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The Celtic Times:
Michael Cusack's Gaelic Games Newspaper 1887
Clare County Express
July 2003
The Celtic Times:
Michael Cusack’s Gaelic Games Newspaper 1887
Cusack’s Celtic Times Newspaper Reproduced in Style
Just over 116 years ago Carron-born,
Michael Cusack but now Dublin based educationalist introduced a new Irish
weekly sporting newspaper The Celtic Times to an interested public. After
being denied space to express his views in United Ireland under the editorship
of the home rule figure William O’Brien M.P., Cusack was now in
sole control of The Celtic Times, as Editor in Chief. In this role in
the first publication devoted to Gaelic Games, Cusack is shown as a man
of many sides.
Over the fifty four issues it too briefly
came off the printing presses, The Celtic Times shows Cusack as a man
with a liberal approach to the economic and cultured development of the
country. With this attractive 8-page tabloid priced at 1d, Cusack on its
mast head urged it’s readers and the people at large to “let
native industries, literature, arts and pastimes flourish”.
Long before Arthur Griffith and Sinn Fein espoused their views on Irish
industry Cusack through the pages of The Celtic Times was arguing the
case of “protectionism”. Cusack also called for encouragement
of native industries, the revival and development of Irish industries.
A Buy Irish concept was also put forward by Cusack.
However, the main topic of Celtic Times
was Gaelic Games and for those 54 weeks until it finally folded under
the combined might and hostility of the GAA executive and the Freeman
Group, it gave the games extensive coverage.
From a circulation high of 20,000 a
week in May 1887 to half that in December, to its final collapse in January
21st, 1888, The Celtic Times battled against the odds. A reported last
dramatic gesture by Cusack in pawning his watch to raise funds proved
futile and The Celtic Times folded and became part of publishing history.
Now Clare Local Studies Project, Clasp
Press from their base at the Co. Library headquarters at Mill Road, Ennis
have just produced a full size facsimile edition of The Celtic Times.
Covering the period for February 19th to December 31st 1887 this superbly
produced 376 page hardback revives Cusack’s bold bid to almost single
handedly cover the emergence of the then near infant GAA. Detailed reports
of matches for Clare and countrywide, athletes, meetings, politics, music,
history, the Irish language and articles of a general nature are all here.
Truly it can be said that the pages of The Celtic Times reflect the pride
and energy of an emerging nation rediscovering it’s own cultural
history. For this our eternal gratitude is owed to Carron’s Michael
Cusack.
This welcome publication includes a
detailed introduction by Cusack’s biographer Marcus de Búrca,
with a preface by Breandán Mac Lua and a foreword by Micheal Ó
Muircheartaigh. It was launched on the eve of the Munster football final
at Killarney. As Johnny Keane, Kilfenora and North Clare so aptly put
it every GAA club should have a copy of this superb book. Who are we to
argue with Sean Ó Catháin.
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