Paddy Kelly acknowledges that he's not getting any younger, but the clarity with which the sprightly 82 year-old recalls the happenings of a memorable hurling year way back in 1948 suggests that his mind is as sharp now as his skills and reflexes were 60 years ago. The Kiltale man was centre half-forward on the Meath team which won the county its second All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship title that year with a replayed final victory over London which attracted a massive crowd of approximately 6,000 spectators to Pairc Tailteann in Navan. It was certainly a title achieved with plenty of hurling as Meath played eight matches along the way, reaching the Leinster final with victories over Westmeath at Navan and Dublin and Offaly, both at Trim, and clinching provincial honours thanks to a two-point win over Kilkenny at Croke Park on a day when Brian Smyth starred at left corner-forward. Of course, approximately a year later he captained the county to its breakthrough All-Ireland SFC success. It was back to Trim for a runaway 31-point victory over Donegal in the All-Ireland semi-final and that set up a 'home' final against Limerick which Meath won by 17 points at Portlaoise. The reward for that success was a trip to London for the final at New Eltham which marked the official opening of a ground. Meath trailed by six points at half-time in a fiercely tough encounter, but with Joey Loughran particularly impressive they battled back to draw (3-5 each) and now it was the turn of the London players to do the travelling. The big attendance at Pairc Tailteann saw the Royal County race into a seven-point interval advantage, but the visitors battled back to lead, before substitute Tommy Gerrard scored a dramatic winning goal as it finished 2-7 to 2-5. The successful team was captained by brilliant centre half-back Tony Donnelly and another of the true stars of the replay was goalkeeper Dick Grogan. Ollie Reilly, Pat Donnelly, Micheal O'Brien (like the brilliant Smyth, also soon to be a member of the triumphant 1949 football side) and Brother O'Mahony were other notable members of the victorious team. Loughran had also been a member of the victorious 1927 junior team, but he missed the replay 21 years later due to an injury sustained in that bruising drawn game in London. Paddy Kelly was centre half-forward and recalls with tremendous clarity a lengthy campaign which culminated in a magnificent triumph in front of a crowd the size of which would be unimaginable for an inter-county hurling match involving Meath in the county today. "Meath played Westmeath in the first round of the Leinster Championship at Navan and I wasn't on the panel at that stage," he said. "They were more inclined to stick with the older lads in those days. I came onto the team for the game against Dublin at Trim and played at corner-forward. Aidan Foran was also brought in for that game. "We beat Westmeath, Dublin and Offaly to reach the Leinster final. That was Offaly's first team; we were better than them in those days. The final against Kilkenny was played in Croke Park and I remember a peculiar thing happened in that game. "We were awarded a penalty and the referee made a mistake by allowing only the goalkeeper to stand in the goals. Joey Loughran put the penalty over the crossbar and I remember wondering why he did that. He was thinking, because if he had scored a goal Kilkenny could have objected. I didn't play in that match." However, with the provincial title safely in the bag Paddy was back in the team as Meath set about the task of adding the All-Ireland crown. "I was back on the team for the All-Ireland semi-final win over Donegal at Trim and played in the half-forward line," he added. "After that we played Limerick in the 'home' final at Portlaoise. I can remember Brother O'Mahony scoring a great point from a line ball in that match. He was a great man for hurling in the county." That victory not alone set up a place in the All-Ireland final, but the big adventure that was a trip to England in those days. "We travelled by boat for the final in London," Paddy said. "I can remember we headed off on the Friday evening and Bill Donnelly brought a lot of meat with him. I also remember that a lot of us were sick on the boat. It seemed like a very long journey. It was my first time to travel. "We were lucky enough to get a draw over there in a very tough match. Joey (Loughran) got a broken thumb and missed the replay as a result. Tony Donnelly also got injured, but there was no way he was going to miss the replay! "The replay in Navan was also a very tough encounter. It turned nasty. There was a huge crowd and it was my first game at centre-forward. We had a good lead at half-time, but London recovered and were a point in front when Tommy Gerrard got the winning goal. "I contested a ball with the London goalkeeper who flew over my shoulder in the collision. The ball broke to Tommy and he finished it to the net. It was only years later that I really realised how close we were to losing the final and it was a great feeling to win it." That was a huge high point in Paddy's long career and a massive boost to hurling in the county. A year later the spotlight turned to football in a big way as Meath won the All-Ireland senior title for the first time. "After that 1948 win we really looked to be going places," Paddy added. "The following year Kilkenny beat us by only six points in the Leinster Championship at Portlaoise. Even lads from north Meath travelled to that game. "Meath were in the top division of the National League in 1949/'50 and beat Clare and Limerick. I can also recall us playing Tipperary in Trim when they were All-Ireland champions and losing by only a point. In 1955 we lost to Dublin in the Leinster semi-final at Croke Park, but things gradually started to decline in the mid to late '50s. "I played my last game for Meath in the first round of the Leinster Championship against Laois at Newbridge in 1959 or 1960. We lost by two points and I remember feeling sad coming off the field because I knew it was my last game for the county." During his lengthy inter-county career Paddy played alongside some outstanding Meath players and, like Peter McDermott in his footballing days, Paddy singles out Tony Donnelly for particularly special mention. "Tony Donnelly was a great, great player on that 1948 team, he was exceptional," he said. "Joey Loughran was another fine player who was also on the 1927 team, but he was gone after '48. Brian Smyth was a great corner-forward who possessed a lot of class and intelligence. "Paddy Kane was a great corner-back and Niall Collier and Ollie Reilly were other key men. Micheal O'Brien was very hard to play on. Dick Grogan was an outstanding goalkeeper. He was a Garda based in Kells. That team contained a lot of really fine hurlers." And what about the leading players he lined out against at inter-county level? "Christy O'Brien of Laois was a fine hurler," he said. "There was also Josie Gallagher of Galway and Ned Wheeler of Wexford was also among the best I played against." Paddy Kelly was born in 1926 and has been involved in a huge amount of hurling in different capacities. He lined out with a number of clubs and can recall his early playing days way back in the early years of the 1940s. "I played minor hurling with Kilmessan in 1943 and we lost what was an arranged final to Trim," he added. "I played with Kilmessan for a few years after that and my last game for them was the 1945 Junior Championship final against Kilskyre which we lost. There were very few games played during the war years and I never won anything with Kilmessan. They were very successful at that time and won six Senior Championships in succession between 1943 and '48." The Kiltale club came back into the fold in 1946, but Paddy's plans to play with them didn't go as smoothly as he might have wished. "Kiltale reformed in 1946, but I didn't get to play with them for a year and a half," he said. "I did play with them illegally - against Kilmessan! I had to stand down for a year and was then suspended for six months. So, all in all, I missed a year and a half. "I was part of the Kiltale team that won the Junior Championship in 1954 and we lost the senior final to Boardsmill in 1958. They were starting to come good then. But I did win Senior Championship medals with St Patrick's (a combination of junior clubs Kiltale, Ratoath and Batterstown) in 1953 and '54, so I did the junior/senior double in '54. It was great to win both that year. "We had a great understanding with Ratoath in those days and the St Patrick's set-up worked very well. I was secretary of St Patrick's and Kiltale at the same time. Tommy Dolan of Ratoath was the St Patrick's chairman and I worked very well with him. I used to cycle to Dunshaughlin and meet Tommy in a pub where we would pick the team!" Unfortunately, the Kiltale club was set to go out of existence once again and that signalled action on a couple of other fronts for Paddy. "Kiltale went in 1960 and the players went to various other clubs," he said. "I went to play with Trim in 1961 or '62 and played with them for three years. I didn't win anything with them and transferred to Moynalvey. We won the Intermediate Championship in 1967. "Kiltale reformed again in 1970 and we won the Junior Championship in '71 and the intermediate in '72. We beat Colmcille Gaels (Kells) in both finals. Des Ferguson was playing with them and I played on him a couple of times. "I later played in a Senior Championship semi-final against Athboy which we lost. That was my last senior game. I played my very last game in a Junior Championship semi-final against Kilmessan at Dunshaughlin in 1978." He lined out alongside some outstanding Kiltale players down the years and among those he singled out were Billy Delaney, Mickey Regan, his own brother Billy Kelly and Mickey and Pat Kane. Paddy, just like his son Paddy Junior today, has been a tremendous servant to the Kiltale club and a look at the superb facilities at their Grange ground gives a clear indication of the amount of dedicated work that has been undertaken by all concerned. The younger Paddy, a key member of the Meath team that won the All-Ireland SHC 'B' title with a final victory over London at Ruislip in 1993, is the current club chairman and Paddy Senior also acted as treasurer on various occasions between 1950 and 2002, commenting that the computer age put him off after that! "I'm still involved in the club, cutting the pitch and whatever," he said. "It's great to still have an involvement." He has a vast amount of experience as a selector, both at club and county level, and was in that position with the county team while still the occupant of a jersey. "I was a county selector in 1955 while I was also a player," he commented. "There were seven selectors then and you would be in all night trying to pick the team. I was a Meath selector for several years later on and served as a selector under Des Ferguson." Nobody will argue that the greatest day in the history of the Kiltale club came in 1982 when they made the breakthrough in the top flight by winning the Senior Championship for the first time and the most sought after piece of silverware in Meath hurling made the short journey out the Dublin road from St Loman's Park, Trim. The scenes that followed the final win over Rathmolyon were joyful and emotional and a year later Kiltale proved what worthy champions they were when they again got the better of Rathmolyon in the decider to retain the title. "I was a selector for those successes," Paddy said. "It was great to make the senior breakthrough in 1982 and my son Paddy being captain made it extra special for me. We beat Rathmolyon in both finals and they lost three finals in a row, also losing out to Killyon in 1984. Rathmolyon really had to be admired for the way they kept coming back after those disappointments." Kiltale had to wait the best part of a quarter of a century before they would win the Senior Championship again, but last year the Jubilee Cup was carried into their splendid clubhouse on a Sunday evening in late October after their young charges had shocked neighbours Kilmessan in the final at Pairc Tailteann. Paddy Kelly Junior, who had been captain 25 years earlier, was coach this time and his son Padraig was part of the successful panel. Lorcan Kelly, Paddy's brother, was a selector. "It was a great achievement to win it with such a young team last year," acknowledged Paddy Senior. "I have to admit that I didn't think they would win the final against Kilmessan, but they played well on the day. "A massive amount of work is being put in at under-age level in the club and we have some great young lads coming through. Paddy puts in a huge amount of work and they have a lot of respect for him." Paddy also had time to play football during his very active hurling days and played in a county final. "I was a football selector with Moynalvey in the 1970s and played with both Moynalvey and Drumree," he said. "I played in a Junior Championship final with Drumree against Navan O'Mahonys in 1949 at Trim when we lost. Misksey Palmer of Kerry was at centre-forward for Drumree and we also had Johnny Bashford from Syddan." Talking to Paddy Kelly today makes it abundantly clear that the passion for Gaelic games, and hurling in particular, still burns as brightly as ever. And one year provides him with particularly fond memories - 1948 and that All-Ireland triumph. Tweet

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