From the archives: Gerry McDonald spearheaded development of Mayo's MacHale Park

By Tom Gillespie

IN June 1952 The Connaught Telegraph carried a special feature on the opening of MacHale Park in Castlebar, stating the park was a monument to the hard work of the members of the MacHale Park Development Committee, who worked with the support and encouragement of the Gaels of Ireland to spur them on in their labour - the furtherance of Gaelic games.

At the head of the committee, as president, was Rev. Thomas Morley, C.C., Castlebar, chairman of the West Mayo Divisional Board GAA and of the Castlebar club.

Mr. Paddy Quinn, Mayo’s famous full-back of the 1936 team, was chairman and Messers. Dan McEllin and Pat King, treasurers.

Every one of these worked hard and gave long and valuable hours in the cause but it was on the strong shoulders of the secretary of the committee, Mr. Gerry McDonald, a member of Castlebar Mitchels' championship team of 1951, that the heaviest of the work fell.

He worked by day, by candlelight, yes, and long after the midnight hour he was to be still found working.

Mr. Jim (Tot) McGowan, B.E., and Mr. T.P. Flanagan, B.E., County Engineer, were the architects of the park. So also was Gerry McDonald the architect of the victory that now attends the work of the committee.

Mr. McGowan and Mr. Flanagan, when planning the new park, decided they would give Mayo not only a park, but THE park. To this end they worked out plans which resulted in the park having seating accommodation for 12,500 and standing room for 2,000 more.

It was their idea that resulted in spectators, whether seated or standing, having an uninterrupted view of the pitch from end to end.

Before the work on the pitch could be started, the old pitch had to be taken up and levelled off with a bulldozer, after a network of French drains had been put down.

During this period, the man in charge of operations on site was Mr. Tommie Greer, former Mayo All-Ireland senior footballer.

A group of volunteer labourers assisted by paid labourers worked on the job until it was ready for Mr. Tom Walsh, Agricultural Instructor, to lay down a special grass seed last September (1951).

Then the building of the seating started and the construction of the embankment. Even in bad weather work went ahead, the funds being put up by local people who acted as guarantors with local banks, and this supplemented the thousands of pounds raised by means of dances, raffles, non-stop draws and carnivals.

The man in charge of the work on the field at this stage was Peter Solan of the Mayo senior team. When the seating was installed, a special inner circle fence was erected. In this 15 gates will be installed. At present (June 1952) there are only 10.

Three gates were all made by the well-known local firm of Fahy Ormsby, The Foundry, Castlebar. The outer shutter gate was made by Mr. William Fahy (my grandfather) and his son Denny, Newantrim Street, Castlebar.

And now the park is ready for Mayo-born Archbishop Joseph Walsh, of Tuam, to throw in the ball for the first game.

The committee responsible for this happy result comprised of: President, Rev T. Morley; chairman, P. Quinn, N.T.; treasurers, D. McEllin and P. King; secretary, G. McDonald.

General committee: S.J. McCormack, T. McDonagh, N.T., P. O’Lochainn, John Burke, J.Jennings, F. Nolan, J. Courell, Sgt. Glynn, J. Chambers, T. Kelly, T. Deveraux, T. Brett, M. McCarthy, P. Carty, H. Kenny, D. Morrin, T. Ainsworth, T. McDonnell, F. Mongey, J. Heraty, T. Byrne, E. McManamon, J.E. Walsh, J. Munnelly, J. Reynolds, J. Tunney, M. Flynn, A. McTigue, H. Hoban, J. Kelly, A. Durkan, S. Syan, B. Murphy and J. Moran.