Perfect birthday present for Cusack’s club president

WHEN Michael Cusack’s won the Division 4 Football League title recently, they delivered their club president the perfect birthday present.
The club was formed in 1962 and celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Hendy (Henry) Neylon has been an integral part of the Carron-based club since the beginning.
“It was great for the club to win last week. Due to emigration and retirements, our numbers are small and it’s a while since we won a title,” the club president told The Clare Champion.
As he celebrated his 90th birthday last week, he spoke passionately about his beloved club and a lifetime of involvement in the GAA.
He played for Carron in 1944 when they won the junior novice title, beating Moveen in the final. Two years later, the club was known as Belharbour and he was a member of team that beat Caherea in the junior championship in Miltown.
“We had no field of our own then. We trained in our own areas and only met up on match days,” he recalled. “Padraig Begley drove us to the games and Fr Corry refereed the final. There were a few years after that when we didn’t have a team in the parish and a few of us played with Kilfenora,” Hendy explained.
Living a short distance from the village of Kilfenora, he went to school there. “There was no organised schools football then but we would play football at every opportunity,” he said, acknowledging there has been a great rivalry between Cusack’s and Kilfenora over the years.
After leaving primary school, he attended Ennistymon CBS. “There were no buses taking pupils to school then. We cycled everywhere,” he said, recalling that he cycled to a match in Limerick to see Clare playing.
Hendy has held a variety of positions within Clare GAA, including acting as a county minor selector. He served as an umpire at a number of county football finals in the ’60s and ’70s. “The county board appointed the umpires, just as they appointed the referees,” he recalled.
He was a member of the county board for many years as his club’s delegate and he has been attending county convention for over 50 years. Hendy has also been attending All-Ireland football finals for over five decades, having attended his first in 1946. He remembers the game well. “Roscommon were six points up and people were leaving the grounds. Then Kerry struck for two goals,” he recalled.
There are many highlights, mostly in relation to the growth of his club. “Developing our own pitch at Gleann Ciosog was special,” said the man who served as club treasurer at the time. “Hosting the county final in 1984 and having the launch of the GAA centenary celebrations here made us all very proud.”
He is also very proud of his part in the restoration of the Cusack homestead. Indeed, he is one of the project’s trustees.
Having served as a selector at every level in the club, it’s not surprising that Hendy has special memories of a number of great successes over the years.
“Our U-14A success in 1971 when we beat Kilrush was special. Their officials said they would not pass Miltown to play us. I succeeded in getting agreement for a toss and won the toss to get the game to Lahinch,” he recalled.
Another special occasion was the minor A championship win in 1976, when his North Clare amalgamation beat a fancied Kilkee outfit, which included Noel Roche. The intermediate title win in 1983, when they beat their neighbours and great rivals Kilfenora, is another highlight.
Winning the junior championship in the first year that the club was formed in 1962 stands out for Hendy. In the company of his close friend and neighbour Pat Hynes, another club stalwart, he said it was “very difficult to have to go straight into senior competition, as there was no intermediate competition in Clare at the time”.
Four years later in 1966, they knocked the then defending Clare senior champions, Cooraclare, out of the title race. “We started that game with 13 players because some players got held up on the way to the game but we had 15 before half-time. It was a great victory. We were beaten by Kilrush by a point in the semi-final,” he recalled.
Another source of great pride for the Michael Cusack’s president is the selection of fellow club members on county teams. “We have provided some great players to the county, players like Peter Davenport, Don O’Loughlin, Mattie McMahon, Kieran McGann and Michael Quinn.”
While he takes a special interest in the progress of football teams representing his club and Clare, he is also a great follower of Clare hurling. He saw Clare win the Oireachtas title in 1954 and, of course, was thrilled when Clare made the breakthrough to win Munster and All-Ireland senior honours in 1995, a feat they repeated in 1997.
“Didn’t Clare get a tough draw in the football qualifier?” commented the North Clare man. “Kerry or Tyrone, it won’t be easy. I was in Limerick in ’92 when we beat Kerry.”
Hendy Neylon’s name is synonymous with North Clare football and, especially, with the Michael Cusack’s club. The club has had its ups and downs over the past 50 years but it has survived and he has remained a major driving force. As they celebrate their 50th anniversary, his role in the development of the club will be highlighted. After all, he has played a key part in ensuring the club continues to be a major part of life in the parish of Carron, New Quay and Belharbour.
On Saturday, the Michael Cusack’s club will  hold a special function to mark their 50th anniversary in Cassidy’s in Carron and special guest on the night will be club president, Hendy Neylon.