The Athy captains of the Kildare senior team
Athy's Kevin Feely Photo: INPHO/Bryan Keane
THE announcement of Athy Gaelic footballer Kevin Feely as the County Kildare senior captain for 2025 is one of the few occasions (see note at bottom of the article) that a player from the South Kildare town was captained the senior county team.
We have to go back as far as the Kildare All-Ireland Final losing team of 1933 to identify the last Athy player who captained the county team. He was Paul Matthews, employed as a local barman in Anderson’s, who came to Athy from County Cavan. On that All-Ireland Final day, Paul, who like Kevin played centre field, was joined on the county team by another Athy player, Tommy Mulhall.
On the substitute bench that day was Barney Dunne, Jim Fox and Cuddy Chanders. Cuddy had been sensationally dropped for the final by, it is said, the county board executives who, overconfident of victory, gave the goalkeeping role to a Naas player. Cuddy was restored as goalkeeper for later league matches but the controversial decision marked a dark period in the relationship between Tim Clarke’s county board and the Athy club.
Strange, isn’t it, to reflect that the two Athy county captains came not from the short grass county but in Paul Matthews case from Ardee, Co Louth and in the case of the present holder of the title, Kevin Feely, who was born in Brussels. However, Kevin has links to County Kildare of which I have only now become aware as his paternal grandfather, Roddie Feely Snr, was born in The Curragh.
Other great footballers who played for Athy and County Kildare seniors include George Comerford, a Clare man stationed as a garda in Athy and who captained the Athy club team to win the 1937 championship.
The 1937 county final was played on 17 July of the following year. The delay resulted from the Athy club’s elimination at the quarter final stage following a walkover granted to Raheens. Athy appealed and the replay was ordered, which took place on 1 May 1938, which Athy won.
The final-winning team was captained by George Comerford. George had won Dublin championship titles with the garda team in 1933, 1934 and 1935. He transferred to the Athy club in or around 1936 and played for the county senior team on five occasions between March 1938 and February 1939. Comerford, who won a provincial medal with Munster, was regarded as one of the finest footballers of his time, but I cannot find out whether, following his captaincy of the 1937 championship team, he took over the captaincy of the Kildare senior team.
Other Athy players who have featured in the county team seniors in the past include the legendary Mick Carolan, Danny Flood and Tommy Mulhall. Mick Foley was, of course, the only club member to receive an All-Star Award during his time as a county senior player. There were many other Athy players who played on the senior county team but their stories are for another day.
To return to Kevin Feely: apart from the honour of captaining the county senior team this year, he was also recently declared as the county footballer of the year. This is a well-deserved honour for the young player whose style of play reminded me so much of the legendary Mick O’Connell. His superb overhead catching of the ball and his subsequent distribution is so typical of O’Connell, who played his football in the 1950s.
Kevin’s talents as a Gaelic footballer were put to good use when I saw him recently on TG4 as one of three analysts discussing a recent club championship semi-final. He spoke easily, convincingly and with ease as he outlined the involvement of the two teams and the tactics they employed. His was a television performance ***par excellence*** and I expect to see him on the principal channel before too long.
As to the county senior team panel for 2025, with Kevin Feely are Athy club players Niall Kelly, James McGrath and David Hyland. I wish them well and hope that the county can have some measure of success in this year’s championship.
I was surprised to get notice on Facebook of an Athy GFC function in a local pub when announcements of players of the year in different grades were to be made. I thought it was strange that the clubhouse was not used for the night until I realised that for some time past the club licence, which would allow alcohol to be served, was not renewed.
Whatever about the alcohol element, it is a pity that a fine clubhouse which Bobby Miller and others were responsible for building is no long longer part of the club members’ social scene. It is something that needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency as the clubhouse is the heart of the club.
As I wrote this article, I became aware that Kevin Feely and his fiancée Patriona Bolger married just before Christmas. I take the opportunity of wishing them many years of happiness.
Finally, congratulations to Claudia Reeves for the very successful film festival which was held last weekend. The Athy Film Club which she started some time ago is a wonderful addition to Athy’s cultural scene.
