Sunday 28 September will always be an iconic date in Tyrone GAA history. Today, 22 years ago, we won our first Senior All-Ireland title. And 12 years ago today, on 28 September 2013, we officially opened our County Centre at Garvaghey.
But fifty years ago today, Sunday 28 September 1975, was another big day in our County’s story. That day our Minors played in (but lost) the All-Ireland Minor Final.
The 1970s were a glorious time for Minor football in Tyrone. We won Ulster Minor titles in 1971, 1972, 1973 (also going on to win the All-Ireland), 1975, 1976 and 1978, and added Ulster Vocational Schools titles in 1970 (going on here too to win the All-Ireland), 1974, 1975 and 1976. In the first half of the 1970s Tyrone lost just one Championship match in Ulster, to Antrim in 1974.
In 1975 we won Ulster again with victories over Monaghan (3-11 to 0-8), Armagh (1-11 to 2-4) and Cavan (0-11 to 0-7) and then had a strong 4-8 to 2-6 win over Kildare in the All-Ireland semi-final.
That brought us to a Final meeting with Kerry but it turned out to be a day when our opponents were superior and strolled to a 1-10 to 0-4 win. That Kerry team featured, among others, Jack O’Shea, Sean Walsh, Mick Spillane, Vincent O’Connor and Charlie Nelligan, all of whom went on to feature strongly in Kerry’s ‘Golden Years’, winning 33 All-Ireland Senior medals and 11 All-Stars between them. (Three decades later, 11 of our 1998 winning Minors would go on to win 29 All-Ireland Senior medals and 14 All-Stars between them)
But our 1975 Minors remain a special side for us, just as the 1970s were a special, if very difficult, time.
Our 1975 panel which brought such delight to our County was: | Gerry McCallen (Captain), Fintona | Pete Fox, Carrickmore | Damian O’Hagan, Coalisland | Gerard Corey, Urney | PJ Treanor, Augher | Turlough O’Rourke, Brackaville | Martin McAnenny, Urney | Barney Campbell, Ballygawley | Declan Quinn, Carrickmore | Eamon McCann, Drumragh | Ciaran McGarvey, Aghyaran | Mickey McKay, Urney | Peadar McCallan, Carrickmore | Shay Daly, Augher | Paul Donnelly, Augher | John Joe Campbell, Dromore | Kevin McCabe, Clonoe | Aidan Skelton, Drumquin | Peter Teague, Ardboe | Jimmy McCloughan, Fintona | Frank McMahon, Dromore | Sean Donnelly, Trillick | Paddy Devlin, Coalisland |
By Gerard Sun 28th Sep
