By Eugene Kyne

AS we continue on our voyage to what will be a look back at the 1967 League final the week before the players from the victorious New York team are honored at Gaelic Park on May 13, this week we get two distinct views from men standing at each end of the field on those faithful days at the Mecca, May 14 and 21, 1967.

Seamus Nugent lined out at center half back for New York, and standing tall in the far goal was legendary keeper Johnny Geraghty of Galway. I had an opportunity to speak to both this week, and the memories and stories they told had a multitude of effect. They stirred the passions and watered the appetite for more.

Another defensive specialist with Kenny Finn, Peter Nolan captain Peter Maguire (a fellow Kildare native), Sonny Kenna and Dermot Finn, Nugent stood in the middle of a magnificent unit. And like so many of his teammates, he had done it for his home county as well.

His club in Ireland was Ballyteague, Co. Kildare, and he was of course noticed plying his trade by the county and played minor for two years, 1959 and 1960, for the Lilywhites. He graduated to the senior team, a team which had won a Leinster title in 1956, and contested the League final in 1958 where they were beaten by neighbors Dublin 3-13 to 3-8.

When Nugent joined the panel his teammates were the aforementioned Maguire and New York teammate Paddy Cummins. Cummins preceded Nugent to New York, and when the grass was growing under his feet in Ireland it was his old teammate who said give the Big Apple a try instead of London.

When he arrived in New York he was welcomed into the Kilkenny club. “Noel Moran was a great help to everyone and good to all. He was the godfather, and was a great friend,” Nugent recalls.

“Offaly and Kilkenny were the best teams at the time and we had great battles, but it was always about the football. I arrived in New York on Good Friday and was playing within days. I remember thinking about going for a ball in my first game, and Jimmy Halpin came flying in and plucked it from the sky!”

Reflecting on the win over Galway, Nugent said, “We were going out to win both games. We were not accepting anything less. Peter Nolan would encourage you and drive you forward, and Jimmy Foley was a great leader. We had characters also, Sonny Kenna and Brendan Tumolty, they were great lads to have as teammates.”

Nugent said that Galway may not have suited the park, but New York played to their strengths.

Nugent went on to play for Sligo in New York and still calls Yonkers home. He has lived there for the last 30 years.

As the game unfolded it certainly came as no surprise that New York could play at that level. One man who was ranked at the top for eight years, Johnny Geraghty, might have expected something, but to be beaten seven times in two games was unheard of for him!

The Galway perspective on the proceedings certainly needs to be looked at. It was the three in a row team, All-Ireland champions in 1964, 1965 and 1966, and League champs in 1965.

Geraghty had this to say when he was first told what the phone call from America was in relation to. “O Jaysus!” The memories came flowing back for the generous and obliging school and physical education teacher from Kilkerran in the north of Galway.

The history of the team was laid out in perspective first. Seven of the players had won minor All-Ireland medals in 1960; they also had six players from the victorious St. Jarlaths team from the same year. They included Enda Colleran, Noel Tierney, Seamus Leydon and Christy Tyrell, players who were used to only one thing winning. They beat Kerry in the All-Ireland finals of 1964 and ‘65, of course the Kingdom is the barometer that all are held against.

“Our biggest rivals were Mayo in Conn-aught and Kerry when we crossed the Shannon. We had eight school teachers on the team, the summers suited us,” said Geraghty.

“When my club won the county title in 1964 and 1965, Enda Colleran was made captain of the county team. We played for Mountbellew/

Moylough which was a combination team from three junior clubs.

“We had a fantastic squad with John Dunne as manager and Frankie Stockwell as trainer. I was in America twice, in 1965 against New York and 1967. It was Dublin to the power of 100, an amazing city. We came here to win the league title. That was the purpose of our trip.”

When the conversation continued about the game, a fact was stated by Geraghty that covered his whole career. He maintained the hardest he was ever hit on the field of play was against New York when Tommy Furlong made his acquaintance. The goal scorer from Offaly had turned aggressor!

“New York were up for the game, they were hungry and won it fair and square,” he recalls. “When we returned to Ireland it was badly accepted in Galway. A week later Mayo ran the legs of us and we were out of the championship as well.”

Geraghty went on to play for Galway for another four years and was adjudged by many including Martin Furlong (the former Offaly keeper, four time all-star and Tommy’s brother) to have been retired to early by Galway.

Geraghty stands in the upper echelons in rankings in the GAA. He presently lives in Oranmore and this year is the coach for Athenrys under-10s. It stays in your blood.