Fifty years ago Cumann Luthchleas made the momentous decision to play the All-Ireland football final in New York. The period immediately after the 1939 - 45 war presented major problems in communication and travel;   in the light of these difficulties, to undertake such a venture was an act of great courage.

As a member of the Central Council , and a delegate to annual congress representing Derry, and also at that time the county secretary I attended the meetings where the decisions were made to embark on this undertaking. This is  my personal recollection of these events.

In 1947, Congress met in the City Hall, Dublin on Easter Sunday, 6th April. In those days Congress was not the high-powered, much publicised event it is today. It was a one-day event, and counties were apathetic and often were poorly represented. I was the sole representative from Derry. On the clar was a motion from Clare, "to consider the feasibility of playing the All-Ireland Final in New York '. There was very little talk about this motion, as it was thought to be so outlandish. The playing of the showpiece outside the country particularly with the obstacles presented in crossing the Atlantic Ocean, made such a venture impossible.

A request had been received from Canon Hamilton, the sponsor of the motion, that discussion should take place at the end of Congress, as he was unable to reach Dublin till the afternoon, since he was celebrating mass at twelve o'clock in Ennis. The president, Dan O'Rourke, with the agreement of the delegates acceded to the Canon's request. So when the business of Congress was completed, it was arranged that the delegates would re-convene in Croke Park after the Railway Cup final between Connacht and Munster. This was one of the many matches which had to be postponed that year, due to the atrocious weather conditions in the spring.

After the match, Congress resumed in a smallish room - a sort of a storeroom under the old Hogan Stand, then a wooden structure. Space was at a premium, so many delegates had to stand. Canon Hamilton proposed the motion. He was a very articulate man, highly respected, and with a great record of service in the Association. To give a flavour of the strong emotional content of his speech, I quote a small extract from it;

Pretty strong stuff !

Another Clare delegate, Bob Fitzpatrick, seconded the proposal. He read a couple of letters from Irish exiles in America, the contents of which were highly emotional. They were real tear-jerkers, and they lost nothing in the reading, since Bob's lugubrious tones fitted the occasion. It later became known, and was accepted, even by the speaker, that he had written the letters himself. A few delegates spoke against the motion, mostly "establishment" figures. Fintan Brennan, Leinster chairman, Gerry Arthurs, Ulster secretary, Bob O'Keefe, a former president, and Vincent O'Donoghue, a future president, were strongly opposed to the whole concept.

However, the motion was passed by a large majority, more than the two-thirds required. Many explanations have been given for this unexpected alarming result.

Canon. Hamilton was a highly respected member of the association, and was at that time chairman of the Munster Council. Many delegates would have supported him to avoid embarrassing him if his motion were defeated. And, of course, the underlying feeling was that it would never take place, since arrangements would not be feasible.

As a result of the motion, General Secretary Padraig O Caoimh, and Connacht Secretary, Tom Kilcoyne, were sent to New York, "to consider the feasibility of playing the final",'in the words of the motion. Based on their report, a final decision was to be made by the Central Council.

The meeting of the Central Council was held on May 23rd, in a small hall in North Frederick Street, beside the L.S.E. garage, as there were no facilities in Croke Park to accommodate the enlarged Central Council. It had been arranged to hold a meeting "in camera" before the public meeting. At this meeting the report of the General Secretary was discussed. It was a very comprehensive appraisal of the situation, and Padraig 0 Caoimh was closely questioned on every aspect of it. One of the greatest problems was transport for the travelling party. Travel by air was a hazardous enterprise, and transport by boat was limited. However, by utilising both modes of transport, the teams and officials could be accommodated. At the end, when a vote was taken, a majority voted against the proposal to play the final in New York.

The press was then admitted to the meeting, and a formal discussion took place repeating the arguments which had been presented at the private meeting. Finally, on a vote of 20 - 17, the previous decision was reversed, and it was decided to play the All-Ireland Football Final in New York's Polo Grounds. I can still see the consternation among the officers at the top table, most of whom had opposed the whole idea. The President's face expressed disbelief. However, a decision had been made and nothing could be done about it.

There is no record of the private meeting, and the minutes of the following meeting do not give many details of the debate. It is now generally accepted that this private meeting did take place, although for a long time many questioned whether it had really occurred. In an article in the Examiner (Cork), Jim O'Sullivan, -the G.A.A. correspondent reported that he had interviewed the late Michael O Ruairc, who was Kerry Co. Secretary and Central Council delegate. He confirmed that an 'in camera" meeting had taken place.

My story of the reversal of the decision is treated with disbelief. Unfortunately, the only other person who attended the meeting, Alf Murray, has few memories of the events of May 23rd, 1947.

Mick Dunne, who has written a detailed and well-researched book on the Polo Grounds Final (The Star Spangled Final) quotes (P55) a columnist in the Anglo-Celt who states that a private meeting had been held "the majority voted against playing the final in New York but canvassing of votes was so keen - that at the public meeting some of the representatives turned round and a majority was secured".

The rest is history. It must be recorded that the venture was a huge success, incidentally making a profit of £10,000 - a large sum at that time. The success was due to the tremendous efforts of the General Secretary, Padraig 0 Caoimh, who organised every aspect of the event. His energy was boundless, and his organisational ability outstanding.

An interesting tailpiece was that the executive council consisting of chairman and secretary of each provincial council and the other officers, most of whom, from the beginning, were the strongest opponents of the idea, with one exception, decided to accompany the teams to New York. Ulster chairman Alf Murray did not travel.

The final is now part of G.A.A. folklore, and everyone remembers the wonderful broadcast of Micheal 0 Hehir, with his frantic appeals to keep the lines to Ireland open, when the match was running over the allotted time.

Ulster was proud of the tremendous victory of Cavan, the Ulster Champions, on this memorable occasion.