By 
SATURDAY, January 24th saw Murphys on the Green in Strabane host the reunion night for the Dunamanagh ‘85 team that won the Tyrone Junior Championship and what a night was had by all!
The Dunamanagh ‘diaspora’ were there in spades with people coming from all over Ireland, England and a special shout-out to Thomas Conway, making it all the way from ‘the big apple’, New York City.
It was great to see a packed function room who would go on to hear some great yarns and stories from yesteryear and maybe the odd ‘half-truth’ along the way. People like Dan McDermott, Andy Doherty, Leonard Devine, Charlie Ward and Seamus Kearney were mentioned by all throughout the night and were thanked for their selfless contribution, not only to football but wider community life.
These people along with the ladies, (who worked diligently behind the scenes) were the backbone of our community and helped shape us all and the packed room was a very fitting tribute to these people, many of whom have now passed on but have left an indelible legacy that we continue to enjoy.
The highlight of the night was undoubtedly the final Q & A panel, consisting of the ‘two Stevies’ (Devine and O’Neill). Stevie gave us an insight into his life as a professional footballer; culminating in the infamous FA Cup tie he played against Manchester United while playing for Hereford Untied, after previous spells with Wolves and Derby County. Stephen shared his thoughts on what it was like to play in a full Croke Park against the mighty Dubs with ‘the hill’ in full voice.
A night that will live long in the memory for a small, but very proud footballing community who despite great adversity kept the flag flying at the time. The backdrop to this era was the club having to deal with several sectarian attacks to the pitch and clubrooms, but with tremendous resilience and dignity, the club battled on stoically in difficult times. Thankfully, the Clann Na nGael club continues to provide a great outlet for Gaelic games for us all to enjoy in the parish today.
On behalf of the organising committee, thanks again to everyone who was able to attend and those who facilitated the panels Al Quinn (Community Panel) Peter Ward (Football Panel) and Eamon Conway (the two Stevies) all of whom did an excellent job on the night.
A video of the night will be available in due course. To purchase please contact one of the organising committee.
Niall Conway (Barney) on behalf of the organising committee: Eamon Conway, John Donaghy, John ‘Scotty’ Doherty, Ambrose Houston, Martin Quigg, Al Quinn & Niall Conway.
