ONCE upon a time, Corrigan Park in Belfast was Antrim GAA's recognised county ground. Memories of battles won and lost, of a past golden age, still linger for many Ulster Gaels, none more so than big Antrim midfielder John McKiernan, a Saffron star of the 70's, as he tells Denis O'Hara ....
JOHN McKiernan was fit to be tied when forced to halt at a British Army checkpoint in west Belfast.
He was a young man in a hurry, but halted in his tracks and forced to endure a security search en-route to Corrigan Park.
McKiernan was scheduled to be a serious cog in the spine-chain of an Antrim football team for a very special assignment.
The date was Sunday August 25, 1974.
McKiernan's mission was to feature in a unique All-Ireland Under 21 Football Championship semi-final against Cork.
Centre-field ace McKiernan, from the nearby St Teresa's club, was a key performer in the Saffron squad, fresh from beating Tyrone in the Ulster final for the Irish News Cup.
However, the Army 'stop and search' operation had the six-footer seething, and in grave danger of missing the match against the Leesiders.
During that tense period of the 1970's, movement on the highways, and especially when making a bee-line to a GAA ground, often proved a frustrating experience.
British Army patrols were especially active in west Belfast, and seemed to materialise in numbers when high-profile football and hurling games were advertised.
McKiernan managed to survive a hugely irritating delay and reach the Whiterock Road ground just in time for throw-in.
He made it by a whisker, yet was still hopping mad when he stormed through the entrance gate.
High on optimism, the Saffron players were anxious to emulate their historic 1969 national title-winning team, and chances were boosted when handed home ground advantage against the Munster champions.
Cork officials forfeited a neutral venue, and agreed to be a part of a celebration day at Corrigan Park, where a new Prunty pitch was officially unwrapped in front of 8,000 spectators.
Normally, Antrim's inter-county fixtures, and indeed county hurling and football senior club finals in Belfast, were held from as far back as 1953 in the bigger arena at Casement Park.
McKiernan, and his younger brother Paul, were prominent performers in the 1974 Antrim team that recaptured the Ulster Under 21 football title.
"Unfortunately, I have a bad memory of that day against Cork.
''It was embarrassing when I arrived so late for the match," confessed McKiernan.
"Knowing those Cork players, officials and supporters came all the way to Belfast and here am I living a short distance from Corrigan Park yet about to be too late for the start of the game.
"On the way down to Corrigan, I was stopped by the British army. In those days there were constant Army stop and search on roads in west Belfast.
''I was delayed for a time by the Army patrol. Fortunately, I arrived at the ground with little more than five minutes to spare before the match was due to start.
"I was furious. I still remember the look Andy McCallin Snr's face. He was part of the Antrim team management. He gave me a glower for being late.
''The place was packed with Antrim team supporters. I went in under the old Stand to change, get my boots on.
''I think Seamus O'Hare helped me find my rig, my jersey, and then I went straight onto the field.
"I was very upset, still angry at being delayed. Right away, I recall the early moments of the game when a Cork kick-out landed in centrefield, where I was with Liam Jennings.
''I was so wound up I just banged the ball back in, and it went over the bar.
''I calmed down after that.
''In the match I remember our left half-back Ray Carolan suffering a hit, and helped off the pitch by Seamus O'Hare. The replacement was Con McAllister."
Antrim gained an additional boost before the throw-in when the Cork team was forced to perform without injured star forward Jimmy Barry Murphy.
Antrim's flying winger Kevin Gough recalled the famous Barry Murphy arriving at the ground.
"I remember seeing Cork's top player, coming into the ground on crutches. Cork missed him badly that day,'' said Gough.
''Still, it was a very good win for us, a great way to celebrate our new pitch.
''Now it would be great to have something similar to launch our new Stand.
''Hopefully things will be improving by the end of March, and we can then plan a big day with a glamour inter-county game."
The Ulster champions of 1974 clinched a 3-11 to 3-6 outcome against Cork, thanks to two early goals, one by Paul 'PJ' O'Hare, from a Kevin Gough cross, and one by Hugh McCrory, from an O'Hare pass.
The third Antrim goal was scored by Declan Cormican.
The home team line-out: Gerry Moore; Niall Madden, Paul McKiernan, Ray Carolan; Gerry McHugh, JP O'Kane (captain), Conor Smith; John McKiernan and Liam Jennings; Kevin Gough, Pat Armstrong, Paul Growcott; Hugh McCrory, P J O'Hare, Declan Cormican.
Subs used: Con McAllister and Kevin Young.
The road to the National semi-final, and ultimately to Croke Park, began on Sunday June 30 at Casement Park,where Antrim squeaked past Down in the Ulster semi-final.
Hero of the 1-7 to 1-6 victory was goalkeeper Gerry Moore, who saved two penalty kicks.
Also prominent was barrel-chested half forward Gerry Armstrong, who plundered four points.
From this match JP O'Kane, J McKiernan, P Armstrong, G Armstrong and PJ O'Hare were promoted to the county senior squad to play Donegal in the Ulster SFC semi-final at Clones on Sunday July 14.
However, the U21 win against the Mournemen was to be Gerry Armstrong's last appearance in a Saffron jersey.
He was unavailable for the Ulster U21 final, the senior semi-final loss to Donegal and also the All-Ireland U21 semi-final and final.
On Sunday July 4, Antrim defeated a Tyrone team that included Joe Gormley, Mickey Harte and the sublimely-skilled two-footed forward Frank McGuigan by 2-6 to 1-6 to win the Ulster U21 final and Irish News Cup at Clones.
The Antrim formation, minus Gerry Armstrong, was: Gerry Moore; Niall Madden, Paul McKiernan, Ray Carolan; Gerry McHugh, JP O'Kane (Capt), Conor Smith; John McKiernan and Liam Jennings; Kevin Gough, Pat Armstrong, Paul Growcott; Hugh McCrory, PJ O'Hare, Declan Cormican.
Subs used: Eamonn Laverty and Kevin Young.
The loss of formidable forward Gerry Armstrong, then planning a professional career in soccer, was, arguably, to prove a big drawback when meeting Mayo in the national final.
John McKiernan, a great admirer of the powerful Armstrong's ability, remarked: "My brother Paul, who was an Antrim full-back, reminded me of a great goal scored by Gerry Armstrong, at a time when he had a Plaster of Paris on a forearm.
''He still played in a match despite the arm problem, and when a cross came in Gerry banged to the net by using the arm with the plastercast.
''The ball flew like rocket to the back of the net. A great goal by a great, great player.
''At that time Gerry was playing soccer with the Bangor team. I think he signed a professional contract and then did not feature in our Under 21 team after we beat Down."
Born on May 23, 1954, Armstrong, a major club player with St John's, dabbled in soccer from an early age, starting with St Paul's Swifts, then Cromac Albion and Irish League's Bangor before being sold in November 1975 by the Clandeboye Park club to Tottenham Hotspur for £25,000.
He later hit global headlines with his goal-scoring exploits for the Northern Ireland team in the 1982 World Cup finals in Spain.
John McKiernan added: "Gerry was a great Gaelic footballer, He had fantastic speed.
''I would have loved to have seen him a straight sprint with his St John's and Antrim team colleague Kevin Gough.
''Kevin was a flying machine. One time in Casement Park a trophy was presented to Kevin for winning a competition in Croke Park to establish who was the fastest player in Ireland.
"Gerry Armstrong was also very fast, and extremely powerful. I never came directly up against him in a club match, when St Teresa's played St John's.
''I would be in the midfield, Gerry would be in the Johnnie's half-forward line, mainly right three-quarters."
On Sunday, September 8, 1974, Antrim and Mayo, the Connacht champions who had beaten Brian Mullins's Dublin in their semi-final clash, finished level in the National Under 21 final at Croke Park.
The Ulster champions believed they had the talent up front to win the game, with the versatile Pat Armstrong at half forward and PJ O'Hare the full forward.
But Mayo dominated at the back in a very tight game.
The tie finished at nine points apiece, with Antrim surviving thanks to a last-ditch score by Paul Growcott of St Teresa's.
Antrim folk were left to ponder what might have been had Gerry Armstrong been available for the marathon All-Ireland U21 final.
Even more drama and controversy were set to unfold in the replay three weeks later....
In tomorrow's Irish News: Part II: The pain of losing to Mayo still haunts John McKiernan, and more so the memory of an infamous 'Phantom Point' awarded in the All-Ireland final replay...
