KILDARE LOSES 3 STALWARTS

The Leinster Leader May 1 1971

Kildare loses 3 stalwarts

During the past couple of weeks Kildare has lost three of her former Gaelic football greats by the deaths of Michael Casey of Dereens, Caragh, Patrick Byrne of Kilcullen and James Conlan of Roseberry, Droichead Nua.
These men in their different eras gave long and varied service to football in the County and their passing causes a great void, particularly with the older folk in Kildare.
Jimmy Conlan was a member of Kildare’s 1919 All-Ireland winning team and regarded as one of the best corner backs operating about that period. With “Ginger” Moran and the late Tom Goulding they formed the ideal full-back combination whose effectiveness can be gauged from the fact that Galway only scored one point against them in the Final.
“Pat” Byrne from Kilcullen also operated in the defence on many Kildare teams around the same period and revealed all the qualities of the first class player, having developed his skills mainly in St. Patrick’s Training College, Dublin.
“Mick” Casey, was perhaps lesser known than the former two, but he was for years goalkeeper of the Caragh team which operated in the early years of the century and many after that but for the fact that the County team at that time had Ireland’s greatest goalkeeper in Jack Fitzgerald of Roseberry, Mick would surely have “guarded the gap” for the Kildare County. He gave years of service to local club football and in later years when Blacktrench and Caragh teams again became prominent he was always at hand with advice and encouragement.
G.G.

An article from the Leinster Leader of 1 May 1971 on the passing of former Gaelic football greats Michael Casey of Dereens, Patrick Byrne of Kilcullen and James Conlan of Roseberry