Tommy Fitzgerald

This interview with Tommy was first published in our club history book C’mon The Town in 2015.

What were your first memories of Portlaoise GAA?

It's a funny one really. It's the infamous row between Portlaoise and Camross in the 1989 county final. I was five/six years old at the time and I was sitting in the old stand in O'Moore Park. I don't remember anything of the game! Apart from that, my earliest memories are the mini-leagues or street leagues that were played during the summer months.

Early Heroes?

Like a lot of young Portlaoise boys at the time, my hero was John Taylor. I remember John Costello, Sean Mullins, Mick Reynolds and a few more good men taking us down to Kilkenny to play James Stephens before a Laois v Wexford game in Nowlan Park. I can still recall all us 8/9 year olds chanting Taylor's name en masse.

Niall Rigney, Cyril Duggan and the Bergins were big names at the time and also ones that we all looked up to. I just missed out on the golden era of the football team of the 80s but we all grew up on stories of how good that team was, especially names like "Curly" Prendergast, Atch Whelan and the Brownes.

Unsung heroes?

Too many to mention. These people make a club. They do the unseen work, the unglamorous but necessary work to keep the club ticking over. I remember especially people like Sean Mullins, John Costello, Joe Daly, Joe Phelan Snr, Mick Reynolds and many others who ran a very successful juvenile section at the time. The work they started led to Portlaoise winning senior championships years later.

Best players down through the years?

I can only recall teams of the early '90s onwards so I can't include club legends like Curly, Atch, Pat Critchley, the Bohanes, the Brownes etc. Over the years when I've been playing senior and the years in between, we've been blessed with some outstanding players in both codes. In football we've had Tom Conroy, Ian Fitzgerald, Wooly, Bruno, Cahir Healy, Kevin Fitz, Mickey Nolan and so many more exceptional players and servants to the club. In hurling we had Taylor, Niall Rigney, Paul and Liam Bergin, Cyril Duggan, Joe Phelan, Cahir Healy and many more.

Characters?

Some good ones! I'll just list a few and I'll let you fill in the gaps yourselves. Jimmy Wrest, Brochan Reilly, Teddy Fennelly Junior, Wooly, Malachy McNulty, Stapo Brown, Eoin 'Stu' Browne.

Funny memories?

Paul 'Walla' Brown's speech in the dressing room before the 2002 Junior 'B' county football final. There wasn't one mention of football or the game in his speech. It was comedy gold. The match video shows the Portlaoise lads entering the field in fits of laughter. Portlaoise won the match comfortably after!

Memories of Underage.

Too many to mention. I was fortunate enough to play in county finals in both codes the whole way up from u12 to u21, winning the majority of them. The Minor Hurling final we won in 2001 is a particularly fond memory. John Taylor managed us that year and unfortunately we haven't won a minor since. I was captain for the football final a week later when we were hottest of favourites. We were awful on the day and were turned over by a Crettyard/Ballinakill combo.

Biggest influences?

It's very hard to identify any one individual, as I came under the influence of many excellent coaches, managers, selectors and players. Tommy Conroy had a big influence on me on the football field. He was captain in 2002 when I first came on to the panel and he was then manager in 2004 when we went all the way to Croke Park on St. Patricks Day. He's very intelligent and thorough, and he instilled a lot of confidence in me.

Highlight of club career.

It was probably the day I won my one and only senior hurling medal in 2004. Castletown were going for a record 6 in-a-row and they'd beaten us in the final the previous year. I never saw a Portlaoise team as focussed or as well prepared as that day and we ended up convincing winners. It was a special feeling after the final whistle went and my only regret is that I never got to experience that emotion on the field with a Portlaoise hurling team since.

We went on to complete the double the following week when we beat Emo in the football final. Beating Crossmaglen Rangers in the All-Ireland semi-final the following February was a great day also, especially considering their status in club football. There was a huge Portlaoise/Laois following in Parnell Park that day and I think they all enjoyed it!

Biggest disappointment?

There have been a few too many disappointments unfortunately. Obviously losing three senior hurling finals on the trot between 2007 and 2009 is especially disappointing. I was captain for two of those, and the 2008 final in particular still hurts. Considering we were short a few key players, we actually hurled very well on the day. Unfortunately the referee decided to play an extra minute or two and a Rathdowney/Errill free won it with the last puck of the game. In total, I've lost five senior hurling finals, which is hugely disappointing.

In football, St. Patrick's Day 2005 is a day I'll never forget for the wrong reasons. We were on a high after blitzing everyone in Leinster and squeezing past Crossmaglen in the semi-final. However, we failed to turn up on the day and we never reached the same heights as previous days. To play so poorly and to lose by a single point was sickening. I was quite poor myself on the day and it still hurts looking back on it.

What would your aspirations be for the club in 20 years time?

I hope to see the club realising its full potential, both on and off the field. I'd love to see Portlaoise GAA club being the club of choice for parents and the children of Portlaoise, a club which proactively recruits and retains new members and instils a love of our games and our club in them. At the moment I feel we're underachieving in that regard. Unfortunately, where we were once the number one choice for parents and children of the town, we seem to be playing second fiddle of late to other sports.

We have a product, ethos and tradition that other clubs would die for. However, we need to be more proactive in attracting new members. Our senior wins over the years in both codes were built on the foundations laid by winning countless juvenile titles. In recent years, that conveyer belt has dried up and we are not producing the same volume of quality players we once did. The fact that we have not won a minor hurling final since 2001 is an indictment of the complacency or neglect of juvenile structures in recent times, especially in hurling. But the U21 win in 2015 and the minors beaten in the final in a replay must give us hope for the hurling.

In 20 years time, I'd love to see greater numbers of juveniles playing our games, with the correct structures and supports in place to develop and nurture their talents. I'd love to see a culture of volunteerism, where former and current players, supporters and administrators give their time, energy and talents freely. I'd love to see a club that the people of Portlaoise are proud to be associated with and they come in large numbers to support The Town on and off the field. Finally, I'd love to see our senior teams being in a position to challenge for Leinster Finals in hurling and football on a regular basis.