St Brendan’s Hockey Club reliving its history

One of the most interesting aspects of many venerable sports clubs is their actual origin.

Many of the great soccer clubs such as Arsenal and Manchester United began life as factory teams. Similarly, closer to home, St Loman’s GAA club has its origins in providing recreational opportunities for local hospital staff. Even closer still to our own local area St. Brendan's Phoenix Park Hockey Club began life back in 1929 as the Grangegorman Hockey Club.

As the club is now 80 years old this anniversary will be marked by a ball to be held in Dunboyne Castle in May. The organising committee is currently working to produce a commemorative booklet for the occasion and would greatly welcome any photographs, anecdotes, reminiscences or newspaper reports or cuttings that any players or ex-players may have. Please contact the club on dublinhockey@gmail.comor call Catherine Murphy, club chairperson (tel. 086 377 6507) if you have any items of interest. They will be gratefully received by the club as it explores its past on this milestone occasion.

In the days of its foundation the club’s membership consisted of male staff employed in the local hospital at Grangegorman. The players would play hockey on Saturdays and soccer or Gaelic games on Sunday. The grass pitch in Grangegorman was one of the best in Leinster and was used by the Leinster Branch when most other grass pitches were deemed unplayable.
 
By the 1950's, the teams were complemented by sons of the founder members while outsiders were also welcomed into the club. In 1960, the club’s name was changed to St. Brendan’s Hockey Club to coincide with the hospital name change. The club continued into the 60’s winning various junior trophies. Any mention of St. Brendan’s would be incomplete without mentioning Barney McCabe who single-handedly kept the club ticking over for many years. He also brought along his two sons, Gerry and Bernard to play, the latter achieving international honours as a goalkeeper.
 
In the early 1970’s, the club - as a result of the influx of sons of staff members together with their friends - formed the nucleus of a very good junior team and the promise was fulfilled when this team reached an Irish junior cup final in 1974 only to be beaten by Lisnagarvey. A year later these players formed the backbone of the team that were promoted to the Leinster Senior League.

The Gahans and the Brennans would become outstanding players during the club’s time in the senior league, and the club was at that stage fielding four teams which was an outstanding achievement considering its north inner city location – somewhat removed from the traditional leafy hockey hotbeds.
 
In 1981, the club embarked on a recruitment drive to encourage young boys from the local areas to take up the game of hockey. There was some resistance to this at the time as it was felt by many of them that “only girls played hockey”. However, with some persistence from Mick Ryan and Mick Kavanagh, about fifteen boys joined the colts section of St. Brendan’s Hockey Club.

These boys were joined by Mick Ryan’s two sons Alan and Paul, Albert, Sean and Gordon O’Reilly plus well-known GAA player Dessie Farrell. Dessie went on to achieve international honours at both under 16 and 18 levels. The highlight of this exercise was when a colts selection comprising eight St. Brendan’s players managed by Mick Ryan, defeated a schools’ selection managed by Des Buggy. This event raised a few eyebrows at Leinster Branch level. Most of these lads are still with the club and play a vital role at committee level to this day.

As the name suggests the club is based in the Phoenix Park. It currently has three men’s teams, two ladies’ teams and an up and coming colts’ section. Its colours are royal blue tops, shorts/skirts and socks with red trim.

New players are always welcome.

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