By Paddy Walsh
Just 18,838 days after Finn Harps claimed the FAI Cup, the team’s captain, Jim Sheridan, was honoured with a special reception in Letterkenny to mark his involvement on that historic occasion.
The Rathmullan native was the subject of numerous tributes on a memorable night organised by the Letterkenny Community Heritage Group – a night when memories were shared and celebrated and a modest Jim deflected all the commendations to his fellow players and manager from the era.
Describing it as an honour to be asked to address the occasion, Harps historian and author, Bartley Ramsay, said he had got know Jim Sheridan over the past 20 years and the fact that so many former players including those from Derry had turned up to join in the tributes represented a “wonderful testament” to him.
It wasn’t widely known that Big Jim had almost missed the 1974 FAI Cup Final due to a post office robbery that had taken place on the Friday before it a couple of miles from where he was stationed as a Garda.
“The boys who carried out the robbery got away and an investigation was launched and Jim wondered if he’d get to the game,” Bartley said.
But ultimately he did, travelling to Dublin with his wife, Patricia, and his father-in-law.” And the rest was history.
Among the many Finn Harps programmes he had at home, Bartley reflected on one from 1981 when Big Jim had featured on the front cover and he, Bartley, had got him to autograph it at the time.
Over 13 seasons, the Rathmullan native had made 397 appearances with Harps and had never been used as a substitute. He had played in Europe with Harps on four occasions and earned 14 amateur caps with the Irish team.
“It’s an absolute honour and a privilege to know him,” Bartley indicated.
M.C. and statistician for the occasion, Brian Walsh, took the opportunity to highlight a special anniversary – 18,838 days since that famous cup win at Dalymount Park!
Former Harps stalwart, Jamsie Nicholl, who himself made 44 appearances in the Harps colours before a knee injury forced him into early retirement, told the gathering that the chairman of the Letterkenny Community Heritage Group, Johnny Joe McCollum, had contacted him asking him if he could get a few players from Derry to attend the occasion.
“I told him, I’ll get more than a few”, and those that couldn’t be present had sent on their congratulations.
Prior to playing together with Harps, Jamsie recalled playing with Jim in the Swilly Rovers team that won the FAI Junior Cup, he, Jamsie “under the name Tommy Mooney!”
“The only thing that I regret is that I didn’t get to play with him long enough with Harps when I got injured. I handed over the captain’s armband to Big Jim and I couldn’t have given it to a better man.”
The man who never dropped Big Jim to the substitutes bench, Patsy McGowan, spoke of the early days of football in his home town of Ballybofey when they grew up competing with Gaelic Football.
He recalled a national newspaper reporter asking him after the 10-2 defeat against Shamrock Rovers in their debut competitive game in the League of Ireland if Harps would survive to the end of the season. “I said, wait ‘til I tell you, we’ll be in Europe in four years.”
The Summer Cups had helped in the development of football in the county and where Harps were concerned they had taken players out of Derry to play with them.
“I was a simple man with a dream and you boys made it happen,” McGowan told the assortment of ex-players in attendance.
Acknowledging all the players who had played under him at Finn Harps, McGowan declared: “Football is not about stars, it’s about characters and we had plenty of them and no less a one than Jim Sheridan.”
When he took the microphone, the latter described himself as “very embarrassed” when he heard that he was going to be the recipient of the honour.
He considered it should be shared with all the players of the time and recalled a number of players who had passed away since including Paddy McGrory, Declan McDowell and Jim McDermott.
“I was privileged to play for Finn Harps for many years,” said Jim, adding that Patsy McGowan had made him captain as he thought he’d have control over all the Derry men! “We were a tightly knit little team and I can’t remember falling out with any of them.”
His first contact with Patsy had come about when he, Jim, was employed at Johnstons in Letterkenny for several years and Patsy used to drive the C.D.R. lorry loaded with cement bags which Jim carried to the store facilities – cementing a friendship between the pair.
Jim went on to name the players present and some who were absent and said there were two things that upset him about the cup final weekend.
The Gardaí never got the robbers and Harps had given away a goal in the cup final that no defender would be proud of.
“That was a poor goal to give away and it haunts me to this day and I won’t get the chance to rectify it because I won’t be out on a football field again!.”
Big Jim reflected on the goals scored by Brendan Bradley and Charlie Ferry who had scored in every round of the cup run and on goalkeeper, Gerry Murray, who had been outstanding against Bohemians in the previous round and kept Harps in the competition.
“It was a wonderful period in my life and my family’s life. And I’m glad my sisters are here tonight and my brother-in-law and my two sons.”
Jim also mentioned some of the men on the Finn Harps board at the time including Fran Fields, Tom Furlong, Charlie McHugh, Michael Kelly and Drew Brogan.
Acknowledging all who had turned up and expressing appreciation to the Letterkenny Community Heritage Group, Jim and attendance also watched a specially produced video by fellow Rathmullan man, Paul Deeney where further tributes came from another former Harps player and manager, Felix Healy.
And before a question and answer session that brought proceedings to a close, local singer, Evelyn Gallagher, performed the Finn Harps Song to the attendance in Dillon’s Hotel.
A night when one question didn’t need the asking – as in who was one of the most popular and influential players ever to pull on the Harps jersey?
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