New York fancy their chances of winning first ever Connacht SFC game as Leitrim visit the Big Apple

New York and Leitrim kickoff the Connacht Championship at Gaelic Park on Saturday at 6pm with hundreds of Green & Gold fans expected to make the trip across the Irish sea.

Though the Big Apple Boys have been involved in Connacht for nearly a quarter of a century, they have never won a game. However they have come very close a few times. In 2016, Roscommon escaped with a one point victory, but the outcome could have been very different had a New York player’s blistering shot gone under the bar rather than over in the dying moments of the game with Roscommon’s defence well beaten. 

Of the four times the Yanks and Leitrim have met, the game went to extra time twice while the other time it was a lop-sided affair, 4-19 to 0-7 in 2013, with Emlyn Mulligan clocking a whopping 3-7 and Paddy Maguire was also on the team ten years ago. 

Leitrim take over the Big Apple with events planned for New York

Five years ago, it ended Leitrim 0-15 New York 1-12 before Leitrim prevailed 1-15 to 0-19 after extra time. Leitrim’s top scorer was Keith Beirne (0-7) and Donal Wrynn was captain. New York’s most impressive player was former Armagh star Jamie Clarke and former Mayo player Tom Cunniffe was the captain. 

Judging from Leitrim’s recent lineouts, there are about ten players on the current panel, while the only survivor New York has from five years ago, is Paddy Boyle, a defender and a Down native, who also happens to be married to a granddaughter of Christy Creamer, a former great Leitrim player from the 40s and 50s.

There’s a belief in the Big Apple that New York’s long losing streak could end this year. Though New York lost to Sligo last year by four points, manager Johnny McGeeney felt that New York could have won it, noting that they dominated play for long periods but failed to capitalise on their opportunities.

The New York manager remarked that his side had no luck after hitting the woodwork three times but finished on a positive note, exclaiming that “next year will be our year”.

Frank Brady pictured with Brian Gordon in Gaelic Park

Of course, Leitrim are New York’s opponents this year and by any objective analysis, Leitrim would be regarded as the weakest team in Connacht. New York would view them as very manageable opponents, especially given recent outcomes. 

There’s also another incentive from the way the scheduling has revolved. New York play Leitrim and Sligo plays London with the winners of these games playing each other. So assuming you got over the first hurdle, you could conceivably end up in a Connacht final without encountering any of the big three, namely Mayo, Galway or Roscommon. 

Things have been going very well for New York. They have been training three times a week since December, and a session hasn’t been cancelled as this has been one of the mildest winters on record. In addition McGeeney and his backroom team have a very large and committed panel, there were no holdouts as occasionally in the past some players weren’t interested in putting in a big effort just for one game, especially when it was against one of the stronger teams.

This is reported to be one of the fittest, skillful and most experienced teams to represent New York in a very long time. That assessment is based on the fact that all the players from last year have stayed involved, plus the panel has been reinforced by a cadre of recent transfers to the Big Apple, some with considerable county experience. 

On last year’s team were Mickey Cunningham (Down), Alan Campbell (Tipperary), Johnny Glynn (Galway), Niall Madine (Down), Adrian Varley (Galway), Mark Ellis (Cork), Adam Loughlin-Stones (Westmeath), Killian Butler (London) and Dan O’Sullivan (Kildare). In addition, the team also featured some very talented American-born players such as the Brosnan brothers - Mikey and Shane, the Mathers brothers - Tiernan and Conor, and the captain Jamie Boyle.

Understrength Leitrim almost defy the odds but fall to late Galway blitz

LEITRIM 0-6 GALWAY 2-9

Among the recent arrivals are the Kerry duo Gavin O’Reilly (Kerins O’Rahilly), a half-forward, and Robert Wharton (Renard), a defender, both players with a number of outing with the Kerry seniors. Also after joining the squad is Tipp’s dual player, Bill Maher(Moyle Rovers), a vastly talented player with Munster medals at every level. 

Galway’s tigerish defender, Eoghan Kerin (Annaghdown) is also in town, and perhaps he’s best known for the misfortunate tackle on Mayo’s Tom Parsons. Shane Bolger, a tough-tackling Laois defender will also be vying for a spot on this evolving team.

The most high profile player joining the Yanks is Shane Carthy, a Dub, who has a collection of top level silverware at every grade with the metropolitan team. So when you add the new recruits to last year’s squad, New York appears to have a very formidable squad, at least on paper. 

Of course the big drawback is that they have never played a competitive game together, and the question may also be posed whether some of the recent recruits are past their sell by date. 

In contrast Leitrim have just played seven games in the league, winning four and losing three. Plus the team has had a stable core of players for several years. So that’s a major plus by comparison to the untested Yank’s assembled team.

Back at the ranch, I wandered over to a training session at Gaelic Park last week to survey the scene and get an update on proceedings. Well the repo man, the tax man or a disowned relative would have been more cordially received. I’d have been safer taking pictures in Moscow’s Red Square than in Gaelic Park in the Bronx. Apparently I was perceived as a Leitrim spy rather than a reporter. 

Of course I’m a Leitrim man, and I was involved with Leitrim football in the 70s. My main claim to fame was being a sub on the team that beat Mayo in ’76, and was still a sub in ’77 for the infamous defeat to London. Then it was off to New York for a career break.

Since then I have been involved in the Big Apple GAA scene in many different roles, ranging from player, coach, referee, manager, trainer, selector and reporter. I was New York’s first manager when they became part of Connacht in 1999. Four years later, I was a selector and trainer when New York played Leitrim in 2003. 

Indeed I didn’t endear myself to too many of the Leitrim supporters that year by consorting with the enemy. Seamus Clarke, Leitrim’s current sponsor, nearly wanted me ostracised from the Leitrim community for being involved with the opposition. 

Of course we quickly reconciled after Leitrim won a bruising battle, and Seamus made sure that I was seated beside Leitrim’s All-Star Seamus Quinn at the after-game dinner. In that game, big Kenny O’Connor, aka Big Bird, and the Mighty Quinn, took early showers. 

A few weeks later back in Leitrim on holidays I didn’t have sanctuary from the venom of some in the local church. One chap followed me into the pew, and began admonishing me in some very unparliamentary language, stating “you were the so and so that was trying to bate us in New York”.

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Leitrim are generally regarded as having great support and that certainly is the case when it’s calculated as a percentage of the overall county’s population. However some of my Kerry friends counter that the Kingdom has greater support, but then admit that many of them just wait for the big games. 

The reality is that all Leitrim’s games are deemed big, and Saturday’s certainly is. I have been getting frequent calls from family, friends and acquaintances about tickets and lodgings over the last few months.

Word is that there’s a massive exodus of Leitrim supporters heading this way. Spare rooms, attics, basements along with bunk beds and pullout couches will be pressed into service to accommodate the Leitrim rush. A few years ago, a journalist from the Irish Independent, labelled the juxtaposition of Katonah Avenue in the Bronx and McLean Avenue in Yonkers as Little Leitrim by virtue of its many Leitrim inhabitants. 

I’m sure the area will exude plenty of Leitrim’s culture over the next week, especially in the many Leitrim-affiliated hostelries, bar and restaurants. So here’s hoping that Andy Moran and his Leitrim troops win the big battle against the Big Apple brigade, and then we can relax and enjoy ourselves in Rory Dolan’s after the game.