By Cian O’Connell

Michael Glaveys remain a proud and passionate club in the west.

Reaching the last eight of the Roscommon Senior Football Championship is the latest source of encouraging news for Glaveys, who face 16 times winners St Brigid’s in Ballyforan on Sunday afternoon.

That is only part of the story, though, because Glaveys’ tale is one of resilience and earning respect. That most certainly has been achieved during the past decade.

Two years ago Glaveys reached the AIB All Ireland Intermediate Club Final losing to Tyrone’s Moy at Croke Park, but that highlighted the strides made by the Roscommon outfit.

Valerie Murray has occupied a central role in the Glaveys journey. Two stints as club secretary spawned an 18 year spell with Murray, now operating in a similar role for the County Board.

“It has been great,” Murray admits. “The Roscommon Intermediate win we had in 2017 brought us all of the way to the All Ireland, it was just fantastic for the club. It was unreal, something you dream about and think will never happen to you. It was fantastic.

“We were very disappointed against Boyle, we just didn't perform at all. So we really had a point to prove last weekend against Elphin and they really went out all guns blazing. Next week against Brigid's will be a much tougher test.”

For those from Ballinlough, Granlahan,Cloonfad, and Gorthaganny Glaveys’ provides a sporting canvas on which to demonstrate their talents. For Murray, though, the club is about much more than simply football.

“I think people don't realise the value of a club, and I know this sounds very morbid, but until something sad happens or there is some tragedy,” Murray states.

“Then you see the way the club rallies it is unreal. We are a small rural club too, it is much different to an urban, it is very much tight knit, you really are a family. My sister has no interest whatsoever in football: none.

“When my dad died back in 2012, she just couldn't believe the way Glaveys turned out for Dad's funeral. The guard of honour, the candles, everything about it.

“They put on a big spread back in the Community Centre afterwards which was never done before. She just couldn't believe they would do this for someone.”

Murray is a distant relation of Glavey, who died 100 years ago. When the club was subsequently formed in 1956 the founders decided to call it Michael Glaveys.

“My grandfather Luke Hurley, Michael Glavey was actually his uncle,” Murray explains. “The club was formed in 1956, they debated about what they would call the club. Michael was a fantastic athlete apparently, he was brilliant at everything he turned his hand to.

“So I think when he was shot in his 20s in Ballinlough, they decided they would call the club after him. It was a great honour really. It is 100 years now since he was shot.”

The highly regarded Earleys are a family synonymous with Glaveys too. “Peadar, Dermot's father, he formed the club when he came to Gorthaganny,” Murray states.

“There is a huge connection there with the Earleys. When the club split in 1983 when Eire Og went their own way the Gorthaganny was a part of the parish where you could go either way, they could play with Glaveys or Eire Og.

“A few families in Gortnagranny, like the Earleys with Paul Earley at the time and ourselves. My family probably should be Eire Og, but we stayed with Glaveys.

“My grandad would have known him and lived beside him. He was a tailor by profession so grandad would have known him, even though grandad would have been very young when he died. He did know him, he was always talking about him.”

In recent years, though, a positive relationship with Eire Og means that amalgamated underage teams can compete at the highest level in Roscommon.

“Underage we are combined with Eire Og and it is working great,” Murray remarks. “We are combined at Under 14, 16, and minor, getting on brilliant.

“When a club splits sometimes there is bad blood and there probably was at the beginning, but the underage is brilliant. The kids don't know anything about the history that went off. They won the Division One County Final Under 14 last year.

“It is brilliant for both clubs to be playing against the likes of Roscommon Gaels and Clann and Brigid's. That is what you want.

“Otherwise they would be playing 11 a side or 13 a side down in Division Three or else failing to field. I think we were okay at Under 14 last year, but to make it work we would combine for the three.”

Murray has thoroughly enjoyed carrying out extensive administration duties for Glaveys. “I was secretary of Glaveys for 17 years,” Murray reveals.

“They asked me to do fixtures secretary in the county, I didn't do the role of secretary for four years, but the secretary that had been there couldn't commit so I went back for one more year as secretary. For the last two years as county secretary I haven't been involved.

“Club to me is the most important thing. I can't understand people who would just go to watch the county and not their club team. To me that makes no sense whatsoever. It is a no brainer to me, but a lot of people in every county would never go to watch their club. I love my club and it means an awful lot to me.”

Being involved on the Roscommon Executive is a new challenge Murray has embraced. The manner in which Roscommon has developed during the past number of years with the emergence of Club Rossie provides significant hope.

“They are just unbelievable,” Murray replies. “The Club Rossie committee are unreal, they are living all over the country, but they are Rossies, diehard Rossies. The work they do is unreal.

“The amount of hours they put in for Roscommon. They all have their own niches, marketing, accountants, they are all so educated and talented men and women.

“The Win a House in Dublin was phenomenal, everyone stood back and took notice of us then. When they took on the one in London it was another step again.

“Even through Covid the sales were ticking along nicely, we put no money into advertising it through Covid. Hopefully we will be pressing on into September trying to push sales and doing the draw definitely just after Christmas.”

With the Club Rossie initiative assisting the Roscommon County Board, Murray is adamant about the benefits of the approach being adopted in the west.

“It really is huge,” Murray acknowledges. “I've only been involved as county secretary for two years so I've always had Club Rossie there. I don't know how they managed before that because it was an awful burden on a treasurer or a committee to come up with fundraising.

“They always had Club Rossie draws, but this committee have really come into their own in the last two or three years.

“They are such great and lovely bunch of lads and women. Hopefully this draw will be a great success to kickstart the work that is needed in the Hyde done and to get our own Centre of Excellence eventually. We really need that and it is something we are pushing for.”