Castlebar Celtic’s glory days in the Women’s National League recalled
CLUB CENTENARY SPECIAL : BY JAMES MURRAY
Mr. chairman could I have a word?”
The approach was made by Jeremy Dee, polished as ever with his disarming charm.
It was early 2011 and Ireland was still in the worst recession ever, which was reflected in the finances of our beloved Castlebar Celtic Football Club.
The fact was that I was the chairman at Celtic and had the privilege of working with the most enthusiastic and hard-working women and men who loved their club and were turning its financial fortunes around at a rate of knots.
Back to Jeremy.
“Yes Jeremy, what can I do for you?”
“Mr. Chairman (I swear that’s how he always addressed me, I felt like Chairman Mao). I want to invite you to a meeting in FAI HQ in Abbotstown.”
“What’s the meeting about Jeremy?”
“To discuss the possible formation of a Women’s Senior National League.”
“What’s that got to do with Celtic?” I replied.
“Well I thought that Castlebar Celtic might consider putting a team in if it got off the ground,” Jeremy enquired.
“What, we haven’t a shilling, and you want Celtic to put a women’s team together to play in a National League playing all over the country,” I uttered.
“Mr. Chairman, Mr. Chairman, all I want is that you join me in Abbotstown and hear what the FAI is suggesting, with no commitment.”
I agreed. That was the start of it.
So the two of us went to the meeting in Abbotstown, and by the time I got back to Castlebar with the most enthusiastic supporter of women in soccer in the country going on and on, I agreed to put the suggestion to the committee, who, in fairness, gave it the nod. . .provided that it was cost neutral to the club.
A big ask.
When I told him, Jeremy was ecstatic and assured me that he had sponsorship lined up.
He busied himself with recruiting players from all over, mainly Connacht and Ulster, but also from other counties.
Committee members led by Michael Dwyer and Marion Robinson rowed in behind the project with gusto.
Two weeks before the first match I was having a cup of tea with Anne Conlon at Bosh on Linenhall Street when we were joined by Jeremy who dropped a bombshell.
“Mr. Chairman, the main sponsor I had lined up is not in a position to go ahead,” he revealed.
This was not good news two weeks out from the WNL kicking off.
Anne was listening and watching the rather animated discussions between Jeremy and I, and with wisdom beyond her years, suggested that Murray Ambulance Service Ltd., owned by my wife Siobhán and myself, should consider being the main sponsor, which is what happened (one of the most rewarding decisions Siobhán and I ever took, thanks Anne).
The WNL kicked off, our first match was at Wexford Youths. Eugene Diffley’s bus arrived on a Saturday evening to collect the squad, the women and men of the committee had prepared rolls for the journey, and we were off.
In the early days Francis O’Grady, who was a chef at Cox’s on Tucker Street, and with the generous support of proprietor Paul Doyle, prepared meals for both home and away teams when we played at Celtic Park.
Later on Marion Robinson, Phillip and Geraldine Cresham, Siobhán Murray, Anne Naughton, Noel Coll, Fergie McEllin, Pat Gavin, Pat Naughton, as well as team members parents, got stuck in on every match day.
Castlebar Celtic was regularly hosting several Irish international players on match day in Celtic Park, both on our own Castlebar Celtic team and on the visiting teams. Glory days!
Dark and not so dark days
Sunday morning, November 18, 2012, Emma Mullin phoned me.
“Jeremy has been in an accident on his way to the match.”
“Where is he? I’ll go over and give him my minivan to continue,” I said.
“He’s in an ambulance on his way to Mayo University Hospital,” Emma explained.
“Right,” I said, “I’ll meet him there.”
Jeremy passed away in the hospital’s ICU later that morning.
Seventy girls and women formed a guard of honour for our beloved friend on the night of his removal from Ballyhaunis to Bekan and again on his final journey to Bekan Cemetery.
Some of the team approached me to request a meeting as understandably there was a lot of uncertainty. So, after the funeral, we convened a meeting. The players insisted that in memory of Jeremy, the show must go on.
Jeremy and the WNL team committee had arranged a race night and the women’s team got stuck in and raised almost enough money to fund the team for the most of a season.
I cannot express my admiration for that group in mere words, but I always swell with pride when I think of them and what they did on and off the pitch.
On May 14, 2013, the FAI’s Service to Women’s Football Award was posthumously awarded to Jeremy Dee.
Five days later at Milebush Park, there was a tree planted in Jeremy’s memory before the WNL Cup final between Castlebar Celtic and Peamount United. Peamount United prevailed but what an honour for our club to compete in a national cup final.
A few months later Castlebar Celtic defeated Wexford Youths in Wexford to gain a place in the WNL Cup final again.
Michael Dwyer and I were travelling back to Castlebar in real good form. Michael is a Sligo man and an avid fan of Sligo Rovers. He mentioned that the Bit O’Red was vying to get into the men’s cup final and wouldn’t it be great if Castlebar Celtic’s women could play in the WNL Cup final in the Aviva Stadium on cup final Sunday.
As I say we were on a high so we rang John Delaney (yeah, that John Delaney) and put it to him that he would be ‘best boy’ if he arranged for the WNL Cup final to be played in the Aviva on the same day as the men’s cup final.
On the following Thursday evening a very excited Castlebar Celtic PRO, Noel Coll, called me to say “You won’t believe this but the FAI are putting the WNL Cup final on in the Aviva Stadium before the men’s cup final. . .and it’s going to be live on the telly.”
On November 3, 2013, in the Aviva Stadium dressing rooms, three minutes before taking the field, Celtic manager Adrian Carberry asked me to address the women.
I had (with the permission of the committee) removed a picture of Jeremy Dee from its place of honour in the clubhouse and brought it with me to the Aviva.
As Siobhan and I unveiled it to the women, I said: “Say hello to my friend, you all know what he would wish for you now.”
Most of them burst into tears, as did I (I thought I’d blown it). However the women nearly took the doors off the jambs as they tore onto the pitch to do battle.
Castlebar Celtic were rank underdogs that day, RTÉ commentators kept calling us Casement Celtic (must be a Dublin team).
Adrian Carberry, our team manager, was an FAI employee and so couldn't be in the dugout.
So Maz Sweeney and Jack Murray relayed his messages and decisions to the players.
Our women played their hearts out and took the game to extra time at 2-2.
Eventually Celtic succumbed to an own goal. Although I knew them all so very well as individuals, but when they got together as a team that day against the odds in the Aviva in a FAI Cup final, they humbled and surprised me like I thought no one could.
The team members were bitterly disappointed, but our club and supporters were in raucous form, with their chests out in pride at what they had witnessed.
President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina congratulated and consoled our team in a most respectful and warm fashion, true class from our First Citizen and from our true soccer supporters and students of the game.
The photograph taken by our official club photographer (Colin Leneghan) of me in the Castlebar Celtic changing room beside a metre square Castlebar Celtic club crest still holds pride of place in my home.
It was my best day ever in my Castlebar Celtic days, and I’ve had a few good days with Celtic.