Prior to the 1947 All-Ireland final in the Polo Grounds, Jim Bulger of the GAA Digest took time to write an article about Irish teams touring America and the merits of an All-Ireland final being exported. We republish his piece in full. It may be more of a coincidence that the football prowess of Kerry and Cavan, who are meeting in the All-Ireland final in New York, should be already well-known to Gaelic enthusiasts in America, Kerry teams having taken part in four and Cavan teams in three previous tours. Although I was closely in touch with G.A.A. affairs during the period, beginning with a tour by the Tipperary hurlers in 1926, I have to confess to surprise on finding after a hurried search of my very incomplete records that, before the outbreak of the war interrupted regular transport in 1939, sixteen teams - twelve in football and four in hurling - had been to America. Both Galway and Mayo, in football, and Tipperary, in hurling, have been there twice; and the list is completed by Laoighis, in football, and Kilkenny and Limerick, in hurling. It occurred to me at the same time that here was a phase of G.A.A. activity that has not been adequately dealt with from the point of view of historical record, but that is a matter for other hands than mine, and I content myself by drawing attention to that fact. What I have in mind is a complete record of each of the tours that would include the names of those taking part, the cities visited, a brief account of the games played with lists of players, and other points of interest such as the calibre of the opposition and the strength, or weakness, of G.A.A. organisation in the various centres coming under notice. The first Kerry tour, in 1927, was fully reported by my friend 'P.F.' who accompanied the team on behalf of The Kerryman, and is dealt with at some length in his book, Kerry's Football Story, published in 1945. This article was reproduced in the July issue of the G.A.A. Digest. After the first visit of the Tipperary hurlers, in 1926, a complete diary compiled by one of the players, Tom Kenny, was published in book form under the title, 'Tour of the Tipperary Hurling Team in America'. This volume of over 100 pages, bound in cloth, carried illustrations and contained an amount of informative reading matter, with the report of a reception given to the hurlers after their return. The edition was limited, but I am sure the book is still treasured in the homes of Tipperary, and I am equally sure that it is the prized possession of a number of Tipperary exiles including 'Widger' (Pat) Meagher, now of New York, who, with Frank McGrath (Nenagh), accompanied the team, of which Johnny Leahy, present county secretary, was captain. Records may have been kept of some of the later tours; but, apart from newspaper reports, I have not seen anything published in the way of a diary or chronicle of events. 'The Babe Ruth of Gaelic Football' Unlike 1927, when they were defeated by a New York selection, Kerry returned unbeaten from their second tour, in 1931. The team on that occasion was in charge of Sean McCarthy (Tralee), shortly afterwards elected secretary to the Munster Council, and was captained by John Joe Sheehy, who, for the part he played in the defeat of a strong New York selection, was described by a writer in the New York Herald and Tribune as 'the Babe Ruth of Gaelic Football,' the comparison, of course, being to a leading light of the Baseball game. Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston were included in the tour. The Tipperary hurling team also visited America in 1931, travelling as far afield as San Francisco, and, as in 1926, was victorious in all games played. With Johnny Leahy, as manager, the team was accompanied by Rev. J. J. Meagher, C.C., chairman of the Tipperary County Board and Rev. M. J. Lee, Diocesan Inspector, the captain being John Joe Callanan, who has to his credit All-Ireland championships with Dublin and Tipperary. A star performer for Tipperary on this tour was Martin Kennedy, to my mind one of the best forwards ever to appear in the game. Of more than ordinary significance now, perhaps, was the Mayo tour of 1932, sponsored by the present Mayor of New York (General William O'Dwyer), a native of Mayo and sterling supporter of the Gaelic games, who is doing all in his power for the success of the final between Kerry and Cavan. When applying for permission for Mayo to travel, the obvious sincerity of the plea put forward by the renowned exile made a great impression on the Central Council of the day. For the first game in New York, where Mayo suffered defeat, the ball was thrown in by 'Gentleman Jim' Corbett, former world's heavy-weight boxing champion. The Mayo Captain was Mick Mulderrig. Immediately the tour had finished the New York selection travelled to play Ireland at Croke Park in connection with the Tailteann Games of that year. When Kerry again visited America, in 1933, they had won four All-Ireland Championships in succession, thus equalling a record set up by Wexford in the period, 1915-18. Previous tours had largely been in the nature of private ventures, but, now, the governing body at home took a more direct interest, and the General Secretary, Padraig O'Caoimh, travelled with the team. This resulted in the establishment of a closer relationship between the G.A.A. in America and the Central Council in Ireland. Cavan's First Visit Kilkenny hurlers and Cavan and Galway football teams visited America in 1934, the Jubilee year. Cavan, who had made history in 1933 by bringing the Senior All-Ireland Championship to Ulster for the first time, were beaten by New York, but brought back a number of cups won in the course of the tour. With Jim Smith as captain, the team included Tom O'Reilly, now a member of the Dail, and Hugh O'Reilly, the present Cavan trainer, and was in charge of the county chairman and secretary Seamus Gilheany and J. J. Clarke. For the first game in New York, the ball was thrown in by Mayor LaGuardia and for the second by Mr. James A. Farley, U.S., Postmaster-General. While in America, it was stated that the Cavan team received an invitation to visit Canada. In one of their games in New York the Kilkenny hurlers suffered a reverse. The team was accompanied by the county chairman, Sean Gibbons, and the tour generally was rated a success, with the standard of play in New York surprisingly high. The then President of the G.A.A., Sean McCarthy, now a member of the Dail, was in America on behalf of the Central Council during the Cavan and Kilkenny visits. After winning the football championship of 1934, the Galway team crossed the Atlantic for the first time, but due, perhaps, amongst other reasons, to the lateness of the season the tour was not altogether a success. Complaint was made that an agreement in regard to finance had not been carried out on the American side, and following a discussion at the 1935 Congress, a resolution was adopted that the promotion of overseas tours be committed to the initiative and discretion of the Central Council and that in future conditions be drawn up by that body. I have before me as I write the 'Program' of international matches played in New York by the Limerick hurlers and Cavan footballers on their 1936 tour. On this occasion the Central Council was represented by Paddy McDonnell, himself a footballer of All Ireland status, having helped Dublin to win the 1922 and 1923 Championships and played against Kerry in the 1924 final. The Limerick team, led by Tim Ryan, a great midfield man around that period, was in charge of Dinny Lanigan and Tim Humpheries, while the Cavan side, then captained by Hugh O'Reilly, was accompanied by Rev. T. Maguire, C.C., County chairman, P. Masterson. In addition to the space given to receptions, banquets, and other festivities organised in honour of the visitors a section of the New York 'Program,' devoted to advertising, carried the announcement of a forthcoming boxing contest between Joe Louis, 'Detroit's sensational Brown Bomber,' and Max Schmeling, ' Former World's Heavyweight Champion' the winner to fight for the heavyweight title. Cavan were held to a draw in one of their New York games but won all others. Limerick were victorious everywhere they played. The success of this tour referred to by the General Secretary in his report to the 1937 Congress, was stated to be largely due to the good offices of Mr. P. Kenneally, President of the G.A.A. in New York, 'who negotiated suitable terms for the visit of the Irish teams with the result that the tour proved satisfactory and successful and established a sound basis for future trips.' Mayo were All-Ireland champions when they paid their second visit to America, in 1937, the Central Council being represented by Rev. (now Canon) M. Hamilton, President Clare County Board, whose plea to Congress led to the 1947 final being played in New York. The Mayo captain was Seamus O'Malley and the team was accompanied by Rev. E. O'Hara, President Mayo County Board, P. Kilduff, chairman Connacht Council, B. Durcan, chairman, and P. Mullaney, treasurer, Mayo County Board. Turning out the day after they had disembarked Mayo were defeated by New York; but they were successful in other games played and brought home the 'O'Dwyer Cup.' For the final game at New York the ball was thrown in by Andrew Sheridan, a brother of the famous Mayo athlete of nearly half a century ago, the late Martin Sheridan. Cavan and Laoighis football teams visited America in 1938, Cavan captained by Tom O 'Reilly, and Laoighis by Jack Delaney. The Laoighis men were in charge of Lar Brady, county chairman, and Jack Delaney (senior), while Cavan were accompanied by Rev. T. Maguire, C.C., county chairman, and Hugh Smith, secretary. The Cavan team included J. J. O'Reilly of the present selection. In addition to these games with American teams Laoighis and Cavan had a drawn game, Laoighis winning on a second test. Then President of the New York G.A.A. was P. J. Lenihan, native of Cork, who had helped Laoighis to win the first National League, 1925-26. The visit of the Kerry and Galway teams to America in 1939, resulted from a visit to Ireland early that year by Jack Phelan, a native of Waterford, who was then President of the New York G.A.A. Dan O'Keeffe, who had been in America twice already, was unable to travel but the Kerry team included, of the present side, Joe Keohane, Willie Casey, Tom ('Gega') O'Connor, Paddy Kennedy, Paddy Bawn Brosnan, and Eddie Walsh. In charge were D. J. Bailey, Kerry chairman and G.A.A. trustee, with M. O'Ruairc and Jerry Myles, secretaries. The Galway captain was Johnny Burke, a native of Clare, and the team was accompanied by J. J. Nestor, county chairman, Dr. O'Farrell, and Sean Whelan, secretary. Kerry and Galway shared the honours of two games in New York, while Kerry were defeated by 'a team of Americans hailing from Kerry,' although, strangely enough, we are told that 'the main factor in the defeat of the Irish team was the team-work of two native-born brothers from Brooklyn - John Smith Healy and John Shaughnessy Healy - who time and again succeeded in breaking through Kerry's strong defence.' Amongst the Gaels at home, opinion was very much divided as to the wisdom or otherwise of allowing tours to America to become a regular feature of the Association's programme. Things were shaping in that direction before the war, but from 1940 onward the problem needed no solution. There can be no denying, however, that the decision to play the All- Ireland football final of this year in New York came as a complete surprise to nearly everybody. Many, I know, who would not be opposed, to a tour by the champions, or by two leading teams, as in 1938 and 1939, are not at all in favour of having the final played outside Ireland. I do not intend to enter into this aspect, on which personally I hold strong views; but, no matter what the result of the final, or how disappointed we may feel at home in being deprived of one of the greatest attractions, I sincerely hope the venture will be attended with success and that the visit of the Kerry and Cavan teams to New York will serve to revive and strengthen the Gaelic ideal amongst our exiled kith and kin. The brief account I have given of previous tours can afford only an index to the story, if it ever comes to be written, of the far flung activities of the G.A.A. and the grip of its games. As well as being a reminder of tragic times in our history, it is a tribute to our racial spirit that hurling is played in many of the great American cities, in the Argentine, and South Africa. In the Argentine hurling has been played by others than those who are Irish born or of purely Irish descent; and, in reading of games there some years ago, I came across such names in the lists of players as Nunez and Martinez. In 1932 we had a hurling team from South Africa at the Tailteann Games in Dublin. Proof that hurling was played in Melbourne as far back as 1843 is to be found in his work on the Irish in Australia by Mr. P. S. Cleary, distinguished Irish-Australian journalist and author. And another contributor to this special issue of the G.A.A. Digest, writes of the marked similarity between our own style of football and that played in Australia. The G.A.A. is organised on a sound basis in Britain, where regular championships are played, and the practice of sending over teams from Ireland, begun in 1927 but discontinued during the war years, has been resumed. This year Britain is again represented in the All-Ireland junior hurling and football championships, in which London had a dual success in 1938. Without suggesting anything in the way of a world organisation, I think it would be a good idea for the governing body at home to maintain close relationship with those who are fostering the Gaelic games in foreign climes. Help and encouragement could be given in many ways, as for instance some years back in sending gifts of hurleys to the U. S .A. and Argentina and I am sure it would be welcomed, if only as a token of remembrance and appreciation from the homeland. In any report we may have from official sources, following the final, it would be interesting to hear something of the present position of the G.A.A. in America, with particular reference to the effect of the war years on the work of organisation and the prospects for the future. As between Kerry and Cavan, in this unique and most talked of final of all time, I leave the issue open. It is a far cry from Croke Park in Dublin to the Polo Grounds in New York; and I have yet to be convinced that an Irish team would not be seen to greater advantage at home than at the other side of the Atlantic. Climatic and other conditions, I may be told, will have an equal effect on both sides; but, in writing of the prospects of the teams, I would prefer to judge them on what I had seen and what I might expect to see without having to make allowances for the effects of air and sea travel, change of diet, and strange surroundings. A championship final is not a tournament or exhibition game; and in previous years, when it came to the last round, it was the wish of everybody that the players should appear at their best. I may be wrong; but I cannot rid myself of the feeling, that away from home, the 1947 finalists will be playing under a handicap. I saw both semi-finals and from the start was impressed by Cavan's display in their defeat of Roscommon. Kerry were slow to get into their stride, but, after taking the lead, they showed us a few delightful full-forward movements and withal, in the second half, missed chances that might have cost them dearly against stouter opposition. Candidly I was disappointed in Meath. Having seen them through the Leinster championship, I felt that they did not do themselves justice against Kerry. The Cavan-Roscommon game was by far the more enjoyable; but the teams were more evenly matched than Kerry and Meath; and I found many to agree with me that Kerry had not been fully extended. Cavan I know have strong support from many impartial observers, who saw both semi-finals; but I recall the wonderful improvement made by Kerry after the drawn final last year when they were deserving winners from Roscommon on the replay. Whether we are to have new champions, or whether the title is to continue in its present keeping, may the better team win, what, I have little doubt, will be a hard fought game. In conclusion I may be pardoned for quoting, from an address delivered by the late Archbishop of Cashel (Dr. Harty) on the arrival in Thurles of the Tipperary hurlers after their 1931 tour. 'It is fine to know (said his Grace) that our exiles in America love the games of their motherland. We have reason to hope that the visit of the Tipperary hurlers will give new life to hurling-the greatest of all manly games.... During their time in America our hurlers saw many fine cities and many beautiful and majestic scenes, but when all is said and done, I feel that in their hearts this evening there is ringing the old refrain, Home, sweet home; there's no place like home.' Taken from the GAA Digest; September 1947 Tweet

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