Gaelic football to all of us in Cavan is as important as religion. In recent years, we have been starved of success, and many of the younger generation have not seen the good times. Breffni Blue spoke to father and son James and Gareth Cooney about their links with the GAA. Gareth is Contracts Director with P Elliott Construction and he over saw the erection of floodlights in Croke Park, which marked a historic occasion when the first match at the Jones Road venue under lights was played between Dublin and Tyrone on Saturday, February 3rd, 2007. His father James has lived all his life in Cavan. He was born in Killinkere and spent all his younger years in the area before the family moved to Ballyjamesduff, where he lives to this day. James has many great memories of years gone by and it was a privilege for yours truly to be able to speak to a man of such knowledge and great story teller. The Cavan native is retired now, but he certainly has the memory of a man half his age or indeed younger. James was able to recall his first day of school and this was to set the tone for what was a memorable conversation. "I was the sixth child in a family of seven and indeed I can remember my first day at school. I sat beside the same lad all the time I was there," said James. When he first attended school there was not a football team in the area, but James revealed that the arrival of a new headmaster to the school changed all that. "A teacher called Hugh J Martin came to the school around 1930. He bought a football and began playing with the lads at lunch time. In 1936, Killinkere won their first title when the minor championship was won. We beat Gowna by 0-6 to 0-4 in the final." The fact that the team was picked with future Cavan stars suggested that Master Martin had left his impression on the young lads of Derrylin School. "Joe Stafford was captain of the team and sure he was a great footballer with Cavan, while his brothers Mattie and Tom also played. My brother John was also on it and he played for Cavan as well and was part of the county panel that beat Kerry in the All-Ireland minor final in 1938. That was actually Cavan's second title in a row; they beat Wexford in the final the previous year." James admitted that his own football career had to take a back seat to farming as his father's influence played a big part in how his life unfolded. "My father was a strict man and he would say that it's enough to have one lad heading off playing football, without two going. So, I had to stay at home while John got to play. I was handy enough in my day and had two good feet, but the farming took up most of my time." A junior league title was secured by Killinkere in '38, but they lost the championship in 1940 when a pitch invasion helped Cornafaen to the title. "There was a massive row in that game. Lads came in from the sidelines and gave the Killinkere lads a beating. It went on for a good few minutes before calm was restored. Cornafaen went on to win by a point. "It was around this time that John and Mattie Stafford were suspended for playing illegally in Dublin, while they were still with the club at home. "John went on to play with the county juniors and made a few starts for the seniors in the Ulster championship. Jimmy Stafford captained Killinkere when they won three titles in 1962, '63 and '64. He was a great footballer with Cavan along with his brothers." When James got married, he and the rest of the family moved to Ballyjamesduff and his days playing football came to an end, although he remains a keen supporter to this day. James believes one of the best footballers he even seen came from Killinkere and that was Jimmy Smith, who captained Cavan to All-Ireland success in 1933 and '35. "I remember going to my first Cavan game. I was an altar boy at the time and the priest at the time was a keen follower of football. Fr Treanor was his name and he brought a few of us to Mullingar to see Cavan play Mayo. "I was at the replay in 1938 too when Kerry beat Cavan. There was a big melee and Miko Doyle broke Jimmy Smith's teeth with a box and he had to go off. That was the losing of the game for Cavan that day. Jimmy was a brilliant footballer and he was the best in Ireland at that time," stressed James. In 1949, neighbours Cavan and Meath met in the All-Ireland final and this was an eventful day that James would never forget for all the wrong reasons and in particular for a remarkable story that has been embedded in Cavan folklore. "Four or five of us travelled up to the game with 'Red' John Lynch. When we were passing through Kells, they threw stones at us; such was the rivalry between the two counties. Unfortunately, Cavan lost that game. On the way home we were stopped in Clonee by a garda and the lights on the car were very poor and he wouldn't let us drive it any further. "John's brother didn't live too far away and he gave us a van to go home in. Well, didn't a fog start to come down fairly quickly and didn't we hit the ditch with the van around Batterstown. We pushed it back out on the road, but it wouldn't start, so we decided to push it home to Cavan and any hill we came across we would sit up on the bonnet and free wheel down. We pushed the van all the way to Billis Bridge, where we got a lift the rest of the way. When I arrived home at 11am the next morning, I met my mother at the gate of the house with the rosary beads in her hand and she praying that I would make it home safely." James has not attended an All-Ireland final since that eventful day, but admits that he has many fond memories of his younger days in rural Ireland. "I married Phyllis Kearns as she was known then and her family were from Lavey. They were well-known for music and football. We've been married now almost 40 years and we've had a happy life raising our four children, three boys and a girl. "I watch the sport on the telly all the time now and Northern Sound has great coverage of the games. Times have changed a lot, but the main thing is that we're all happy." As stated Gareth has been involved with the floodlighting project in Croke Park and he admits that it was a complex procedure, but that the end product is something to behold. "We've carried out numerous contracts in Croke Park and have been there for the last four years in various capacities," said Gareth. "The project was the biggest of its kind and now the grounds can facilitate all the major sports under lights. "There are 463 lights installed and a telescopic light mast has also been installed. There are various settings for the lights as the pitch sizes vary in gaelic games, rugby and soccer. The work was very complex and there were many stages to go through as the structural work consisting of steel gantries suspended from the existing parabolic roof, while walkways had also to be erected in order for the lights to be serviced" The project was finished on time and under budget, which proves the standard and quality of work that P Elliott construction undertake is the best. "There have been many different companies involved with the lighting including Crowe Electrical, Thorn, Andrew Mannion and Grogan Engineering. Croke Park now looks very impressive under lights," he added. Gareth also revealed that P Elliott was currently working on a design and build contract for work on a new state-of-the-art handball alley and office complex adjacent to Croke Park, while they are currently working on removing the barriers in Hill 16 and placing seating in the renowned stand for the Irish international soccer matches. Handball was Gareth's first love for many years and he has won numerous titles at all grades with St Pat's and indeed Cavan. These days, he concentrates more on squash and he represents Total Fitness, Malahide which won the Dublin League and Championship Cup in 2006. Tweet

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