How The Garryowen got its name during game in Charleville amidst the Civil War

The high ball and follow-up, designed to put the opposing team under pressure, was perfected in earlier years at the Market Fields in Limerick by Garryowen Rugby Club, founded in 1884. 

But seemingly, it didn’t have a name until a game was played in Charleville between Provisional Government soldiers on October 11, 1922. The 39th Infantry Battalion was billeted in the town’s sandbagged Parochial Hall, a former Catholic Church.

It was a crucial period in the bitter conflict between the National Army and the IRA. There were shootings, ambushes, searches, and arrests, with deaths and injuries on both sides.

Twenty-three Republican prisoners escaped from the Bridewell at Kanturk Courthouse by overpowering the guards and seizing their rifles and ammunition. The Freeman’s Journal reported that the National Army scoured the countryside in follow-up searches for the escaped prisoners, but none appeared to have been recaptured.

Comdt General Denis Galvin, O/C of its 1st Southern Division based in Kanturk, issued a proclamation prohibiting the use of motor cars, motorcycles, and even push bicycles in North Cork without a permit.

After two National Army soldiers were wounded by rifle fire late one night outside their Charleville billet, Colonel Dave Reynolds, the officer in charge, took steps to steady the nerves of his troops.

He arranged a rugby match between teams drawn from the ranks. That proved to be a wise decision because the battalion included 77 men from Limerick, where rugby was and is an infectious passion.

Colonel Reynolds refereed the game. Corporal Joe 'Piper' Cullinane captained a 'Shannon Selection' and Corporal Denis 'Lamb' Hickey led the opposing ‘Young Munsters’ 15 called 'The Wasps'.

One of the men attached to the battalion, Willie Gleeson, who later became a respected Limerick historian, is credited with being the first man to apply the term Garryowen to the lofted kick.

Years later, he described what happened in the Old Limerick Journal, edited by Jim Kemmy, and in the Charleville Review, published locally by Michael McGrath and the late Noel Tarrant. Both teams went “hell for leather” from the start. 

“Munsters” scored first with an unconverted try, but “Shannon” was awarded a penalty kick on the halfway line for an “ungentlemanly indiscretion” by one of its players well into the second half.

“As the full-back was about to take the high kick and follow up, I could no longer contain the excitement of that nerve-shattering moment and spontaneously shouted ‘Up Garryowen, and let 'em have it’. 

“The response was overwhelming. Our eight forwards tore into the opposition, reminiscent of Fontenoy, as they raced to the spot near the goal line where the ball bounced.

“And from the loose maul that followed, they crossed over and won the touchdown for an unconverted try. The game ended in a draw. A fair result," he wrote.

The stress, which had built up in the soldiers, was released. As they left the field, they were met by Lieutenant Sean Walsh, who told them they would receive their weekly pay packet of £1/4/6 in the dining hall later.

Years later, Bill McLaren, the legendary BBC commentator, celebrated The Garryowen with earthy quotes and witty sayings in his rich Scottish brogue. He described mighty forwards, some weighing “18 stones on the hoof,” charging towards a lone full-back waiting anxiously for the dropping ball.

“My goodness, that wee ball’s gone so high there’ll be snow on it when it comes down,” he once remarked. In another broadcast, he used a wonderful line to describe the mighty kick: “That’s a real howitzer of a Garryowen.” 

He even linked the name-sake club and kick with a vintage quote about Ireland out-half Tony Ward: “There’s 'the Garryowen' from the man from Garryowen.” 

McLaren always referred to the ball being hoisted rather than kicked. And he made it so popular he had to occasionally explain it was a tactical move and not the name of a player called “Garry Owen.” 

The term has lifted the spirits of teams and supporters in rugby grounds from Thomond Park and Waikato in New Zealand to Ellis Park in South Africa to the Sydney Cricket Ground in Australia and beyond.

The Garryowen's military links

But it is also the title of a popular marching tune dating from the early 18th century. Munster Fusiliers are said to have used it as a war cry as they dribbled a rugby ball before going over the front lines into battle during the First World War.

Irish emigrants previously took it to the United States and into American military regiments. President Theodore Roosevelt hailed it as "the greatest fighting tune in the world.” 

It was reputedly played by the 7th Cavalry regimental band for General Custer and his men at the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. Native American tribes led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse won that two-day battle which became known as “Custer’s Last Stand.” 

“Garryowen” remains the regiment’s official nickname. 

It was also the name of a US military base in the Iraq War and another in South Korea. American soldiers also used it during the Vietnam War as a password to identify each other.

In 1981, it became the official song of the 1st Cavalry Division, whose band played it at the head of homecoming parades in New York, Washington, and other US cities for troops returning from the Gulf War. 

However, “The Fields of Athenry” — the folk ballad written by Pete St John — remains the favourite anthem of Irish sports fans and will be sung with pride as the green-clad warriors strive for success in the World Cup.

If those dreams come true, one of Bill McLaren’s great quotes, “They will be dancing on the streets of Limerick tonight”, will surely be recalled and the rousing ancient cry — “Garryowen in Glory” — could be heard again.

Those who believe in omens might even have their hopes boosted. Ireland’s last game in the pool section of the competition will be against Scotland at the State de France in Paris on October 7.

That’s just four days short of the 101st anniversary of how "The Garryowen" — the hoisted tactical kick — is believed to have been given its name during a nerve-steadying rugby game in Charleville as Ireland coped with the horrors of a tragic civil war.