This was a very sad Thanksgiving for the Hanglow, Plunkett and Hogan families. Fran passed away unexpectedly on Nov. 26, while her father Richie Hanglow succumbed to terminal illness on Dec. 2. Fran was 62, while her dad was 91. The Hanglows and Hogans have been central to the St. Barnabas GFC for more than half a century.
Richie Hanglow was born in Elfin, Co. Roscommon in 1934, one of nine siblings. Here he developed a great passion for Roscommon football, which remained undiminished throughout his lengthy life span. Like many of his era in an Ireland of limited opportunities, Richie was on the emigrant trail early. His first stop was England, where he was employed as a double-decker bus driver. Then it was on to Canada for a short spell, before the U.S. was the final part of his odyssey. His initial port of call in the Big Apple was Inwood, where he set down roots for a few years. He would also begin a long and successful career as a bartender in Manhattan.
Three grandsons, Conor, Shane and Eddie Hogan and grandfather Richie Hanglow, the last of the founders of St. Barnabas GFC, with the New York senior championship trophy.
A short vacation in the Catskills would pay lifelong dividends, as Richie met his future wife there, Elizabeth Egenton. The marriage would last 63 years, and the happy union produced three children, Frances, Eileen and Eugene. The young family next moved to Woodlawn, where they became an established part of the community.
In the aftermath of the restrictive immigration laws of the mid-1960s, which curtailed the flow of Gaelic players from Ireland, a need to develop local football talent was emerging. That was the genesis for the founding of the St. Barnabas Club in 1972. Richie Hanglow was one the founding members of the club and sadly the last. Among others involved were Paddy Markham (Clare), Pat Hartnett (Limerick). John Davey (Sligo), Tommy Murphy (Kerry), Danny Healy (Kerry), Joe Firth (Clare), Pat Mahoney (Cork), Jim Carey (Kilkenny), Joe Flynn (Leitrim), Lee Muldoon, Lucy Cotter (Kerry) and Peggy Doherty (New York).
While the organizational procedures were relatively easy for starting a club, selecting the color of the jersey was a lot more contentious. The trio of Murphy, Healy and Cotter had a powerful proclivity for the Kerry green, while Markham and Hanglow were adamant that the yellow of Roscommon and Clare were of equal importance to Kerry’s green. However, John Davey’s white, the predominant color of the Sligo jersey, had also to be factored in. After a passionate discussion, it was agreed that the bulk of the jersey would be green and yellow, while the cuffs and collars would be white.
Now with the club in existence, the next order of business was to acquire a playing field. Paddy Markham led the charge, but he was ably assisted by Richie Hanglow and the others on the initial committee. So, with much fund-raising and physical efforts the small clearing cum dumping ground in the woods was transformed into “Paddy’s Field.” Besides helping to formulate the club and fundraise, coupled with sheer physical effort, Richie Hanglow was also a powerful force on the sidelines. Records show the transplanted Roscommon man coaching several teams to championship successes in the New York Minor Board. It must also have been very gratifying to Richie to see his son Eugene captain as well as being a frequent scorer in the formative years of the club. In later years, while Richie held no formal position with the club, his interest remained undiminished. That interest would be greatly accentuated once his three grandsons, the Hogan brothers, namely Conor, Shane and Eddie began to strut their stuff on the Gaelic fields in the Big Apple and further afield. Aside from their parents, Fran and Eddie, he was their biggest supporter. During the playing season, attendance at Gaelic Park was a quintessential part of Richie’s existence. He was a man held in high regard by the community and that was certainly obvious by the packed house at his wake. Likewise, St. Barnabas church was packed to capacity for Richie’s funeral mass. The cortege was accorded a guard of honor, consisting of several generations of St. Barnabas officials and players, as Richie Hanglow, the last of the founding fathers of the St. Barnabas GFC was taken to his final resting place, the Gate of Heaven Cemetery. Richie is survived by his wife Elizabeth, daughter Eileen Plunkett (nee Hanglow) and son Eugene.
Frances Hogan (nee Hanglow) was born in Inwood and passed away suddenly on Thanksgiving eve. Fran, as she was affectionally known, began her education at Good Shepherd elementary school. The Hanglow family then moved to Woodlawn, with her siblings Eillen and Eugene. She continued her education at St. Barnabas school grammar and high school. She graduated from Pace University with a degree in accounting. Fran would proceed to have a very successful career working for the Texas State Controller’s office. With degree and profession secured, she then procured a husband, Eddie. The Tipp man was a noted hurler and had many enthralling games at Gaelic Park. The Hogan family settled in Yonkers. Then the boys arrived, Conor, Shane and Eddie. They developed into fine athletes, and Fran was wholeheartedly involved in their sporting activities. They were her pride and joy, and she was their number one cheerleader who duly captured the litany of accomplishments along the way. Though the young Hogans would go on to represent New York, the acme of the boys’ Gaelic achievements was winning back-to-back New York senior football championships with an All-American born team with St. Barnabas, the club that their grandfather, Richie Hanglow helped establish and is currently the biggest GAA club in the U.S. Fran was over the moon when a local scribe referred to the boys as “Hogan Heroes” in this unprecedented achievement. Aside from their football accomplishments on the playing fields, Fran was also very proud of the boys’ careers in law enforcement.
I had the pleasure of being the Hogans’ neighbor for the last 20 years. During those years Fran was always good for a bit of craic, and once the topic of football was broached, it could be a lengthy and lively discussion. Sadly, Fran’s gregarious and ebullient personality will be sorely missed on the block. There was a great outpouring of sympathy with Fran’s passing as the line to express condolences to family extended a block past the funeral home. Likewise, the congregants packed St Barnabas church for the funeral Mass as a final farewell to Fran, a wonderful lady, gone away too soon.
