The Kilcar man who captained Donegal’s last MacRory finalists - St Eunan's 1961

The gap of 64 years since the last Donegal school to contest a MacRory Cup final is striking.

So much water has passed under the bridge since Kilcar’s Ian Hegarty led St Eunan’s College out against St Pat’s of Cavan in Irvinestown in 1961. 

It didn’t end well for the Letterkenny side but there were mitigating factors. The college had reached the final in 1959 but then didn’t even enter in 1960 before returning to the competition in 1961. 

Speaking this week, then-captain Ian Hegarty was full of praise for manager, Michael Cullen. “Without him, it wouldn’t have happened.” 

St Eunan’s had reached the final in 1956 with former Fianna Fáil Tanaiste and Cavan man John Wilson as manager. Wilson was  in charge in ‘57 and ‘58 and again in ‘59 when they reached their second final, but transferred from the school in 1960 

It was then that Michael Cullen arrived and Hegarty felt that if they had had a team in 1960 they would have been much better prepared for the 1961 campaign. 

"Listen, Michael Cullen was great to take it on that year. Only for him, he was a manager and trainer on his own. He was from Kilmacrennan. 

"It was his first year in the school. They had been beaten in the final in 1959 but then didn't enter in 1960. If John Wilson (who had been manager from 1956 to 1959) had entered a team in 1960, it would have been a great experience for a lot of those players. 

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"Everybody wondered why there was no team entered in the competition in 1960. 

"They were in the final in 1956 and were unlucky to lose by a point (to St Macartans of Monaghan). Sean Ferriter was in goals for that particular team," says Hegarty, who said he couldn't praise Michael Cullen enough. 

"He was a former pupil and he had come back to St Eunan's. It was his first post. They would have won the MacLarnon later on in 1968 with Michael Cullen still involved as manager.” 

Hegarty’s memories of the year are of having no home games. "We were supposed to have St Pat's, Cavan at home and either Abbey or Colmans. They were all taken half-way. 

"Our first game was up in Armagh (against St Pat's, Armagh). We played Armagh, Colman's, and Abbey, both in Omagh. We played St Macartans in Monaghan and St Pat's, Cavan in Irvinestown. 

"It was on a single league basis that year. That was all the teams that had entered. When we played St Pat's, Cavan in the league in Irvinestown, we were leading by four points with five minutes to go and they got two goals and beat us by a point. 

"We got through because St Pat's, Armagh beat Cavan then and then we beat Armagh in the semi-final.” 

One of the big factors in the final was the performance of Ray Carolan for St Pat's, Cavan, a player who would go on to win Ulster and Railway Cup medals. 

Of the panel, most were boarders with Charlie Kavanagh, Alfie Ladley, Tony McDevitt, Dan McMenamin, and James Harvey day boys. They trained once a day under Cullen. 

Going through the picture of the team Hegarty can rhyme out where each was from. Mick McLaughlin and Jim Quigley from Inishowen would go on to play county football, as would Tony McDevitt and John Dan McMenamin. 

“Most of them played soccer and there was very little Gaelic in Inishowen at the time.” 

Two of the panel went on to become priests,  Fr Brendan McBride (now in California) and Fr Francie McAteer, now PP in Glencolmcille.  

Charlie Kavanagh went on to become Donegal Co secretary and is father of All-Ireland winner Rory Kavanagh. 

For Ian Hegarty, who went on to win a Junior Championship with Kilcar and manage their senior team to a groundbreaking senior championship in 1980, the contrast from that period is not lost on him. 

He has been at the forefront of the GAA in Kilcar throughout his life and has witnessed so many changes.

“There are so many more teams involved in the MacRory Cup now and it is great to see two Donegal teams involved this year. It would be nice to see the Cup coming back to Donegal Town.” 

64 years ago - MacRory Cup Final 

A bleak, wet, and wintry St. Molaise Park, Irvinestown was the setting for the 1961 MacRory Cup final. It was played on Sunday, March 12, and marked the last occasion on which a Donegal school contested the final.

St Eunan’s Letterkenny found themselves facing St. Patrick's College, Cavan, regular finalists over the years and a side that had been beaten in the previous year’s final.  

It was not an occasion for good football. The ball was wet and the pitch was slippery, so it was not easy to play good football. This often led to over-enthusiastic tackling which resulted in too many fouls, making it a not very attractive game for the large attendance.  

The Cavan College was the much more experienced side and quickly asserted their superiority. Eunan’s never really produced the teamwork and football sense which had characterised their earlier games in the competition and were not helped by an early goal from Cavan’s corner forward Brian McShinney. 

The score itself was of a strange variety as McShinney’s shot was intended as a centre but the ball bounced in the square and went untouched into the net. 

It took the Donegal side some time to come to terms with this setback aided by the Trojan work of defenders John Dan McMenamin and Alfie Ladley, but every time they showed signs of recovery they were thwarted by the physically stronger Breffni side.  

Their midfield pairing of Charlie Flynn and Ray Carolan formed a devastating partnership and quickly subdued their immediate opponents Mick McLoughlin and Charlie Kavanagh, and this became the foundation of the Breffni side’s victory. 

The winning margin of 1-13 to 0-5 saw St. Patrick’s gain their first title since 1955. 

The Cavan scorers were: T. Sheridan (0-5), B. McShinney (1-1), B. Boylan (0-3), B. Kennedy (0-2) and P. McNamee  (0-2). 

Scorers for St Eunan’s were:  J. Doherty (0-3), N. McGill (0-1) and C. Kavanagh (0-1) 

St. Patrick's, Cavan: C. Toal; T. Young, J. Stafford, P. Pritchard; P. Brady, P. McMenamin, S. Farrelly; C. Flynn, R. Carolan; T. Sheridan, B. Kennedy, B. Boylan; B. McShinney, P McNamee, T. Monaghan. 

St. Eunan’s, Letterkenny:  B Cunningham; J. Blake, J. McMenamin, B. McBride; T. McLaughlin, A. Ladley, I. Hegarty; M. McLaughlin, C.Kavanagh; F. McAteer, T. McDevitt, J. Doherty; J. Patton, J. Harvey, J. Quigley. Sub:  N.McGill for Harvey