Tyrone trailblazers: Eilish Gormley’s story of ’99

When Tyrone won the All-Ireland Junior title 25 years ago, Eilish Gormley hit 3-6. She looks back on the county’s first national success and its origins with Michael McMullan

BY the time Sean O’Kane returned as manager for the 1999 season, Tyrone ladies had been kicking destiny’s door long enough.

They had what it takes and knew it. Even to this day, Eilish Gormley carries the regret of not eventually pushing to win a senior All-Ireland.

The tools were there but they were stuck in junior in an era when the middle ground of intermediate didn’t exist.

Sporadic challenge games with the top teams backed it up. By the time they were promoted to senior, some of their cornerstones had moved on.

Dermot Gormley came home from an All-Ireland men’s semi-final in the mid-eighties. The curtain raiser was a ladies final.

At the time, sister Eilish had to be content with kicking around at home pretending to be Mikey Sheehy, Jack O’Shea or Ciaran McGarvey.

“I probably was eight, nine or ten years of age,” she recalls, “and he was saying there were girls playing in Croke Park and I should go down that route.”

But how could she? There was no pathway from a back garden in Carrickmore to Croke Park. At that time, ladies football wasn’t the ever-growing sport it is now.

Like many of her era, Eilish would play senior football before underage. That’s how it was. Progress was in reverse as the sport began to find its feet.

Adult competition began in Tyrone in the early eighties. Underage followed in due course with the increase in numbers.

It’s a contrast to now. Her niece Sorcha is part of Tyrone’s squad searching for intermediate glory on Sunday having captained the Red Hand minors last weekend. Girls are playing from they are no age.

“We were playing when we were at primary school but we didn’t know there was such a thing as ladies football,” Eilish recalls, having gone on to be one of the game’s greats.

Tyrone’s first ever game was in 1992 against Armagh in Grange. Despite only being 13 years old, Eilish played in the game.

Being able to solo the ball and having an interest were the only ingredients.

On the day, they donned the Galbally Oonagh Celts jerseys. After that, Tyrone great Dan McCaffrey organised coaching sessions in the Dean Maguirc school in Carrickmore.

Gormley was happy enough to tip away with the club until a first full cut at the county scene in 1995 when Sean O’Kane and Francie Martin steered the Red Hands to their first piece of silverware, the first of five successive Ulster junior titles.

Tyrone ran into an impressive Cork team in the All-Ireland final but the experience left them wanting more.

Clare hit them for a late goal in the semi-final the following year in Carrickmore. In 1997, Fiona Blessington was too hot to handle as Longford knocked them out.

Gormley didn’t play in ’98, but it was a similar story, a narrow defeat to Louth.

A look around the group was enough to tell them they had what it took to go the whole way. Perseverance was their key word.

“I suppose by ‘99 we were well experienced,” Gormley summed up.

“Sean was appointed to the role again and he brought in Aidan Connolly and Barry Grimes with him.”

Tyrone had been climbing the leagues and were a senior team stuck in junior football but they needed to find way out of it. Championship success was the only passport to promotion.

“I can remember training in complete quagmire in Carrickmore,” Gormley said of the autumn of ’98 with the pre-Christmas league games coming around the corner.

They were the hard yards to put the miles in the legs for when it mattered. There was running and more running.

“You had players being sick and nobody taking a back step,” Gormley said of being pushed to the pin of their collar.

“Everybody really wanted to get the result at the end of it.

“You were so determined at that point to deliver.

“I think Sean probably would agree…that team in particular just did whatever he asked of us.”

The four years of progress without getting out of junior fuelled a deeper version of desire.

The progress was evident. It helped Tyrone see off Dublin to win the Division Two title. More belief. They did have what it took.

Another factor was a training weekend in Waterford, the reigning All-Ireland champions.

“I remember the discussion in the changing rooms before the game,” Eilish recalls.

The questions were asked. Could they compete? Did they believe?

“I clearly remember saying just because you’re born in a different county, it doesn’t mean you’re not as good as somebody,” she adds.

Maybe it was the ignorance of youth, but she believed and she was right. Tyrone beat the Deise in their back yard.

One might say it was a revved up Tyrone with a cause against the team with their eyes on bigger days, but it was another Red Hand marker.

The game came at a cost with Michaela Doherty sustaining a cruciate ligament injury that ended her season.

“Waterford were the kingpins for a couple of years…between them and Monaghan, particularly Waterford,” Gormley points out.

“To beat them, it probably copper fastened our ability to compete at the top.

“We had no fears of those big teams. Our problem was we couldn’t actually get the ticket to play them until we won the junior.”

***

After beating Down to get out of Ulster, Tyrone’s All-Ireland hopes were nearly thrown off track before a ball was kicked in the All-Ireland series.

Unbeknownst to them, the bus driver took a wrong turn on their way to the All-Ireland quarter-final with Leitrim in Drumshambo.

“We almost never got to the game,” Gormley said of a day they’d refer to as ‘drumshambles’.

County Board officials phoned ahead to say they’d be late. When the Tyrone bus rolled in, they were togged out with a handful of minutes to prepare on the pitch before the late throw-in.

“I can remember the panic because we knew we’d mucked up in a couple of years and we felt it was our time to deliver,” Gormley adds.

“I can remember the bus pulling in and us running off the bus straight onto the pitch.”

Tyrone were far from their best but found a way to hit the front with the final whistle beckoning. But they weren’t safe just yet.

The home side had one last throw of the dice to win the game only for their shot to come off the crossbar. Gormley can still hear the rattle.

It was shades of the semi-final with Clare and the Banner’s late goal. Tyrone prevailed this time and saw off Carlow in the semi-final to set up a Croke Park showdown with New York. It was now or never for their desire of securing senior football.

There was the feeling Tyrone were the standout team in junior grade but it would count for nothing if they didn’t beat a New York side littered with Irish exiles.

It was a no win situation. Tyrone were expected to win. Sure it was only New York. That was the narrative.

Tyrone found themselves 1-4 to 0-2 with half-time approaching until Gormley and Lynette Hughes began to blossom as an inside duo.

Gormley flicked a high ball to Hughes who gave the return for Gormley to blast the first of three goals.

Hughes and Shauna McGirr added points to level before Gormley robbed a defender to score her second goal. Ruthless and measured rolled into one. Tyrone never looked back.

Joanne Poyntz fed Gormley for a perfectly finished third goal. Briege Daly came off the bench to have a perfectly legitimate goal ruled out for square ball. It is debated still but Tyrone were home in a boat.

There was still time for long-serving goalkeeper Hayley Boyle to join the action having lost out to Eileen McElroy earlier in the season.

After five years of hard luck stories, Tyrone were All-Ireland champions.

“I just can remember the feeling of relief,” said Gormley who had to be reminded she’d bagged 3-6.

She had no recollection. In her mind, she was just dancing around imaginary defenders in the garden in Carrickmore. Dermot was right. She needed to get herself to Croke Park.

The one regret was her late father Roddy not being there to witness it having missed very few of her games.

Carrickmore men were playing Cargin. Like other families, the Gormleys were split in two. Their late mother Sally and family were in Croke Park. Roddy was in Casement Park.

“That stands out to me, the bit of disappointment that my daddy wasn’t there to see it because he was such a football man,” Eilish said of her father missing the success they’d spent five years battling for.

“Hopefully, with the progress made with integration since, it’s something that wouldn’t happen now.”

He’d step in to do a line or act as umpire at any of the far flung locations Tyrone ladies were playing at. Missing their finest hour was a tough pill to swallow.

“We were in the banquet that night and next thing, he came through the door, and I couldn’t believe it, how he even knew to find the Burlington,” Eilish proudly recalls of that emotional moment.

After following a taxi, giving the driver a few bob, he completed the last leg of this spin from Belfast. He wasn’t going to miss the moment. There he was, as proud as punch.

“They announced the All-Star team that night and we had never featured in things like that,” Eilish added. “My name was called out so I think daddy may have been given a heads up that he needed to come to Dublin…but I don’t know, I couldn’t believe he’d arrived.”

The partying went on to the wee small hours. The years of toil and the savage training was worth it. The door opened.

“I can remember that moment on the Monday morning when you wake up, with that sense of contentment,” she added.

Downstairs in the foyer, the chatter and cups of tea were flowing. The craic was mighty despite a few sore heads from a late night on the tiles. It was a special moment before heading back to Tyrone.

“The craic on the bus was fantastic and we had some great characters on it,” Eilish added.

There was a welcome onto the stage in Aughnagloy as the cup was carried into the county before heading on to sponsors Kelly’s Inn.

The music had the place rocking with the players throwing shapes on the dancefloor. They were champions and celebrated like champions.

Tyrone were now in senior football and were the first winners of the Ulster Championship the following year, beating All-Ireland champions Monaghan in the final before Mayo that stopped their All-Ireland dreams.

“When you look at the team, at that particular point, we lost a few of our main players,” Gormley said.

Nuala McCartan and Caroline Donnelly emigrated with Joanne Poyntz hanging up her boots.

If only they’d emerged from junior earlier a senior title was a real possibility

“You can never prove that but in 2000, we had four All-Stars of the 15 and we got beaten a semi-final,” Gormley points out.

“The quality in our team was unbelievable; we just had a really special bunch.

“So I think in ‘99, it was hunger and a determination as well as plenty of skill and experience.”

She can’t believe it’s 25 years since they put Tyrone on the football map.

On Sunday, Tyrone have another chance to lift silver on the national stage. But there always has to be an opening chapter and the team of ’99 got the ball rolling.