A Word from the Chairman Michael Breslin (Junior)
Forty Five Years a
MemberBy Jim Fay
Home Away from Home
Pat McGovern
Looking Even
Further Back Joe Finegan
“When It’s Primrose
Time in Cavan” Mel Doherty
Happy Recollections
of the CYMS Arthur Downey
Recollection of
Charlie Leddy Former President
A Grateful Member
Sean McManus
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t is always
nice to extend a welcome to others to share in a happy occasion.
This year,the CYMS in Cavan is celebrating such an occasion,the Golden Jubilee and I feel that we can be
justifiably be proud of our Society’s achievements during those fifty years.
For me ,it is both an honour and a privilege to be Chairman in
such an eventful year and I would like to thank all club members for their
continued support and dedication. Our present Committee and officers have
maintained the traditionally high standard of service in the interests of the
Club and I personally am indebted to them for their generous advice, capable
guidance and willing co-operation during my term of office.
I would
particularly like to remember those members who have passed away. In a sense, they
are still with us-in our thoughts in our prayers and in our conversations. A
thriving club is a legacy and a measure of the value of their contributions
over many years. May our endeavours be blessed with the same success and bring
similar benefits.
To the many
who have helped the Club, financially and personally,
I would like to extend a most sincere thanks. Their help which could so easily
be overlooked, is and has always been essential to the
survival of the Club.
In conclusion ,I would like to wish the CYMS Cavan every
success in this special year which marks not just the passing of one fifty year
period but the birth of another.
Michael Breslin
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n this the
Golden Jubilee of the CYMS,I pay special tribute to its founder and all who
have served it throughout the years.
I remember
one day in 1941 while playing handball with my pal and next door neighbour,
Seamus Smith RIP, Gerry Lovett came along and stopped to talk to us, his ex
pupils from the nearby
In the
1940s billiards was the most popular game.Competition was keen among the top players,Tom McCusker,Michael Breslin,Joe Higgins,Joe O Rourke,Packie Leonard,Joe
Cullivan and many others.Snooker was played by a
smaller group prominent among them Jimmy McCormack,long
time Vice President.The members who enjoyed a game of
‘Solo’ were Frank Fitzpatrick,Father Jimmy,Peter Mullen,Jimmy Brennan,and Joe Finegan of Main Street who is still a
member of the Club.
We had a
good membership in the 1950s.The Sunday night Whist Drives were much
appreciated and were supported mainly by middle aged people who made it their
weekly night out.The MC was Gerry Lovett who was assisted by the Secretary
Eugene Monaghan and Treasurer Mick Fox.
The Club’s
big annual event was the Whist Drive held in the Town Hall which always
attracted a large crowd (around one hundred tables).The proceeds from this were
used to send two Invalids to Lourdes each year.Duringt
the 1950s the Club had a very good membership and was running smoothly, helped
by the good work of
the President Charlie Leddy,Larry Clarke,Anselem Lovett and Paddy O’ Reilly (present long
serving member) and this year Chairman of
Cavan Urban Council.
During the
early sixties the Club were forced to quit these premises and move to our
present abode ‘The Hut’ in
In the late
sixties the emergence of Lounge Bars and televised soccer affected the
membership badly as a result the number of members actually fell to below
twenty and seemed in danger of ‘folding up’.
At this
time however Snooker began to get popular on the television and this threw us a
much welcome ‘life line’.Paddy O’ Reilly was in touch
with the Manager of Alex Higgins (Belfast) with a view to an exhibition game in
the ‘Hut’We just didn’t have the facilities to
accommodate the crowds although Alex (World Champion at that time) dropped his
fee from £100 pounds to £80
With the
influence of coloured television,snooker became the
premier game.I have fond memories of my Saturday
night’s jousts with Paddy Reilly,Oliver Malone and BennyCafferty, who with his brother Andrew were two of our
most foremost members.
About 1970
Father Desmond O Dowd became our enthusiastic Chaplain.Among
his suggestions was a recommendation to try ‘table tennis’ as an attraction for
the members.He arranged facilities in Saint
Augustine’s Hall and the club purchased two new tables and membership of the
table tennis section was thrown open to boys and girls.At
the first meeting we had forty members including Seamus De Faoite (Former
Ulster Champion),Brian Tighe ,Vincent O Connor,Sean
Walsh and Jimmy Cullen.In that year (1972) we held
the first County Cavan Table Tennis Championships which were very successful
for a number of years into the late 70s.
In 1974 the
Club suffered a great loss on the death of my dear friend Benny Cafferty who
devoted much of his spare time to keeping the club in existence during that
very lean spell in the 60s.Ned Kinsella’s death too
was a cruel blow as he devoted all his energies to the smooth running of the
Club and was very highly respected by all of the members of the CYMS.
The most
memorable event of 1976 was the purchase of the premises from Lord Farnham who
sold it for a very reasonable figure to provide recreation for the youth of the
town.We Had not sufficient monies to pay the purchase
price and are indebted to the generosity and faith of Father McManus Adm, who guaranteed
the Loan.
We would at
this stage like to salute the memory of Michael Donohoe our excellent Caretaker
at this time(1976) Both himself and myself were workmates in McCarren’s Factory
for very many years.
It was an
honour to be Chairman in 1980 when we undertook massive redevelopment of the
premises which cost £6000 at that time.We rewired the
premises ,installed a proper central heating system, new cement floors,together with the
painting and redecoration of the entire premises.In
addition we refurbished and recovered the two Snooker Tables.
The
officers of the 1980 Committee were-Jim
Fay (Chairman),Jimmy Mulcahy(Vice Chairman),Paddy O’ Reilly (Treasurer),Pat
Kinsella (Secretary),Jerry Higgins (Assistant Treasurer).Committee were Michael
Breslin, Tom McCusker, Edward and Bernard Sharkey, Andy Cafferty (RIP) and H L
Smith (RIP) both the latter founders and lifetime loyal members of Cavan CYMS.
We were fortunate at that time to have a man of Arthur Downey’s (ESB)
calibre-his help and advice were just invaluable
To day we
celebrate the Golden Jubilee of our foundation and I am proud to be associated
with our continued success under the very popular Chairman Michael Breslin
(Jnr),our long time Treasurer Paddy O’ Reilly who has
the responsibility of keeping the funds under control. Our Secretary Paul Carey
is doing an enormous job particularly in the organisation of the Club’s
Competitions. The recent Open Competition was a marvellous success attracting
36 teams from Counties Cavan and Monaghan and thanks to Paul the competition
was run off in an exemplary manner.
A special
word of thanks to the joint Editors of this Golden Jubilee Booklet Kieran
Cullivan and Anselem Lovett who is continuing a long Family tradition started
by his late Father Gerry .
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rriving in
Cavan in 1936 as a shop apprentice in John Magee’s
We provided
our own entertainment playing ‘Bagatelle’ at one pence per game
,snooker and billiards at 3 pence per game. Card games were the
highlight of the night-the ‘Solo’ school being the most famous of them all. I
had the honour of playing in the ‘Senior School’ with such famous characters as
TJ ‘Killer’ Connolly, Joe O’Rourke, Frank Fitzpatrick, H L Smith (Hughie), Father
Jimmy ,Matt McCutcheon, G M Lovett ,Joe Cullivan and many others who I have
probably forgotten. Unfortunately none of them are still with us (RIP)
I look back
on my many happy nights spent playing with my old friends, remembering the
crack and excitement we shared and will always remember the CYMS as my ‘Home
away from Home’
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hile I was
among the first members of the CYMS in Cavan. My memories go back to the old Catholic Club which was the predecessor of the CYMS.
While
serving my time in Sullivan’s shop beside the Poor Clare’s Convent Club was the
place top go to enjoy the free time ’Penny Nap’ was the game of our time and
the experts were Frank and Bill Fitzpatrick, Joe Cullivan and Peter Shreenan, a
Monahan man who worked as a Baker in Pat Mc Donnell’s. Later on we were joined
by Joe Higgins, Michael Breslin Tom McCusker, John Weston and Mick Fox.
Once I had
my time served in Sullivan’s I was a free man, given the key of the door and
free to come in at any hour of the night. It meant with five or six others I
could cycle to the country dances in Knocknagilla and Lower Lavey, leaving the
town on Sunday afternoon after tea and often returning at 4 am on the Monday
morning.
It also
meant that I could stay late in the Club and I remember one Sunday morning in
particular when the late Father John O’ Reilly then a Curate in the Parish on
his way to the 6:45 am Mass in the Convent noticed a chink of light coming from
the Club. He came in asking “what the devil are you doing here at this hour of
the morning”? We told him that we were playing cards
and to go on up himself to the Convent and we would be up after him. There was
never another word about it.!
I was an
active member of the CYMS for the first ten years of its existence playing
cards constantly and also paying the odd game of snooker but never getting into
the Winner’s Enclosure. The winning wasn’t as important as the fun and the good
companionship.
Another
event always worth looking forward to was the Sunday Whist Drive during the
Winter months. The Club membership in the first few years was twenty or thirty
members mostly shop assistants like myself but of the Fitzpatrick brothers,
Frank worked on the Railways and his brother Frank worked in the ‘Anglo Celt’.
The membership fee was 10 shillings about 60 cent or just over ½ a €.
I’m forty
years away from the Club now, but I still look back on the many happy hours I
spent there. It was a grand simple life when simple pleasures satisfied. It’s a
long time ago and times have surely changed.
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t was
primrose time in Cavan
I thought I
was in Heaven
As I heard
the Cuckoo calling
And the
skylark sing his lay
I spied a
little mother
As
primroses she was gathering
To beautify
her altar for the station the next day
Says I
“God save
you kindly”
Says she
“God save
you stranger come in and have a cup of tea
And make
yourself at home
I have been
cleaning and a scrubbing
White
washing and rubbing
For its
primrose time in Cavan
And the
childer comin home”
As I walked
into that kitchen
Oh wasn’t
it bewitchin
A I saw the
big turf fire and heard the kettle sing
Said she
“Oh! what would you be takin
Some duck
eggs and bacon?
They were
only laid this morning and fit for any king”
Says I
“ I don’t
feel hungry”
Says she: ”I don’t believe you
Sure you
must have walked from Kingscourt or maybe from Stradone
Would you
like a goat’s milk pancake
Or a piece
of two of boxty?
You know
the childer loved it
When they
were all at home”
She says
“You’re a
stranger
And your
clothes they look like a Yankee”
Says I
“You’ve guessed it rightly
I am from
the good old
Then her
Angel face did brighten
And her
handshake did tight’n
“Sure it
must have been God sent you
Around this
road to day
In
I have two
more up in Heaven
Last June
their Father joined them
And left me
all alone
But I’m not
a crying
Or from
God’s face a flying
For its
primrose time in Cavan
And the
childers coming home”
“There’s
the cradle where we rocked them
There’s the
hearth stone they played on
There’s the
little altar where I thought them how to pray:
There’s the
schoolbooks and the fiddle
And the
books with all the riddles
Sure it
keeps you from being lonesome
while the
childer are away”
Says she
“A
stor,you’re crying”
And I was
not denying
I never
shall forget her
Until my
dying day
But to
night I’ll pray God Bless her
May Angels
lips caress her
For it’s
primrose time in Cavan 3,000 miles away.
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y
association with the CYMS in Cavan began in the 1960s after I had come to work
in the ESB in Cavan town. I had previously been a member of a thriving Saint
Mary’s Club in Kilsaran County Louth. There was lots to do in Cavan then with
great interest in Gaelic football, dancing etc but I soon became aware of the
CYMS.I knew it to be a place where men could gather for a game of snooker, cards
or just for a chat about anything and
everything that was happening in those great days.
The CYMS
was and of course it still is alcohol free and I have no doubt that it
contributed to me remaining a Pioneer.
Cavan had
an abundance of great characters at that time, and then of course the ’Club’ its
fair share. Brothers Benny and Andy Cafferty ,Mattie
Corcoran (Providers),Joe Higgins, Hughie Smith to name but a few.
I became a
Committee member in the early 70s and remained active until the early 80s.We
held several successful draws and raffles to defray the cost of our recent
purchase of the Club in 1976 and the refurbishment of the premises. I was also
very please to be associated with a number of dances promoted by the Club with
the purpose of sending an invalid to
I remember
with affection men like Hugh L Smith (Courthouse),Frank Fitzpatrick, Ned
Kinsella, Mick Donohoe, the Cafferty Brothers who contributed enormously to the
running of the Club. Others like present UDC Chairman Patrick O’ Reilly, J P
Malone, Michael Breslin (Jnr), Jim Fay who now work
tirelessly to keep the flag flying in these difficult times (1986).
I wish the
Committee and the Members of Cavan CYMS well in their Golden Jubilee Year and
my wish is that more young men and there is a place for women too would become
members and help the CYMS to provide a service which is badly needed by another
generation of young adults in the town. and area.
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uring my
years of involvement with the Club ,the times I cherish most are those in my
very early years in the mid forties. I was a student in the old Tech, then
situated in
How many
now can remember the then Clubrooms situated on the site of the new Presbytery?. It consisted of two fine Billiard Rooms, a Function Hall
and a Ball Alley.The Function Hall was known as the
Temperance Hall but I can assure you it was not all TTs
using it. In the hall table tennis and badminton were played and there was even
a Library. I mentioned Billiards and the Club had the finest team in the
Country then. The highlight of the Club’s activities were
the Sunday night Whist Drive which were enjoyed by young and old.
I remember
too distributing fliers at the old Cathedral gate which read “CYMS Whist Drive
Top Score €3,First Lady €1.30,First Gent €1.30-Score
Cards 10 Cent each”.
At the end
of the 1950s Mr Lovett retired as President and proposed me for the vacancy. I
held the post for a couple of terms. I could not have done without the
wonderful work and co-operation of my numerous friends. Many of them have now
passed to their eternal reward. May they Rest in Peace. My thoughts will always
be with them.
It was
during my term as President that Father P J Gargan Adm. Was Spiritual
Director-an era came to an end when we left our clubrooms at the Presbytery and
took up our new abode in the ‘British Legion Hut’
Many incidents and yarns I
could relate but space will not allow. I conclude by wishing the Members every
success in their Golden Jubilee year and for many more years to come.
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rom my
first introduction to the CYMS in Cavan,I recall so
many happy memories as well as deep friendships which I will always cherish.
Every time
I pass the Club and hear the ‘clink’ of the snooker balls those memories come
flooding back to me.
The cold nights when I looked forward to a game of snooker. The warm welcome especially from
the Caretakers, be it Frank Fitzpatrick or Ned Kinsella. The stories around the
old stove, the nail biting games, let it be singles or doubles. Listening to both Frank and Ned recalling some of the great players
and times. Ned loved to talk about the old trains and his days with GNR
in both Cavan and Clones.
The
courtesy and silence in the room while playing a competition or when the
Seniors were involved is something to admire and cherish.
To watch
games played by players such as the late Benny Cafferty, Tom McCusker, Jim Fay ,Paddy O’ Reilly was a treat .These memories and much
much more will always live with me.
To crown it
all was the famous night when I won the Snooker tournament in 1970 beating my
good friend and adversary Mickey Breslin in the Final.
Lastly
being asked to sing at the Annual Mass in the Clubrooms for deceased members
and friends was a great honour which I will always cherish.
Yes the
letters “CYMS are very special to me-“ A Grateful Member Sean Mc Manus.