Hibs’ roots revival in Ireland continues

THE day after an uninspiring loss to Shamrock Rovers, my brother and I made our way by car to the cradle of the Hibernian Football Club—Ballingarry in County Limerick—to attend a service to commemorate the founder Canon Edward Joseph Hannan. In a huge step in what I think is the right direction, Hibs had accepted an invitation to sponsor a couple of commemorative plaques which Ballingarry AFC intended to place on the gateposts of the farm where Hannan was born, a mile or so to the south of the town.

We had already been surprised by the publicity the Canon was getting on the trip. We had been in the Shamrock Rovers section of the ground, opposite the travelling fans. There was a large Irish tricolour displayed with the club badge in the middle and some words above it ‘Canon Edward Joseph Hannan.’ Wow! There might soon be a branch of the supporters association named after him or a statue at Easter Road. Underneath was the name of the other founder of the club—Michael Whelahan. More was to come.

I had bought a programme and got round to reading it at half-time. I turned to page 10 and there was a full page talking about Canon Hannan’s biography, Edinburgh’s First Hibernian and how it came about. Even more was to come. A few pages further on was a two-page article about the origins of Scottish football, with a large photo of the good Canon to introduce it with the story of Hibs’—and Celtic’s—founding.

Limerick love-in

Back to Limerick. A pleasant surprise was an e-mail from Limerick County Council ordering five copies of the book for its libraries. The post office in nearby Rathkeale took four. And I sold another four whilst sitting in the Spar in Ballingarry.

The Hibs party were due into Shannon late afternoon. And they would drive from there. Gav Rittoo and the media guys were already in place snapping anything judged to be authentic. The ceremony was due to begin at 6pm so there would be time for a pint in Condron’s Bar where Hibs shirts and memorabilia were on display. The group were due to leave again for the airport at 7pm.

They hadn’t allowed for the traffic around the notorious bottleneck in Adare. The text messages started coming through. New ETA 5.30pm, then 5.40pm, then 5.50pm. Go straight to the venue. So sadly the pub missed out... for the time being.

People started gathering and milling about as the Hibs party mixed with their hosts from Ballingarry AFC. Where was John Moran the Mayor of Limerick? Stuck in the same traffic at Adare. Imagine what it is going to be like when the Ryder Cup takes place there next year. The mayor eventually turned up at 6.20pm meaning that the Hibs party could have had their pint after all! No matter. It gave them an opportunity to mix and to see for themselves the excellent facilities and the pitch where Hibs women’s team would train a couple of weeks later.

With the mayor in place, the ceremony began. He gave a nice speech on the day Ireland took on the EU presidency. A rebuilding of relationships with the UK was a priority after the calamity of Brexit. I was sure someone was going to shout out that Scotland voted 62 per cent Remain. He made reference to the relevance of Edinburgh’s First Hibernian to the immigration problems Ireland is grappling with today. CEO Dan Barnett replied on behalf of the club. He spoke—as custodian of the club’s history—of the importance of reconnecting with our roots, acknowledging where we came from. Then Dan and John together removed the Hibs flag—which covered the plaques—to tumultuous applause from the 50 or so mostly local people in attendance.

Then it was photo time. More milling and mixing, but all too soon it was time to go, without so much as a pint of the black stuff. But they did return for the women’s match against Treaty United on July 14 at which Hibs’ major shareholder, Kit Gordon, was in attendance. The Mayor of Limerick hosted a civic reception for her and the Hibs delegation the day before the match where he celebrated the Hibs connection, women in sport and the life of Canon Hannan.

What happens next?

What happens now? Well Hibs have to follow through. A sporting relationship with Ballingarry AFC is an easy win. Inviting the rest of the board to visit, perhaps during an international break next season is another. But a commitment to playing a game in Ireland every pre-season would be the sort of gesture that would be noticed. Not necessarily against Shamrock Rovers. Several other League of Ireland clubs would welcome a visit—albeit the timing isn’t great given that their season is a summer one.

And in Dublin, Bohemians might be more aligned culturally with Hibs fan base, anti-establishment, avant garde, rebellious. More scouting in Ireland for the next Owen Elding could be attractive. Fans and officials could learn and appreciate the history, visiting the important historical sites. Would anyone dare learn the National Anthem, sung as Gaeilge to sing alongside the Flower of Scotland? After all that Hibs will realise that the recent announcements about the relationship to Ireland might have had it back to front. Ireland is not a country with a long association with Hibs. Hibs is a club with a—very—long association with Ireland.

Afterparty

With the VIPs all departed, the rest of us headed for Condron’s to make up for lost time. Our hotel was in nearby Croagh, about five miles away. We had left the car there to avoid drink driving. We had a couple of taxis to call. The fatal flaw in the planning was that neither of them answered. So we were faced with a five-mile walk before it became dark. To the rescue came Mike Condron, who told us to be ready in 20 minutes. In the usual Irish fashion, where everyone has to buy his round, three more pints of Guinness appeared in those 20 minutes! We coped and Mike’s wife ran us back to our hotel.

The next day, it was Limerick City and a visit to two shops who already stocked the book namely the Hunt Museum and the Celtic Bookshop; and one called the Quay who took five copies there and then. A visit to Treaty United’s ground followed to see where the women’s team would be playing. From next year they will be playing under the name of Limerick FC following a merger.

To complete a successful trip, I discovered two things I had not been able to find out when researching the book. Canon Hannan’s primary education almost certainly took place in what is now a house on Ballingarry’s Main Street—hiding in plain sight—and his intermediate education by Fr O’Neill in Rathkeale in the former convent beside the church. On my return to Dublin, I did a tour of the bookshops that already stocked the book and a few that hadn’t. Connolly’s near Temple Bar were down to their last book so they placed an order for seven more there and then.

A successful trip all round. Erin-go-bragh

Mike Hennessy is the author of Edinburgh's First Hibernian: The Mission of Edward Joseph Hannan