The Ballybay club has a long and proud history in Monaghan since they first registered in 1905 and although a local team had not been formed at that stage, that registration was the launching pad for a story that was to be central to the development and progress of the GAA in Monaghan over the decades, writes John Graham. The following year, 1906, Ballybay affiliated with the County Board and were known at that time as the Ballybay O'Briens, later changing to the title Red Hands. The ongoing story of the GAA in Ballybay saw another change of name in the 1930s when they adopted their current title, Brothers Pearse although that later became popularly known as The Pearse Brothers. The club first appeared in a county final in 1922 when they were beaten by Monaghan Harps after a replay and the first senior championship medals came to the club in 1930. The club lifted its own first senior silverware in 1936 when they were the first ever winners of the Hackett Cup and in that team the family names that appear were to play a central part in Ballybay's evolving story; names like Finlay, Duffy, McCarthy, McEntee, Kerr, and Linden to name but a few and those names were still on board when Ballybay won the club's first ever championship, the junior championship in 1943. From there on it was a case of onward and upwards for the Pearse Brothers with the 1950s seeing the club at its greatest when they won their first senior championship in 1953 with a team captained by Paddy McKearney. Two clubs dominated Monaghan football of in the fifties with Clontibret vying with Ballybay for the top position and such was the competitive edge between them and their dominance of the game in the county that that decade is always referred to as the Ballybay/Clontibret era. Ballybay were now one of the strongest senior clubs in Monaghan and that position was maintained with pride over the following four decades with the club contesting many county finals and in the process experiencing the joys of victory and of course the disappointment of defeat. They last experienced the elation of taking a senior championship to the town in 1987 and it was fitting that it was a son of Paddy McKearney's, John Joe, who captained the team on that occasion but that is a date that has become something of a watershed in the history of the club as it is the last time that the club won the senior championship. If the disappointment of defeat in senior finals over the years was a bitter experience then even worse was to follow for the proud Pearse Brothers when they were relegated from senior status making the journey down through the ranks to play in the junior grade as the fortunes of the club took a tumble. It was a bitter pill to swallow for this very proud club and there were many who believed that the sojourn in junior ranks would be very short but they were soon to realise that the battle back to the top was a difficult one that was fraught with danger and many pitfalls and it was seven long years before the club won their way back to the threshold of success to once again see them elevated to the top flight. A crucial move in the longterm of this new successful chapter in the history of the club was the appointment of a team management set up that included Cathal Hand, John Joe McKearney, Peter Ward and Thomas McSkeane and in their first year in management they won the Junior double, Ballybay's first adult success since the club won their last senior championship in 1987. All four were hugely and deeply committed clubmen, they had all played for the club with Cathal Hand, Peter Ward and John Joe McKearney representing the county whilst Cathal Hand was a former winner of the man of the match award in a senior championship final. John Joe was the captain of the Ballybay team in 1987 when Peter Ward and Cathal Hand were team-mates. The Junior double success of 2000 would only be seen as success if it was the first step on the ladder back to where Ballybay believe is their rightful place as a central club in the senior division. As double winning Junior champions they were obviously rated as promotion contenders from the start of the season but it was not an easy passage with the club showing indifferent form in league to the extent that at a certain stage in the season they were not going to be in contention for the play-off places in the Hackett Cup and the championship was the only route to promotion. Come of the hour, cometh the man and while there were many anxious moments and hair raising escapes in matches Ballybay made it back to the top flight and with promotion and from junior to senior achieved in successive seasons they can rightfully claim that they have arrived again. No one can say that Ballybay had anything easy in winning the intermediate championship, it took seven games from their first meeting with Aghabog on May 11th to the final on October 7th and the fact that they were able to maintain that momentum over such a long period is testament to the dedication of this new generation of Ballybay players, club officials and team mentors. Cathal Hand was quick to pay tribute to his players, "the championship was spread over a six-month period and we had two replays making for a situation where it took seven games for us to win the championship and that on top of a demanding training programme with many of our players also playing in the reserve league division which all made for a gruelling schedule. "The elation at winning the Junior double was quickly forgotten after some indifferent performances early in the year but when we defeated Aghabog in the replay of our opening round championship game it was at great boost to everyone and as well as making progress in the championship at that stage we also began picking up a few valuable league points. Fair play to the lads the did extremely well, the turn out at training was fantastic and as well as all that we also took in a couple of challenge matches just keep the boys sharpened up from the temperature point a view as there were some quite lengthy gaps between games. Following our win over Aghabog it was actually nine weeks from the replay to the next game against Clones and like Aghabog we were a little bit lucky to escape on day one in that game. We also had the added problem that a number of players picked up niggling injuries and at any stage in the championship we were never able to play the exact same team in successive games so it is also a testament to the resilience and the versatility of the players that they were able to adapt to that." One player however who never varied in his position or indeed in his contribution was team captain Colin Malone who was a major influence on Ballybay's recent success story. A leading member of the Monaghan county minor team in 1994 he went on to represent the county at under 21 level in 1996 and 1997 and for his contribution to Ballybay's Junior double success in 2000 he picked up the Junior Footballer of the year award. Last year his leadership on the field was superb and it was his ability as a playmaker in that vital midfield area that was so central to Ballybay's success and he capped his ninth season in the Ballybay senior colours with a string of consistent top-class performances that marked him down among the greats in a great club. The Ballybay team management understandably are reluctant to single out individual players, something Peter Ward commented on, "during the year and in different games certainly there were players who contributed in a big way to our progress and success but ultimately with us its a team game and everyone plays to a predetermined plan or to the tactics that we as a team management apply from time to time to counter certain strengths or certain tactics that are being employed by the opposition. I would agree however that Colin Malone was a major influence for us but we also had major contributions from people like Barry Duffy, Robin McDonnell and Hugh Malone while Paul Finlay and some of the other younger players like Bryan McCabe and Paraic Kerr but overall it was a team game and it was teamwork that won it for us in the end. "Hugh Malone was also another influential player and it looked as if it was going to be a major blow when Ballybay lost his services after he picked up an injury but he recovered and was back to play a vital role in the final. "We certainly worried about his absence as he was a great target man for us," said Cathal Hand, "but we were able to adapt and we compensated for his absence by employing slightly different tactics in those game where he was missing and overall it worked out very well but certainly we were glad that he was available again for the final." The final was Ballybay's seventh game in the intermediate championship, including two replays against Clones and Aghabog but ultimately that extra match practice told. The replay against Clones turned into a hectic, high scoring affair with six points between the sides at the finish in a seven goal thriller. Rockcorry proved a different proposition on a wet Sunday in Scotstown and for long periods looked as if they would pull off a shock but Ballybay got it together in the second half. In the semi final against Sean McDermotts it was another close call and while things went according to plan as far as the result mattered there were a few anxious moments. The final itself against Tyholland was a hugely entertaining affair in Clontibret where despite the difficult conditions both sides still contrived to serve up a great spectacle of fast flowing football with some brilliant scorers particularly from the boot of Paul Finlay who struck a number of excellent points, one in particular a pressure kick from a very difficult free at a vital stage in the second half while the Malone brothers also showed some great touches. Showing the greater hunger and commitment Ballybay opened well with points from Philip Farrelly and Paul Finlay but found themselves in arrears in the 10th minute when Paul Askin got on the end of a great move to lash to the Ballybay net from close range. Further pressure saw Xavier Coyle put Tyholland three points in front but Ballybay struck back immediately for three points in quick succession from the Malone brothers, Colin who played a captains part throughout with some inspirational midfield play and Hugh with two of those points who also contributed hugely with his very astute play at full forward. While mistakes abounded due to the adverse weather conditions play continued to flow from end to end as Tyholland retook the lead with points by Xavier Coyle and Paddy Hughes in the 21st and 23rd minutes but almost immediately Ballybay struck back to level the match with points by Paul Stewart and a Paul Finlay free, scores that prompted them to a strong finish to the first-half with the Malone brothers hitting points apiece in the 28 the 30th minutes to open at two points gap and take something of a psychological advantage at that vital stage. However in injury time Tyholland pulled back a point from a free by Xavier Coyle following a foul on Barry Duffy to leave the half-time score Ballybay 0-9, Tyholland 1-5. Within two minutes of the restart Ballybay had been pegged back to parity but then a purple patch with four unanswered points between the 5th and 14th minutes, Robin McDonnell in the fifth with a good opportunist score, Colin Malone with a brilliantly struck free kick in the seventh, Paul Finlay again from a free in the ninth and Pauric Kerr in the 14th minute when his predatory instincts saw him on hand to exploit a loose ball just to the left of the Tyholland goals; gave Ballybay the foothold they needed. Ballybay now held an edge with Paul Finlay putting them four in front when he fielded brilliantly on the 20 metres line only to be fouled but struck a magnificent point despite being at a difficult angle. And then an astute tactical move with the introduction of Kevin Finlay as a substitute for the final 10 minutes paying rich dividends for Ballybay as he hit two very valuable points to copper fasten their victory at the end of a game where Ballybay mastered the conditions that little bit better, were able to exploit the broken play around midfield to greater effect and were much more economic in their approach as well as having a number of masterly displays from key players at vital times. So senior championship football in 2002 and fifteen years since the last senior title but the success of the last two years will only be valuable if it is the jumping off point for a fresh assault on the ultimate prize. The following team did duty in the 2001 IFC final: Sean Gorman, Michael Lennon, Fergal Smyth, Cathal Linden, Fergal McArdle, Bryan McCabe, Paul Stuart 0-1, Colin Malone 0-3, Barry Duffy, Stephen Drury, Robin McDonnell 0-1, Paraic Kerr 0-1, Paul Finlay 0-4, Hugh Malone 0-3, Philip Farrelly 0-1. Subs: Kevin Finlay 0-2 for P. Farrelly. Christy McQuillan During the past thirty years chairmen, players and managers have come and gone in this club. One man who has stayed the course through thick and thin is Christy McQuillan. When John Moen asked him in 1970 if he would like a good job with the club, Christy being a life long supporter immediately said yes, without even asking what the job was. When he was told that it was looking after the jerseys he said he would be delighted to do it. Looking after the jerseys in the 70s was not too difficult a job as we only had one set which had to do minor, u21, junior and senior players. But as the years went on things improved and we ended up with several sets of jerseys. Christy's job got harder to do. I was often in the house and he would have about 50 jerseys laid out on the floor trying to make up a good set, a not so good set and taking out the ones that needed sewing or replacing. And added to this the Community College Management realised that with so many good teams up and coming they needed a reliable man for the jerseys. So Christy was called in as a super sub and he is greatly appreciated by both players and mentors. Proof of Christy's dedication to the job can be seen a couple of hours after a match. If you look up on the Hill you will see a set of jerseys already washed and on the line in readiness for the next match. He is one man this club cannot afford to let retire. Damien McBride Tweet

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