Vintage westerner shoots from the hip

For those of a certain vintage and from a particular part of the country the All-Ireland of 1956 evokes fond memories. It had been five years since Cromwell's promised hell had claimed the Sam Maguire Cup and Galway were in the final against Cork.

For this writer there was an even more potent reason to be interested in the outcome. The fact was that a slightly senior school-mate was playing a central role for Galway in the final and two others were in the maroon jerseys as well. The three were Mattie McDonagh, Mick Greally and Jackie Coyle, all of whom attended Summerhill College, Sligo.

In Summerhill, we were envious of the partnership of Sean Purcell and Frank Stockwell, products of the much despised St Jarlath's College, Tuam. We did not, to our credit, hold that against them.

Purcell's talents were such that he became known in some circles as `the Master'. At full back, centre half back, centre forward or anywhere else, he was regarded as the best player in the country.

`The Master', ever modest and co-operative, feels strongly that Galway will be All-Ireland champions again on Sunday evening. "This is the strongest team that Galway have sent out for a long time. I have never believed that there has been anything wrong with Connacht football. In fact it seems to me that football in the province is now stronger than ever. You cannot any longer dismiss Sligo or Leitrim and that has raised the standard in the other three.

"There is very little to choose between the five teams in Connacht at the moment and it took Roscommon two matches to get past Sligo in the semi-final and then it went to a replay between Galway and Roscommon in the final as well.

"That has sharpened Galway and I believe that they will show Kildare a thing or two once the ball is in on Sunday," he says. Insofar as the modern game is concerned, Purcell has some reservations. "I suppose it is like everything else in life, but the fun we got out of the game in my playing days seems to have gone. The training schedules they go through nowadays is horrendous.

"I admire the players and the people who run the teams, but I would be worried about the fact that they do not enjoy it as much as we did. It is certainly a much more competitive atmosphere.

"I believe that this is the best Galway team to take the field for a long time. I was a team selector a few years ago and we could see lads coming through and they have matured into fine players. Younger players have also come through and players like Jarlath Fallon, Tomas Meehan, Tomas Mannion, Derek Savage, Padraig Joyce and Michael Donnellan are as good as any players who ever wore a Galway jersey."

He mentions with nostalgia and admiration the contribution of Kevin Walsh at midfield for Galway. "He reminds me of Frank Eivers in a lot of ways and he has a huge influence on the team, but as I see it, we have a very well-balanced side and they back each other up."

Eivers was a towering influence in midfield in the 1956 team, with the 19-year-old Mattie McDonagh at his side.

"There is no weak link in the Galway side as I see it at the moment," says Purcell, "and if they start well and control matters early on I am genuinely confident that the Sam Maguire Cup will be crossing the Shannon on Monday evening for the first time since 1966," he says. He remembers the scenes which greeted his own team 10 years earlier in 1956 as they brought the cup home.

"We stayed in the Grand Hotel in Malahide on the Sunday night and went home by bus on Monday evening. The crowds were out as soon as we got to Athlone and they built up as we went through Ballinasloe where we were besieged and the welcome for Tom Dillon in Mountbellew was wonderful."