Taughmaconnell man to get medal 50 years on...

He may be over five decades waiting - but it now looks likely that a Taughmaconnell man will finally get his hands on his Connaught Junior Cup rugby medal. Back in July last year, on the eve of his 85th birthday, Paddy Cusack made an impassioned plea in the pages of the Westmeath Independent that he'd like nothing more than belatedly to hang up his cup-winning rugby medal on the wall of his home in the centre of the village beside the winning team pictures. He was part of the victorious Ballinasloe rugby team, which also included Ray O'Loughlin, who went on to captain Ireland, who won the Connaught Junior Cup for the 1957/1958 season. A spokesperson for Ballinasloe Rugby Club confirmed this week that the club is planning to track down the members of the team and present them with the medals to mark their achievement over 50 years ago now. The issue came up at a committee meeting before Christmas and a person within the club is now looking into it, in a bid to get in touch with members of the team, some of whom are thought to be abroad, the spokesperson said. They hope to have a date for event tied down shortly. When told the good news this week, Paddy Cusack said from his home in the centre of Taughmaconnell village: "I'll have it before I cock my toes. That's great, I'm proud." His grand-daughter, who is very good Irish dancer, visits him every weekend with all the medals she's won and he would love to have his Connaught Junior Cup rugby medal to show her, Paddy told the Westmeath Independent this week. Despite several attempts over the years, Paddy said last summer that he could never find out why the team were never presented with their cup winning medals at the time or some years afterwards. A real character and storyteller, Paddy recalled jovially at the time that his first experience of rugby came about by complete accident at late age of 32, at the behest of Fr Christy Glynn from Garbally College, who asked him to play as they were short of players for a match and from there his rugby career began. Of that big match day five decades ago, he remembered travelling all the way to the Showgrounds in Galway to meet their opponents Rovers, a "tough crowd" as he dubs them. So much so, he says after one of their team hit him early on he retaliated and almost got sent off, save for the protests and appeals from Fr Christy Glynn, who ensured he stayed on the field. Last year he also recalled vividly the celebrations in Galway till 4am and later bringing the impressive Connaught Junior Cup back to Taughmaconnell in South Roscommon, where it was proudly displayed in Costellos even though there were some who turned their nose up at it, he joked.