Posted by murrisk on November 29, 2000 at 18:26:24:
Several years ago I was in a small indian community in northcentral Canada waiting for the weather to clear so I could fly back to camp
which was about 250 miles back in the bush (=forest). The black fly, horse fly and moose fly were swarming as they do in the bush 24 hours
a day, and I was killing time watching TV on satellite feed when I locked into a match between Mayo and Galway at McHale Park.
It might have been a Connaught final. Suddenly, there was a public announcement in a strong Castlebar accent: "will Johhny Mulvey
please come to the front gate". The years and the miles fell away and I was back in McHale Park for footbal games between
the Emmets, Pearses etc., and for the compulsary(?) St. Gerald's exercise period on Wednesday afternoons. Brother Paul was the
organiser I remember. We usually played on the upper pitch - McGoughs, Mongeys, Hobans, Murphys, McHales, Rogers, McCormacks
Flannerys, Killeens, Kennys, Walshes, Kearneys, McGowans and many, many more. The changing rooms were an open cold unfinished concrete
structure between the two pitches. We did not have our own jerseys. The jerseys were kept in two big bags and you had to rummage
hard to find your fit. Of course they were only washed occasionally so they smelled pretty strongly of various peoples' body odours.
After the game, the ganseys went back into the bags until the next week or unless they were required for a local team game. New
or at least clean ganseys were available for the bigger games such as the Colleran Cup. There were no showers in the concrete bunker.
You used the gansey to wipe off and then you hoofed it home, or rode a bicycle if you were lucky. There were always the artfull
dodgers who could somehow avoid the football period. Many of these could be found in the courthouse on a Wednesday afternoon
observing the local court proceedings and often participating by making faces and grimacing at the judge and the solicitors. I distinctly
remember being part of a group led by a fellow from Main Street that was ejected from the court on one such Wednesday afternoon.
Of course I choose to remember the occassion as him leading me astray !!