Currin legend Brian McCabe says he thought he was "hearing things" when he was confirmed as Monaghan's 2002 Senior Club Official of the Year. But like his phenomenal club record, the award was all too real. Brian McCabe was handed the job of club treasurer at Currin GAA at his first ever AGM. Going on 50 years later he's still at the helm and still loving it. Since 1958, Brian has been generating the shillings, the pennies and the euros for, and on behalf of, his beloved Currin. In commoner-garden talk, Brian is the man who keeps Currin ticking over on the money side of things. And just like his later father John who was treasurer of Currin back in the twenties, Brian has his heart and soul in all things to do with his beloved club. Without doubt the award he received last Spring at the Monaghan Annual GAA Awards night was never more appropriately dispensed. But where does he get his energy from? How has he managed to ward off the staleness that must have knawed at his psyche somewhere down the line? "I have always had plenty of energy. I'm working away on the farm, at the turf, digging potatoes and milking cows and that all keeps me busy and fit. "I love the football and I like to see everything ticking over nicely in the way of the club's finances but it was a proud night for me when I got the award, definitely." Modestly, the ultra long-serving club official says that his club official of the year award was as much recognition for the progress and development work of the Currin club in recent years as it was for his own personal endeavours. But one wonders when will all the fundraising at Currin come to a head? "Depends on the money we get together in the next few years," comes the reply. "A lot depends on what future developments we decide on. There's room for plenty more work to be done around the ground but I'd like to see the present debt cleared off first - that would be my preference." Brian estimates that the club still owes in the region of 70,000 euros in the wake of the magnificent work which has been done in the purchase of the club's new grounds at Coolnacarte and the development of top class facilities there. Currin's major development programme cost in the region of 300,000 euros to complete and our man McCabe has his fingerprints all over it. He plans to stick around to all the outstanding bills incurred on the project put to bed. "We'd like to think that that debt will be paid off in about five or six years. "Maybe when all that's tidied up, I'd retire after that," Brian quips. Considering that when Brian first took over the reins of treasurer in '58, he inherited a balance of 13 shillings and eight pence, the aforementioned 70,000 euros is a mind-blowing figure. Does Brian ever get frightened by the amount of money which he has to put through his hands these days? "Once you're careful and you keep your eye on the job, it wouldn't be a worry. "But I have always believed that there's no good in spending what you haven't got. "The new playing ground was a long time coming but we got there and even though it cost a lot of money, once you've got a good working committee who are prepared to work hard to raise the necessary finance, you'll never get into too much trouble." At present he's pretty happy with the state of Currin's finances and, in particular the club's debt, which he describes as "manageable." Nevertheless, he still has everything crossed, hoping that "the lotto doesn't go too often" in the coming year. Like every club, bar a few, the lotto is Currin's main fundraising vehicle. "It would be very hard to get any development going at any club without it. "It's our main fundraiser every year and with the support of people in the locality, we're hoping that it'll continue to bring in the money for a long while to come," the amiable 66-year old declares. Despite the long hours taken over by his unstinting administration work, Brian keeps both eyes firmly fixed on the happenings on the field of play and he likes nothing better than seeing Currin's finest do the business against the best of the rest. "We're hoping that the players at all levels in the club will be inspired by the development work that has gone on at the club in recent times. "The players now have a pitch and facilities which are second to none among other clubs and it would be great if that type of work was matched by success in the various competitions." But is there the necessary talent within the club? "I think there is. There's definitely a lot more young fellas around the area these days and if we can keep them together, we should do better in the future. "The standard of club football in the county right now isn't bad but there's no reason why our fellas can't get in among the cups. "There's been a lot of good work done at underage level in Currin over the years and all the players need to do is make that wee bit more effort and they'll get the breakthrough that the club needs. "We got a minor title back in '98 and a good few of those fellas are now playing for the first team and with a bit more experience, they can help get things going at adult level." But as Brian knows only too well, breakthroughs have, sadly, been few and far between for Currin over a long period of time now. Now living in the townland of Cloncorick, Newtownbutler but born in Drumnavan, Scotshouse, Brian himself didn't exactly ply his skills as a footballer in rich times either for Currin. Indeed, in this respect, a county under 16 league medal in 1951 is one of his few prized football possessions. "We were fairly strong at underage level in those years and I remember playing alongside the likes of Philip Moore, Barney Connolly and Philip Greenan on the team. "The club looked after the underage players very well and Father O'Brien, in particular, was a great influence around then," Brian recalls. Like many another GAA stalwart of his vintage, Brian admits that it can be very easy to look back on days of yore through rose-tinted glasses. "When I was playing football at adult level, there was a lot going on that wasn't very pleasant. "A lot of rough stuff went on and a lot of the times the culprits got away with it. "Too many refs let on they didn't see what went on and others let too many things go. "I have never liked to see poor footballers trying to intimidate good ball players and it's not nice to see fellas getting hurt or abused on the field. "Nowadays there's not so much of the rough stuff - the football is just as competitive but it's fairer as well as being faster. "Parents don't like to see their young fellas getting hurt and players have to go to work the next day so you don't want to see anyone getting a knock by someone who doesn't want to play football." And is there the stuff in Monaghan to play the sort of modern-day football which can ease them back onto the high-profile stage? "That's to be seen but things didn't go too badly in 2003 and the players and management will be trying to build on that. "I think there's a better feeling in the county now than there has been for a number of years and with our neighbours in Tyrone, Armagh and even Fermanagh showing up so well in the last couple of years, I think it's about time we started to make our way to Croke Park." So the erasing of the club's debt and a visit to Croke Park is on top of Brian's agenda then? "You could say that. There's a lot of hard work to do on both counts but with everyone putting their shoulders to the wheel, we can get there." Tweet

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