All-Ireland final of 1889

The O’Moore county men returned with the Leinster honours won against all the odds. After the celebrations the team broke up and the players made their way home to continue their daily pursuits. Travel it must be remembered was a slow and arduous task in the 1880s and it is quite understandable that the players must have been quite fatigued after the games and the travel. Communications were very poor and the foot messenger was the main means of contact at the time, with the telegraph system still in limited supply.

The intervening week was an exceptionally wet one and this did not assist matters. There was little time to contact the players throughout the county and arrange transport in such a short space of time and, as a consequence, many of the players who had won the honours the previous Sunday were unable to travel. Some players, including Peter Brennan, were still sore from injuries received in the two Leinster games. The Maryboro’ team that played the Tipperary and Munster champions, Bohercrowe, was accordingly, of necessity, an understrength one and ill-equipped for such a big occasion.

The record books show that Bohercrowe won by 3-6 to 0-0 but this statistic does not do justice to the Laois footballers of the day. One correspondent, P.P. Sutton who wrote for Sport had this to say of the game: ‘The match was characterised by too much roughness and viciousness which I do not care to dwell on. As soon as the smallest dispute arose the crowds flocked in on the field causing the game to be suspended on several occasions.’ Another eye-witness wrote: ‘Maryborough played a dashing determined game but in comparison with their opponents they showed a great lack of science, skill and judgement and had a rather weak defence.’

Peter Farrell, who played in the final, recalled that some of the team of the previous Sunday did not turn up, some were injured and many were still sore from their gruelling games at Inchicore. “The new men were able to kick alright but they weren’t able to fight for the ball. With twenty-one aside in those days there wasn’t much room on the field and if you couldn’t give and take hard knocks you were nowhere. There were four Ryans on the Bohercrowe team that day, Joe, William, Ned and Billy and they were all great men.”

The article concluded: “The joyous cheers of jubilation that heralded the remarkable feats on October 13th, 1889, were turned to tears of anguish within the space of seven short days.” On the same programme, Laois hurling champions, Rathdowney, failed to appear and the hurling title was awarded to Dublin champions, C. J. Kickhams. 

This is the team that was listed to play in the final but there were some changes as, from what we see above, Peter Farrell was certainly there and, perhaps, some other changes from the players listed: John Delany (Capt.), John Whelan, Thomas Cushion, Patrick Cushion, Daniel Cushion, T. H. Cushion, Michael Cushion, M. Coleston, T. McDonnell, Thomas Conroy, John Connor, Joseph Dunne, James Fleming, Joseph Walsh, Joseph Tehan, Dan Tehan, Joseph Murphy, Nicholas Maher, Patrick Brady, John Troy, Daniel Drennan.