom Pearse. Beaten in the 1972, 1973 and 1976 finals on all three occasions by Castleblayney and in the 1977 final by Scotstown, Ballybay would again lose out to these two great clubs - in 1982 to Castleblayney and in 1983 to Scotstown, but they finally regained the coveted title in 1987 when they took their seventh county championship by defeating Monaghan Harps in a replay, 0-9 to 0-4 at Clontibret with this team (in replay): - David McGregor, Paddy Linden, PJ Finlay, Shane O'Neill, Mannix Keenan, John Joe McKearney, Cathal Hand, Peter Ward, Joe O'Connell, Kevin Smith, Kieran Finlay, Martin Pearse, Tom Ward, Paddy Kerr and Frankie Wright. Sub used: Finbar Smith. Players like Paddy Linden (one of the finest goalkeepers ever to come out of Ulster) and Kieran Finlay (one of the greatest sharp-shooters and most accurate free takers ever to grace a football pitch) would both soon become 'household names' in Monaghan football lore. Unfortunately, Ballybay's football fortunes took a downward turn around the period of the Millennium Year and they eventually found themselves at the bottom of the ladder, in Junior ranks, but their sojourn in the 'basement' was to be of the shortest possible duration as they quickly made their way right back up to the football ladder again to reclaim their proper place in senior grade football for the 2003 season. At the present time it is a matter of team building and, even though they are returning to Intermediate grade for 2004, the Pearse Brothers of Ballybay will assuredly make their way back up again to senior ranks in the very near future. Ballybay is a senior team by anyone's yardstick, always have been a senior team, and their rightful place is in senior grade football, for the simple reason that, as Ulster Vice-Chairman Mickey Greenan of Cavan said at their big celebrations in October 2003 - "Ulster needs Monaghan to be strong in the GAA, and Monaghan needs Ballybay to be strong." Ballybay rightfully celebrated the Golden Jubilee of that famous 1953 success on 24th of October last, because such a celebration can only do good, as it will inevitably help to infuse a new and even greater spirit into the club. There certainly was an air of confidence pervading all those who had the good fortune to be present at the function and, who knows, Ballybay could be celebrating yet another Golden Jubilee in the not too distant future - there are quite a few of them there to be honoured in the years ahead. Tweet

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