Former Slaughtneil President Patsy Cassidy passed away on Sunday at his home surrounded by his family at the age of 94.
In the week before the 2017 All-Ireland Club Final, Michael McMullan went to meet Patsy and his wife Mary as part of the County Derry Post’s preview to Slaughtneil’s clash with Kerry giants Dr Crokes.
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Shortly before seven o’clock last Thursday night Patsy and Mary Cassidy returned home from Slaughtneil Hall. With 30 tickets secured for Friday’s final, it was time to load up the fire and get the kettle on.
You never see one without the other, with the GAA a perfect bond. Pulling into Lavey on a cold October afternoon a few years back to see one of their 22 grandchildren play in a school game. A 400 mile round trip by bus to Portlaoise to see their beloved Slaughtneil make their first appearance on the national stage.
They are side by side – fanatical supporters in every sense of the word. Despite the beating drums of the partisan army of Austin Stacks supporters through the O’Moore Park stand at half-time, there was a glint in Patsy Cassidy’s eyes. “We have them now,” he uttered, in reference to Slaughtneil’s comeback.
On Friday, the 30 Hogan Stand tickets will be distributed evenly. Three rows of ten. Intentionally. The Cassidy family can all sit in close proximity, hoping for Mickey Moran’s side to follow in the footsteps of the camogie girls.
“Francis (son) and (grandson) Michael they’ll come from Derry,” Mary explained. “They’ll lift us and we’ll call with Roisin (daughter) for a bite to eat, she lives in Ashbourne.”
From there, it will be on to Croke Park, and thanks to the Slaughtneil club, there’ll be a convenient parking spot. A respect of the generation of founding members. Patsy is grateful: “They are more than good to me, Seamus Mulholland and Ollie McCusker, they’ll come with a car pass.”
Cassidy would often be seen across the county, stewarding at funerals, helping park cars or ushering someone to the last available seat at the front of the chapel. He is entitled to a slice of payback.
“When you hit the tenth decade you get slowed up,” Cassidy joked.
At his 90th birthday party celebrations last year, the dress code said it all about one of Slaughtneil’s greatest ever supporters.
On May 29th (the day after his official birthday), there was a family gathering at the Shepherd’s Rest and out came a set of 35 specially commissioned maroon and white jerseys. The Cassidy coat of arms on the front and “Cassidy 90” on the back.
Such was the novelty, O’Neill’s asked permission to use them in a marketing campaign.
On visiting Patsy last week three things stuck out way above the rest. The Slaughtneil photos scattered around the walls, a warm fire and an equally warm welcome.
Cassidy’s first venture to Croke Park was some 72 years ago, the first of countless visits to the iconic ground.
“It was in 1945, I remember it because I was in Willy Noone’s. He had a wee Morris Minor car and it was sitting during the war,” Cassidy recalled. “There was me, Willy Noone and Fr Bernard McKenna, who was a chaplin in the army. He called in a thatched house along the road to see a man who was in the army along with him.”
Patsy Cassidy began working at the age of 14, serving his time under Mr and Mrs Noone in the shop, where he worked for 25 years. In 1960, he opened his own grocery shop in Maghera before retiring in 1990.
“I started in Noone’s on Hallowe’en day 1940, he had just left Teady McErlean’s and started in DJ McKenna’s the year before. It was an electrical shop, selling wirelesses,” Cassidy recalled.
“I was nearly the first one who got a car”, Cassidy stated. “I took Hugh Andrew (Cassidy), the Faddies (McKenna’s), Billy McRory, Gerry McNeill, our Jack and Denis and all to Croke Park for years and years and years. I was in Croke Park more times,” Cassidy explained.
“It was the only time you ever got out – nobody had cars. People never got out to dances or anything like it is now.”
A trip to Dublin cost around 30 shillings for a passenger and about 5 shillings to pay into Croke Park. Times have changed.
“I bought a car from Jim McGeehan – an Austin 12. Frank McKenna and me at the time, got three calves and kept them for two years up in a field of Brian Gormley’s and they were ready for selling. This car was £80 and I bought it.”
There were always eight in the car and Patsy had two extra seats installed just behind the front seats. There were also two spare wheels.
EMMET PARK
“In 1953 they started the football, down in a field of Philip Mullan’s,” recalled Cassidy. “Before that, they always had a Sunday carnival and they played a soccer…
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