MICKO STEPPED up the training in the past two weeks in preparation for the start of the National Football League.

After sessions in Baltinglass on Tuesday night, An Tochar on Thursday night and Tinahely on Friday he was back in Aughrim on Sunday for a full day session with Caitriona McKiernan.

The great international distance runner made the long trip from her home in Cornafean, Co. Cavan to put the team through their running exercises.

As always the turnout at all venues was excellent.

In Aughrim on Sunday it was just over the 30 mark but that was because the U-21 footballers were playing Wexford down in Castletown.

The long trip to Clare on Sunday will be a real test for the team. They had a bad run in the O'Byrne Cup and some players are now faced with the task of redeeming themselves and getting back to the form that earned them six outings in the championship in 2009.

No matter what Micko says about the championship counting most of all you can bet that this is a match he would like to win, if only to erase the memory of our last trip to the Banner County.

The hurlers

reports are also good on the turnout at Casey O'Brien's hurling training. Numbers always in excess the 30 mark according to the coordinator Mick Hagan.

Casey has two more weeks to go before his first league match against Fingal. On Sunday he has a match against Longford in the Kehoe Shield and should he win that one he could have the final the following week.

So for Casey and his selectors Brian Gleeson and Gerry Murray a win on Sunday is important as it would give them another badly-needed match.

Scór

The Wicklow Senior Scór finals are fixed February 27 at a new venue, the new parochial hall in Roundwood.

When Scór was first introduced to the GAA calendar of events back in the early 1970's it was hailed as the new social side of the of the association. Something to occupy the leisure hours during the winter closed season.

Its main purpose was to foster and promote all things gaelic, the language, the culture, singing, dancing, music, etc.

It was an instant success throughout the land. Clubs were encouraged to hold their own Scór finals with the winners then going forward to county finals and so on right up the All-Ireland finals..

In Wicklow the District Boards were functioning at the time and the next step after the Club Finals was the District finals.

Anyone that has memories of West Wicklow finals in the Fatima Hall in Baltinglass or East finals in Rathdrum has stories to tell about great nights entertainment but often followed by heated debate after the judges had delivered their verdict.

Very soon the main problem was finding a hall big enough to hold the crowds at the finals.

In fact that is still the case with provincial and All-Ireland finals, and in some counties.

Wicklow did enjoy some success at provincial and national level. Carnew have been the leading club and have brought home Leinster and All-Ireland medals. Ballymanus have been very successful in Scór na nOg with their question time teams down the years and have won the Wicklow title for the last 12 years.

An Tochar is another club to taste a lot of success, in particular in dancing. Rathnew is one of the strongest clubs in the county at present; Aughrim have always been strong in music and question time.

Baltinglass were a big force at one time; KIltegan, Bray Emmets, Newtown, Avondale and Annacurra were others that were there most of the time.

Teams from Dunlavin, Blessington, Kilmac, Enniskerry, Kilcoole, Hollywood, Kilbride, St. Patrick's, Tinahely, Knockananna and Donard/Glen came and went down the years.

Unfortunately in Wicklow Scór and the Junior section Scór na nOg is on the slide, and has been for some time.

Last year the Chairman Tom Walsh and Secretary John Timmins sent out a rallying call to the clubs to do something special for 125. The call met with limited success, perhaps they were expecting too much in a year when clubs were already overloaded with extra work.

2010 could be a better year; some of the events of last year were once-off affairs; could that space now be used to make a meaningful attempt to revive Scór?

Tom and John are appealing in particular to the clubs that have taken part in Scór in the past and still remember the good times, the fun and the thrill (for some) of winning and going on the represent Wicklow in Leinster, and hopefully All-Ireland level.

And it is now easier than ever to enter. At one time you had to compete in more then half of the eight sections on the agenda. Now just one item will do, a song, a recitation, a question time team? There are dancing classes in many places throughout the county. The greatest loss of all, I felt was the set dance. Nothing like a good rousing set to round off a show, bring the audience to their feet and send them home in good humour,

And John Timmins will accept entries up to the Wednesday before the finals, the 24th of February.

Come on lads and ladies we need all shoulders to the wheel to get the bandwagon rolling again.

The Minors of 1948

Wicklow's record in Minor football is very little better than that of the Seniors except that they did win one Leinster championship.

Apart from that it would be possible to count on the fingers of one hand - even a hand that was after having an argument with a band saw - the number of times when we had a team that could be called reasonable contenders for a title.

That one title was in 1974 when a team, built mainly around a great Vocational Schools team that had won an All-Ireland final. They beat Longford - 5-6 to 1-9 in the Leinster final.

Since that team was honoured by the County Board just a few months ago we will not concentrate on them here.

Tommy Murphy and Pat O'Toole were the two men that went on to give outstanding service to the county Senior team.

Others like Keith Ryan, Mick Doyle, Joe Byrne (Annacurra) Johnny Allen and John Walsh also figured for some years but most of that team either emigrated or were happy to settle for club football

We reached our first Leinster final in 1952. Jimmy Hatton, that man of so many parts was on that team. Not many more of that team went on to become prominent Seniors.

Tommy Cooney was the big exception. He went straight on to the great Senior team of 1954 where his blond hair and his all action style made him a big favourite with the fans.

Peter Timmins, Baltinglass, Jim Higgins, Dunlavin, Dan Harte, Arklow Gers and George Delaney were others to become well known on the playing fields of Wicklow.

One man who came on a sub in that Leinster final went on to get a taste of the big time in soccer.

Bray man Tommy Hamilton went on to play for Shamrock Rovers, Manchester United and won a number of caps for Ireland. He is still alive and well and living in Greystones.

One group of lads that was underrated for all the wrong reasons was the team of 1948. I picked up some of the facts behind that story when going through Billy Lawless's secretaries report to the 1948 convention, held ironically in Baltinglass.

Wicklow beat Carlow, Laois and Offaly in that order in '48 to reach what would have been their first Leinster final where they were to take on the Dubs.

However Offaly objected; Wicklow counter objected and the semi-final was refixed and that match was played as the curtain-raiser to the Leinster final between Wexford and Louth in Croke Park.

An early goal gave Offaly the start they needed and they went on to win, but at a huge cost.

Offaly had two outstanding players on that team, Mick Casey of Rhode at midfield and Kevin Scally at full-back.

Both were sent off in the last five minutes of the refixture and the Faithful County had to play Dublin in the final the following week without them.

Even then the Dubs only won with the help of a late goal and went on to reach the All-Ireland final.

Which goes some way to proving that Offaly was a good team and that Wicklow team was not far behind. Two players involved in the objection and counter objection (one from Baltinglass) were classmates in Ballyfin College and had made some sort of pact. You can guess the rest.

That team beat Carlow 1-2 to 0-3; Laois 3-4 to 0-4 and Offaly by 2-1 to 02 and was drawn from the following players: D. Crowley, J. Carroll, C. Vize, J. Furlong, J. Fitzpatrick, M. Carroll (St. Pat's); Dick Kelly, John Nolan, Johnny Kenny, C. Timmins (Baltinglass); J. Doyle, M. Power (Greystones); T. Byrne (Arklow); M. Murphy (Dunlavin); T. Carthy (Annacurra); T. White (Kilcoole), D. Kavanagh (Rathnew); T. Ryan (Bray); M. Brennan (Carnew). Others listed without clubs or Christian names included O'Toole, O'Brien, McGauley, Byrne, Clarke, Scanlon, Whiston; Browne, McCrudden.

Dick Kelly later become Fr. Kelly, PP Clane who died last year, RIP. The D. Kavanagh was Fr. Dermott Kavanagh PP Rathnew; The 'Byrne' could have been Jimmy Byrne of Laragh. Any suggestions on any of the other names?

Bat Finnegan RIP

Blessington was in mourning at the weekend after the death of Bat Finnegan on Friday.

Bat was one of the characters in the town and like his late brother Peter and family was deeply involved in the local GAA.

Hurling was the love of his life and while the game never became popular in the area it was no fault of Bat.

He seldom went anywhere without his hurley stick and when he headed towards the GAA grounds he was generally followed by a troop of youngsters, all hoping to become DJ Careys or Henry Shefflins some day.

When Blessington did have a hurling team Bat would be first in the field for training. He generally had a whistle just in case there was a referee needed and was always only to anxious to oblige. His burial in Rathmore took place after 11 o'clock Mass in Blessington on Monday.

Peter Murphy RIP

Another link was severed with the great Barndarrig teams of the past with the death of Peter Murphy.

Big Peter was one of the stalwarts of the last Barndarrig team to win a three-in-a-row in the Senior Hurling Championship in 1954, '55 and '56.

Barndarrig were a mighty force in hurling at the time and that three wins brought their title take to 11, one ahead of their great rivals Avondale.

Peter's son Dessie was on the last Barndarrig team to win a SHC in 1987. Dessie later lost his young life in a tragic accident and the Dessie Murphy Cup, played for annually is a fitting tribute to his memory.

Our sympathy to Peter's wife and family.

Joe Whelan RIP

The death also occurred at the weekend of Joe Whelan of Bray. Joe, from the Glen of the Downs, played for Kilmacanogue and was a dedicated clubman. His daughter Linda Wogan is carrying on a tradition and is the present registrar of the Bray Emmets club.

Joe's remains were interred in St. Mochonog's Cemetery, Kilmacanogue after Mass in the local church.

To Linda and her sisters Andria and Sylvia and their extended families we offer our sympathy.

May their souls rest in peace.

Leinster V.S. final

Good luck to the boys of the Wicklow V.S. team who contest their first Leinster V.S. SFC final since last winning the title in 2006.

They take on Meath at Parnell Park on Saturday.

- WITH PETER KEOGH