Graiguecullen is a geographical curiosity. Situated on the western bank of the river Barrow, it has long been a part of Carlow town. However, the river forms a natural boundary between the counties of Carlow and Laois, placing Graiguecullen firmly in the county of Laois. Formerly known as Graigue, the area was renamed in memory of the popular local priest, Fr Hugh Cullen, who died in 1917.
Relations between the neighbouring boroughs haven’t always been cordial, dating back to the 1820s when Carlow town had problems with “ruffians [who] came nightly from Graigue in the Queens County, and having committed outrages, thefts and larcenies, ran away and laughed at those magistrates whose jurisdiction did not extend to them”. But the most infamous dispute between Graiguecullen and Carlow arose over a football match which took place 100 years ago this week.
The 1926 Carlow county football final between Graiguecullen and Milford descended into scenes of violent chaos when spectators invaded the pitch following an incident near the end of the match. The final was never finished and the affair, which had long-lasting repercussions, became known as the Battle of Rathoe.
After 1884, the GAA had struggled to become established in Carlow for political and organisational reasons – and when it eventually did, violence often flared at matches. In 1903, the Graiguecullen GAA club applied to the Carlow GAA board to play their matches in Carlow.
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Ironically, their affiliation was only agreed following the contention that, since the passing of the Local Government Act in 1898, Graiguecullen was actually a part of Carlow.
The Graiguecullen club went from strength to strength and dominated the local football scene of the 1920s, winning five championships in a row from 1921 to 1925. It was small wonder that, sensing little chance of success, only three clubs entered the 1926 Carlow championship.
A short distance south along the Barrow is the townland of Milford. Its GAA club provided the opposition to Graiguecullen in the county finals of 1924 and 1925, losing both. An edgy rivalry had developed between the two clubs, and when they met again in the 1926 final, trouble was brewing.
Because so many clubs decided not to enter the championship, their players in effect became free agents and several elected to play with Milford to try to halt Graiguecullen’s hegemony. Graiguecullen, on the other hand, were hoping to retain the Haughney Cup.
The cup was named after Denis “Buller” Haughney, a Graiguecullen player who was accidentally killed in a football match against the Palatine club in 1922. The cup was first presented to the county football champions in 1925, and the Graiguecullen team were determined to retain possession of the trophy bearing their former colleague’s name.
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Carlow had yet to procure a county grounds venue, so the final was played in Rathoe on a field close to the home of the local parish priest and GAA county board chairman, Fr John Lawler.
Towards the end of the match and with Milford leading by four points, Milford’s Francis “Rexie” McDonnell and Graiguecullen’s John McDarby contested possession of the ball. In the ensuing tussle McDonnell kicked McDarby, injuring him and precipitating the pitch invasion by Graiguecullen supporters.
Violent scenes followed and several people were injured, with one person apparently having his nose badly cut with a knife. Despite the best efforts of Fr Lawler to end the fighting, the intervention of the civic guards was required to escort the Milford team from the pitch.
The trouble didn’t end there though. On the journey home from the match, a member of the Milford team, Thomas Shaw, was hospitalised after he was assaulted by Graiguecullen supporters.
A meeting of the county board was hastily organised, where it was decided to suspend the Graiguecullen club for two years. The decision was appealed to the Leinster Council at a meeting held in September. That meeting was adjourned, and when the meeting reconvened on October 23rd it was chaired by Bob O’Keeffe – who was also a member of the Laois county board.
The decision to suspend Graiguecullen for two years was upheld and Milford, despite being declared winners, were deprived of both the cup and medals.
To prevent the collapse of the Graiguecullen club, O’Keeffe came up with a convenient compromise. He suggested Graiguecullen be allowed to transfer their affiliation from Carlow to the Laois GAA board. This was eventually accepted by both sides and from 1927 Graiguecullen played in the Laois championships.
Carlow lost their strongest club to Laois who, in a short space of time, used it to their advantage, winning three Leinster championships in a row from 1936-1938 and reaching the All-Ireland final in 1936. Several Graiguecullen players were central to that success, including one of the game’s first superstars, Tommy “The Boy Wonder” Murphy.
