Early successes - the Twenties
Master Cafferkey continued to do tremendous work in the background and around 1919 a junior side “O’Rahilly’s” sprang up under the leadership of Pat O’Hare (Father of Ulster Railway Cup goalkeeper John O’Hare), Dan McCartan and P.F. McCabe (later to become Club Treasurer). Matches at that time were played in Maginn’s field at Bunker’s hill (St Malachy’s Ave/Drive was built in Maginn’s field in the 1960’s). The O’Rahilly’s team contested the Down Junior Championship in 1920 and although beaten in the County final played in Newcastle against Newry side the ‘Young Irelanders’ Castlewellan protested and were awarded the match on a technicality as the Newry team had played an illegal player.
By 1920 the War of Independence at its height. The Black and Tans were terrorising the country and any prominent GAA man was liable to be a suspect. County Down was not spared with many arrests of prominent GAA men. None more so than Castlewellan born John Henry King (mentioned above). In both the 1918 and 1921 general elections he acted as de Valera’s election agent in the constituency, declaring that ‘he was loyal to the Parliamentary Party as long as he believed that they were loyal to Ireland but when they put the interests of the Empire before those of Ireland he transferred his loyalty to Sinn Feinn’. In 1918 also at the request of a number of GAA Clubs in the county, he accepted the office of Chairman of the Down County Committee and held the position during the troubled years of the early 1920s.
Like many advocates of sovereign independence and a united Ireland John Henry King suffered for his political convictions during the War of Independence and the bloody birth pangs of the Northern 6 County state. He was arrested by the British Army in April 1920 and served 3 months imprisonment until he benefited from a general release following a hunger strike. He was again arrested by the new Northern Unionist Government following partition on February 22 1923 and interned in Larne Workhouse along with 500 nationalists from all over the six counties. The spurious reason given for King’s arrest by the RUC is recorded in his internment file at the Public Record Office in Belfast. “This man was one of the pioneers of Sinn Fein in South Down. He has ample means and is believed to have financed several rebel schemes, notably the (IRA) attack on Castlewellan barracks in May 1922”.
King vehemently denied any involvement in the Castlewellan attack and it was believed that a much more likely reason for his internment was his active support for the inclusion of South and East Down in the new Irish Free State under the Boundary Commission provided in the 1921 Treaty. In September 1921 he had led a Down nationalist deputation to the Dail on the issue, and in January 1922, as violence escalated in the North he was in secret contact with Michael Collins on the need “to ensure that these territories (South and East Down) remain in Ireland”. In a personal letter Collins assured him that “if handled properly we can make the Treaty go towards unity” King was released on 6th May 1923 on condition he left the North and in 1925 the Unionist Government let him return on bail. . The leading Down Gael died suddenly at his Newcastle home on 30th September 1942.
In spite of all the unrest shootings and reprisals of the early twenties County and Divisional Boards met regularly and competitions continued. Castlewellan O’Rahilly’s, Newcastle Rangers, Cabra Harps, Leitrim fontenoys and Moneyscalp Emmets played in the mid-Down League then. Despite the wealth of talent which the “Master” kept turning out, however, honours were slow in coming to Castlewellan. A senior team was formed and Castlewellan were now playing in the meadow at Circular Road. The meadow had been leased by the Parish from the Annsley Estate for a nominal sum and was later purchased by the parish, and in the 1970’s the Parish leased the meadow to St Malachy’s GAC and it became Pairc Naomh Mailahoig in 1978.
Hugh McAleenan was most helpful to the ‘Hearts of Down’ GFC as the Castlewellan team was then known and after they moved into the meadow he placed his carpenter’s shop in his yard adjoining the meadow at Newcastle Road at the team’s disposal for changing and also he provided the first Gaelic goalposts. Hugh’s brother Joseph had been President of the County Board in 1916, with Hugh as Secretary and Treasurer. Hugh, who died in 1977, was a life-long GAA enthusiast, and the carpenter’s shop in McAleenan’s yard, was used as changing rooms by Castlewellan teams for generations. Like the professional services that Hugh McAleenan gave so willingly to Club and County there was no charge. The McAleenan tradition continued by his son Patrick, former player, and Club trustee (Hall of Fame) and his grandson John who played for the Club senior team in the 1980s. Incidentally, it was a McAleenan from Castlewellan (great great uncle of Paddy McAleenan) along with the McCartans of Leitrim that founded the famous Laitroim Fontenoys.
Also in 1920 the Hearts of Down GFC held the first annual Athletic Sports on Sunday 13th June 1920. The annual sports day became an integral part of GAA life in Castlewellan for the next 50 years often run in partnership with the parish. It became an important fundraiser for the Club and the Parish and became an event looked forward to each year by the entire community with many happy memories of the sports day and the keenly competed seven–a-side football that followed in the evening. Gaelic football was now thriving in the town in spite of the prevailing political situation and curfews introduced by the new Unionist Government at Stormont. Football was been played at schoolboy, junior, and senior level but despite the wealth of talent which Master Cafferkey kept turning out from the Primary school, honours were slow in coming to the town and it was not until 1924 that the Club won their first County Senior football Championship beating Mayobridge in the final at Hilltown. Some of the players in that final were Jim Doherty, Pat McEvoy, Joe Toner, Jimmy McAnearney, Mick Lambe and Fr. Cullen. Joe Toner, uncle of Pat Rice, who brought the first All-lreland Senior Championship to the Club, was a County hurler and footballer. He was also a noted soccer player with Arsenal, and gained many international honours as an inside forward.
Mayobridge's best player was "Briny" McCartan, father of James and Dan (of Down 60’s fame) and grandfather of James (of Down 90s fame). During the game he was struck by a free kick from Pat McEvoy and had to retire. Pat McEvoy had returned to Ireland from Scotland where he had played for Glasgow Celtic. The year 1927 was also a good year on the football scene, as Castlewellan won the East division S.F.C. but lost to South Division champions Kilcoo in the final. However as with previous teams, for some reason, the Castlewellan team again dropped out of the GAA scene the following year.
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