A covering of fog swathed over the town as night fell. Pasture gash green adorned the eyes; the cold air reddened cheeks and sharpened throats, leaving collars turned to the blotted sky. Moon swaddled stars beat out the rhythm of night, from billowing lines of chimney shoot to the u-shaped valleys of washing line white, paraded against the little grey town. Two bicycles curled against a sullen pole outside number forty. Inside was a warm sitting room, overfed with old men. They huddled against a well-journeyed candlelight, enraptured in each other's parochial charm and rapidly administered belly-fulls of ale to all and sundry. The sweet scent of laughter flashed the door ajar so often, that Ned Caulfield, a local boy was employed to keep the door shut to the world outside. After a couple of hours, Mikey Redmond joined his fourteen-year old friend to watch the men's faces pluck, dip, twist and lurch against the emotion of the night.
1931 saw the town of Rathnure, County Wexford give birth to Saint Annes GAA Club. That dark night heralded its birth. Mikey Redmond would become a hurler a few years later, playing on the junior team which competed in the club's first major final, the 1938 county junior final against Saint Fintan's of South Wexford. Rathnure were beaten on the day 4-5 to 5-0, but were well served by Redmond and a young fella by the name of Nicky Rackard. Rackard had gone to St. Kieran's College, Kilkenny and brought the Noresider's style of hurling to the locality. Perhaps, this was also a determining factor in choosing St. Anne's club colours of black and amber. The illustrious career that followed for the Wexford full forward was something that Rathnure will always cherish, along with the success enjoyed by his brothers Billy, Bobby and Jimmy.
Like the Rackard brothers, St. Anne's club has also had an illustrious career. The club has gone on to become one of the most successful hurling clubs in Wexford, collecting seventeen senior county hurling titles and a solitary football one also. They hold the record for six Leinster club championship titles, a feat matched by no other club. Despite not winning an All-Ireland club title during their history, they have appeared in more All-Ireland club finals than any other side in the country. The success of the hurling sides throughout the past can arguably be attributed to the fact that St. Anne's only field one junior football team, whilst catering for hurling sides right from the under 9's to the seniors. They would rather have you believe that tradition is where their success starts from, and nobody typifies this sort of ideal than the late, great Syl Barron.
Syl died a number of years ago, but his memory lives on in the trophy room named after him in the club grounds in the Wexford town. I suppose on a day like today it is fitting, in recognition of Tipperary's success yesterday, to remember that there is a Syl Barron in every club in the country and we salute them for their sterling work, through sunshine, rain and even fog.
Here are two recollections of Syl, from two generations; firstly, Syl's daughter Mary Barron talks about family life:
'He was a wonderful family man. He was married to Sarah Molloy from Ballywilliam Station House, where they spent their married life. Syl and Sarah had nine children – five boys and four girls. He also had his own haulage business and worked extremely hard from early morning to late at night. ‘Syl worked many weekends but never let his business interfere with his love and involvement with hurling. ‘As a person, he was very sociable and outgoing. He thoroughly enjoyed people. He was good humoured, good fun and a very relaxed person. Socially, he loved nothing more than going for a drink with his hurling friends on a Saturday night and on a Sunday night, when he brought Sarah to Conran’s Pub in Rathnure to meet friends and possibly discuss the day's games. ‘His life truly revolved around hurling. Not just at the club but in his home life too. GAA was a very important part of his home and all the family very much enjoyed it. Each Sunday during the summer, everybody loaded into the car and headed to the matches. He was always involved at some level with Rathnure GAA Club either, as chairman or selector so hurling was a huge part of family life. ‘The morning of a big championship game was spent as normal with the family going to Mass, eating breakfast together and reading the Sunday papers – as relaxed as ever. Everybody headed to the match and from that time his focus was on the game till the final whistle – and he seemed to cope well with all the pressure. He loved to win but was also a good loser. He would chat quietly about the game on the way home, obviously enjoying the many victories that Rathnure enjoyed.'
One of Wexford's greatest hurlers of the 50s and 60s, Martin Codd, grandfather of current inter county star Paul, gives his thoughts on Syl's life both as a selector and player:
'Syl Barron's first taste of the GAA and hurling came not with Rathnure St. Annes but with the Mountain Slashers. The ‘Slashers’ were a juvenile team organised by a few characters from Rathnure before St. Annes entered a team in the championship. These players were not too exact about what age their players were or where they came from – their only aim was to win and win they did both on the field and in the boardroom. Syl won an U16 championship with ‘Slashers’ in 1951 when all players were legal and right. St. Annes entered juvenile in 1952 so the ‘Slashers’ folded. Syl had learnt a lot about what went on in the boardroom at an early age.
‘Syl's first big game was in football when at the age of sixteen he played on the senior team in the 1952 county final. Rathnure won that game. He played at centre forward on the hurling team of 1961 that won the championship. Soon after he got very involved in the running of the club, first as secretary and later on as chairman. At this time there were big changes in the club. The Rackards and the men who first made the club famous were gone. New players had to be nurtured into the world of St. Anne's hurling. Syl worked hard with these young lads, first of all at underage and then at senior level. They brought ten All-Ireland medals to the club in the sixties at underage and won eight county titles in 14 years. They also won All-Ireland seven-asides. Syl was a selector with Wexford when they reached the All-Ireland Finals of 1976 and 1977. He was also a selector for the win in 1968.
‘Body and soul, Syl Barron was a Rathnure man. Born and reared in the centre of the village he had a pride of his own place and his people. He never asked anybody to do thing he wouldn't do himself. Man or boy who put on the black and amber jersey are special and should act special.
‘If Syl were alive today, his one regret would be that the club never won an All-Ireland Club Championship and he would ask for more effort. He would look at the hurling pitches and buildings and the hall and say to himself “I’m proud to have done my bit to put all that there for the people of Rathnure”.’
Syl's premature death at 43 years of age was a profound loss to his family, friends and Rathnure GAA Club.
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