'Hawk' at 90: An Athlone life of music and football

DAVID FLYNN writes about his uncle, the renowned Athlone musician Joe Flynn, as he celebrates his 90th birthday - part one

The Athlone town that Joe Flynn was born into might as well be another world compared to the one that he resides in today, 90 years later. He comes from a place of football pitches where he learned his goalkeeping skills, alongside singing in choirs with packed churches in the town where he knew everybody. His sphere included his connections to the Gentex factory, St. Mel’s Park, and a certain night-venue, which was the centre of Athlone’s world for many local young people from the 1930s to the 60s – the Crescent Ballroom.

Joe has kept on singing through the decades in different bands, and has recorded many albums and the lockdown didn’t prevent him recording his new CD, featuring 21 tracks, all of which are recognisable old favourite songs.

“The whole world had closed down in 2020 and through much of that year, I spent the time going over different songs that were favourites of mine, and that I knew people would love, so I recorded a new CD which I’m sure will bring back memories to many,” said Joe, who will be 90 years of age later this month.

He is currently preparing an afternoon of music with many talented local musicians for a special get-together at 4pm, Sunday, October 31 at the Shamrock Lodge Hotel. It’s a free open event with friends, who will celebrate along with Joe, his life in music. It’s also the day that his new album, ‘A Lifetime of Music’ will be officially launched.

Joe Flynn was born in 1931, as the youngest of a six sibling family in Railway View, Athlone. His birth was in the family home which was what happened with many back then.

“Everyone seemed very close to each other back then, and everyone knew each other, because everyone in Athlone was connected to either Gentex or Custume Barracks,” said Joe, whose father Martin was a soldier in the barracks.

Joe’s mother was Julia (nee Browne), and his siblings were: May (Cooke), Kathleen (Moriarty), Chrissie, Michael and Nancy (McDermott). Sadly all are now deceased and he is the last surviving member of the family.

The family listened to the wireless in the 1940s to programmes like Question Time, presented by Joe Linnane. Joe’s sisters went dancing to Athlone venues such as the Longworth Hall, St Mary’s Hall and of course The Crescent.

“They used to come home at night and I’d hear them singing the different songs that were popular during the World War II years, and my mother was always singing different songs,” he said.

Joe’s uncle, Kevin Flynn, had a dance band, known as the Kevin Flynn Orchestra in Co. Tipperary, and Joe watched him regularly playing the accordion. Joe also listened to tenors like his cousin, Andrew Browne from The Batteries. The influences in music from his family were complimented in the Marist National School, where Joe took his next steps into music through the tutelage of Brother Patrick.

At Christmas 1947, Joe joined St. Anthony’s Friary choir, first as a tenor before his voice developed to become a baritone. He remained a member for most of the intervening years but had to leave at times for other music commitments. Today, in 2021, Joe remains a member of the Friary Choir and sings bass!

“The first choir mistress in my time was Maureen Oakley from down Griffith Street,” said Joe. “The strength of the choir then was nine sopranos, four or five tenors, five good alto singers and four basses, and like today we always sung at 11am mass.”

It was also at the Marist that Joe made lifelong friends with Athlone lads who would join him on football pitches for almost the next two decades.

Joe originally played soccer in the Station Road field, (affectionately called ‘the Stationers’) and in the school he was attached to a GAA team, which was named after the local housing estates. Joe, who is popularly known as ‘The Hawk’, played with the St Francis Terrace GAA football team.

“In 1945, we won the school league and for some reason I always found myself in goal,” he said laughing. “After I left school I kept playing Gaelic with Athlone minors and in 1949, the town won the minor championship for the first time. Paddy Galvin, who was from Connaught Street, and is still living on the Connaught side of town, was on the team with me. It was after that time that I moved more into playing soccer.”

Joe played Athlone minor soccer against many midland teams, like Mullingar and Longford and also in the popular summer leagues he played with St Mary’s team. Later on he graduated to the top team, Athlone Town Juniors.

In the early 1950s, Joe reluctantly turned down two League of Ireland offers.

He was on an Athlone team that beat Waterford, and after that he got an offer to join Waterford, although the proposition was beaten by a local offer of a job.

“The secretary of Waterford approached me on the pitch and offered me a place on the team, and that was reported in the Sunday Express, but I also got an offer of a job in Gentex, and I took that up because I hadn’t a job at the time,” said Joe. “I went working in Gentex and got involved in their soccer team.”

Joe played with the factory team at the opening of Gentex’s new pitch in June 1957.

Manchester United player, Liam Whelan and former Irish International Arthur Fitzsimons played on the day on the Gentex side against Athletic Union League. It was a huge occasion at the time and attracted a large crowd. Gentex won 11 to Athletic 5. The match day held significance for the players and spectators when Liam Whelan was killed the following February along with other Man United players in the Munich Air Disaster.

Through the 1950s, Joe sang or played tenor sax or bass guitar with several local music folk, such as Sean Dully, Jack O’Connor, Sean ‘Bullet’ Dempsey, Rudy Raedveldt, Kieran Kelly JJ Carr, and most notably Syd Shine.

“My first ever gig was in 1952 in Moore Hall in South Roscommon with JJ Carr, who was father of another good musician, Sean Carr,” he said.

Joe’s life was hectic with mixing music gigs, football and work. He sometimes worked the early shift in Gentex after having been dropped off at the gate after doing a night-time music gig out of town. However he was still only in his 20s and had fitness on his side.

“I had the love of music and enjoyed the hits of the day, particularly the strong melodies, but I was never a pop music man,” he said. “I liked the ballroom music of Victor Silvester and I was more into songs of the time rather than the artists, although I did like Jo Stafford, Gordon McRae, Vera Lynn and many others like Crosby and Reeves. But the songs were fantastic then like ‘South of the Border’, ‘We’ll Meet Again’ and ‘My Thanks To You’. I could go on and on with mentioning the songs of the time.”

Joe Flynn and his musician friends from the locality celebrated an afternoon of music for Joe’s 90th birthday on Sunday, at the Shamrock Lodge Hotel, Athlone. His new album, ‘A Lifetime of Music’ was officially launched on the day.

Part 2: Joe Flynn talks about the coming of the Showbands, the ‘Broken Hearted Farmer’ and his successful band, Showcase. Read it here