From past to present, Emmets have a proud history of success
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IN THAT bible of Wicklow GAA called The Leather Echo, an old Gael contended that if Bray had been repositioned in the county around Rathdrum, the Garden County would have more than a few All Ireland senior football titles to its name.
Certainly he was in some way right because Bray Emmets has the proud distinction of winning one All Ireland, but representing Dublin in 1902. Like all things back then, it took a little longer to happen than today. In fact it was April 1903 before Bray lifted the 1902 county championship in the capital - beating Kickhams in the final, having earlier accounted for the then preeminent club Terenure Sarsfields.
That time once a club won a county title, they were giving the right to represent the county in the All Ireland series. They could do so with their own team or co-opt other club players from within the county. Wisely, Bray also used players from other clubs, making sure Dublin had the best possible team in their assault for All Ireland glory. On the way to the All Ireland final, they beat Armagh, Louth and Wexford after two games. It was July 1904 by the time the Bray selection got to tackle Tipperary in the final.
Played in Kilkenny, it took two hours and ten minutes before the Bray side won by the minimum 0-6 to 0-5. Six Bray players were on the team - Jack Dempsey (Captain), Seve Mulvey, William Sherry, Anthony Dunne, William Casey and Dee Brady, with two more Amby Wall and Frank Leggett among the substitutes. The Bray team then had to play a London-Irish selection in the final proper in Cork but that turned out to be an easy run as they won 2-8 to 0-4.
Also at that time they won the junior and minor championships and were runners up in the junior hurling league that year. As The Leather Echo said, they were ' lords of all they surveyed.' Bray remained in Dublin until 1934 when they moved back to Wicklow.
They were a cut above the rest on re-entry to Wicklow fare, winning back to back titles against Ballymanus by 3-7 to 0-2 and the following year beat Donard by 2-5 to 0-1. Remarkably though that is the last senior football championship the team has won - a gap of 75 years. In the interim the club did strengthen up in hurling, winning a junior title in 1949 and the senior three years later.
When Bray won their second junior title in 1963 and in all four games they played on the way to lifting the cup they scored exactly the same 5-6 total. A record of sorts, no doubt. Fast forward to the present and Bray is now both a senior hurling and football club, having won a succession of minor titles in both codes. As the club gets set to open the new facilities at Old Conna, there is no doubt that the forefathers of the club have given the present players and mentors goals from that past.
