GAA president among the 300 in attendance

Eamonn Gaffney CORNAFEAN GFC are celebrating their centenary this year and among the events was a centenary dinner in Hotel Kilmore on Thursday night last, with special guest GAA president Nicky Brennan in attendance. The dinner was a culmination of the celebration of a number of events includinga Sports Day and the victory of Ciaran Briody"s team in the Patsy Gumley Memorial Cup. Later in the evening the present Cornafean team played the junior championship winning side of 2000. P. J. McGlade, Club Chairman introduced the various guests as well as a DVD entitled 'A Glimpse of Cornafean 1908-2008'. Nicky Brennan urged more young people to get involved in the GAA as well as players who have come to the end of their playing careers to take up roles of responsibilities within clubs. Oliver Callan (comedian) provided entertainment on the night with impressions of George Bush, Bertie Ahern and Eamonn Dunphy among others. People with Cornafean connections from far and wide attended the function among them Nonie MacSeain, daughter of Pol McSeain, one of the founder members of the club. Other former greats such as Josie McCahill, Pat Joe Brady, P. J. Brady, P. J. Masterson and Bernard Harten. On Saturday night there was a centenary Scor concert featuring county, provincial and All-Ireland Scor winners in MacSeain"s. The Cornafean club was founded in 1908 and among the prime movers was the late Pol MacSeain, who, shortly after leaving Killeshandra came to reside in Cornafean, gathered together at Faranseer Lane where members of the old Cornafean Tom Mooneys and Killeshandra Leaguers for what was the inaugural meeting of the club. The new club promptly entered the senior championship winning it for the first time the following year, 1909. They have won the senior championship title twenty times, the last time was in 1956. The first chairman of the club was the late Peter O"Reilly, Pottle, Kildallan, and later of the Abbey Bar, Cavan. Pol McSeain was the club"s first secretary. He subsequently served on Cavan County Board as a club representative, and was secretary of the Co Board at a time when his father, the late J. P. Johnson, was chairman. Pol MacSeain was sunsequently elected Chairman of Cavan County Board and was also a member of the first Breffni Park committee and a trustee of Croke Park. After the club"s first senior title success in 1909, they retained it the following year and came back with a string of four in a row (1912-15) and after a lapse of three years won the title again 1918 and 1920. Seven years elapsed before the Reds came back to win the senior title twice in succession (1928,"29) and from 1932-34 they had a run of three successive wins. They were defeated in 1935 but regained it the following year and remained on top at county level to and including 1940 -a record run of five championship titles in a row, since equalled and surpassed by Crosserlough who set up the record of seven in a row from 1966-1972. It is of interest to note that at one time the official GAA records did not credit Cornafean with the 1937 title. In that year, apparently, the championship proper was unfinished and the league winners were declared the champions. However Cornafean claimed the title of that year and to back up their claim they point to the fact that the inscription on the medals presented to the successful players in 1938 refers to the championships of both 1937 and "38. Following their 1940 success, Cornafean were out of the honours list for two years, but won back the title in 1943 and the club"s twentieth and last senior championship success was recorded in 1956. There were two successes in the junior football championship in 1914 and 1927 while their only minor title came in 1960. With regard to league honours Cornafean won the senior title eight times 1928-31,1933-34 and 1936-37. Famous players The parish provided Cavan with many famous players among them two of the 1927 All-Ireland junior championship winning side, Frank Fitzpatrick and P. J. O"Reilly. The 1938 Cavan minor team which had retained the All-Ireland title included four club members, Des Benson, Fr Peter Paul Galligan, Seamus Maguire and a former club chairman Peader Doyle. Big Tom O"Reilly, Willie Young, Packie Devlin, Packie Phair and Mick Dinneny, all members of All-Ireland winning senior teams in 1933 and 1935. Those five Cornafean players shared the 1933 All-Ireland senior title when defeating Galway, the first of five to come to the county. Incidentally, the late Packie Devlin who had been on the 33 and 35 victorious Cavan teams, subsequently joined Cornafean and helped them to success in a number of senior championship finals. Others from Cornafean also achieved All-Ireland honours included the late John Joe O"Reilly, who captained the successful All-Ireland teams in 1947, 1948 and 1952 and Des Benson, Cavan"s goalkeeper on 1948 team. The 1952 Sam Maguire Cup team included Seamus Morris and Liam and Fr Dessie Maguire. One of the remarkable features of the club down through the years was the number of brothers who played together in the team, among them; Joe and Paddy Gilronan, Benny and John O"Reilly; Tom and Dick McClean; Sean and P. McCormack; Willie, John (Rev), Bob and Tom Young; Benny, Phil and Paddy Reilly; Pat and Tommy Flood; John Joe and Paddy Reilly; Frank and Paddy Maguire; Michael P and Packie Joe Reilly; John and Michael (Rev) McKeown; Ned and Packie Reilly (Drumcrow); Phil and Eddy Reilly and Luke and John Kilkenny, Later on came Paddy and Jack Martin, Pat and Benny Phair; Francie and John McKiernan; Mick and Packie Dinneny; Jimmy and Mickey Comiskey; John, Phil, Pierce and Kevin O"Reilly; Tom (Big Tom), John Joe, Brian (Rev) and Michael Reilly; Benny and Francis Reilly; Tom, Phil and Eddie Reilly. Tom and Peader McSeain; J. P. and Andy (Rev) Deignan; P. J. and Sean Masterson, Mal, Tom and Phil Sheridan; Seamus and Sean Smith and Tom, Peader and Dermot MacSeain. One of the most remarkable stories of the Cornafean era was regarding the late Packy Masterson. From Bruise, Lossett, he first lined out for the club in 1912 when teams consisted of 17 aside and played for some 16 years, his last at county level in the 1928 Ulster final. he served on the county team for fourteen consecutive years 1913-1928. A key forward he was a prolific scorer. He was the club"s representative on the Co Board and was also a prominent referee. The first Cornafean team to win the senior title was in 1937. The last senior title was achieved in 1956. Park opened in 1964 When Pairc Naoimh Fionnan was officially opened on Sunday 7th June 1964 Cavan played Galway that day, the Connacht champions heading for a hattrick of All-Ireland senior titles. The team included John Bosco McDermott,Tommy Sands, Mattie McDonagh, Frank Eivers and John Keenan. The teams were; Cavan -P. J. Gorman; Gabriel Kelly, P. J. McCaffrey, Tony Morris; Donal O"Grady, Tom Maguire, Jim McDonnell; Ray Carolan, Peter Pritchard; Brian Kennedy (Kingscourt), Jimmy Stafford, Charlie Gallagher; Mattie Cahill, Joe Flaherty and Tony Nulty. Subs were, Tom Lynch, Seamus McMahon, Brian Sherlock and Mick Duggan. Galway -Joe Geraghty; P. Folan, K. O"Connor, J. Glavey; P. Ryan, M. Coen, John Bosco McDermott; S. Glynn, Tommy Sands; G. Prendergast, Mattie McDonagh, N. Nolan; Brian Geraghty, Frank Eivers, John Keenan. Subs. T. Farrell and M. Reynolds.