125 years of terrific memories

On Saturday evening last at Croke Park, in terrific style, the Gaelic Athletic Association celebrated 125 magnificent years of existence, with a spectacular celebration worthy of Ireland"s 'theatre of dreams'.The celebrations took place either side of a wonderful National Football League Division 1 encounter between Dublin and Tyrone, which epitomised everything good which the GAA has stood for over the past century and a quarter.Not only has our national sport a remarkable stadium to be proud of - and one of the best in Europe - but it"s also packed full of generations of people willing to give up their time, voluntarily, to support, play or officiate at football and hurling matches.Westmeath has enjoyed good fortune from its involvement in GAA since the first ball was kicked, allegedly in a game between outfits from Delvin and Kinnegad in 1888.The county"s first major GAA success came in 1905, when it picked up a Leinster junior football title. This was followed by one of Westmeath"s greatest successes to date - victory in the All-Ireland Junior Football final in 1929, followed by a similar feat in hurling in 1936.But it was the 1990s which saw the beginning of the current era, and the emergence of players such as Des Dolan, Rory O"Connell, John Keane and Michael Ennis.Who can forget the day our Minor team won the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship crown at Croke Park in 1995, or the day when our Under 21 panellists captured the same title for their grade in 1999.The mastermind behind the new generation of young Westmeath footballers, Luke Dempsey, then went on to steer Westmeath to its first senior league title in 2001, before taking his charges to the All-Ireland SFC quarter final in the same year. Who can forget those trips to the qualifier matches? Damien Healy"s late point against Mayo, or the anticipation every time Ger Heavin got the ball?Another league victory followed in 2003, and of course, the following year brought the Páidí Ó Sé era, and Westmeath"s greatest GAA success to date: victory in the Leinster SFC final against Laois. Whether you"re life and soul was GAA, or you only enjoyed a fleeting interest in our national sports, people were united in pride at the fact that they were from Westmeath, and those who witnessed the scenes in Croke Park on that fateful July day will have memories to cherish forever.Tomás Ó Flatharta"s reign as manager has seen Westmeath consolidate its position as one of the top teams in the country, and the football All-Stars just keep coming: the county has now claimed five in the past eight seasons (Rory O"Connell, John Keane (twice), Des Dolan and Gary Connaughton).It would be remiss of us not to credit Westmeath"s senior hurlers, who have enjoyed similar success over the past few years. After a memorable run in the 1980s - which included an All-Star for Ringtown man, David Kilcoyne - the county won the inaugural Christy Ring Cup in 2005 under Seamus Qualter"s charge, before claiming the national title again in 2007. They were narrowly defeated in the Ring final last year, while league and Kehoe Cup success has also run in parallel.At club level in recent years, Westmeath has also enjoyed unprecedented success, with teams such as Ballinagore (football), Clonkill and St. Oliver Plunkett"s (hurling) revelling in provincial and national glory. Off the field, our handball and Scór reputation is second to none.If you look at the pattern, Westmeath GAA has clearly experienced a revolution in the past ten years, and while this is undoubtedly due to the hard work and diligence of officials at club, county and national level, it"s also down to the passion of the supporters, and the dedication of players, who give up their time and resources to an amateur sport.As the Gaelic Athletic Association marks 125 years in existence, the Westmeath Examiner salutes those who have given us so much memories to cherish over the decades, from the most low-key kickabout in a local school, to the grandstand of Croke Park. Long may it continue!