FROM THE ARCHIVE: Barry McGuigan became the WBA Champion of the world on June 8th, 1985: The celebrations in Clones following McGuigan's victory were almost spoilt by a fire in the boxer's family home. From SEAMUS MARTIN, in Clones

THE SOUND of the fire alarm siren at 5.40 yesterday morning interrupted the exuberant celebrations in Clones which followed Barry McGuigan’s World Featherweight title victory. The fire was in McGuigan’s own house, at the back of his father’s grocery store and it almost brought a tragic end to the town’s happiest night.

At first, the general impression was that some youngsters had found a new way of adding more noise to the cacophony which had dominated the town right from the sound of the final bell in the fight.

Then Bríd Rooney, a relative of the McGuigans, was seen to be trapped and shouting for help from a top storey window.

“We’re on fire,” she said. But reality sank in slowly. One passer-by, somewhat the worse for wear after the celebrations,shouted back: “Sure we’re all on fire tonight.”

Mrs Rooney, a 46-year-old mother of five children who is a sister-in-law of Mrs Kate McGuigan, Barry’s mother, had alerted the occupants of the house to the fire.

Mrs Rooney was rescued when three units of the Co Monaghan brigade arrived quickly on the scene. Showing remarkable coolness, Mrs McGuigan had closed all doors and phoned the fire brigade on her way out of the house.

This helped confine the fire but the damage was still considerable.

The kitchen, where it is believed the fire started, the bathroom, the cigarette store and the dressing room to Barry McGuigan’s gym were all destroyed. The gym itself, however, was saved but, like the rest of the house, it suffered considerable water damage from the fire brigade’s hosing down of the premises.

The scene was so different from that earlier in the night in which 49-year-old Mrs McGuigan had welcomed the news of her son’s great success. However, all concerned were very cool and later in the morning the shop was opened for business again and Barry’s father, Pat McGuigan, was informed over the phone that there was no necessity to return home early from London.

“He is working at a singing engagement in London tonight. Coming home would not help anything here and we need the money,” Mrs McGuigan said.

The fire was a sad end to a night of celebration the likes of which had not been seen in Clones before. Even the Fleadhanna Cheoil of the ’60s, which were held in the town, were tame by comparison to what happened instantly after young Barry’s success was assured.

People were on the streets within minutes. There was dancing and singing and the constant rain which continued throughout the night did not dampen the enthusiasm of the locals.

“This town’ll not settle for a week,” said one man. The reply from another was: “It’ll not settle ’till all the money runs out.”

The reactions of the locals varied. In the Lennard Arms Hotel, owned by Jim Mealiff, Barry McGuigan s father-in-law, the talk was of the technical excellence of Barry’s performance.

The accents varied but those of Belfast predominated for a large group from that city had travelled to watch the fight on television and take in the local atmosphere.

One of them, Pat Rice, from the Lower Falls, made several attempts to enter the McGuigan house during the fire and help rescue Mrs Rooney but was beaten back by the smoke on each occasion.

In the Paragon Bar the videotape of the fight was repeated and repeated through the night and the cheers as Barry McGuigan knocked down Eusebio Pedroza, were as loud in retrospect as they had been when the fans had seen it for the first time.

At the Creighton Hotel it was “rebel” songs which were favoured but perhaps the liveliest place of all was the Bursted Sofa, a bar which the young people of the town made their headquarters for the night. Here it was the music of Bruce Springsteen which was most in demand.

Mrs Kate McGuigan, the champion’s mother, did not watch the tight on television but instead waited for the news in her shop and listened to recordings of Luciano Pavarotti.

She knew Barry had won by the cheering of the younger people in the house, and having assured herself that she was now the mother of a world champion, her next question was: “Is he all right? Did he get hurt?”

When she was told that Barry did not have a mark on him she began to celebrate in earnest and was soon dancing before the cameras of RTÉ and ITN.