1990 Tom McCann
Tom McCann a Castlewellan man born and bred lived for most of his life in Castlewellan’s Main Street was the son of a prominent local Publican and farmer (many business people in the town during the first half of the last centuary would also have been part-time farmers). When the young Tom went off to St Malachy’s college in Belfast his football talent earned him a place on the college team in the McGrory Cup in his first year at the college. He was later spotted by the Antrim minor selectors and donned the Saffron jersey in the Ulster Minor Championship. Tom also played minor football for a Belfast club where he won his first championship medal.
It is worth recording here that McCann’s Pub in the centre on Castlewellan’s Main Street was a town landmark and local institution for generations. It was a very popular town bar with all local sportsmen soccer and Gaelic as well the many racing punters of Castlewellan. The Pub was later taken over by Tom’s brother Hugh (Rhubarb) and renamed the ‘Grove Bar and Lounge’ when Hugh renovated the premises in the early sixties. Apparently Hugh named the bar the ‘Grove’, after the local tradesmen that carried out the work as they all hailed from the Newcastle Road’s Burren Grove housing estate, and not as many had believed because of the town’s tree lined squares. When Hugh retired in the mid 70’s the popular town bar was run by Mickey and Sam Brannigan for a number of years. In the mid 1980’s it was run for a number of years by Brendan O’Rourke before being taken over by Seamus Hendry and finally by Brendan Gallagher, before the premises were purchased by another local man Gerry King in the 1990s. Sadly however the famous McCann’s pub was never reopened and eventually fell into disrepair before the licence was finally sold.
After Tom finished his education and married, he and his wife opened a chemist shop on the opposite side of the town’s Main Street around about the 1930’s where they worked their business and raised their family for the next fifty years or so. After Tom and his wife retired the family business was taken over by Tom’s eldest son Aidian. After leaving college Tom played senior football for the town club and will always be remembered as one of the best strikers of a dead ball that Castlewellan every produced. He was a member of the successful town team in the mid 30’s winning senior football championship medals for the ‘Town’ in 1934 and 1936.
In 1937 the town Club broke up for a few years, and the players went to surrounding clubs. Some of them including Tom joined Bryansford for a while and helped our neighbours to four successive County Championships 1939-42. These players included Tom McCann, Tommy, Paddy, and Jim Steele, Pat Rodgers, John King, and Tommy Hannity. Thus Tom McCann is the holder of 6 SFC medals, 2 with the town, and 4 with Bryansford. The players gradually returned to the town after the club reformed in 1940, and although the town team reached two SFC finals during the forties, this was the only decade in the twentieth century that the town did not win at least one SFC.
During the late thirties and early forties however Tom’s football skills were recognised further afield. He was a member of the 1940 Down Senior team which were the first Down team to reach an Ulster Senior Final. to 1.04.
Tom was a regular on all Down senior team selections for about 10 years, and he has the distinction to be the first Castlewellan and Down man to wear the Ulster jersey in the Railway cup campaign of 1943 and the first to win a Railway Cup medal. Tom was a sub on the 1943 winning team.
But it was the 1936 SFC against Mayobridge in St Patrick’s Park Newcastle that Tom played such a crucial role and ensured that his name will always be remembered for such in the Castlewellan Club. Before this SFC both Clubs were the holders of two titles each, the Bridge in 1916 and 1919, and the town in 1924 and 1934. The game ended in a controversial draw, and in the replay the town beat the Bridge 1-4 to 0-3. This must have put the blinks on the Bridge as they never won a SFC afterwards until 1999 while the town went on to win further titles in 1956, 1958, 1965, 1979, 1982, 1994, and 1995. Perhaps if Tom hadn’t converted the controversial ‘50’ that earned the town a replay, history may have taken a different course.
In the first game, which was refereed by Jimmy Murtagh from the Glenn club, Mayobridge led by two points at half time. After Castlewellan had drawn level in the second half the Bridge again went two points ahead but with time running out Castlewellan had drawn to within one score of their opponents. The last seconds of the game were sensational. Just on time Castlewellan were awarded a ‘fifty’. The referee told the kicker Tom McCann that time was up and the game would be over when the ball landed – in other words he must score direct from the kick to earn his side a replay. Tom who was an experienced defender for club and county stepped up to the ball, steadied himself and drove the ball high over the posts. Was it a point or wasn’t it? These were the days before enclosed grounds and as soon as the ball was kicked the crowds came on to the field and converged on the diminutive referee who could not get near to his umpires to confirm the score. Reports at the time tell us that the referee walked like the Pied Piper from the pitch to the Donard Hotel, (presumably the referee had togged out there). At no time did he give any indication as to what the final score might be. He had only one answer to the assembled crowd. "I’ll give my report to the County Board". That report stated that after he had consulted with both umpires the result of the game was a draw – Mayobridge 1-03 Castlewellan 0-06.
As so often happens the replay never reached the same standard, the game was played in a downpour and neither side were able to master the conditions. Time was running out and the Bridge was trailing. They did mount a late rally which produced two fifties but they were not as productive as Tom McCann’s had been in the drawn game and when the final whistle sounded the score read Castlewellan 1-04 Mayobridge 0-03. It would be sixty-five years before the town and the Bridge would meet again in a SFC. on Sunday 16th September 2001, once again in St Patrick’s Park Newcastle. However Castlewellan were to earn no replay in this final. Although the town team put up a spirited performance and took the lead briefly in the second half, it was the ‘Bridge favourites that went on to win the 2001 final 0-15 to 1-9.
When his playing career came to an end, Tom served with distinction on numerous club committees for a number of years. For the remainder of his life he retained a great interest in the fortunes and afairs of the Town club, and always a willing sponsor of any club events, a tradition carried on by his son Aidian when he took over the family business after his parent’s retirement. When Pairc Naomh Maolmhoig was officially opened in 1978 Tom proudly took part in the club celebrations and willingly took on the task of gateman for the opening game between Kerry and Down.
Both Tom’s sons Aidian and Tom Og played Gaelic football for the club during the sixties and seventies and Aidian like his father played with a Belfast club also where he too won a minor Championship medal. The McCann name is very much alive in the town club in the new millennium with the third generation of McCann boys (grandsons of Tom) also playing for the town.
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