Inside Track: RTE programme digs deep into the memory bank

A local GAA supporter had a complaint about “Hell for Leather: The Story of Gaelic Football,” the first three episodes of which were shown on RTE on successive Mondays: “There’s been no mention of Louth,” he said.

“I was sure there’d be something about the first All-Ireland between us and Limerick.”

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He may get his wish – it’s a five-part series, with the fourth programme going out last night. However, events over the years are not being shown in chronological order – the story goes from era to era in no particular order, well-known figures and others commenting, and clips being shown of events and matches.

It’s been heavy on the Kerry side so far, over a dozen from the Kingdom regularly featuring, players from the recent and distant pass among them.

Sadly, two of the Kerry contingent, Mick O’Dwyer and Micheal Ó Muircheartaigh, are no longer with us; nor is former Dublin Board chairman and county hurler, Jimmy Gray, who figured prominently on the first piece on Dublin.

Jimmy, who reached the wonderful age of 93, gave credence to a story which was related on these pages a few times. He was the one responsible for Kevin Heffernan returning to the county team sideline at the tail-end of 1973, the year in which a Louth team last beat Dublin in the championship.

We said it here that after he had sat in on a selection committee meeting, with the selectors arguing over the height of a certain player whether he was six foot or six foot and a half-inch, Gray decided something had to be done.

That was the story he had for myself and Leslie Toal when we met him one day in the North Star Hotel, across from Connolly Station, a number of years ago.

On the programme, Jimmy embellished it, saying that when a change was needed during the match, the selectors would gather in a huddle to find agreement. Not a bit of wonder something had to be done.

Heffernan, who had been part of the team management in the late 1960s, took up the Gray challenge, and, as they say, followers returned to the fold – or many maybe made their debut – Dublin winning the All-Ireland in Heffo’s first year back and then engaging in one of Gaelic football’s greatest-ever rivalries.

Another mention of Jimmy Gray on these pages relates to an age even further back. It was when I was on the Dundalk CBS team – and that’s not today or yesterday.

Each year we’d be brought to the Railway Cup finals on St Patrick’s Day. There’d be a challenge match with a Dublin school in the morning before we’d head over to Croke Park to see the country’s finest footballers and hurlers in action.

We played Glasnevin CBS one year, and the game was refereed by Jimmy Gray. When we next saw him a few hours later, he was togged out, playing in goals with the Leinster hurlers.

Our Louth complainant didn’t get it right when he said there’d been no mention of this county on the RTE show. There was, and it was in the segment on the Dubs.

With Heffernan back at the helm, Dublin met Wexford in the first round of the 1974 championship, and after winning, played Louth. The quarter-final was in Navan and the Dubs won.

There was a clip of the Páirc Tailteann game on the programme, and it showed Dublin scoring a goal. My Dundalk Gaels colleague, Noel Connolly, wearing the No 1 Louth jersey, couldn’t do anything about it. Well, that’s was he has said over and over again.

You’d have to know it was coming up to be able to spot Noel. The same with the oft-shown piece of Louth supporters heading to the 1950 All-Ireland final, overcoats thrown over their arms and smiles on their faces as the moved with a lot of purpose towards Croker.

On the outside of the group is Vincie McArdle, former publican, Cooley Kickhams and Dundalk Gaels footballer, and grandfather of Kieran McArdle, a member of the current Louth senior squad.

Finally, it was noticeable in the programmes so far how both teams marched in unison of All-Ireland final day, left right, left right, left right. If it was still like that, one of the many features on a big match day would be greatly enhanced.