In 1980, Ringtown famously captured the Westmeath senior hurling championship. Twenty-five years later, we look back on the famous victory through the eyes of club secretary Eamonn Doyle and UK-based sponsor Jim Coffey, who was a member of the all-conquering county final panel two and a half decades ago. Ringtown's rousing outright victory in the 1980 Westmeath SHC truly was the stuff of legend. A small rural club nestling in the hurling heartland of north Westmeath, drawing its players from just a handful of houses, Ringtown celebrated their finest hour that fateful day in early September '80 - an occasion everybody connected to the club still looks back on with a swell of pride. It's no exaggeration to suggest that 1980 sits head and shoulders above the rest as the stand-out years in Ringtown's history. A quarter of a century on, there's a sense of nostalgia in the crisp Westmeath air as one reflects on a stellar success that made people sit up and take notice. The club has a total of nine SHCs to its credit, annexed in 1906, 1908, 1910, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1942, 1980 and 1987. But there's no doubt which one stands out, especially as the year we reflect on in this very publication marked the silver anniversary. Speaking about the 1980 breakthrough, present day club secretary Eamonn Doyle notes: "It was definitely the highlight. It was the first senior championship won by Ringtown in our lifetime. The club had last won it 38 years earlier but there aren't a lot of people around who remember the 1942 win. We also disbanded a couple of times in between so the 1980 win was vital as it signalled the return of Ringtown as a force to reckon with. "It was a watershed success and it was the first time a lot of people in the area had experienced anything like that." Of course, Ringtown hurling isn't all about dreamy nostalgia. The club continues to field teams at various levels and enjoyed some underage success in 2005, as Eamonn reveals: "We beat Castlepollard on Saturday December 3 to win the minor 13-a-side title. This is an important success for the club as we have been struggling a bit at senior level. The minor win was the high point of an otherwise quiet year and has given the club a real boost…" The underage section of the club is generously sponsored by London-based J Coffey Construction, a civil engineering contractor headed up by former Ringtown hurler Jim Coffey. Jim played throughout that famous 1980 campaign and was on the bench for the final itself. He hurled for Ringtown right through into the mid-eighties, before emigrating to England in 1988. The company began life as J Coffey Contractors and, with turnover increasing impressively through the recession, soon diversified operations and changed its moniker to J Coffey Construction. Today, the Harrow-headquartered civil engineering company is active throughout London and south-east England as both a main and sub-contractor, engaged in a variety of projects. Up to 150 people are employed depending on the workload at any given time, and Jim recently added his son Jamie to the team as a trainee surveyor. As an acknowledgement of where he comes from, Jim sponsors the underage section of Ringtown and tries to get home to see the club in action as often as possible. Returning to the SHC win of 25 years ago, Eamonn Doyle opines: "It was the best team we've had since we reformed. They had a good balance and could well have gone on to win a Leinster club title, even though it's a small base of players. It was an excellent year and an outstanding Ringtown team. "We won another championship in 1987 and could well have won more in between. We were within a puck of a ball in the mid-nineties too and also had a decent run two years ago. However, in general, we've struggled at senior level for the past nine years." The Ringtown side of the '80s was inspired by the talismanic David Kilcoyne, who became Westmeath's only hurling All Star in 1986. The club secretary concedes: "When you lose players like David, it's always going to be tough. David was impossible to replace on the pitch and some other young lads have emigrated. For a small club, that's difficult to deal with." Ringtown beat Brownstown by 1-10 to 0-9 in the senior championship final at Cusack Park, Mullingar on Sunday September 7 1980. The SHC was run off on an initial league basis with eight teams in the group. Ringtown lost their opener to Brownstown (2-12 to 1-8) but bounced back to beat Castlepollard by 1-13 to 1-6 in the second round. It was the first time since the club reformed in 1973 that they had beaten Castlepollard in the senior championship and the result gave the team great confidence. Cullion were beaten by 3-9 to 0-11 and what followed was a magnificent result as defending champions Castletown-Geoghegan were defeated against all odds - 3-11 to 0-11. A draw with Raharney (0-9 each) preceded a fine win over Lough Lene Gaels (1-15 to 2-6) and a place in the knockouts had been secured before Ringtown lost their final group game to Clonkill. A house-to-house collection was organised to raise funds to fly John Burke home from American for the semi-final and final, which ended in historic victories against Raharney (3-6 to 0-6) and Brownstown. Days that will never be forgotten in Ringtown. The 1980 Westmeath SHC winning team was: Thomas Mulvey; Eddie Blacoe, James Kilcoyne, Christy Corrigan; Padraig Burke, Walter Burke, Tony Corrigan (captain); Michael John Corrigan, David Kilcoyne; Clem Brazil, Padraig Kilcoyne, Michael Kilcoyne; Noel Murphy, John Burke, John James Mulvey. Subs: James Coffey, Syl Murphy, John McNicholas, Gerry Nea, Michael Cunningham, PJ Brophy, Martin Murphy, Sean Gurrin, Tom Davitt, William Coffey. As can be quickly discerned from a glance at the team-sheet, the side was backboned by the Kilcoynes and Corrigans, who are cousins, as well as the Burkes. It was an extremely close-knit bunch. The starting XV all came from ten houses, which is a remarkable statistic. "They all came from the one road. There'll never be a Ringtown team like that again," Eamonn comments. All Star recipient David Kilcoyne has given a lot to Ringtown hurling and is still involved in the club today, coaching underage teams. Michael John Corrigan, the Burkes, PJ Brophy, Martin Murphy, Sean Byrne and Eddie Blacoe are also still living locally and are supportive of the club in various capacities. That's the special kind of close-knit area we're talking about. This sense of togetherness spurred Ringtown to glory in 1980 and on eight other occasions. The Ringtown spirit will rise again, too. Tweet

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