The Derrydonnell Team. There were seven sets of brothers on the panel with six sets of these on the team. These sets of brothers comprised 13 out of the 17 members that played on the County Final day. Back then, there were 17 on a hurling team. The team members that won in 1911 were: Jack & Martin Costello of Gortroe; Andy, Mick & Pat (Captain) Keane of Tobberroe; Pat and Peter Heneghan of Derrydonnell More; Mick Freaney, of Derrydonnell Beg; Mick Fahy of Moyveela East; Tom Mullins of Moyveela West; William & Richard Higgins of Lisheenkyle West; Jack & Martin Ruane of Lisheenkyle East; Martin Kennedy, Martin and Mike Joyce of Carnaun. There were most likely subs associated with this team. From another match played earlier that year we see that other players featured – these were most likely the subs for the Co. Final match. The subs therefore may have been Mike Higgins – a brother of William and Richard, Myles Freeney, Mick Freeney’s brother and Anthony Freeney of Mountain West and possibly another brother of his called Michael. These men will be discussed later in the book under the individual families. So in all the 1911 team came from nine townlands in the vicinity of Derrydonnell. These townlands were Gortroe, Tobberroe, Derrydonnell More, Derrydonnell Beg, Mountain West, Moyveela East, Moyveela West, Lisheenkyle West, Lisheenkyle East and Carnaun. We could also include Mountain West, to make that ten, as there may have been subs from there. (See Map). These men were all strong believers in getting Independence for Ireland and strived for freedom which came in December 1922 in the form of the Irish Free State. The GAA in those days was very strongly connected with the struggle for Independence. The majority of the Derrydonnell players therefore, were very actively involved in the uprising at the time. These men also had a strong faith, which they passed onto their children and which was obviously passed onto them from their parents. Many members of their families – brothers, sisters, sons and daughters went onto religious life and did missionary work at home and abroad. It is very evident that the tradition of hurling and the love they had for GAA was passed down through the generations in the families of these men. Practically all the team members had relations who have carried on the mantle of the GAA be it as officers or players for the Athenry Club and have contributed to it immensely over the years. The hurling gene didn’t escape the female descendants either with some of them having taken up a camán to play camogie too. It must be said that descendants of practically all the 1911 winning team have played for the club at some stage in the different years. I am sure that if we examined the records we would always find at least one of those surnames involved in various teams. We should also bear in mind that many descendants of these men played hurling with other clubs throughout our county too. Also the wider geographical area that the Derrydonnell Club covered in 1911 produced great sportsmen over the years. Indeed Derrydonnell itself it still doing so, as our recent All- Ireland Winners Jack Carr and Thomas Flynn are from the locality. The colours of the Derrydonnell Hurling Club were green and yellow and they wore 4
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