Storm Ciarán may have been in the air, but that didn’t stop Ardoyne Kickhams showing their true colours as they gathered in Holy Cross Church on Sunday for 10am Mass to mark the start of their President’s Day celebrations.
We were honoured to be joined by our Club President, Alex Trainor and his family circle who had been at the bedside of their brother Anthony, fighting against a serious illness. Gaels in Antrim and beyond will be well aware of the contribution of the Trainor family to football and camogie in this county for many years.
Members gathered in Holy Cross to remember the giants of our club who have gone before us and on whose shoulders the current generation of Ardoyne gaels proudly stand. This was a moving reminder of the place of our club within the parish community.
This relationship goes back to the foundation of the club in 1907, named after the patriot, poet and journalist, Charles J. Kickham. As preparation for their entry into the 1908 South Antrim Football league, the club arranged a challenge game against Leitrim Fontennoy’s from Castlewellan Co. Down, and on Christmas Day 1907, Ardoyne travelled by train to Castlewellan to play the match – and won by a point!
In the middle of January 1908 an approach was made to the Rector of Holy Cross, Fr. Hubert C.P. requesting and receiving the use of the recreation room at in the monastery as a clubroom. Fr Hubert became Hon President of the club, and was a founding member of the Ardoyne camogie club in 1909. In acknowledgement of this special relationship between the Kickhams and the parish of Holy Cross, Ardoyne adapted the black and white colours of the Passionist habit as their team colours.
Following Mass, members stood behind the special commemoration stone in the grounds of the church, put in place on the centenary of our club in 2007, before processing through the streets of the community on our way to Fennell Park for a festival of gaelic games.
The first reminder of the tragedies suffered by this club throughout the course of the Conflict was at the bottom of Brompton Park, as the parade paused to lay a wreath at the memorial of club player Seamus Morris who, at 18 years of age, was murdered at this spot by loyalists in 1988.
Younger members of the club proudly carrying the club flag led the walk from the church through the district were reminded of the rich heritage of this club. Arriving in Fennell Park and in the midst of pouring rain, the U12 ladies teams of Ardoyne and Colin Gaels played their annual challenge match to get the games underway. This was followed by a moving tribute to the Ardoyne U16 football team of 1969.
On the night of 16th August 1969, over 140 homes were burned to the ground in Ardoyne as violence erupted. Just seven days later, the Ardoyne U16 team travelled through the rubble on the road to Casement Park, where they beat St Galls in the final of the South Antrim football championship. This team epitomised the reality of the trauma endured by the Ardoyne community over the many years of conflict. Several young players lost their lives, others were imprisoned, others exiled, but those who remained behind demonstrated a bravery and resilience that enabled the club not only to survive, but to flourish over the years.
Young men like Davy Wasson, captain of the team. Davy was one of the most stylish footballers to ever wear an Ardoyne shirt. He emigrated with a few of his team mates to Australia in 1971. His skill on the field saw him selected to play on an Australian Select team against an Irish All Stars team. Davy had the distinction of marking Christy Ring, and a few seconds after he was revelling in the glory of beating Christy Ring with a fancy swerve, he was brought to the ground from behind and a strong Cork accent muttered in his ear, “You’ll not do that again son!”
Young men like Raymond Mooney a stalwart of the Ardoyne club and Holy Cross parish. Especially devoted to Irish dancing and hurling, Raymond was murdered in August 1986 by loyalists in the grounds of Holy Cross church as he left a parish council meeting.
Young men like Ciaran Murphy, in the prime of his life and one of the real characters of the club at the time, but at 17 years of age abducted and murdered by the Shankill Butchers.
The team list goes on; Mickey McKervey, Pat Murphy, Michael McCallan, Jim Murray, Emmanuel Millar, Brian McCarville, Liam Millar and so many others, gifted footballers and hurlers. Some had careers with Ardoyne cut short, while others went on the keep the black and white flag flying high in the County football and hurling leagues with much success.
Families have been at the heart of our club down through the generations. Families like the Corrs. Liam played on the ‘69 team, a wonderful footballer and brother of Jim, who in 1996 made his debut for Antrim in goals and kept that position for 14 years, winning Ulster medals at every level, an All-Ireland B title in 1978, and went on to become a member of the All Star team that toured America in 1976. Their father Frank, a former club secretary and, at one time, secretary of the South Antrim Board was stopped by Loyalists one night who found hurling sticks in the boot of his car. The gunmen murdered Frank, put him in the boot with his hurls and set the car on fire. The family moved to Limerick in the aftermath.
The greatest tribute of all to these young men and gaels of 1969 is that gaelic games and culture is alive and well in the Ardoyne community.
The health of our gaelic games and culture was celebrated throughout the afternoon as age groups mixed, a few comebacks were made, and some egos were dented with the realisation that what you think you can do in your head is often not matched by the reality when you get out on to the pitch!
Driving wind and rain blew and fell unceasingly throughout the afternoon, but the smiles, the laughter, the fun and the games were a testament to the spirit of this club that lives at the heart of its parish community of Holy cross, Ardoyne.
Ard Eoin abú!
