The easing of the notorious recessions of the 1930's coupled with the curtailment of emigration to the United States heralded a huge up rise in Irish immigration to London. This was reflected in the increased number of GAA clubs in the English capital.  One such club was Garryowen, formed in west London in 1937.  It took its name like many more of that era from an Irish dance hall in Hammersmith established by Sligo man, Johnny Muldoon.  However, before the new club had made its mark in the Irish sporting circle the Second World War broke out.  Young Irishmen quickly dispersed, most returning home but some unfortunate to be enlisted in the British Army.  Thus the Garryowen GAA club ceased to function. 

Even before the war had ended there was a trickle of Gaels back to England to work in the munitions factories and farms.  Once peace had been restored waves of young Irishmen descended on London mainly to work on the buildings, restoring the destruction caused by enemy bombs. 

Garryowen reappeared in 1948 with Vince Golden (Roscommon) at the helm.  He went on to serve as chairman for over 20 years.  The Nicholson brothers and Chris Higgins (Sligo) was another founder member.  Again based in the Hammersmith area and using the famed Wormwood Scrubs for training and friendly games.  However, they did not play in that year's Tipperary Cup competition, concentrating on the junior competitions.  Their first success was in the 1949 junior football league final played in April 1950.  They beat Naomh Mhuire, 2-2 to 0-6 at Dagenham.

Success in the junior championship in 1950 opened the way for participation in the 1951 senior football championship but they were beaten in the first round by St. Patricks.  They had better luck the following year going all the way to the final which was played on March 8, 1953.  However, they were narrowly defeated by Cuchullains, 2-4 to 1-5.  Their panel for the final included Vin Golden, Paddy Quinn, James Joyce, John Glennon, J and V Fitzsimmons, D McGill, H O'Donnell, J Burns, J Scully, W Hynes, J Savage, E O'Neill, P Devers, B O'Reilly, J Vaughan and C Fealy.

The Garryowen star continued to rise and they were back in the final in 1956.  This time they finished winners over Naomh Mhuire.  The senior competitions in London were very keen at the time.  Most clubs had players with senior intercounty experience before they emigrated and there were quite a few players who had represented their province.  However, Garryowen in the main were composed of a solid, tight knit group of club footballers.  From then until the early 1990's they were among the elite teams in London, winning championship, league and Tipperary Cup competitions regularly.

With the Celtic Tiger inspired drop in emigration from the Emerald Isle, Garryowen like many more old established clubs went into decline.  Old officials and supporters disappeared but Sligo man Sean Igoe, Eddy McLoughlin, Stephen O'Malley, Sean Cremney, Robin Gregan (life president), Mick Cunningham, Charlie Doherty, Frank Flanagan and Joe Scally, OBE stayed loyal with the intention of getting Garryowen back among the seniors once more.

The first Garryowen men to feature for London were Vin Golden, C Hazel and M Kenny on a junior selection versus Patrick Moran's, Belfast in 1949.  The following year, P O'Hara and P Lally appeared on London panels.  In 1951 it was V Fitzsimmons and C Hazel.  1952 H O'Donnell and D Leen. The success of 1952 saw Jim Glennon, D McGill, J Scully, Paddy Quinn and J Devers represent London.  Robin Cregan was a member of St. Senan's when he represented London in 1955 - he gave great service to Garryowen later.  James Joyce (Kerry), John "Nobby" Clarke, who went to New York later, and Leo McLaughlin were others to play for London in the late 1950's.

Cavan's Sean Murphy, Tom Crofton, J McHale, Sean Diggins, Tom Dowling, Malachy Nally at full forward and Frank Duignan were all involved with London in the early 1960s. Frank Duignan (Meath) was a very efficient club secretary until leaving the bright lights for the farmlands of his native county.  Malachy Nally reappeared with London as a very successful goalkeeper in the later part of the decade winning four All-Ireland junior medals.  He was joined by Joe Madden, Eamon Glennon, Tony McDonagh, Kevin Kelly, Joe Toner and Stephen O'Sullivan when he transferred from Cuchullains.  Those players played a huge part in the most successful era ever enjoyed by followers of the big ball in London.

Garryowen too had a few intercounty players who continued to declare for their home county, most notably Des McNeill of Antrim and George Geraghty, Roscommon.

The following Garryowen men played for London in the intervening years - Peter Pritchard (Cavan), John Frain, Maurice Whelan, Noel Byrne, Pat Bradley, Jim Colleary, John Crummie, Liam and John Irvine (Laois), Dick Daly from famed Kilmichael, Michael Mullins, Brian McCamley, Denis Murray (Macroom), John Harrington (Beara), Pat Doyle (Kildare), Sean and Paul Igoe.

Jim Colleary who was a regular with Connacht when Galway were in their heyday managed the London senior football team that beat Leitrim in the Connacht senior football championship in 1977, London's only success.

In the senior football championship final in 1972 Garryowen delayed by a year the Kingdom's dominance of London senior football.  Then they were the next to beat the Kingdom in championship football.  That was in 1980 and they went onto shock Parnells in the final.  Sadly that was the last championship win.

Garryowen contributed massively to the GAA in London in the years when competition in all grades of football was extremely competitive.  Most senior clubs would boast a spine that included half a dozen players with senior intercounty experienced.  The Gaels lucky enough to patronise New Eltham in the 1950's and 1960's would have witnessed some massive performances by individual stars.  Those were the days when every player from 2 to 15 was able to field the ball high above their heads and defence splitting solo runs were the order of the day.  In those great days Garryowen survived with the elite.  They had a wonderful chairman in Vince Golden and when he spoke you could hear a pin fall.  During the end of Jim Conway's reign as chairman there was a lot of unrest in Co. Board affairs.  Vincent Golden appeared at one meeting in the Blarney and when the opportunity arose to speak the foundations of the famous dance hall in Tottenham Court Road shook.  "Lock up the gates if you are not going to do it right", was his parting shot.  Vin Golden's only involvement with the administration side of the Co. Board was a selector for a few years.  He had a great lieutenant in Frank Duignan, a great secretary in the days when pen and paper were the only means of contacting members.  Waterford man Frank Ryan was a great treasurer for years.

Discipline was the trademark and when other clubs were guilty of misdeeds which would have done justice to the era of faction fights the Garryowen club played within the rules.  When suspensions ranging from a year to five were the order of the day the names of Garryowen players were conspicuous for their absence from the lists of suspended players.

Milo Crummie, Paddy Quinn, Manus McClafferty, Joe Toner, John Frain and Frank Gallagher took over the reins from Golden and Duignan and maintained the standards inherited from the founders.  But with the decline in Irish immigration the standards of the halcyon days seceded.  John Frain was instrumental in establishing an underage section which was very successful for a number of years but the burden of responsibility took its toll and the trusted officers left the scene one by one.  The biggest loss was the departure of Down native Milo Crummie.  Milo, with current Ulster Council secretary, Danny Murphy and John McPartland was responsible for putting in place the Down GAA under-age structure.  McPartland also created his own very special niche in London GAA circles.  Milo Crummie, now a lecturer in the University of South London, was earmarked at one stage as a future Co. Board chairman but after serving a few terms as Provincial delegate he decided that the politics of the London GAA was not for him.  The GAA were the losers.

Today the burden of leadership is borne by former star, Sean Igoe.  Sean has been involved since the early 1970's winning senior football championships in 1972 and 1980.  His brothers Jerry, Michael and Paul also played with Garryowen, the latter was at centre field in 1980.  Since then Sean has stepped into the breach and kept the flag flying in difficult times.  He has seen them beaten in the finals of 1988, 1989, 1992 and 1998 but his commitment and love of Garryowen has never wilted.  He has a penchant for picking up top players such as Willie Brennan and Liam Irvine (Laois), Noel McCaffrey (Dublin), Plunkett Donaghy (Tyrone) and many others.

This year Sean has stepped back from the coal face believing that an infusion of new blood would help maintain Garryowen's standards as well as restoring former glories.  Eddie McLoughlin (chairman), Damien Phelan (Kilkenny) is team manager with Sean Foody (Sligo) as his assistant.  Noel McLoughlin (Dublin) who combines the roles of selector with that of club treasurer is the rock on which the present Garryowen club is based.  Club insiders say he is irreplaceable.

Declan Ferguson (Tyrone) was instrumental in acquiring valuable sponsorship from Genesis, the family bakers based in Magherafelt.  Other financial backers include Flannery's, O'Keeffe's and Simon Neary, Fiona and Noel McLoughlin and Finbarr Holian (Claddagh Ring), Dermot Clarke chips in with work when the occasion demands it and the popular Longford man, Colm Maloney was instrumental in the acquisition of training facilities in Gladstone Park.  Colm is a former Mayor of Brent and the doyen of the Irish community in the Borough.

Captain Michael Neary of Swinford is employed by AIB at Finchley.  Among the players is Andrew McMunn whose uncle Bob was associated with the Banba Club many years ago.  Visitors to the Kilmacud Crokes All Ireland 7-a-side will remember Bob stewarding there.  He also served as a steward in Croke Park and is the current caretaker at famed Nowlan Park.

Sean Igoe waxes lyrical when recalling the contributions of former members.  He has fond memories of the late Paddy Quinn (Drimoleague) and his wife Patsy.  Paddy like many Corkonians first played for Hibernians/Thomas McCurtains.  The late John Harrington (Beara) and his brother in law, Martin O'Donnell (Limerick); the late Manus McClafferty (Donegal) and his wife Kathleen, the late Denis Barry (Limerick), the late Bartley Murphy (Sligo) and his brothers Cormac, Christy and Barnes (the great Sligo footballer), Hughie Brennan (Mayo and Carlow) he lists among the many great people he rubbed shoulders with in the club.  Not forgetting the late Mary Feehan who organised the Garryowen ladies team.

Maria Brennan, wife of Laois man, Gerry Brennan is the second club member to be recognised for her contribution to the help of the sick.  She was awarded the MBE for a lifetime of service with the terminally ill. 

Sean also recalled the great hospitality of Plunkett and Packy Donaghys' parents when the London and Garryowen teams played in the Moy many years ago.  Their mother was of course the great Irish singer Eileen Donaghy.  Incidentally one of the Donaghy's strayed to Tralee, Ciaran is a star in name and play for Kerry.

Sean was fortunate that his wife Breda, nee Toomey from Castletown near Kilmallock had an enduring interest in the GAA.  She was heavily involved in the Garryowen ladies team and it was she who accompanied Lena Ryan to Dublin when the ladies teams were about to set up a county board in London.  Sean and Breda have passed on their love of Irish games and culture to their off springs.  David was a star under-age player and still dons the famous red jersey.  Sean Og and Maria also take a keen interest in all things Irish.

Sean Igoe deserves help and support because clubs like Garryowen who have made a colossal contribution to the GAA through the organisation in London cannot be allowed to lapse.  Old names caked in nostalgia, great memories and no little history needs to preserved.

"We congratulate Kevin Walsh for managing the Sligo juniors to win the All-Ireland junior football championship and committing to the county for the next two years.

"Any new players visiting London and is interested in joining should visit our website at www.garryowengfc.co.uk or e-mail [email protected]. 

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