A GUEST on an Easter Rising centenary TV programme three years ago joked that the walls of the GPO must have been made of rubber in 1916 to accommodate the thousands of people who claimed to have been inside during Easter week.

I’ve often thought something similar when Richmond Park and the afternoon of October 2nd, 1977 comes up in conversation.

That’s the day that the late great World Cup winner Gordon Banks turned out for St Patrick’s Athletic in a League of Ireland match against Shamrock Rovers at the famous old ground on the banks of the Camac.

Pat’s won the game 1-0 against John Giles’ side and Banks famously made a brilliant save from an Eamon Dunphy volley with seven minutes left. The reporter from The Irish Press said the save “must rate as one of the best he has ever produced.”


Over the years I’ve met many people who claimed to be there – including some who weren’t even born at the time! By the way, there’s no concrete attendance figure available for the game but the gate receipts suggest somewhere in an around 10,000.

It was one of the most famous days in the history of the club – who celebrate 90 years on the go in 2019.

I have to admit to personal interest here. My grandfather Tim Cummins had no involvement in the club but had several brothers who did.

Most famous of them was Bart, who held many roles with both Pat’s and the FAI for many years. On the playing front in the pre League of Ireland days there was at various times Jimmy (known as “Growler”), Tom, Christy and Jack. Another brother, Gerry, appears as a supporter in some early team photos as a child. Their sister Mae was married to a player as well.

Having enjoyed great success in the Leinster Senior League in the late 1940s, and after previous applications were rejected, Pat’s were elected to the League of Ireland for the 1951-52 season and won it at the first attempt. Further league success came in 1955 and ‘56. The Dublin City Cup was won in ’54 and ’56 and a first FAI Cup in 1959.


This was the era of Pat’s legends like Harry Boland, Shay Gibbons, “Ginger” O’Rourke, “Longo” White and Jimmy “Timber” Cummins (a cousin of the Cummins brothers).

Despite the best efforts of the board, Richmond Park was deemed unsuitable for league football at the time – though it has been used as a home ground by Brideville in the 1920s.

Instead Pat’s played home games at Shamrock Rovers’ Glenmalure Park in Milltown and at the speedway track in Chapelizod – now the site of the industrial estate there – while some games were also played at Dalymount Park.

The odd game was played at Richmond Park though; including a big League of Ireland Shield game v Bohs in October 1957. It was actually a home game for Bohs but was moved to Inchicore as there was a clash with an Irish game at Dalymount.

Pat’s returned full time in January 1960. And there they’ve stayed ever since … apart from that short spell in Harold’s Cross while Richmond Park was being done up.

There’s plenty of brilliant memories of the great venue on Emmet Road. Dogs and cats interrupting play; plenty of balls flying over the trees and into the Camac (many never to be seen again); the late Jimmy Magee sitting in a temporary, wobbly, commentary box atop the old main stand with fans shaking the metal poles holding it up.


I remember getting Lou Macari’s autograph in that old stand. He was over to have a first look at Curtis Fleming.

Most fans have their favourite spot in the ground. We started over on the Camac side when it was still a hill of mud and muck. You could sit on the wall but a steward would move you – not because it was dangerous but because you were blocking an advertising hoarding.

Others preferred the John Minnock Stand. The what? Well you will know it as the Shed End. The shed’s roof (which was later cut in half after the pitch was realigned) was installed thanks to the proceeds from the sale of Minnock to Charlton Athletic.

Those were the day you could walk around ground and stand behind whatever end Pat’s were attacking.

And in the 80s you could buy a bar, a packet of crisps and a can from the woman with the pram behind the Inchicore end goal – and still have change from a pound.


Banks wasn’t the only big name to entertain Pat’s fans over the years. There was Barry Bridges, a young Dermot Keely, Terry Venables lined out for a very short spell in the mid-70s and of course, the great Paul McGrath made his name with the Saints.

Then in the Brian Kerr years we had Dave Henderson, Mick Moody, Mark Ennis, Curtis Fleming, Johnny McDonnell and many, many more.

In more recent times there’s been Keith Fahey and Chris Forrester, to name a few.

All these memories came flooding back with the news that Pat’s fan Dermot Looney had started a Pat’s history project with a view to bringing out a book.

He’s done a lot of great research and has been tweeting brilliant old photos; documents and lots of other stuff of interest not just to Pat’s fans but league fans in general.


He told Star Sport: “With the 90th anniversary approaching I felt it was important to celebrate the history of the club. I met with Pat O’Callaghan, who many people will know from his association with the Pat’s programme, but who also keeps a wonderful archive of old photos and documents.

“Ultimately the plan is for a book later this year, but up to this stage it has been about research and sharing using the Twitter account @HistoryStPats.”

His recent talk at Richmond Barracks attracted a bumper attendance as he looked into the origins and early years of this great club.

“We were expecting about 40 people at the talk - 100 showed up and we had a great night learning from each other.

“There is a huge interest amongst Pat’s fans in the history of the club. In particular, I’ve been focusing a lot on the early years to date; the club’s foundation, the antecedents such as the GSWR and GSR railway works teams, and the first twenty years in non-league football.


“There’s been a great reception to this information because I think much of it has been lost over the years and has had to be rediscovered.”

Dermot is always glad to hear from anyone who can help the project develop.

He added: “I will continue with my research work for the coming months, focusing at this stage on the golden era of Pat’s in the 1950s, and on from there.

“Ideally we’ll be looking to publish a book in the autumn. For the moment I’ll continue to update the Twitter account and would welcome contact from anyone with photos, documents or stories to share.

Give him a follow on Twitter at @HistoryStPats and also follow @LOIhistory_pics for lots of old photos from newspapers and private collections.

Happy 90th Pat’s!