Skye Camanachd – Newry, Ireland (1994) | |
21 November 2012 Skye Camanachd visited Newry in 1994 at the invitation of Mourne District Council and the following is an anonymous account of the Islanders tour, composed shortly after they returned home. “An epic bus journey to Glasgow, followed by a short flight, saw Skye’s shinty ambassadors’ step off the plane at Dublin Airport into a throng of Irish football fans. Ireland had just qualified for the second round of the 1994 World Cup and the airport was filled with those returning and some making their way out for the second round. Although obviously impressed with our kilts and Peter Beaton’s piping, the reason for the visit seemed unimportant to the Irish as long as we enjoyed ourselves. Burdened by this onerous task, we set out to fulfil their wishes with the wise old heads and young Lotharios setting out to see the sights and sounds of Dublin. “Seventeen pints of Guinness please.” It is with justifiable reason that the Irish have a reputation for their hospitality and friendliness, even the police ask if you are enjoying yourself. It is also worthy of note that it was during our first night in Dublin that we were joined by the great Irish songwriter and raconteur Finbar Grant. Looking remarkably like our own Ewen “Yogi” Grant, Finbar decided to join our tour for the duration. Being mainly a night person, he added much to our social events after Yogi had gone to bed. Funny thing was, you never saw them together. Friday morning dawned amid a flood of ice cream and lucozade but morale was high as we stepped upon our bus. Destination NEWRY, Northern Ireland. This was our first encounter with Tom the bus driver who was to chauffeur us around night and day until our return to Dublin on Sunday. His dedication to this task was indeed impressive and nothing was too much trouble. He was so laid back, it’s a wonder he didn’t fall over. Skye Camanachd had been invited by Newry and Mourne District Council to take part in a three cornered tournament to celebrate the 850th anniversary of Newry Abbey. The other two teams were Newry Olympic Hockey Club and Newry Shamrocks Hurley Club. Our first game was on Friday evening against the hockey club at their new £300,000 complex, comprising a clubhouse and artificial pitch. These facilities gave an immediate insight to the strength of the club, and this was to be demonstrated on the field. Playing to compromise rules, both teams settled quickly but we had discovered too late that special footwear was required on the heavily sanded surface. An entertaining first half saw the teams turn round with the scores at 3-3. This however was the turning point with both teams swapping sticks. The Skye team did not adjust to the shorter hockey stick while the hockey players, using a shorter grip, relished the relative freedom of the caman. The final whistle saw the score at 6-3 in Newry’s favour. After the match, it was back to the task of enjoying ourselves with the barbequed steaks and more “black stuff”. Speeches were made and songs were sung but the highlight of the night was the first appearance of the John “Slippy” Finlayson Highland Dancing Formation Team. Believe me, they were impressive! Saturday morning at the Downshire Arms Hotel, Hilltown and it looks like the flight from Glasgow to Dublin has finally taken its toll; we’ve all got JETLAG. It is not a pleasant experience and I won’t bore you with the details but it is very similar to a hangover. However, we repair to breakfast and, having eaten 50% of the meat and dairy produce of Co. Down, we are collected by Tom and his bus for a tour of Mourne. Pam, from the District Council, acts as our tour guide for the day and gives us constant information and anecdotes about all the places we couldn’t see for the sea mist. We then stopped at Warrenpoint for lunch where again the Irish did us proud. They did however try to tempt us with some wine but our steely resolve saw us through this frightening moment and we swore to maintain our abstinence till after the hurley match. So having eaten half a bullock and a bag of potatoes each, we returned to our hotel to contemplate the game that evening. Newry Shamrocks play at the impressive Pairc an Iuir, a huge green sward with surrounding terracing and stand. The Social Club attached boasts a playing membership of 500. These take part in hurling, gaelic football and athletics. The hurlers, having already beaten the hockey club, were obviously looking forward to the challenge and certainly showed no reservations or nerves prior to the game. The Skye changing room however was only too aware that this game counted for most. Anyone from Skye watching this game could only have been proud of the way the Skye team performed as they dominated the early exchanges , allowing the hurlers little of the play. Within 20 minutes, Skye were two goals ahead, both scored with casual ease by Ally “Digg” MacDonald. By this time the hurlers were rattled and early banter turned to cries of exasperation from the sidelines. In the closing minutes, Slippy Finlayson cut loose down the right wing and sent number three past the Newry keeper and that was the score at half time. The restart showed new aggression from the Shamrocks, who were as happy as turkeys opening the last window of their advent calendar. They had found at half-time the conviction to conquer their early fear of the Skye caman. These had caused some apprehension in the first half, especially in the hands of Murdo Morrison, Ewen MacKinnon and Donji MacLeod, who, in particular, was having a strong game in the midfield. Newry then scored, with more than a hint of offside, but the goal judge later admitted that he closed both eyes, “Just to make the game more interesting”. Such is the charm of the Irish is that we actually believed him, all except the aggrieved Donnie Martin. Newry then scored again to draw even closer until a brilliant score from John MacRae. A neat through ball from Robbie Gordon saw John alone in front of goal. He cunningly lured the keeper off his line, dummied his shot three times, before dropping to his knees and scooping the ball over the advancing keeper into the net. All the North goalies would do well to take note; we may well see this move again! With the score finishing 4-2, a jubilant Skye team had shown their hosts a terrific display of shinty. Retiring to the Clubhouse, we resigned ourselves to more of this “enjoying yourselves” lark. Donnie Martin gave half a dozen speeches in English and broken-Gaelic, Slippy’s dance troupe again showed their style. Stuart Jackson’s version of the Galway Shawl had the rafters ringing and Murdo Morrison won the worst singer contest. Newry Shamrocks showed us the same courtesy and hospitality as everyone before them and the band played until they could play no more. Sunday morning and the frightening realisation that you can actually get jet lag twice from the one short flight. Acres of dead meat and eggs for breakfast and then back to pack our bags. It was very gratifying to see so many people turn up for our departure to Dublin. The hurley and hockey clubs were well represented as was the District Council, all now firm friends and genuinely sad to see us go; the feeling was mutual. The hospitality and generosity we received was breath-taking, the concern for our well-being was genuine as was their determination that – yes, you’ve guessed it – we enjoy ourselves. Goodness knows how we would ever be able to repay them for all that we received if these teams come to Skye. A slow return to Dublin and another sad farewell to Tom and his bus, which must surely now be in the transport museum in Newry. The sights of Dublin were taken at a more leisurely pace with the flight firmly fixed in our minds and the risk, once again, of jet lag. It is fair to say that everyone was impressed by the organisation and hospitality lavished on us by all at Newry and Mourne District Council for their kind invitation which made the whole trip possible.”
Footnote It is not known who penned this amusing tale but it was someone who knew when to use a semi-colon when writing which narrows it down a bit! |