DARTS FEATURE: John Joe continues to light it up
WHEN it comes to the history of Castlebar darts, very few can boast the credentials of John Joe Ormsby, writes STUART TYNAN.
Whether is it Town League titles, town cups provincial cups, county district titles or the numerous singles competitions he has competed in, John Joe has winners' medals from all of them.
There may be one particular man that John Joe can thank for all of it. A former work colleague of John Joe's in the Sacred Heart Home, Padraig Minogue, who invited him for a game down in Paddy Moran's on Rush Street. Little did Padraig know what a talent he had just discovered.
“Back in 1984, Padraig asked me to come down to Paddy Moran's on a Saturday night. I played with someone else's darts and I really enjoyed it. I was told I should get my own set and the rest is history I suppose!”
Unfortunately, the Town League had been dissolved for a period of time when John Joe first started playing until it was revived by Michael 'Rocky' Moran, proprietor of Rocky's Bar, Linenhall Street today, who was running the Weavers at the time. John Joe began his Town League career playing with the Cobweb in 1985, which was being run at the time by Michael Flannery (RIP).
“We didn't do too well the first year or two. But we got stronger each year and reached a few semi-finals before I was asked to play for Rocky's.”
With John Joe on board, the 1990s would spark huge interest in the Castlebar darts scene, defined by Rocky's rivalry with another top darts house in Stalky's, which was located on Castle Street.
“Stalky's were a very good team but we also had a very good team at the time. Ger and James Quigley, Paul, Padraig and Michael Reilly, Mick Hopkins, Jimmy Flynn (the father of current Town League player Dwayne) and John Flynn (Dwayne's uncle)”
They lost to Stalky's in 1991 and 1992 before claiming their first title the following year, beating Paddy Moran's in the final. It followed an epic semi-final win over the Key West, coming back from 4-1 down to win the decider that night. John Joe has one memory from that night in particular.
“Rocky was in last against Sean Barrett and so he couldn't be behind the bar. I went in behind pulling pints. I didn't know how to use the cash register so I just began charging three pounds for every pint he had!”
“Sean pulled away but couldn't hit the double. Rocky kept plugging away and hit double twelve to win it for us. It was an incredible game.”
Rocky's would gain the upper hand in the rivalry with Stalky's from then on, winning three league titles in a row from 1995-1997, to become the powerhouse in Castlebar darts before they met for a final time in a Town League final in 1998, with Stalky's winning to signal the end of a glorious era in Castlebar darts.
Rocky's never appeared in a league final from then on into then mid-2000s, but they returned with a vengeance in 2006 with a few new faces, playing in Bucko's Bar until 2008 while Rocky's was going under some renovations at the time.
They rebuilt their side during that lean period, with only John Joe and James Quigley remaining. In came the likes of former Irish youth champion John Moran, Paul Daly, Brendan McDonagh, Cormac Cafferkey and John Joe's son Stephen.
What followed was a near vice-grip on the Town League by Bucko's/Rocky's, appearing in eight consecutive finals from 2006 to 2013, winning six of them, including a four-in-a-row.
FUTURE
That Rocky's team may have disbanded after that but that doesn't mean success has dried up for these men.
James Quigley has continued to win league titles and cups with Hogs Heaven while John Moran has done the same with Bosh/Paddy Moran's.
John Joe, along with Paul Daly, Brendan McDonagh and sons Stephen and Jason, are now playing with Stacks Bar, located at the junction of Thomas Street and Upper Charles Street.
Similar to the Cobweb team he was part of all those years back, they have reached the semi-final stages but they have yet to reach that elusive Town League final. But the experiences against the powerhouses of Paddy Moran's and Hogs Heaven in recent years stand them in good stead, and for any team looking to get over the line in any sport, you can't put a price on that experience.
“You cannot buy the success. You do have to prepare for a few years and you have to play in a final before you can win it.”
Just like the Rocky's team did in the early 90s. A lot of the current Stacks team already have that experience. You feel it's only a matter of time before they make the breakthrough.