The Cullion Hurling Club, located on the outskirts of Mullingar, has a proud tradition dating back to the late 1940s and the community it serves benefits greatly from a strong, passionate organisation.
Now plying their trade at premier level, the club is hoping to one day realise the dreams and aspirations of many fantastic people down through the years and eventually make the ultimate breakthrough by winning a Westmeath senior title. Certainly the current crop of players have shown great potential in recent years as evidenced by their victory over Raharney in last year’s Westmeath Intermediate Hurling Championship and their subsequent run in the Leinster Junior Championship, which took them all the way to the final.
Building on that terrific run is the challenge when sporting action returns.
There has always been a great tradition of hurling in the Cullion area and the origins stretch back to the 1890s, not long after the GAA itself was formed in 1884. While emigration threatened to extinguish the light at one stage, it still shines brightly to this day and they have enjoyed many memorable and proud moments over the decades, with hurling playing a pivotal role in local people’s lives.
Hurling and camogie now thrive in the club and the year 2019 was indeed a significant one as they celebrated their 70th Anniversary in style. A Leinster camogie title was annexed and the club’s Intermediate hurlers won the Westmeath Intermediate Hurling Championship, before going on to contest a provincial final.
While the coronavirus has halted games and all other activities, Cullion are continuing to keep a sharp eye on the future and this year they have commenced a four-year plan which they hope will serve them well for many more years to come.
UNDERAGE PROGRESS
Cullion first put their name on the Westmeath role of honour in 1951, winning a Junior Hurling title against Castlepollard and the following year they won their first ever senior hurling contest by defeating Ringtown. Cullion went on to capture a Feis Cup hurling title in 1964, a significant one for the club as it represented honours at the premier grade, while a year later they reached the semi-final of the Westmeath Senior Hurling Championship, losing to Castletown-Geoghegan.
Thereafter, Cullion had to rebuild and were back in the Junior grade, but they won another title against Turin in 1972, bringing them back to Intermediate level. The following year they were defeated by Castlepollard in the Senior semi-final, but underage progress gave them renewed hope.
Minor, under 16 and under 14 teams made notable progress during this era, but again a Senior semi-final was the best their adult hurlers could manage. They achieved a noteworthy success in the Senior ‘B’ decider of ’79 and then contested the Senior ‘proper’ quarter-final, while ’81 saw them reach the semi-final again, losing to Raharney. The same happened a year later when Castletown-Geoghegan were the opposition.
The 1980s were trying times and lean years ensued but they won an important Junior title in ’89. Progress at Senior level still failed to materialise and they were back at Intermediate level in the mid 1990s, but tasted defeat in a final against St Brigid’s. But in 1986 they made amends, beating Delvin to win the Westmeath Intermediate title and they enjoyed another success at this grade in ’99, a fitting way to mark their 50th Anniversary.
Cullion did reach the Senior Hurling final for the first time in 2001, but lost out to a strong Clonkill side. The noughties have been giving plenty of hope for future success and Cullion are now in a good position to consolidate senior status and build for the future.
Looking back over the years, some great people have contributed to the club’s success and are key to bringing Cullion to where they are today. The Power family have been instrumental and Paddy Power was at the heart of establishing the club back in 1944 when he came to live in the area.
Jack Power was a terrific servant and a great player in his day and many were hoping Cullion would win a senior title back in 1965, which would have been fitting reward for his efforts. Alas, that was not to be. Mick Power was another major figure over the years, contributing enormously to the growth and development of the Cullion club.
The Bourke family, too, were prominent, while people like Jack Doolin, Pat Gaffney, PJ Reynolds, John Joe Lynch and Ned Gilligan were heavily involved in the club’s fortunes.
The current committee includes Sean Conneely, Dermot Broughan, Dan Bourke, Pat Gaffney, Tom Earley and Liam Reynolds. Gerry Gillen plays a very prominent role in the club’s activities, while Ger Behan, Noeleen Gannon and Brendan Brady are key links in the chain.
FOOTBALL RECORD
An interesting angle to the history of the club is that which reveals there was a football club in Cullion in the late 1800s. Cullion Celtics were quite prominent and actually played Riverstown in a senior final, winning the first day by a point to no score, before a replay was ordered following an objection. After 10 minutes of the replay, the game ended and the title was subsequently awarded to Riverstown. Exact details are sketchy.
In any event, the football angle is of no consequence. Cullion is really all about hurling and has been now for well over a century. They yearn for the day they can celebrate senior glory and with the fine talent currently at their disposal, that dream could well become a reality if such talent is nurtured.
The 1-13 to 1-12 victory over Raharney in 2019, achieved after a replay, was impressive. Jack Galvin, a protege of the late Mick Power, scored 1-4 as Cullion tasted a first Intermediate success in 20 years and it certainly bodes well for the future, with Kevin Regan, Jack Gillen and Eoin Fox among many other talented names to emerge.
It’s somewhat ironic that Cullion were actually managed by a Raharney man in Declan Mullen when they returned to the senior grade last year and it will be very interesting to see how they now fare at the premier grade, where many observers feel they belong.
In their first ever Leinster Junior Championship, Cullion took on Meath’s Clann na Gael and were successful on a 4-19 to 1-10 scoreline. Jack Galvin notched an impressive 3-1 on the day and Cullion were through to the Leinster final against Wexford’s Ballygarrett Realt-na-Mara.
With Jack Galvin carrying an injury, Cullion’s prospects were severely dented and the Wexford men never looked in any danger as they took the honours. While the outcome was disappointing, it doesn’t take from a hugely successful year for Cullion, who can now focus on establishing themselves at senior level.
They are a club with a rich and proud history and it surely will not be many more years before they finally get their hands on that elusive senior title and then it certainly will have been worth the wait. Cullion Gaels deserve no less.