New book by Gay Lowry shines a light on life and sport in Tipperary Town

The book - Stories and Memories of St Michael’s AFC - recently launched in the Porter House, Tipperary  Town,  has received very positive reviews.

Not alone a sports book about the famed Tipperary Town soccer club, it covers a period of almost 80 years highlighting life and sport in the Tipp Town area from 1945 to 2025.

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Written by local man, Gay Lowry, the 250 pages reveals stories and over 100 photographs featuring the ups and downs of decades supporting St Michael’s and observing the changing face of his native Tipperary Town.

From the beginning the book captures the attention of the reader.
Coming from a family with no interest or connection with association football, the author introduces himself and explains how he got embroiled with the Saints as a young boy.

The story then moves quickly to the beginning of St Michael’s in 1947 – how post war there was no soccer club in Tipp Town.
A few local lads got together, approached the local parish priest for a plot of ground behind the church.
Luckily for them the priest, Archdeacon Nicholas Cooke, had spent many years as a missionary in Liverpool where he became a keen follower of soccer. Archdeacon Cooke was delighted to give the field and, in return, the team was named St Michael’s, the name of the local parish.

Thus the stories began as the club grew slowly through the fifties, a hard task as emigration, poverty and lack of employment dominated that decade.

But times changed in the sixties and seventies, Tipperary Town thrived as employment soared with Gortdrum Mines, Tambrands, Atari etc creating much needed jobs while several housing estates were built to cater for the young population.

Many people today state these two decades were the best to have lived in.
There was certainly plenty of entertainment, the era of the showbands, singing pubs, festivals. The dawning of television and the screening of the 1966 world cup saw soccer increase in popularity and every townland, factory and pub formed a soccer team.

One can sense the feeling of happiness through that time as the book details that joy filled era excellently.
By now St Michael’s had assembled a good side and in the seventies the honours began to flow, provincial (1973) and national (1974) success saw them become well known throughout the country.

And thus their stature grew, a new ground in 1985 saw it named Cooke Park in memory of the priest mentioned above.
There was no stopping St Michael’s now as they went from strength to strength. Provincial honours came frequently, (they are now the record holders of the Munster Junior Cup with ten titles), but each season they thrived for the big one after tasting its success in 1974, i.e. regaining the national competition, the FAI Junior Cup.

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They knocked on the door four times (2000, 2002, 2010, 2011) but ended up beaten finalists each time.
Any other club would have given up but not St Michael’s and in 2014, forty years after the memorable triumph of 1974, they regained the top prize at the Aviva Stadium Dublin. It was a huge triumph – but it didn’t end there – 2019 they repeated that success, sweeping all before them, to reach the pinnacle and become undisputed champions of Ireland.
honours

The book details all the above honours in words and pictures while also chronicles the environment in Tipperary and surrounding area throughout the decades. Another excellent feature of the book are the moving tributes and pen pictures of former members and players who have passed on to their eternal reward over the years. Many will remember such people, DD Cremins, Mick Flynn, Christy Egan, Mick McDonnell (all members of the 1974 winning team), Johnny Martin, John Ryan, John Barron, Peter O’Reilly, Tony Cusse, Jess Gallagher, Derry Weir, (all members of the working committee in that era), while tributes are also paid to Eddie Buckley, Eddie Godfrey, Joe Hogan, Colm Whelan, Ned Greene, Jackie McInerney, Kathleen Hogan, Joe and Mary O’Dwyer, all stalwarts through the years who worked tirelessly to keep the club going, while also heaping praise on the few who work so hard to-day, Ray Lonergan, Jimmy Tobin, Brendan Lonergan, Tom Finnan and Michael Russell.

Well written, each chapter bears an abundance of knowledge and nostalgia. It is a book for all sections of the Tipperary community, a book of many memories which are recorded for present and future generations.
Containing 250 pages and over 100 photographs, it is highly recommended. Beautifully presented, it is for sale at Fitzpatrick Printers, Davis Street, Tipperary Town, price €30.

It is also available from committee members mentioned above.