GAELIC LEAGUERS AT MERRY PICNIC

The Butte Daily Post, Butte, 1911-08-28, p.10

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Summary

Sub-head: "Football and Other Sports at Reservoir — Priests Join in Amusements." Coverage of the Butte branch of the Gaelic League's second annual picnic, held at the reservoir (above Butte). 9:30am tally-ho departure; sports and Gaelic football through the afternoon; returned to town c. 9pm singing "Where the River Shannon Flows" and "My Wild Irish Rose" coming up Main street. **President of the Butte Gaelic League: "President Murphy"** — almost certainly James J. Murphy (= person_james_j_murphy_ centerville_aoh, given the JJ Lynch / JJ Murphy / Hennessy-store social circle saturating this clipping). Drove one of the decorated children's wagons; Patrick Scanlan drove the other. Gaelic football game: "Judge Lynch and his team, consisting of John McCarthy, James Murphy, Joe Hartnett, Dennis Dunn, John Crowley, Father Phelan, Father O'Kennedy and Maurice Drohan, played a team with Father Crawley as captain. The players in the latter team were John O'Brien, J. J. O'Meara, Walter Sewell, J. J. Crowley, Dan Leahy, Mike Sullivan, Dennis O'Neill and Father Slattery." Father Crawley's team won: "Judge Lynch tried hard to win, and would have done so if the others did not make a few points more than he." Foot-races: Father O'Kennedy first in the priests' race; Walter Sewell "the liveliest of the fat men"; P. J. Sullivan a close second; "the grass was too slippery for John O'Meara, so he stopped (?) half way on the course"; Maggie O'Brien won the young ladies' race; Mike Sullivan the young men's; Mrs. James Cronin the married ladies'; Kittie Harrington reached the rope first in the girls' race for a box of candy. Francis Kelly won a baseball glove; James McCarthy won a baseball coming in second. Picnic committee: President Murphy, John O'Brien, Patrick Scanland, Michael Sullivan, J. J. Crowley, J. J. McCarthy, Julia Harrington, Katie Holland, Nora Sullivan, Mrs. O Brien, Mrs. Harrington, Mabel Leyden and Mary Burke. Lunch ladies: Mrs. O'Brien, Mrs. Harrington, Julia Harrington and Mary Harrington. Music: Mabel Leyden, John Murphy and Mr. Heaney. Invited guests: Rev. Fathers Crawley, O'Kennedy, Slattery, Phelan, Batens and De Siere, J. J. O'Meara wife and family, Thomas Prendergast wife and family, James Murphy wife and family, J. Lee Eshilman wife and family, Judge Lynch wife and family, J. J. McCarthy wife and family, Mrs. W. O'Neill, Mrs. Himes, Mrs. Malia, Miss Hannah Burke, Walter Sewell, Charles H. Gallagher, James Hurley, James Murphy, Dennis Dunn, P. J. Sullivan, John Crawley. ARCHIVE SIGNIFICANCE. (a) JJM identified as president of the Butte Gaelic League, August 1911. The clip prints "President Murphy" with no first name. **An earlier version of this metadata attributed the Gaelic League presidency to JJM- Centerville-AOH on contextual lump-bias grounds. That attribution is now retracted** — the 1912-07-06 Gaelic League social clipping names President JOHN C. MURPHY as the Gaelic League president in July 1912 (chairing the evening, also dancing a four-hand reel). The "President Murphy" of Aug 1911 is therefore at least equally plausibly John C. Murphy as JJM-Centerville. Held without claim. (b) Roll call of priests in attendance — five Catholic Fathers play football alongside the laity, an index of how dense the Butte parish ↔ Irish-society interlock is. (c) "James Murphy wife and family" appears in the guest list separately from President Murphy — this is plausibly a different James Murphy (the 1927-d. James J., or another), preserved as a mentioned-only entry.

In its time

Narrative

The Gaelic League left Butte in tallyhos at 9:30 on Sunday morning for its second annual picnic at the reservoir, with two decorated wagons carrying the children, driven by President Murphy and Patrick Scanlan. After dinner came a young ladies' football match, a Gaelic football game between teams captained by Judge Lynch and Father Crawley, and races for priests, fat men, married ladies, boys and girls, with Father O'Kennedy first in the priests' race and Walter Sewell the liveliest of the fat men. The party returned up Main street at 9 o'clock singing "Where the River Shannon Flows" and "My Wild Irish Rose."

  • “The day was perfect, the way was made merry with music and singing.”
  • “Judge Lynch tried hard to win, and would have done so if the others did not make a few points more than he.”
  • “Walter Sewell proved himself the liveliest of the fat men”

AI-generated (claude-opus-5). Verify against the transcription before quoting.

People

Also mentioned

  • Patrick Scanlan · vice_president_or_co_organizer_drove_wagon
  • John McCarthy · footballer_lynch_team
  • Joe Hartnett · footballer_lynch_team
  • Dennis Dunn · footballer_lynch_team
  • John Crowley · footballer_lynch_team
  • Father O'Kennedy · footballer_and_priests_race_winner
  • Father Phelan · footballer
  • Father Crawley · footballer_team_captain
  • John O'Brien · footballer_crawley_team
  • J. J. Crowley · footballer_crawley_team
  • Mike Sullivan · footballer_crawley_team_and_young_mens_race_winner

    Sullivan is a Beara surname recurring in the user's family arc (cf. Mary Sullivan sister of Pat the bartender 1908). Tady-candidate.

  • Father Slattery · footballer_crawley_team
  • John O'Meara · fat_men_race_runner

    Slipped halfway on the wet grass; presumably same as J. J. O'Meara.

  • Maggie O'Brien · young_ladies_race_winner
  • Mrs. James Cronin · married_ladies_race_winner
  • Kittie Harrington · girls_race_winner
  • Francis Kelly · baseball_glove_winner
  • James McCarthy · baseball_winner
  • Michael Sullivan · picnic_committee
  • J. J. McCarthy · picnic_committee
  • Julia Harrington · picnic_committee_and_lunch
  • Katie Holland · picnic_committee
  • Mrs. O'Brien · picnic_committee_and_lunch
  • Mrs. Harrington · picnic_committee_and_lunch
  • Mabel Leyden · picnic_committee_and_music
  • Mary Burke · picnic_committee
  • Mary Harrington · lunch
  • John Murphy · music
  • Mr. Heaney · music
  • Thomas Prendergast · invited_guest_with_family
  • J. Lee Eshilman · invited_guest_with_family

Places

Themes

Story threads

Tags

Source type

news_item, public_meeting_report, society_column

Related sources

Transcription
transcription: complete · confidence high
# GAELIC LEAGUEIrish societiesGaelic Leaguefounded 1893Founded in Dublin by Douglas Hyde and Eoin MacNeill to keep Irish a spoken language. Branches in American cities ran language classes, dances and concerts and raised money for the work in Ireland.More in Key terms →RS AT MERRY PICNIC ## Football and Other Sports at Reservoir — Priests Join in Amusements. *The Butte Daily Post, Monday, August 28, 1911, p. 10.* At 9:30 o'clock yesterday morning the members and friends of the Gaelic league left town in tallyhos for the reservoir on their second annual picnic. The day was perfect, the way was made merry with music and singing. Two wagons, decorated by James Hurley and driven by President Murphy and Patrick Scanlan, carried the children. The party arrived at the picnic grounds about noon, and after dinner the sports began. The following young ladies played a game of football: Team No. 1 — Katie Holland, Annie Shea, Irene McDonnell, Katie Woods and Julia Sullivan. Team No. 2 — Nora Sullivan, Mary Harrington, Julia Harrington, Maggie O'Brien and Helen Nolan. Team No. 2 were the victors. After this the men took the field and a lively game of Gaelic football ensued. Judge Lynch and his team, consisting of John McCarthy, James Murphy, Joe Hartnett, Dennis Dunn, John Crowley, Father Phelan, Father O'Kennedy and Maurice Drohan, played a team with Father Crawley as captain. The players in the latter team were John O'Brien, J. J. O'Meara, Walter Sewell, J. J. Crowley, Dan Leahy, Mike Sullivan, Dennis O'Neill and Father Slattery. Judge Lynch tried hard to win, and would have done so if the others did not make a few points more than he. The next on the sport program was the races. Father O'Kennedy came in first in the priests' race, and Walter Sewell proved himself the liveliest of the fat men. P. J. Sullivan was a close second, but the grass was too slippery for John O'Meara, so he stopped (?) half way on the course. Maggie O'Brien won the young ladies' race and Mike Sullivan the young men's. Mrs. James Cronin came in first in the married ladies' race. Kittie Harrington received a box of candy for reaching the rope first in the girls' race. A baseball glove, offered for the boys, was won by Francis Kelly, and James McCarthy won a baseball by coming in second. After the sports the party divided into groups, some going up to the reservoir and others singing and dancing on the gravel walks. About 7 o'clock they started home, arriving in town at 9. They attracted much attention as they came up Main street, singing "Where the River Shannon Flows" and "My Wild Irish Rose." The members of the picnic committee were: President Murphy, John O'Brien, Patrick Scanland, Michael Sullivan, J. J. Crowley, J. J. McCarthy, Julia Harrington, Katie Holland, Nora Sullivan, Mrs. O Brien, Mrs. Harrington, Mabel Leyden and Mary Burke. Much credit is due to the ladies who prepared the lunch: Mrs. O'Brien, Mrs. Harrington, Julia Harrington and Mary Harrington. Those who furnished music for the singing and dancing and made the ride enjoyable were Mabel Leyden, John Murphy and Mr. Heaney. The invited guests were Rev. Fathers Crawley, O'Kennedy, Slattery, Phelan, Batens and De Siere, J. J. O'Meara, wife and family, Thomas Prendergast, wife and family, James Murphy, wife and family, J. Lee Eshilman, wife and family, Judge Lynch, wife and family, J. J. McCarthy, wife and family, Mrs. W. O'Neill, Mrs. Himes, Mrs. Malia, Miss Hannah Burke, Walter Sewell, Charles H. Gallagher, James Hurley, James Murphy, Dennis Dunn, P. J. Sullivan and John Crawley. *[Text checked against the page scan at 3x (disputed marks at 6x), 21 Oct 2026, starting from the tile-by-tile page reading of 20-21 Oct 2026. "(?)" after "stopped" is printed. "Mrs. O Brien" in the committee list is printed without an apostrophe; "John Crowley" (Judge Lynch's team) and "John Crawley" (last invited guest) are both printed.]*

Dotted underlines mark key terms on first mention — hover or tab to one for a reference note. The wording is the source’s own.

Open questions

  • Is "President Murphy" of the Butte Gaelic League definitely JJM (= person_james_murphy_son_of_pat_and_ellen)? Identification is contextual; needs a corroborating clipping that names the Gaelic League president by first name.
  • theme irish_language_and_culture — confirm this exists in /vocab/themes.yaml or add it.
  • Father Crawley vs. John Crowley vs. J. J. Crowley vs. John J. Crowley — Crawley and Crowley are distinct surnames here; do not consolidate.