“There are people who refer to those times as the ‘Lost Years’ [1981 to 1990] because everybody suffered, everybody was a loser. It may be considered as the Lost Years in terms of a lack of competitive football, but if it hadn’t been for that period the club may not have progressed in the way that it did whenever we united.
“If the dispute had not arisen in the club, the same lethargic, easy-come-easy-go attitude might have prevailed. When the club was renamed Errigal Ciaran [in 1990], you had people working hard to make the club successful. We were a focused and determined outfit. Every aspect of club life was taken more seriously and had a big bearing on why the club was successful.” – Peter Canavan, ‘Voices From Croke Park’ 2010
IN the 1970s Cathal McAnenly remembers going to watch the St Ciaran’s, Ballygawley footballers in the club championship with his father.
Back then, St Ciaran’s were underdogs in most years they played but for young McAnenly there was nothing like it.
‘Anybody who’s provided Gaelic Games in the parish of Errigal Ciaran since the club was formed, this is their day’ - Errigal Ciaran’s Cathal McAnenly
‘Mummy used to be spooning the hot dinners into us at eight o’clock in the morning to head to those games’: Ronan McRory relishing Errigal success story
“It was like going on your holidays,” says McAnenly, who was part of the Errigal Ciaran class of ‘93 that won their first-ever club championship.
“We always seemed to get beaten in the championship by Omagh or Dromore.
“People would have said: ‘Ballygawley had no tradition’. I’ve heard people talking in Derry about Glen having no tradition. You make your own tradition.
“In ‘93, when Danny Ball and Anthony Gallagher came in and brought direction to us. We’d a lot of respect for them. That was the spark that ignited everything.”
In 1981, an almighty row erupted over the events of a parish league game between Glencull and Dunmoyle that resulted in two red cards – one for Mickey Harte of Glencull and another for Dunmoyle’s Brendan McCann.
In its wisdom, the parish league was designed to help St Ciaran’s prepare for the start of the Tyrone League. It did the complete opposite, and worse.
Even though it was effectively an in-house game, the St Ciaran’s club dished out suspensions to Harte and McCann ahead of the league.
“The club was suspending their own players over a parish league match!” Canavan explained in the 2010 book ‘Voices From Croke Park’.
The Glencull members refused to accept Harte’s suspension, and everything escalated from there.
Glencull decided they would go their own way and form their own club.
However, out of loyalty to the St Ciaran’s club, the Tyrone County Board refused to officially recognise Glencull.
For nine years no balm could soothe this open wound in Tyrone – until a serious diplomatic push by Fr Sean Hegarty managed to bring the warring factions together.
Peace finally broke out.
In 1990, the newly named Errigal Ciaran GAC was formed.
It was in those ‘Lost Years’, however, a ferocious unity of purpose was fostered in Errigal Ciaran.
McAnenly, though, holds perhaps a more modest view of Errigal’s journey as they sit on the cusp of All-Ireland glory at Croke Park on Sunday.
“I’ve been heavily involved with the club from an early age just like a lot of people,” he says.
“I don’t know if we’re any different to any other parish. Yes, we had that incident in the 80s, the split or whatever you want to call it… Anybody who’s provided Gaelic Games in the parish of Errigal Ciaran since the club was formed, Sunday is their day. It’s also about the future.
“It’s not just the here and now. This is the first time we’ve reached an All-Ireland Club final, so that is a bit of history in itself.”
Since their incarnation in 1990, Errigal have won the Tyrone Senior Football Championship nine times – first reaching the holy grail in ‘93 by beating Moortown by a single point in the decider and going on to be the first Tyrone team to win an Ulster title.
However, Munster kingpins Nemo Rangers, inspired by Colin Corkery, ended Errigal’s All-Ireland dream down in Newbridge - a venue that held much happier memories for the Ulstermen last weekend.
McAnenly continued to keep goal for Errigal throughout the ‘90s before playing his last championship game – a county final defeat to Carrickmore in 2001. His son Darragh now keeps goal.
Errigal though were firmly established as one of the major forces in Tyrone football.
Before Mickey Harte moved on to take the Tyrone seniors, he guided his club to the 2002 county championship and followed that up with another provincial crown.
But, again, it was the might of Nemo who blocked their path to reaching an All-Ireland final.
Played in Portlaoise, Errigal simply couldn’t get to grips with Nemo’s evergreen playmaker Steven O’Brien.
Afterwards, Mickey Harte said: “It was a once in a lifetime to get to an All-Ireland final and we probably came up against one of the best sides ever. We did that in ‘94 and they went on to win the All-Ireland title.”
On St Patrick’s Day the following month Nemo went on to claim another All-Ireland crown at the expense of Crossmolina.
“Steven O’Brien was superb for them,” recalls Peter Canavan, who hit four points in Errigal’s 1-12 to 0-11 defeat.
“We’ve waited a long time to get back to an All-Ireland semi-final, so now that we’ve got over that hurdle, we’re looking forward to the final.”
In 2006, Malachy O’Rourke brought the O’Neill Cup back to Errigal with McAnenly by the Derrylin man’s side as a selector.
Three more county championships were mined after ‘06 with their tally rising to nine. Having won two of the last three, no-one at Errigal feels they’re able to take success for granted.
If the ball had bounced a different way during this season’s incredible run, Errigal mightn’t be facing Dublin and Leinster champions Cuala in Sunday’s All-Ireland final.
“Virtually every game they’ve played has been so tight,” Canavan says.
“Pomeroy in the first championship game in Loughmacrory. Clonoe took us to a replay and could have won it. Errigal have been dogged.
“They’ve been seeing games out. It has taken grit and resilience and they’ve got where they are now and have a chance in this final – that’s all they have.
“You just hope they can play as well as they’ve been playing and get a bit of luck along the way. Any teams that I’ve been involved in that won a championship, you always recall games that you got out of by the skin of your teeth and been fortunate. It’s been no different with us this season.”
Canavan rhymes off five or six key moments in Errigal’s roller-coaster year. Peter Harte’s last gasp point against Killyclogher. Niall Kelly’s goal-line block to deny Clann Eireann.
His son Ruairi’s point against Trillick to win the county title.
Ben McDonnell’s points against St Eunan’s. Peter Og’s beauty against Kilcoo and repeating the dose against Dr Croke’s.
“A lot of these games have been decided by a kick of the ball,” Canavan adds.
“Every single possession was important... When you get to this level every possession counts. Against a team like Cuala, you make mistakes, and they’ll punish you.”
At the back end of September, Kevin Madden’s Clonoe side experienced the fine margins between victory and defeat in the early rounds of Tyrone - a championship, the Antrim man describes, as like no other.
Errigal and Clonoe couldn’t be separated the first day in Dungannon - but six days later Enda McGinley’s men made no mistake in the replay.
“The first day was the one we look back on where we could have won,” Madden says.
“We had momentum and hit the last three points of the game and pulled it back to 12 each.
“In the replay the game was going down the stretch again, but Errigal were just that wee bit better. And I suppose that’s been a feature of their play this year – they’ve just done enough.
“Their All-Ireland semi-final [against Dr Crokes] was probably their best performance to date when the two Canavans -Darragh and Ruairi - were in full swing.”
It’s impossible for any Gael not to be huge fans of Peter the Great’s two sons in the Errigal attack.
Clonoe did a very decent job in the first game but tying them down two games running was beyond them.
“I think it was late 2019 when Mickey Harte brought Darragh into the Tyrone panel,” Madden recalls.
“He came to training one night and I remember just looking at him thinking it was just like watching Peter. It’s remarkable when you have that weight of expectation on you and your father is Peter Canavan, but it doesn’t seem to bother them.
“Up until recently you might have said Darragh was the more refined, more polished in terms of end product – but Ruairi has really developed in this championship and his decision-making on the ball has got better.
“When you watch their first goal against Dr Crokes, in a split-second Ruairi had the ball in his hands and hit an incredible pass to Darragh over the top to score – there is very little both can’t do.”
As the two Canavans approach one of the most important days of their sporting careers, their father offered some words to the wise.
“Football doesn’t define Ruairi or Darragh and Finola would say the same.
“You’re every bit as proud of what they do off the pitch as on it.
“To have your own children making the club team and preparing for an All-Ireland final is great, but the fact that they’re healthy and there’s a group of boys they enjoy being with every minute...
“They enjoy going to training, they love the craic, you know where they are and it’s a really good environment. They’re making friendships that will be with them for the rest of their lives. So that’s the most important thing, not necessarily the results even though you want to win things.
“There’s a bigger picture as a parent and I think a lot of parents would agree with me.”
With the passing years, Errigal Ciaran’s passion for Gaelic Games and pursuit of excellence has never dimmed.
The split. The Lost Years. Peace being forged. Renewal. The trailblazers of ‘93. The good days and the bad. The journey continues at Croke Park.
With excited laughter, McAnenly says: “Would the last person leaving the [Ballygawley] roundabout at half-11 on Sunday turn the lights out?”
