Death of Offaly football great in New York

THE death has taken place of one of Offaly's finest footballers, a man high up on the pantheon of greats in the county, even if the Leinster and All-Ireland medals that many others won eluded him.

Peter Nolan has died in New York and while he spent far more of his life in America than in his home town of Clara and home county of Offaly, his exploits were remembered for many years with great reverence by those privileged to see him.

Just over 90 years of age, his emigration to New York in 1960 deprived Offaly and Clara of one of its star footballers, a teak tough, renowned centre half back, who also excelled at midfield and centre half forward. His last game for Offaly was at centre half forward in the Leinster Senior Football Championship win over Carlow in 1960: he was just 25 years of age when he took the boat from Cobh to New York with his wife, Patricia Weir – they married on June 6 1960.

Nolan's two points were an important contribution on a day when Offaly were pushed hard before winning by 2-12 to 2-9 but he was in America when Offaly made arguably their most important ever breakthrough, taking their first ever Leinster senior football title in 1960, beating Louth in the final.

That was really the start of everything for Offaly and unfortunately, the ultimate success eluded that great team of the early 1960s as Down beat them in the 1960 All-Ireland semi-final and 1961 All-Ireland final, in front of a record attendance at Croke Park. They were very unlucky not to win and Nolan's absence was a definite factor in them not going the whole way.

A debate raged for decades over the County Board not bringing him home for the 1961 All-Ireland final against Down. It was regularly used as a stick to beat the then County Board and chairman Fr Edmund Vaughan with and while there is no doubt that Nolan could have made the difference on the day, the other side of that coin was that he was in America and the team had won two Leinster titles and reached an All-Ireland final without him.

Irrespectives of the rights and wrongs of all that, Peter Nolan was a tremendous footballer and the Nolan's were one of Offaly's great GAA and footballing families, right up there with the Furlong's, Connor's-O'Connor's, Lowry's, Dooley's, and before all of them, the Cordial's from Kinnitty.

Peter was the eldest of four brothers – Willie was the goalkeeper on the 1960-1961 team and also spent years in New York before returning home. The late Johnny also went to New York early, playing one game for Offaly in the National Football League in 1955 while Paddy went to the Croydon area of London – their sister Nanto produced three Offaly and Clara footballers in David, Willie and John Reynolds while daughter Ann Marie also played ladies football for Offaly.

Peter's exploits are legendary. He made his Offaly senior football debut at 19 years of age in 1954, playing at wing half back in the Leinster final defeat by Meath that year – he played for Offaly junior footballers against Kildare initially before being called up to the Offaly team for their first round win over Wexford. He was superb in the win over Dublin, keeping star forward Ollie Feeney scoreless from play and that display really brought him to national attention.

He wore the number 6 jersey in one of Offaly's most important successes, the 1954 O'Byrne Cup final win over Louth. Played in March 1965, the O'Byrne Cup was Offaly's first big senior football win and while the tournament lost its lustre in subsequent decades, it was a sought after prize then. Louth were a force to be reckoned with and the whole Offaly football success story can be traced back to that and the 1947 Leinster minor football win – everything else mushroomed from that with Offaly winning their first All-Ireland senior football title in 1971. They had won the All-Ireland minor in 1964 and while the hurling emergence in 1980-1981 had its own distinct path, the exploits of the 1971-1972 All-Ireland senior football champions was a source of great inspiration to them.

Peter Nolan played 45 league and championship games from 1954 to 1960 and some of his performances are a big part of the Offaly footballing legend. He was an extraordinary force of nature with a famous long kick of the ball, both off the ground and in play – he was inducted into the first MBNA “Kick Fada” hall of fame in Ireland in 2003 and his long kicking drew the attention of the New York Giants American football team in 1964 but he was committed to the New York football team at that time and didn't follow it up.

He was a great fielder of the ball, could power out of defence and an accurate drop kick was among the features of his game.

On his day, he couldn't be marked. One of his greatest displays was in the 1958 7-8 to 3-5 win over Laois in the Leinster Senior Football Championship, as he scored 4-3 with 3-1 from play from his centre half forward position.

That was the highest individual score by an Offaly footballer in the championship until one Matt Connor equalled it with 2-9 against Kerry in the 1980 All-Ireland semi-final. He also had a long remembered display against Galway in the 1959 National Football League in Ballinasloe. Back in his best position, centre half back, he curbed the influence of the legendary Sean Purcell as Offaly won by 4-2 to 0-6.

His quality is reflected by the representative honours he picked up in an era when recognition was scarce for Offaly footballers outside of the county. He was a regular on the Leinster Railway Cup team in the second half of the 1950s. The Railway Cup was a huge competition then, played in front of big crowds in Croke Park and Peter first represented his province in 1956 as they lost to Munster in the semi-final. He was centre half back on the Leinster team that beat Munster in the 1959 final, 2-7 to 0-7, and he also played for Ireland against the Combined Universities in 1958.

The Nolan family were synonymous with Clara's great emergence in the 1950s, into the 1960s. They won their first Senior Football Championship title in 1960 and Clara had reason to be grateful to Peter Nolan who returned home from New York for a visit and starred in their 3-7 to 1-5 replayed win over Tullamore. He delayed his return to New York for the replay and by all accounts, gave one of the great county finals displays that day – playing at midfield, he is very doubtful if Clara may would have won without him.

That was a fantastic day for Clara and the Nolan family as Willie was in goals and Johnny captained the side from corner back while Paddy was a sub – it was also the last time the four Nolan's were on the one field.

Clara's emergence did not happen out of the blue and there were big steps taken throughout the 1950s. Peter was centre half back with Johnny in goals as Clara won their first Minor Football Championship title in 1952 – that was the year when Peter's name first came to the attention of the Offaly footballing public and his display in their semi-final win over Tullamore was spoken about for years afterwards.

Clara had to progress up the ranks before winning senior. They won the Junior Football Championship in 1954 with Peter at midfield. Beaten by Cloghan in the 1955 Intermediate Football Championship final, they defeated St Mary's in the final a year later, making senior ranks with Peter again in his familiar centre half back position.

They quickly contended at senior but it was a bit early for them as they lost to Edenderry and Rhode in the 1957 and 1958 finals – Willie had joined Peter and Johnny on the squad by 1957.

In 1960, Clara were fortunate that Peter Nolan came to Ireland with the New York team for a game against All-Ireland champions Down and he was asked by Clara to play in the final against 1960 – Clara had a great crop of player at that time and it is significant that they were able to win a second title in 1964 with none of the Nolan's playing, though it is safe to speculate that they would have won more with them at home.

He also hurled for Clara and was on the team that lost to Carrig-Riverstown in the 1955 Junior Hurling Championship final.

Unsurprisingly, the Nolan's immersed themselves in Offaly affairs in New York. Peter was full back as Offaly defeated Kilkenny in the 1964 New York Senior Football Championship final.

He starred for New York teams in the National Football League – a messy, ugly stand off between New York GAA and the GAA in Ireland had ended in 1963 with New York invited to play the winners of the National Football League at home in a deciding final.

Generally, though not always, played over two legs, Peter was full back with Willie in goals during for their famous 1967 final win over Galway – that was played over two legs and New York had an aggregate win of 7-8 to 1-16.

He won his first National Football League medal in 1964 when Dublin were beaten in the final in Gaelic Park in New York and also played in the final losses to Galway in 1965, Longford in 1966 and Kerry in 1969 – New York didn't get access to the final again until 1989 when they lost to Cork over two legs, and that proved to be a once off venture.

There is a great story around the 1966 final against Longford. Longford beat New York in the first leg in Longford by 1-9 to 0-7 and lost the second leg, 0-10 to 0-9 in Croke Park. That meant Longford won on aggregate – Willie Nolan was in goals for New York and Peter was full back but amazingly they were not the only Nolan's with a central role. The referee was their brother Johnny for the two legs with New York somehow pulling the wool over the GAA's eyes to get him rubber stamped for the two finals.

The first game went off without incident but Longford were furious at his handling of the second game in Croke Park. Aware of the “excitement” of Longford supporters as their side headed for defeat, Johnny waited until he was near a pocket of watching gardai on the sideline and quickly made for their protection after blowing the final whistle. “I quickly blew the full time whistle and legged it over in the direction of the Gardai, who escorted me safely to the dressing room with half of Longford in pursuit,” Johnny recalled later.

That final was a nasty, fractious affair with several fist fights as New York adopted a physical approach. A threatened pitch invasion from the Hogan Stand was resisted by stewards while Longford supporters refused to give back the ball after it went into the Canal End at one stage. There was a “fierce melee” in the goalmouth late on as New York mounted a late attack and the New York players faced a “gauntlet of fists and boots as they attempted to make their way to the dressing rooms” after Johnny Nolan's final whistle.

Both Johnny and Peter Nolan refereed regularly in New York with Peter refereeing the 1966 New York Senior Football Championship final, Johnny in charge a year later.

The Nolan's were very much part of Offaly life in New York and were active members of the Offaly Association in New York. They were a great welcoming presence to Offaly people visiting or moving to New York, always willing to give assistance, and they were a regular at the Offaly Association in New York dinner dance and other functions for decades. He was a past president of the Offaly Association, the dinner dance chairman and also managed Offaly football teams in New York.

Like a lot of exiles, their love for home never left them. Peter and his wife Patsy were yearly visitors to Clara until a few years ago, maintaining a home in the centre of town and spending extended time visiting old family and friends, attending games – he was at many of Offaly's big All-Ireland wins in Croke Park and his pride in his home town and county was obvious to everyone who met him.

He was a great presence, a giant of a man in every way. He had a real force of personality, was terrific company and often livened up a party with a song. He worked in the marble and stone work industry in New York and was a leading figure in their union – he lived in the Bronx in New York initially before moving to Williston Park in Long Island.

His father was also Peter Nolan and his mother Nannie (nee Henson) died at a young age in 1944. With four sons and two daughters, Margaret, who also died early, and the late Nanto, that was a defining moment in the lives of all the family – their father's sister Molly Keenan took charge of the girls in Raheen, Clara.

Peter attended the Boys Monastery School in Clara and him and Johnny and Willie worked in Goodbody's Jute Factory when school was finished. They also worked hard on the land and football provided a great outlet in all of this. Peter won his first football medal, a Bord na Scoil one in 1947 and football remained central part of his long life.

Devoted to his wife Patsy, they have two children, Peter and Carrie. He leaves a unique legacy to his home – considering he spent over 50 years in New York, notwithstanding his annual lengthy visits home and his career with Offaly was a comparitively short one, his fame shows how special he has and him and his siblings are a big part of the Offaly and Clara GAA story.

His funeral details have not been released yet but suffice to say that Peter Nolan's life will be celebrated with great reverence on both sides of the Atlatic Ocean.