Michael Carr gets his Ulster medal - 51 years later

It may sound unbelievable to people of today, but a Kilcar player who played and scored in the Ulster final of 1974 did not get an Ulster medal because the officials in charge at the time felt they could only afford so many medals.

Michael Carr was the player involved and he was in his debut championship season with Donegal. He made his championship debut as a sub against Tyrone in the first round game in Omagh and there was a bit of symmetry to his involvement in the five matches played that year. He started the semi-final against Antrim, was a sub in the drawn Ulster final against Down and then started the replay but was used as a sub again in the All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Galway.

On Friday night last the wrong was righted as Carr was presented with his 1974 medal at an impromptu gathering in Kilcar House in Kilcar.

Indeed, the wrong might never have been sorted only for a chance conversation between Carr and Michael Cunningham, a Kilcar man who was doing some research on past Ulster finals involving Kilcar players.

“I was chatting to Michael Carr a few months ago about the 1974 Ulster final and he said, ‘Do you know, I never got the medal’.

“He said that there was a presentation of medals a few weeks after the Ulster final and he walked up, I think he was only turned 20, and when he went up to get his medal he was told by a Co Board official, no, they’re too expensive and there’s not enough to go around, so you won’t get one.

“When you think about it, it would be like Finnbarr Roarty this year (not getting a medal). It was incredible really,” said Cunningham.

“I don’t think Michael made any big deal about it because I was talking later to his cousin Christy Gillespie and he didn’t know anything about it.

“I just thought to myself, because he would have been the first player from Kilcar to have played in an Ulster final; I know there was a fella called Des Houlihan who played for Kilcar (and Donegal in the 1963 and 1966 Ulster finals) but he wasn’t from Kilcar.

“So I just took it upon myself to see what I could do about it. I got on to Mary Coughlan, who gave me the details of the company in Belfast who make the medals for the Ulster GAA. They said they could do it but they would need a picture of an original medal.

“Finian Ward from Naomh Columba, I got on to him and he was able to send me a picture of his medals, back and front. So they made the replica.

“We did the presentation on Friday night in Kennedy’s in Kilcar. I just thought it was a nice thing to do.

“Michael was very emotional on the night because it was unusual because he is a man who can talk.

“But one of the things he did say was that if there were brothers on a team back then they would only get one medal between them,” said Cunningham, who said that they even got this checked out on the night and found out that the same system must have applied in other counties as the McCartans of Down only got one medal when they won Ulster titles.”

Michael’s cousin, Danny Gillespie, was also on the Donegal panel in 1974 and he did get a medal.

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Cunningham says there has been a long line of players from Kilcar playing in Ulster finals and championship for Donegal since Michael Carr back in 1974. He says the only break was between James McHugh and Michael Hegarty.

“There is an extraordinary fact that since 1974 Kilcar have had more starters in the Donegal team in Ulster finals than any other club in the county.”

Speaking to DonegalLive this week, Michael Carr said he didn’t make any noise about the fact that he didn’t get a medal.

“I just kept it quiet. You would be embarrassed really,” said Michael Carr.

“I was talking to Michael Cunningham about the 1974 final and I just mentioned that I never got the medal. I didn’t realise what he would do afterwards.

“Ah, you know yourself, in those days. It wasn’t much of a presentation. They didn’t make much of an effort that night in Jacksons. It was a very low key affair.

“Danny McMenamin was over with Gerry McKeown. That’s all I can remember from the night.

“I think in those years the GAA had a rule where there were two brothers on a team, only one of them got a medal. It was barbaric really, but that’s the way it was. 

“Some of the things that went on then would be unthinkable now,” says Carr.

Michael Carr went on to win another Ulster medal in 1983 when Donegal defeated Cavan and Carr was man of the match.  He went on to play senior championship for Donegal until 1986 and for his club Kilcar well into the 1990s.

Michael Carr pictured with  his wife Ann and cousins Christy and Justin Gillespie