Twenty years ago today, on 28 September 2003, we won our first All-Ireland Senior Football title.
Fiche bliain ó shin inniu ar 28 Meán Fómhair 2003 a bhain muid Craobh Peile na hÉireann don chéad uair nuair a bhuail muid Ard Mhacha 0-12 go 0-9 i gcluiche crua i ndiaidh fheachtas ocht gcluiche thar thréimhse 19 seachtaine, ag tosú ar 24 Bealtaine.
That hard-fought 0-12 to 0-9 win over reigning Champions Armagh came after an eight-game campaign that stretched over 19 weeks, starting on 24 May. Over those 19 weeks we beat Derry, Antrim, Down, Fermanagh and Kerry. It took replays to get the better of Derry and Down, after surviving by the skin of our teeth in both the drawn games.
A tragedy close to the Derry camp completely deflated their team for that replay whilst the radical shift of Cormac McAnallen to full-back transformed Tyrone for our Ulster Final replay with Down.
Ó sin ar aghaidh bhí cuma sheaimpíní ar Thír Eoghain. From there on Tyrone looked and played like Champions.
The All-Ireland Final was intense and often cagey, but overall Tyrone were deserving winners, having led by 0-8 to 0-4 at half-time. The game had many talking points: the first all-Ulster Final, Peter Canavan and Brian McGuigan both going off and coming back on, Diarmaid Marsden’s sending-off, and Conor Gormley’s heroic block from soon-to-be-announced Footballer of the Year Stevie McDonnell.
Is iad seo deantóirí staire Thír Eoghain 20 bliain ó shin. Tyrone’s history-makers 20 years ago were: John Devine, Ciaran Gourley, Cormac McAnallen, Ryan McMenamin, Conor Gormley, Gavin Devlin, Philip Jordan, Kevin Hughes, Sean Cavanagh, Brian Dooher, Brian McGuigan, Gerard Cavlan, Enda McGinley, Peter Canavan, Owen Mulligan, Stephen O’Neill, Colin Holmes, Chris Lawn, Pascal McConnell, Dermot Carlin, Mark Harte, Paul Horisk, Peter Loughran, Seamus Mulgrew, Declan McCrossan, Mickey McGee, Cormac McGinley, Frank McGuigan, Brian Robinson, Mickey Coleman, Ryan Mellon.
Bainistíocht / Management: Mickey Harte | Fr Gerard McAleer | Paddy Tally
For the record, Wexford’s Brian White was the Final Referee and Kerry’s Sean Kelly presented the Sam Maguire Cup to our Captain, Peter Canavan. Peter was the Championship’s top scorer with 1-48 and seven of our team were selected as 2003 All-Stars.
Agus Cuimhnigh Air Seo Chomh Maith | And Remember This Too!
Deich mbliana ón lá inniu ar 28 Meán Fómhair 2013, go d’aonturas ar an dáta céanna is bhain muid Craobh Peile na hÉireann, d’oscail muid go hoifigiúil Ionad CLG Thír Eoghain i nGarbhachaidh. Ten years ago today, 28 September 2013, and very deliberately marking the tenth anniversary of that first Senior All-Ireland, we officially opened our County GAA Centre at Garvaghey.
That journey had started five years earlier and to date has delivered, to plan, on time and within budget, an £8m 43-acre Gaelic games, culture and heritage complex that we believe still stands unequalled anywhere else.
Over those ten years Garvaghey has seen around half-a-million users come through its gates and has helped us win, among much else, 10 major Ulster and four major All-Ireland titles.
To cap it all, earlier this month the last of its capital debt, which had peaked at around £2.5m, was paid off. Again, on time and to budget. Ní ba luaithe sa mhí seo a d’íoc muid an píosa deireanach den chostas £2.5m a bhí air.
Our Garvaghey project Chair was Liam Nelis and our chief County Officers who oversaw its delivery were Pat Darcy, Ciaran McLaughlin, Michael Harvey, Damian Quinn, Raymond McKeown and Dominic McCaughey.
But underpinning it all have been that stellar community of people, the Gaels of Tyrone. Mar dhúshraith ar an mhórobair is ar an mhórdhul chun cinn seo tá Gaeil Thír Eoghain.
‘Thóg muid é, agus tháinig siad | We have built it, and they have come.’
By Rory Cox Thu 28th Sep
