2001 was inarguably the most successful year ever in the history of the Cavan Gaels club. The annexation of the Senior Football Championship title for the first time since 1978 put the tin hat on an incredible season which saw a multitude of silverware take up residence in the county town. Here is a sample of what the Gaels' ongoing success means to five of the club's better known stalwarts. Words: Kevin Carney Founding Father - Paddy Conaty snr: Honourary President of the Gaels and known affectionately as the daddy of the club. Called a public meeting in the county town in 1957 which led to the setting up of the Gaels. Went onto serve as Chairman of the club for ten years after taking over from first ever Chairman Fr. Jimmy Reilly whom Paddy described as the George Mitchell of his time 'cause of the reverend's ability to bring all strands of football opinion in the town together at that time. "The club's achievement in winning the senior championship was a dream come through. Most people dream in vain but those of us who've been involved in the club for many years saw our dreams come through when the team beat Gowna last summer. "The GAA club means everything to an awful lot of people in the town and the success of the Gaels has given so many people such a lot to be proud about. "For quite a lot of years in the eighties and nineties the club went through a lean period and it was of great concern to me to see the team being beaten so often in the first round of the championship and having to fight to stay in division one of the league. "We never gave up hope though of the club getting back to the position it was in back in the seventies when we won three senior championships. "So many people have given so much time to the Gaels that it would be difficult to name them all but I think that Mickey Reilly and all his sons, Eugene Monaghan, Tommy Gilroy and Maurice Brady to name but a few contributed an awful lot to the development of the club down the years. "There were teething problems for the club in the early days of course and there were a few wounds to be healed from the time of the Slashers and then the Harps but a lot of those who came to the original meeting in the Town Hall pulled together and worked hard at getting the finance in place and nurturing the young talent too. "Purchasing the showgrounds (the site now known as Terry Coyle Park) in the early sixties was an inspirational move because of its location in the middle of the town. We used our membership subscriptions as security for the purchase of the ground and after that the fundraising took off in a big way with the bingo in the town which went onto generate a lot of money. "The great thing about the club at the present time is that everyone in the town is 100% behind it. And while in the early days we were depending on the likes of Jimmy Sheridan and a few members of the Gardai to bolster our bid for honours, now we have a multitude of talented players who are all county material. "I was always optimistic that we would come good eventually because of all the good work that has been done at underage level over the last 20 years when the seeds for the success last year were sown." The Coach - J.J. Reilly Reckoned to be the most influential GAA mentor in Cavan football since Gowna's Phelim Reilly passed to his eternal reward. Had a baptism of fire as an underage mentor in 1982 when he presided over a Gaels U12 team which received a 30-odd point hiding from Crosserlough. He resolved never to preside over such an embarrassment again. Won three senior championship medals with the Gaels (1975, '77 and '78) before turning his hand to coaching the club's juveniles. Managed the first Gaels team to win an under 12 Roinn A title (1990), subsequently went, as promised, to Lough Derg with a couple of his selectors in thanksgiving and never looked back since. All of the 2001 Gaels senior panel benefited to one degree or another from his coaching down the years. "People will remember 2001 as being special for us and rightly so but it was a similar story in 2000 when we won the senior league, a minor double and the under 21 championship. We didn't win the senior championship though and that's the big difference. "Winning the championship last year was enjoyable although it's funny when you hear someone say that 2000 was a case of us enjoying overnight success - more like 20 years of an overnight success! "I suppose you could identify the four in-a-row of minor championships we won and the breakthrough at under 21 level as being key achievements which ultimately led us to the win over Gowna. But it was really all about a lot of hard work by a lot of people over many years which left us in a position to regain the senior title. "Winning the under 12 title in 1990 and then going on to appear in the next seven finals was important too in the development of material at the club. Paul O'Donnell, for instance, played in four under 12 finals. "Things haven't always gone to plan for us though and of the team that won the under 12 title in 1990 only two of them are still playing. And of the team of '91, only one player is still around. In the last few years though, fortunately we haven't 'lost' that many players. "We have a professional approach towards coaching all grades at the club. We meet the night before every final and talk things through with the players and we have always had a code of discipline which has stood us in good stead too. "Players respond to good leadership and organisation. We treat everyone the same and we try to improve their sense of self-worth and their confidence. "The coaching staff are all mindful of the lean times not that long ago when we weren't winning anything at either senior or underage level and we don't want to revisit those times. "The club tries to instill in the players the notion that they should have respect for their mentors, the referee, their opponents and even the opposition's mentors. Thankfully there've been very few occasions when we have felt it necessary to discipline one of our players. "We recognise the important role the club has in the community and the club is in the shop window now probably more than it's ever been and we must try and ensure that positive things are always associated with the club. "Winning the senior championship last year was a huge thing for the town. Gaelic Football has never had a higher profile in the town than it does now and it's important that we keep on winning because I believe a winning football club is good for the town in overall terms and good for football in the county too. "The current team has a lot of potential and hopefully it'll continue to do the town and county proud. I feel that the present senior players are quite a long way off being at their peak and the experience of having played in last year's Ulster club championship will stand them in good stead if we manage to make it to that stage again in the coming year. "It would be very pleasant if we could progress in the coming years to the stage where we would be in a position to win the Ulster club title but in some ways I'd nearly prefer if we could manage to keep things on an even keel, achieve a fair measure of consistency by keeping on top of the opposition in Cavan." The Club Officer - Philip Finnegan A member of the last county minor team (1974) to land the provincial title and a long-time model PRO within Cavan GAA circles. Philip is a mine of information on his beloved Gaels and a product of the famed De La Salle school (now St Felins NS) of academic and football excellence. One of the most recognisable of the Gaels' think-tank team over the years, he first came to prominence with the blues when he helped the club win the minor league title in 1971 although the subsequent loss of the under 21 county decider five years later to a star-studded Laragh side still is still a major irritant. "Despite what a lot of people have been saying, it wasn't inevitable that the club was going to win the senior championship again. "Nobody could say for certain that we were going to regain the title because there was never any guarantee that just because the lads were winning a lot of cups at underage level that it was going to carry through to senior. "Having said that, I wouldn't say it came as any great shock to anyone that the club did eventually win the title last year. Our record at underage level over the last ten years especially was so much superior to other clubs that we were always going to be in with a great shout once the team began to mature and gain a certain amount of experience. "There's no great secret why the club has been so successful over the last couple of years. The coaching that's been done up at Terry Coyle Park for the last 20 years has meant that there's been a tremendous number of players who have emerged up through the ranks who've gotten a good grafting in the basic skills of the game and who have been helped to improve as footballers in the years that have followed. "Coaching at the club has improved an awful lot from the early days when the likes of P.J. Carroll and Tony Looney were doing their best with limited resources in the mid-seventies even though there was some good material around the town back then because, for instance, you had De La Salle producing minor teams good enough to win county titles in '67 and '68. "Years ago you had the Oliver Plunketts underage club trying to bring out the best in the young talent that was around but it wasn't just about the Gaels because you had fellas from the Drumalee, Killygarry and Butlersbridge clubs playing as well. "Gaelic football has always been a major issue in the town but the coaching and organisation within the Gaels wasn't always what it should have been but from the early eighties things started to change for the better and the success the club has enjoyed in the last couple of years in particular has been a by-product of the work done since the eighties. "I think the club's senior championship success in 1975 was a big boost to football in the town. It was very timely and playing in that final is probably my best memory from those days. " I remember it was a very young championship-winning team with about half of the side under 21. You had the likes of Gabriel Kelly, Oliver Galligan and Phil Murray on hand though to lend their considerable experience to the team. "Even though the club went onto win the senior championship again in '77 and '78, I don't think those teams did realise their potential and when we reached the '83 final and lost, there was very little material coming on from underage ranks and that's really why the club found the going so hard after that. "The eighties and nineties were frustrating times for the club at senior level. I remember we won a senior championship first round match in 1987 but didn't win another one 'till '95 - that's how weak we had become. "But all the while we were being dumped out of the senior championship at the first round stage, the underage was being well looked after. "Nowadays, the club has never been in a healthier condition. The administration side of things is in good shape, there's great discipline among the players and a lot of willing and able people over the various teams. "I'd be surprised if we don't manage to win the Ulster club title inside the next three years especially if we can keep them together considering that a lot of them are students and away from the town. The current Ballinderry senior team emerged from very strong minor teams they had in '95 and '96 and I'd like to think that the Gaels will be able to achieve at senior level what they managed to do recently." The Seasoned Campaigner - Packie Graham The veteran of the current Gaels senior team and a player who epitomises the fighting spirit within the champions set-up. One of the most underrated defenders on the club front, he leads by example on the field and has been one of the team's most consistent performers over the last couple of years. Cousin of Johnny and Richie Graham and uncle of county star Mickey Graham, the teak-tough wing back had the misfortune of figuring in the Gaels' county final defeats of 1998 and 2000 so the club's blue riband triumph last year was extra special for him. "Winning the senior championship was incredible, an amazing feeling and one I'll never forget although I hope there's a few more days like it to come before I quit playing. "The win over Gowna last year was all the more satisfying because of having lost out the previous year in the final even though nobody expected us to win the title that year. "In a way, I think our defeat in the county final in 2000 helped the team go the distance last year because all the lads were so determined to make up for the disappointment of having lost the final. "I know all the fellas didn't want to experience again the sort of feeling there was in our dressing-room after the county final in 2000. The players were determined not to lose another final. "Last year started off well and just got better and better. I had a feeling that it was going to go well. I felt that the squad was better than it was in 2000, more experienced and with a better balance of youth and experience in the team. "I've been playing senior football for the past ten years and the current squad is definitely the best I've been involved with. "Winning the minor title in 1991 was great but there was a lot expected of that team and nothing really worked out as planned after that win. "For a while after I got my place on the senior team, we struggled and there were a lot of first round championship defeats and I remember we almost got relegated from division one in one particular year. "You tend to appreciate the successful days more when you have gone through the lean times. I can remember the desperate feeling there was in the dressing-room when we lost the county final in '98 to Mullahoran and so that's why I'll never forget what we achieved last year. For me 2001 was third time lucky. "There's a great buzz and a great sense of pride about the club right now and with a bit of luck with injuries the present team has the potential to use the experience we've gained over the last two years to do something at Ulster club level in the next couple of years. "Every team in Cavan is going to want to beat us from now on and it will be very hard for us to defend our senior championship title in the coming year but if we are to get another crack at the Ulster club title, we'll just have to pull out all the stops to get to another county final and win it. "There's unbelievable potential in the club right now and I see no reason why we can't go on and dominate the scene at senior level for another few years. "Everything is going right for the club a the present time and all the people in the town are right behind us. All the coaching that has been done in the club over the years is really paying off in a big way." Young Gun -Fergal Brady The babe of the all-conquering senior championship team and, in 2001, the most decorated as he carved out his own piece of history by collecting six county medals, including last year's senior league souvenir. Has won every medal from under 12 upwards and captained the outstanding Gaels minor team to success in 2001. Fergal is a student of European Business Studies at DCU and is the son of well-known handballer, Maurice Brady, and grandson of Maurice Brady snr who was a bastion of the club during its infancy. "2001 was a fantastic, incredible year for the club. It was all the sweeter because despite winning the 2000 league final against Gowna the critics were still having a go at us and suggesting that we were still a long way being good enough to win the championship. So we didn't lack for motivation last year. "I knew we had the quality to win the championship and Gowna held no fears for us. There was a brilliant spirit in the camp and it was great to win the championship alongside fellas like Enda King and Eamon Reilly that I'd grown up with and played alongside at all grades from under 10 upwards. "A lot of the same lads that I played with in winning the Under 10 national community games final are involved with the senior team and football means everything to us. "I'm delighted for everyone involved in the club, especially all those who have coached me over the years, the Reilly brothers, Finian Farrell, John Fee and Joe O'Connor. I know my mother and father are very proud too of what we've achieved so far. "The best thing about the current squad is that I know we can get even better in the years ahead. I can't see any of the players losing their appetites and although it was disappointing to lose out to Ballinderry in the Ulster club championship I think the experience will really stand to us. "We'll not be taking anything for granted though when the county championship starts up again in the summer because I've no doubt the likes of Gowna and Crosserlough and a couple of other teams will be only too eager to knock us off our perch. But it will take a huge effort by one of them to take the title off us. "The organisation and discipline in the club is such that in the coming season we're all be geared up to build on what we achieved in 2001. "No other club achieved what we did in 2001 at the various grades and that's a record we want to add to in the years ahead. The squad is young enough and hungry enough. The club is riding high just now and we all want to keep the momentum going." Tweet

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