The death has taken place of former star Cavan defender P. J. McCaffrey.  A native of Bawnboy in north Cavan, P.J. lined out with the local Templeport club. A no nonsense defender, he was a vital part of a fine Breifne combination which captured Ulster titles in 1962 and 64.

The great Down side of the early sixties were beaten on both occasions. Later P.J.'s teaching career took him over the Meath border where he immediately became involved with the Gaeil Colmcille club in Kells, there acting in many roles, including those of referee, club official and county board officer.

Away back in 1991 Margaret Rennicks made a visit to the McCaffrey home and we repeat her interview with P.J. which was included in the Royal County Yearbook of that year

PJ McCaffrey - a former Cavan footballer - now very much involved in the Gaeil Colmcille and Meath set up

Since his days playing for the Junior side in his local Templeport in Cavan in the early ‘50s, PJ McCaffrey had led a varied and interesting life.  He began his working years as an engineer with the Aer Corps in Baldonnel. In ’68 he changed direction, taking up a teaching post in the Vocational School in Kells, eventually going on to become Vice Principal.

That year Templeport won the Junior Championship. The former Cavan county footballer began taking an active part in the Gaeil Colmcille club a couple of years later. Before that was to happen McCaffrey closed the final chapter on a distinguished playing career after breaking his wrist in 1969. Today he is a technical teacher in the new Community School, where he shares his wealth of GAA experience with his young pupils.

With upcoming preparations for the new school year, his job of secretary with the club and the fact that he had served as a county board delegate for a number of years among some of his commitments to the GAA, it was difficult for PJ to find time to do the interview. Pipe in hand he welcomed me into his spacious home on the Athboy road. His cheerful wife Joan is endlessly patient at the constant demands football makes on her husband.  “She is really very understanding and has had to put up with a lot over the years,” PJ says.

The house is filled with mementous from his days in Nigeria, where he went in 1965 as a newly qualified teacher. Rows of perfect tiny figures carved from wood carrying out different jobs, or rowing long boats are mixed in with GAA trophies around the room. “I bought home a huge amount of these, as well as other statues and ornaments,” PJ says in his low, gravelly voice. He was based in Yabba, outside Lagos with the SMA Fathers. “Fr Slattery from Fermoy was the head there and Fr Jimmy Morrisson, who won an All Ireland with Cork, was there also,” he adds.

Hurling was introduced to the young pupils in the schools and they enjoyed playing the game as much as their Irish counterparts. “It was something new from them, though it was all nearly soccer, I remember when St Finbars would be playing a Muslim school, the juju, who was the local witch doctor, would chase after our boys to try and rub bad play on them” the Cavan man laughs recalling the colour and individuality of the region. A visiting English soccer team refused to play ball literally on one occasion by insisting they kept their boots on after being asked to do as the locals and go barefoot.

''In an upcoming election the government nervous about their chances of reinstatement made sure that their nominations were delivered unopposed. The Ebo tribe of the Eastern Region, as it was known then, the place were PJ was teaching, led a coup, killing the leaders of the North Western and Mid Western regions. As a result of this unrest a Christian army general was appointed Head of State, leaving a military junta in power. The general was killed on his first trip out of Lagos in six months and a Muslim Army Chief took over.

''Persecution of the Ebo’s continued. It was common for raids to be made on churches and schools with many of the tribe killed.''  Amazingly PJ along with other teachers and priests continued to carry on as normal as they could.  

“You’d have a class full of children one minute, then they would all vanish in a flash as word of a raid was received,” he says. A bomb exploded very near the living area one night, dropped from a passing plane, yet that still didn’t convince PJ that it might be wise to leave. “We didn’t want to abandon the school but eventually we had to get out of the country, they tried to starve the Ebo’s out and it went on for years, the famine and hardship.” PJ remarks, obviously still feeling for the race of people he got to know so well.

''It had been a great life before the war'', he says - ''no hardships, no cold, and although fresh produce was in short supply there was always plenty of food available. They wouldn’t have any meat, mainly chicken, I didn’t try any snakes all the same,” the well travelled teacher smiles.

The Cavan side that lost to Roscommon in the 1962 All Ireland semi final. Front l-r: C. Smith, PJ McCaffrey, C. Gallagher, T. Galligan, S. McMahon, M. Brady, J. McDonnell, J. Brady, J. Stafford, T. Maguire, M. Ryan. Back l-r: B. Smith, P. Clarke, P. Gaffney, PJ O’Gorman, J. Quinn, T. Smith, G. Kelly, R. Carolan, T. Morris, T. Lynch, P. Lyons, S. Og Flood

His army training obviously came in useful when it was necessary to keep a cool head during those days in Nigeria. He joined the Aer Corps in 1956 and immediately became part of the almost unbeatable football side of that time - Charlie Wren, Harry Donnelly of Offaly, Brendan Barden who was a National League medal winner with Longford, Gene McCaffrey, Cork, New York and Munster, Mick Coughlan of Kildare, Brian Rabbitte of Westmeath, Frank Marron, Kildare and Mick Garrett of Meath, who won an All Ireland with Galway, they were all members of the team that won a second five All Ireland Championships in a row from ’57 to ’62.

That feat had never been equalled before or since and McCaffrey, Donnelly and McCarthy were all on each of the five winning teams. “It was getting embarrassing at the end, we went out to win it in ’57 for the first time and when we did win there was great euphoria at our victory,” PJ says remembering the early days with the side.

“After leaving in ’62 I continued to play when I was training in Dublin and we played challenge matches against Wicklow, Tipperary and Derry and were beaten in two Dublin Championship finals and won two Dublin Senior Leagues. We beat Vincents in a League final and they beat us in two. I also won a Minor Championship medal with Leitrim, illegally at one stage.”

PJ also played on the Combined Universities side and when he was playing for Cavan was working as a ground engineer with Aer Lingus. “The shift work was terrible, it wasn’t great for football''. 

His first taste of success came when Cavan stopped Down from achieving their three in a row of All Ireland successes. “We met them in the Ulster Final in Casement Park in 1962 and we beat them. I remember the day, Jimmy Stafford came on the scene, he scored two goals, I was playing on James McCartan for half the match, Cavan won the Ulster Championship and were beaten by Roscommon on the semi final, it might have been one of the first of the televised matches.”

Cavan went on to beat Down in the Ulster final in ’64 and  were beaten in the All Ireland semi final by Kerry. Among PJ souvenirs from the time is a picture from the Evening Standard of June 1st, 1963, when the Cavan team went to play in Wembley. His over riding memory of that trip has nothing whatsoever to do with football. PJ laughs as he recalls the long corridor in the hotel where the teams were staying. ''Every night hurlers from Tipperary and Kilkenny, also over to play in Wembley, belted the ball up and down in to the small hours.  “You’d have to be very careful leaving your room I can tell you.”

Living in Meath doesn’t pose a problem as to who to support for the Cavan man. Its simple - whoever is doing well has his full enthusiasm. Cavan, out of the limelight for so long have some way to go to equal the achievements of the Meath team, something which PJ isn’t very happy about. ''You’d like to see Cavan a lot better, I’d love to see them coming back but it doesn’t look like it though.”  Emigration he feels has severely harmed Cavan’s chances of success - he will always keep a little bit of hope alive for his native county all the same.

Now he is content to be involved with the Kells club and all that entails. “There was a lot of work to be done at the start of the building of the Centre and it was great achievement to see it open in ’73'' says the man who has been a referee since the late ‘50s and is also very committed to underage levels, Fintan Ginnity, the County Chairman, is also a member of the club.  Most of the officers are pioneers as is PJ himself.  This caused great hilarity in Nigeria - they couldn’t believe an Irishman could do without drink!

''I got involved with games in the Vocational School and was All-Ireland Secretary from ’70 to 76. That involved organising the semi final and final of the Vocational Schools competition,” PJ continues.  At that time he was elected Vocational Schools Council Delegate on the Central Council.

He was the first Youth Officer on the Meath County Board and spent nearly five years as Development Officer also.  “That involved implementing the Organaigh report, which deals with motions and development of Gaelic games within the county.”  For the last year he had been Vice Chairman of the Leinster Colleges, a position now gone out of existence.  “It has been integrated into the joining committee now - Padraig Pearse was the first Vice Chairman of the Leinster Colleges”, he adds.

Seeming to possess boundless energy PJ also took over as the Juvenile Secretary in Kells for three years and has spent a year concerning himself with the affairs of the seniors.   ''We have a very strong senior football and hurling team and have had a lot of success at underage levels over the years. We represented Meath at the Feile Peile in Galway last year and won the Under 21 Championship in ’88 and last year also'' he adds.

PJ had a particular interest in the under 21’s as his son Peadar played in both championships and was captain this year. Peadar has followed his father’s successful path by playing on a Trinity Sigerson Cup side, lining out with Gormanston at both senior football and hurling levels, and was on the Meath Under 21 side which went under to Kerry this year.

Peadar was also a member of the team which won the Leinster Under 21 B Hurling Championship to the delight of his parents.  And, of course, there was that little matter of Gaeil Colmcille SFC success in November, Peadar played a star role in the half back line. The girls in the family - Orla, Siobhain and Sinead - are also keen on sports competing successfully in different events.  

Football and GAA have always figured very strongly in the Kells resident’s life. He has managed to combine his interest with work and family and from all his years in the game looks back most fondly to those days in the Aer Corps when his side just couldn’t lose. “They were great lads, there was such a great team spirit in the side, we still keep in touch which is marvellous.”

Time was marching on, a couple of hours had passed by in a flash, listening to the unusual and entertaining life and times of PJ McCaffrey.  There’s plenty more where that came from, but it will have to keep for another day.  Passing out through the gates, with their harps on each side, I could see PJ vanishing inside the house, his mind already moving ahead to the next task.  When you pack as much into your day as he does, there’s not a moment to waste waving on doorsteps.

Yesterday, May 18th P.J. McCaffrey was laid to rest in his native Bawnboy soil. Sadly his wife Joan passed away in 2011.

Ar dheis De go raibh a anam.

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