This is a photo of the 1943 or 1944 Ulster railway Cup team and I'm hoping people can help me identify all the players.
If you know anyone can you tell me any or all of the following please?

- Name
- Position in photograph
- County and
- Club

Thanks in advance
John Walsh

http://www.blue-fin.co.uk/images/RailwayCup_1943_1944.JPG

gleepy (Down) - Posts: 3 - 27/02/2015 14:48:35    1697430

sorry cant help you gleepy, but am impressed by the large attendance in the background

Miler (Mayo) - Posts: 1015 - 27/02/2015 17:44:52    1697486

Id say Cavan folk would have the best chance of answering that. They owned the Anglo Celt that time. I could be wrong but id say at least 9-10 would be Cavan.

TheRightStuff (Donegal) - Posts: 1688 - 27/02/2015 17:53:00    1697488

Brian McAteer (Creggan Antrim) Back row 3rd from right, standing beside the man in the suit
Kevin Armstring (Antrim) very front row in the middle

CSC (None) - Posts: 17 - 27/02/2015 18:51:37    1697506

Eugene Mc Donald front row extreme left Monaghan Clones St Tiernachs
Peter Mc Carney front row extreme right Monaghan Clones St Tiernachs

Mceon (Monaghan) - Posts: 2 - 27/02/2015 21:36:01    1697558

Here is the winning 1943 team, can't put names to the faces sorry -

Dessie Benson (Cavan)
Eddie McLoughlin (Armagh)
Barney Cully (Cavan)
Big Tom O'Reilly (Cavan)
Gerry Smith (Cavan)
Jim McCullagh (Armagh)
Vincent O'Duffy (Monaghan)
John Joe O'Reilly (Cavan)
Columba McDyer (Donegal)
Kevin Armstrong (Antrim)
Alf Murray (Armagh)
Paddy Maguire (Derry)
Peter McCarney (Monaghan)
Simon Deignan (Cavan)
Hudy Beag Gallagher (Donegal)

Sub: Tom McCann (Down)

commercials1 (Limerick) - Posts: 115 - 28/02/2015 12:40:09    1697618

Front row kneeling 2nd on left John Joe O'Reilly, Club Connafean, County Cavan.

fainleog (Limerick) - Posts: 598 - 28/02/2015 16:19:41    1697660

Tall man 6th from left in back row looks like Big Tom O'Reilly (John Joe's brother). Cornafean, Cavan.
7th from left kneeling (to right of man looking sideways) looks like Simon Deignan, Mullagh, Cavan. Simon refereed the 1947 Munster Final and later played in the All Ireland Final.
My opinions are based on photos of Cavan GAA via Google.
Columba McDyer, Donegal also played for Cavan in 1947 but I can't place him in photo.

tommy58 (Dublin) - Posts: 169 - 01/03/2015 20:55:42    1698100

Thanks for all the replies so far...great response.

County Cavan doing more than their fair share for Ulster!!

Hopefully the other counties will be able to fill in some of the blanks.

Thanks again.

John

gleepy (Down) - Posts: 3 - 02/03/2015 21:20:29    1698542

A Cavan friend has confirmed my identification of Simon Deignan but says that I am wrong on Big Tom O'Reilly. He confirms an earlier poster's identification of John Joe O'Reilly.

He has promised to investigate further.

tommy58 (Dublin) - Posts: 169 - 25/04/2015 19:00:01    1717418

Back when we were the undisputed kings of Ulster football. Ahhh will I ever witness the likes again? Who knows.....

I'm fairly sure thats the gallant John Joe O'Reilly in the front row, second from the left, behind the man in the suit. Captained Cavan in the polo grounds in 1947 as underdogs when we beat Kerry. Played with the famed "Reds" of Cornafean. Centre half back on the team of the millennium. His brother is probably also in the photo, Big Tom they called him, I've actually heard he was a better footballer from old lads who remember them playing.

Ned_Stormcrow (Cavan) - Posts: 1071 - 25/04/2015 21:09:44    1717452

Many thanks once again for all the help in identifying the great players in this photograph.
Alongside the help and information provided here, my brother and father made enquiries elsewhere and received fantastic help from Donal McAnallen and the Cardinal Tomas O'Fiaich Memorial Library and Archive.

For those who may be interested, Donal has identified the players as follows;

Back row:
Paddy "Sticky" Maguire; Hugh McEneaney (Ulster council official UCO); Kevin Armstrong; Eddie McLoughlin; Eddie Quinn (UCO); Jim McCullough; Eugene Finnegan; Harry Vernon; Brian McAteer

Middle row:
Eugene McDonald; John Joe O'Reilly (captain); Alf Murray; Gerry Smith; Packy Boylan (?); Leo McAlinden; Simon Deignan; Peter McCarney

Front row:
B. Smith (UCO); Frank Hamill (?); Basil McGuickin

Finally I would like to formally thank everyone on behalf of my father, especially all the contributors in this forum, Donal McAnallen and the fantastic resources available in the Cardinal Tomas O'Fiaich Memorial Library and Archive.

John Walsh on behalf of Dr. Martin Walsh (Co.Down)

gleepy (Down) - Posts: 3 - 22/05/2015 11:36:24    1726975

1944 March 17 - Limerick.ie
www.limerickcity.ie/media/1944%2003%2017.pdf
be at Crol-ce Pal-it: on St. Patrick's Day in a bid to win Railway. Cup honours, which Munster 110ch in hurling and Ulster in football. The 1944 Cups are historic ...See Ulster Football Team lineout on Page 5

charliejoe (Donegal) - Posts: 1 - 01/12/2015 20:28:18    1810948

i would have said Cavan, also, before anyone of us done anything in Ulster , the Cavan boys had it all done, they showed us all the way, and fair play to them, i love winners, and in my book they are the Elvis of Ulster, all the best to all the Ulster players this weekend, no Donegal players ????????????

mchugh11 (Donegal) - Posts: 242 - 03/12/2015 15:06:30    1811253

that's a great post charliejoe. I love to see those old newspaper cuttings.

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5518 - 04/12/2015 13:45:52    1811426