Memorable week and unique double for Longford author and intermediate championship medal winner Pauric Gill

Fr Manning Gaels and Pauric Gill are celebrating a unique double after the club triumphed to win an intermediate county title less than 48-hours after the launch of the forward's new book on the club's history.

There was a huge turnout to see GAA President Jarlath Burns launch and speak glowingly about ‘Our Club: The Fr Manning Gaels Story’ last Thursday night in the ‘98 Hall Ballinamuck.

Author Pauric Gill said the book is a detailed history of Gaelic games in Drumlish/ Ballinamuck parish from 1889 until 2023 and he first began researching the history of the club in 2011 and writing it in 2019.

There is a chapter dedicated to each decade, as well as St Vincent’s, St Helen’s, Schools, Scór, songs and poems as well as records and statistics.

PICTURES | GAA President Jarlath Burns in Longford to launch book detailing wonderful history of Fr Manning Gaels

Pauric stated the book launch was a great occasion and it was fantastic to follow that up and celebrate winning the intermediate championship two days later.

"It's been great and a bit of a blur since Thursday morning and quite the whirlwind few days but thankfully it all went very well," he said. "We had a huge crowd in the hall in Ballinamuck for Jarlath Burns and Albert Cooney was there as well and it was a huge night."

Pauric also praised Jarlath Burns who he said was incredible.

"He is an extremely intelligent, articulate man and he spoke so well," he said. "I only met him briefly before the event and he said he was like a sponge. He was able to rattle off stuff about Drumlish and Ballinamuck, having only heard about it for the first time.”

Also read: Sean Whelan’s late, late goal clinches the Longford Intermediate title for Fr Manning Gaels

Pauric stated he could not be happier with the reaction from the club and people in the parish.

"It's been unreal, all day Friday I was non stop on the phone receiving phone calls and text messages as people were flicking through it and seeing stories about their relatives and that was kind of what it was all about, seeing people happy."

Thirty-four years old Pauric said there is a lot of detail in the 700 page book.

"Any senior match that was reported on, whether league or championship is in there," he said. "I may have missed out on a couple but I tried my best to cover them all."

Pauric said he was able to get a substantial amount of archive match reports from the Longford Leader and the Irish Newspaper Archives.

He stated the club was founded in 1889, eight years before the Leader was established so he also accessed archive material from the Roscommon Herald, the Anglo Celt, Leitrim Observer and the Longford Journal.

The accountant, who stated compiling and writing the book did not feel like work and it was a passion project, said the bulk of his research was done by talking to people in the parish.

PICTURES | Gaels force - Outpouring of joy as Fr Manning Gaels capture Longford intermediate glory

Pauric said he is grateful to his father Thomas, a former player from the 70s up until the early-90s, and neighbour Pat Flynn, who won three county titles with the club in 1951, 1953 and 1955 along with many locals.

"I met the likes of Seamus Furey, Eddie Crowe, Paddy McQuaid and Mary and Paddy Gillhooley who were great, it was about getting their memories," he added.

Pauric stated one remarkable story tells how the first Longford man to referee an All Ireland football final was a man from Ballinamuck, Sgt Patrick McKenna, a garda stationed in Bruff in county Limerick.

"He refereed the 1941 final and as it happened a Drumlish man Jim Hannify was in the army and stationed in Galway and he was playing wing forward for Galway," he said.

Also read: Longford IFC Final: A proud honour for the victorious Fr Manning Gaels captain John Paul

"It's the only known circumstance of a referee and a player being from the same parish in an All Ireland final, it's incredible."
Pauric said he is delighted with the finished book and he praised the work of designer Colin Slack.

The book costs €50, with all proceeds going to the Gaels.