COLUMN: Cold case delivers a crock of nostalgic gold

CHECKING the contents of an old suitcase last week revealed some priceless pieces of memorabilia.

The term priceless is applied in a broad sense as the monetary value is not certain and doesn't really count in this instance, the value is in the rarity of the items and the history attached to them.

First things first.

The credit for collecting this treasure trove of nostalgia has to go to my late father, Des Collier.

He was involved in Meath GAA, but also played hurling for Sligo in the 1940s as he worked there into the late 1950s.

He was a man who had an big interest in sport, Gaelic football and hurling, but also soccer and horseracing and he also had a passion for golf and badminton. He was involved in the development of the current Royal Tara Golf Club.

He was good in the administration and publicity departments from the 1940s right through to his untimely passing at the age of 58 in 1979.

As you can imagine, finding the 'old suitcase' was a really pleasant surprise and it promptly put a stop to what had been the initial task, clearing out an attic.

What exactly did I find?

The match programme from the historic 1949 All-Ireland SFC final at Croke Park on Sunday 25th September - Meath v Cavan.

There was also a copy of the teamsheet, it wasn't a match programme, for the All-Ireland semi-final of 1949 - Meath v Mayo - there was also the unofficial version.

The unofficial versions of match programmes were always sold outside Croke Park and the 'official' version was always on sale inside the ground. That semi-final was on Sunday 14th August 1949.

Next up was the match programme from the 1951 All-Ireland SFC final at Croke Park on Sunday 23rd September - Meath v Mayo- the last time Mayo won an All-Ireland SFC final.

Then there was the 1952 All-Ireland SFC final replay on Sunday 12th October - Meath v Cavan.

The match programme from the drawn game was not there, but there was a teamsheet from the semi-final of that year between Meath and Roscommon on Sunday 3rd August 1952.

Other GAA productions discovered included a Leinster MHC and Leinster SHC double-header at Cusack Park, Mullingar on Sunday 3rd May 1953 between Meath and Westmeath.

The Leinster SHC on Sunday 20th June 1954 at Croke Park between Meath and Dublin and the Leinster SFC game a month later between Meath and Offaly as well as the curtainraiser for that game, the Leinster MFC between Meath and Dublin.

There was the 1954 All-Ireland SFC semi-final between Meath and Cavan.

Finally, there was something completely different, in a geographic sense, a programme for a National League Group Final between Kerry and Sligo.

At that time, the NFL was divided into smaller regional groups, similar to the forthcoming 2021 NFL.

THE PROGRAMMES DISPLAYED

MEATH V CAVAN - 1949

The first win in an All-Ireland SFC final and one of the great days in Meath GAA history as the Royal County defeated Cavan by 1-10 to 1-6.

Some 79,460 spectators packed Croke Park to watch Meath, seeking their first All-Ireland, against defending champions Cavan, who were going for three-in-a-row.

Gate receipts amounted to £7,057, the highest recorded at Croke Park up to that final.

Meath's victory made amends for the defeat by Kerry in the 1939 decider.

MEATH V MAYO - 1951

Mayo won by 2-8 to 0-9 although the build up to the decider was complicated for the Royal County due to vaccinations for the trip to the USA for the NFL final.

This was Mayo’s second successive All-Ireland title and they haven't won another one since.

The legend has it that a priest became incensed when the Mayo team bus passed by a funeral without showing due respect as they celebrated their All-Ireland win.

The priest supposedly put a curse on Mayo?

SLIGO V KERRY - 1948

The game was played in April at the Showgrounds, now the home of League of Ireland side Sligo Rovers.

Kerry advanced to the NFL home semi-finals with a 3-7 to 2-4 victory with a team that included goalkeeper Dan O'Keeffe who had played against Meath in the 1939 All-Ireland final.

Sligo included Sean Fallon, who later went on to play for Celtic. Fallon scored two early goals for Sligo but Kerry won by 3-7 to 2-4 in front of a crowd of around 7,000.

Sligo GAA Co Board complained that a charge of 10 Guineas for the use of the ground was too high.