Fascinating chat tonight with a first cousin of my motherâs. Sean Casey, a member of Patrickswellâs first county title winning team of 1965. A native of Faha townland, midway between Patrickswell & Clarina, Sean moved to Croagh parish with his parents in the mid 60s, so Iâve often talked hurling with him, but not on the scale of tonight. We spent a good two hours talking nothing but the âWell. I should have jotted it down or recorded what he said, Iâm forgetting half of it now I know.
The Well was only formed in 1943. Before that, anyone in the parish would have played with either Ballybrown or Breska Rovers (not to be confused with soccer team of same name). Tom Ryanâs father Willie (a native of Clonoulty, Co Tipperary) was one of three men credited with forming the club in 1943. It folded in â45, before being reformed in 1947. You had lads from Ballybrown, Croom, Fedamore, Manister and Crecora all lining out for the Well in the first two decades of its existence.
Lord Harrington, Limerickâs only member of the British Royal Family, lived at Greenmount Stud (present day racecourse) in the late 40s, and offered to purchase and donate the site of Patrickswellâs first hurling pitch. Many of his employees were members of the club. This offer was rejected by the clubâs committee, who stated âweâll take no money from any English Lordâ. Then again, Patrickswell has always been a Republican stronghold. As an aside, Lord Harrington died in 2009 in at his home in Ballingarry.
The construction of Marian Park, the villageâs first housing estate in the 1950s, was basically the making of the club. The club won its first City title in â49, first Juvenile honour in â54 and its maiden Junior County title in â57. 9 of that side were on the 1965 senior county winning team. Families that moved into Patrickswell in the 50s included the Foleys from Ballybrown and the Careys from Mungret. The Bennisâs came from Dromcollogher - Sean Casey maintains the Bennisâs were tough because they came from a family of blacksmiths, and âblacksmiths are hardyâ.
The fact that the village of Patrickswell by the end of the 50s had three pubs, while Clarina had none, also influenced people from the Ballybrown side of the parish to socialise in the Well, and soon enough you had families moving into the village too from the other end of the parish.
Sean mentioned that the original colours worn by the Well were green and gold. That changed to light blue and gold in the early 60s, before settling at royal blue and gold in the 70s. As was the same at the time for every club, they had only one set of heavy cotton jerseys, which Sean says were washed âmaybe once a monthâ, so the smell of sweat off them was something desperate.
He mentioned a couple of the current Well side; Diarmuid Byrnes gets his hurling from his motherâs side - she is a sister of Seanie OâGorman of Milford who won All Ireland with Cork in 1990. (Think he was full back?) Described Diarmuid as the cleanest striker of a ball Limerick has ever produced.
Thereâs good hurling pedigree on both sides of Aaron Gillaneâs family, his paternal gran-aunt Carrie Gillane was one of Limerickâs greatest ever camogie players, she played for county in the 50s & 60s. On his motherâs sides, his grandparents are Hartes of Kildimo and Sean described them as very stylish hurlers in the 50s.
Sean Casey will be 82 this year, he is the last living member of Patrickswellâs first juvenile county title team of 1954. His generation is the last that can actually tell a proper story. He goes to every Patrickswell game still, and every Croagh/Kilfinny game too for good measure to support his adopted parish. There is nothing this man doesnât know about Limerick hurling from the 40s to present day. He told me a good one about a junior match between the Well and Kildimo in the mid 50s, a massive brawl broke out. He was watching it from behind the fence as a 13 or 14 year old - the first and last time he feared for his safety and the safety of others at a match. Said there was lads getting split open with hurleys and there was blood everywhere. Game was abandoned and the Well won the replay.
Pictured below is the Well team that won its first senior title in â65. Sean is front row, third from the left. His brother Jerry (RIP), is front row, second from the right.
