Blackwater are hoping to lift the 2005 Wexford Under 21 hurling title, having annexed the Minor crown three years ago. Team selector and sponsor Andy Roche took time out from his busy schedule to speak with Hogan Stand. Having lost the 2004 Wexford Under 21 final at the end of February to Half-Way-House after a replay, Blackwater will be going out with all guns blazing to capture their first ever title in the grade, when the competition gets under way later in the year. With the vast majority of the 2004 panel available for selection, Andy is hopeful that Blackwater can finally make the breakthrough in the grade this year. "It was disappointing losing out in the 2004 final replay, but they were the better team on the day, when they had five or six points to spare on us," Andy remarked. "We had our chances in the drawn game, but Half-Way-House were that little bit more experienced than us, and that experience told in the replay," he added. However, Blackwater can look back on their achievements in last year's competition with considerable pride. En route to the final, they lifted the Wexford District Under 21 title, when they defeated Rosslare in a keenly contested title decider in January. Blackwater built on that Wexford District Under 21 win when they scored an impressive 4-7 to 1-8 victory over Ballyfad in the county semi-final before ultimately going under to Half-Way-House, Bunclody in the county final. In truth the club's mentors always felt their best chance of winning the Under 21 crown, would come in this year's competition, having captured the minor equivalent three years ago. "We had been building towards the 2005 Under 21 championship on the back of that Minor victory in 2002. We were disappointed to go under in the county final last year, but that defeat will make up doubly determined this year." Blackwater lines out in the intermediate hurling championship and Junior 'A' football championship in Co. Wexford. Since the turn of the millennium the club has been making steady progress on the hurling front winning the Junior Hurling Championship in 2001 and that Minor title the following year. Their success in the 2004 Wexford District Under 21championship is proof positive that Blackwater could be 'live' contenders for this year's Intermediate championship as well as the Under 21 championship. "It has been a building process for the last couple of years. We blooded some of the younger players on the intermediate team in 2003 and more of them last year. They won their first game in the intermediate hurling championship, but were beaten in the second round. We are hopeful they will do well in this year's IHC," Andy confirmed. "We have a great crop of young players and the future for the club looks very bright. In 2004 we also won the Under 12 hurling championship, which bodes well for the future," Andy revealed. With a crop of players such as Owen Byrne, Johnnie Mooney, Paul O'Leary, Denis Carroll, Lar Whelan, Johnnie and Brendan Murphy as well as Andy's sons Anthony and Kieran making an impact at Under 21 level, Andy's optimism isn't unfounded. Nine of the club's current Under 21 team also lined out on last year's intermediate team. "Then you would also have the likes of Lar and Owen Lacey and Brian Curran who are very good hurlers who bring a lot of experience to the team. There is a nice blend of youth and experience, which is extremely important," Andy added. Andy is confident that the club's young guns will be a year older and a year wiser and ready for the demands of the intermediate hurling championship. "The prospects for the intermediate look good. We are hoping that we can go all the way, but then you would have the likes of Ferns, who were beaten in the final last year by St. Pat's, who will be hoping to go one better this year," he added. Andy knows that at least half a dozen teams have the ability to win the Wexford IHC. "I feel it will be a very open championship. Six or seven teams could win it on their day, but I am hopeful that Blackwater can go all the way," he enthused. To that end team manager Paddy Murphy assembled his panel at the beginning of February with a view to making a serious assault on the intermediate hurling championship. "Paddy has been coaching for many years and I feel he will do an excellent job this year," Andy asserted. Andy, who is a selector with the Under 21 team along with Tommy Whelan and manager Paddy O'Connor admits that the primary focus within the club is on hurling, but feels the club's Junior 'A' footballers could also launch a serious title challenge in 2005. "The emphasis is on hurling here, but I feel the footballers are good enough to win the championship. They did very well last year when they went to the semi-final. With a little luck they could go all the way this year," he added. Blackwater's last JFC success was back in 1981. Indeed, the club's footballers hit a purple patch in the early 1980s. "We went to an intermediate quarter-final in 1984. We had a very good football team in those years, but the hurling has dominated since," he noted. Blackwater's long-term goal is to make it back to the senior hurling ranks. "We found it extremely hard to get out of the junior ranks, which is a very competitive grade. Our sights are now focused on making it back to senior," he added. The club is now reaping the benefits of having a strong underage structure in place over many years. "In the past the fall-off rate would have been quite high, but over the last six or seven years we have been able to bring a lot of lads through the underage ranks into adult games." "Once we get the young lads involved, we have been able to keep them interested and bring them through. In the past we lost up to 50 per cent of the lads, by the time they got to Minor level," he added. Off the field the club is working away with the view to buying a second pitch to complement its existing facilities. "We own our own pitch and dressing rooms and we are looking at the possibility of buying another pitch. We are at the early stages of negotiations," Andy confirmed. A second pitch would provide a considerable boost to the club, according to Andy. "We need the second pitch. With the intermediate, hurlers, the junior footballers, the camogie and all the underage teams our pitch is in constant use. A second pitch would ease the pressure considerably." Andy continued: "We bought our current pitch and developed the dressing rooms in the early 1980s. We are now trying to raise the money necessary to buy additional land. It will take a big effort, but I am sure we'll be able to do it." Under the chairmanship of Aidan O'Brien the club is now pulling out all the stops with a view to securing a second pitch. Andy Roche is the owner of the self-named Andy Roche Joinery Ltd based in Blackwater village, near Enniscorthy in County Wexford. Established in 1983 the company is essentially a family-run business, with wife Patricia and son Anthony involved in the running of the business. Focusing on general joinery the company produces staircases, windows, doors, shop fronts, skirting boards and architrave. In fact all the products you would you would associate with a quality general joinery. The company produces it wide product base using a myriad of timbers from Ireland, Spain, Brazil, the Ivory Coast, Sweden and the United States to name a few. Employing a fulltime staff of five people the company deals with many of the leading building companies in the sunny South East, and has a number of ongoing contracts in the greater Dublin area. Blackwater's 'Green and Golden' Years By Senan Lillis, former club chairman Hurling in the seaside parish of Blackwater can be traced back to before the 1798 Rebellion, Local lore and verse demonstrates the area as 'a hive of Gaelic activity.' Local landlords abandoned their patronage of hurling teams after the Act of Union in 1800 and organised encounters in the form of townland Darbys were a thing of the past. However, hurling lived on despite its haphazard organisation. It came as no surprise that with the advent of the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1884, Blackwater was one of the first clubs to be established in County Wexford. The centuries - old traditions of ash and heather were to spring-board the gaels of Blackwater to County and National prominence within a short space of time. In the initial years of the GAA the County Champions represented their County on the Inter-County scene. Blackwater did so with distinction and even though they never won an All Ireland they, nevertheless, play a major role in establishing the Model County as a powerful hurling stronghold. The golden era of Blackwater hurling passed on with the advent of a new century. Sooner or later hurling and football clubs have green patches - often called the doldrums. However, during every generation of players there is always at least one golden horizon when a county title was or could have been won. So too with Blackwater. The following is a brief journey down the golden years of the history of St. Brigid's GAA Club, Blackwater. The golden years have passed on into folklore, the green years forgotten. Famous Combination This was the first team from the parish to play under the new organised rules and in January 1889 at Crosstown they defeated neighbours Oulart to win the County Tournament. Later that year (Sept) they once again accounted for Oulart in the County Final at Ferns. Only three counties contested the Leinster Championship that year: Dublin, Laois and Louth. Wexford did not take part. The skill and the prowess of this 'famous combination' was talked about far and wide so much so that they were invited to play the 1887 All Ireland champions, Thurles Sarsfields, at Clonturk Park, Dublin in March 1890. This game has passed into folklore as the Battle of the Murphy's and the Mahers. Blackwater won the day and their team is remembered in verse: "There were seven brave Murphy's, two Roche's, three Lacley's, Byrne, Walsh, Shiel and Corrigan in good fettle were seen, With Doyle, Delaney, O'Donoghue and Howlin, And brave Denny Whelan composed the team.' The 1899 All Ireland Final Blackwater captured the Co. Senior title again in 1898 and on this occasion they grabbed the opportunity to represent their county. In a belated Leinster Final, played on 31st January 1901 at Jones' Road, they whitewashed Dublin (Commercials) 2-12 to 1-4. In March 1901 expectations were high as Blackwater's specially chartered packed train set off for Dublin. Blackwater choose only to pick players from within their own parish, while their opponents, Moycarkey of Tipperary, had the pick of their county. Injury problems beset the Blackwater men and with the injury of a third player they did not have a substitute to finish the match. The referee awarded the game to Tipperary. The full score was Tipperary 3-12 to Blackwater's 1-4. Blackwater - J Furlong (Capt), T Corrigan, T Byrne, John Shiel, Martin Murphy, T Cullen, A Dempsey, W Dempsey, M Byrne, M Brien, D Whelan (Jnr), D Whelan (Snr), J Shiel (Snr), M Coughlan, A Delaney, M Murphy, Jack Shiel The '1901' Campaign The first round of the Leinster championship versus Kilkenny proved to be a gigantic struggle for Blackwater to overcome. In fact it took three games, in Borris, Dublin and Carlow, to decide the issue: "The third time in Borris we did Kilkenny meet. Thousands swarmed along the line and fast each heart did beat, Our boys they played as Wexford men as more like they could play, And soon the news came around the land Blackwater won the day." This third meeting did not take place until March 8th 1903. At the end of April the Leinster title was won by defeating Laois 7-6 to 7-3 at Kilkenny. Redmonds of Cork proved a rather unusual opposition in the Home final, played at Carrick-on-Suir in June. Redmonds were a newly formed club dedicated to Wexfordman John Redmond, leader of the Home Rule Party. Once again Blackwater were to be bridesmaids going under by 2-8 to 0-6. In the final proper London overturned the form books by sweeping aside Redmonds to win their first and only crown. Blackwater - J Furlong (Capt), J Quirke, J Murphy, M O'Brien, MI O'Brien, M Cummins, T Dempsey, C Dempsey, S Donohue, T Byrne, M Byrne, P Rath, O Sinnott, W Creane, B Murphy, J Hagan, T Cullen. For the next thirty years the hurlers of Blackwater were in the Doldrums as far as winning county championships were concerned. Political instability of the 'teens and early twenties and the economic depression of the thirties did little to boast the development of gaelic pastimes. However, the games were carried on and the thirties were to see Blackwater rise almost Phoenix-like to become a hurling force in Wexford once more. 1936 County Junior Hurling Champions 'Blackwater's rebirth is unparalleled now Three cheers for those men by the sea Long years of subjection to slumber Counteracted by sweet victory." In 1936 "the sons of twice Leinster's best men" defeated Killinick in Wexford Park to capture the long overdue County Junior Hurling Championship. The team was: Ted Marsh, Paddy Corrigan, Larry Byrne (the prince of full backs), Pat Roche, Simon Corrigan, Kevin Murphy, Eddie Foley, Micke Byrne (capt), Bill Kenny, Jim Redmond, Jim Roche (the great goal getter), Pat Walsh, Tom Corrigan, Martin Whelan, Aidan Byrne. Thankfully most of this team are still with us and on La na gClub in July 1984 they received specially inscribed plaques to commemorate this famous feat. The next County title Twenty one years and one generation later (1957) Blackwater were once again County Junior Hurling Champions. The final, played on 4th May 1958 at Bellefield, saw Blackwater defeat St. Brennan's Davidstown 5-3 to 0-5. The team was: Larry Whelan, P Murphy, Jim Nolan, Jimmy Whelan, Sean Ormonde (present County Secretary), Martin Byrne, Mogue O'Leary (capt), James Ormonde, PJ Whelan, Paddy O'Brien, Dan Gallagher, John Doran, Jimmy Mannion, Pat Furlong and Joe Neylon. This team also received centenary medallions to mark a job well done. The sixties was a barren spell for the club even though they were defeated by St. Martin's in 1963 County Junior Hurling final. It wasn't until 1975 that the golden days returned. Once again Blackwater annexed the Junior Hurling Championship by defeating the St. Patrick's team Ballyoughter at Bellefield. Team: Vincent Sutton, Jim Roche, John O'Brien, Mick Mooney, MI Lambert, Eugene Murphy, Larry Mitten, Bernard Byrne, Andy O'Brien, Johnnie Cullen, Mogue Byrne, Paddy O, Mick Murphy, Tommy Whelan and Tom O'Leary. First Football Title 1981 was the year when Blackwater won its first adult county title in football. This time the county junior football title was secured by accounting for Kilrush in Wexford Park. The bulk of this team is still playing for their club in search of further glory. The team: Andy Roche, Tom O'Brien, Jack O'Leary, Simon Kelly, Pat Whelan, Pat Dooley, MI Lambert (Capt), MI O'Leary, Victor Power, Sean O'Shea, Bobby O'Leary, Matt Furlong, Andy O'Brien, Bobby Power, Larry Mitten. In this short journey down the club's golden path no mention has been made of the scores of players who have never won county titles for the club. No mention has been made of the hard working dedicated band of mentors, club officers and supporters who have ploughed unselfishly through the decades. No mention either for the Park Development Committee which supplied the club with a home. There are many stories untold and many pages could be filled. These are all chapters of the club's history which have carved out their own niche. Perhaps some day the Green and Golden Years of Blackwater's GAA. Club history together with the many other chapters not mentioned here will be given due recognition in a published club history. Tweet

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