Calendar Of Events

Facebook

Featured Videos


23/03/2020
Kilbree v St Colums JAHC Final...
view all clips

Orgins of Carbery GAA

Origin of the South-West Cork GAA Board (Carbery Board) 

1925

In 1925 the West Cork Committee, which had been running GAA affairs, on and off, in West Cork since the early years of 20th century, was almost non-functional. The officers of the Committee in 1925 were – Chairperson, J. McCarthy, Kilmichael; vice-chairperson, P.J. Cullinane, Skibbereen; rúnaí, Dan O’Donovan, Clonakilty; treasurer, C. Walsh, Bantry.

      When no meeting or games were held by the Committee by July, five clubs which had been participating in the South Cork Hurling League, i.e. Bandon, Kilbrittain, Innishannon, Kinsale and Knockavilla, decided to apply to the County Board to set up a new separate Board to be called “The South Cork Board.” At that time other divisional boards were being set up around the county and permission was granted to the five clubs. Thus the South Cork Board came into existence. Unfortunately, there are no written records available of the original meetings to set up the new Board.

           The officers of the new Board for 1925 were  – Chairman, Seán Forde, Knockavilla; vice-chairman, Dan O’Hea, Kilbrittain; secretary, Seán Murphy, Innishannon; treasurer, John Joe Phelan, Bandon.

       No accounts of the games played in the South Cork championships in 1925 are available but Bandon won the first South Cork junior football championship. They beat Youghal in the county semi-final on March 21st, 1926, in Riverstick by 2-2 to 0-1 and advanced to the county final against Commons Road, a city club, in the Kinsale Athletic Grounds on April 4th, 1926. Despite having no field to practise in, Bandon fought hard against a better-trained city side to earn a draw, 2-1 each. Best for Bandon were Phelan, Donoghue and T. Horgan.

     The replay took place a fortnight later, April 18th, in the Cork Athletic Grounds on an historic day  for Cork GAA as Cork hurlers played Kilkenny for the first time ever in the newly set-up national hurling league. Cork beat Kilkenny and went on to win the league. The junior football final replay followed the hurling game. Bandon emerged winners of the replay by 0-2 to 0-1 to become the first-ever county champions from the new South Cork Division.

     Bandon – John Joe Phelan, - Murphy, - Geaney, J. Horgan, L. O’Donoghue, P. O’Driscoll, E. Murphy, J. O’Connell, J. Lynch, Seán O’Daly, J. O’Connor, W. O’Neill, Seán Murphy, Seán McDonnell, Donal Lynch.

          The first South Cork junior hurling final between Kilbrittain and Innishannon was played in the Kinsale Athletic Grounds on August 16th. Kilbrittain won this first final by 3-1 to 2-1 but later lost a ferocious county semi-final to Midleton in the Cork Athletic Grounds on February 21st, 1926, by 5-2 to nil.

       Kilbrittain – J. Barrett (capt..), E. Barrett, J. Barrett, David O’Hea, E. O’Hea, Daniel O’Hea, C. Crowley, P. Roche, J. Roche, J. Ahern, T. Holmes, J. O’Brien, P. Donoghue, M. Sullivan, C. Harrington.

 

      In the meantime, the old West Cork Committee had organised their championships in the second half of 1925. In the junior football final, Bantry beat Kilmichael but were beaten in the county championship by Commons Road.

     Clonakilty won the junior hurling final, beating Skibbereen by 7-2 to 1-0 on September 6th in Rosscarbery, but were beaten by Midleton in the county championship.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

1926  SOUTH-WEST CORK BOARD

 

1926   South Cork Board Convention

This was held in Bandon on St. Patrick’s Day and clubs  present were Bandon, Knockavilla, Kilbrittain, Kinsale, Innishannon and Clonakilty. Seán McCarthy, chairman, County Board, attended the convention.

     Re-elected officers for 1926 were – Chairman, Seán Forde, Knockavilla; vice-chairman, Dan O’Hea, Kilbrittain; secretary, Seán Murphy, Innishannon; treasurer, J.J. Phelan, Bandon.

      There was enough money in the accounts to purchase medals for the South Cork winners of 1925, Kilbrittain in hurling and Bandon in football.

      Because of Clonakilty’s addition to the Board it was decided to call it the    “South-West Cork” Division, because Clonakilty were now the most western team in the new division.  There was a great welcome extended to the Clonakilty team.

     In June, Liam Deasy was appointed South-West representative to the County Board. He was to become the chairperson of the new Board the following year, 1927.  

South-West Cork Junior Draws 1926

Junior Hurling – Kilbrittain v Innishannon, Knockavilla v Clonakilty; Kinsale a bye

Junior Football – Knockavilla v Bandon 2nds; Clonakilty v Innishannon; Kilbrittain a bye.

Clonakilty and Kilbrittain reached the SW junior football final and the game ended in a draw (no account available). The replay took place in Clonakilty on August 15th, Kilbrittain emerging surprise winners by 0-4 to 1-0.

      Kilbrittain – Seán O’Hea (capt..), E. O’Hea, C. Crowley, J. Roche, R. Kelly, J. O’Driscoll, L. Ahern , T. O’Brien, M. McCarthy, D. Corcoran, T. Murphy, E. Barrett, D. Harrington (two names missing).

      Clonakilty – P. McCarthy (capt..), P. O’Brien, C. Collins, D. Hurley, B. O’Driscoll, J. Leahy, D. Donovan, D. Hurley, P. Fortune, J. Cody, J. Lombard, D. Driscoll, M. Hayes, C. Driscoll, T. Deasy, N. Sutton.

     Kilbrittain beat West Cork champions, Dohenys, and Mid-Cork champions, Macroom 2nds, in the county championship in the Spring of 1927 and faced city champions, Geraldines, in the county final. Amazingly, it took three games to separate the sides, Geraldines winning the third game by 2-3 to 1-2 on June 27th, 1927, in Knockavilla.

        Clonakilty and Kilbrittain also reached the final of the SW junior hurling championship, which was played in Bandon on July 18th and Kilbrittain won the first leg of the double by 3-4 to 1-1. No teams are available from the final but they met again in the SW league a few weeks later and the teams that day were –

       Kilbrittain – James Barrett (capt..), Ned Barrett (goalie), John Barrett, Jer Ahern, Con Crowley, J. Holmes, Michael O’Hea, Dan O’Hea, Eugene O’Hea, David O’Hea, Wm. Mahony, Pat Roche, John Roche, Jas. Cummins, John Honan. 

      Clonakilty  -  B. Driscoll (capt..), Tim Keohane, Dan Hurley, Dan Donovan, Wm. Fortune, Ml. McCarthy, Dermot O’Sullivan, J. Murphy, A. Hunter, J. Driscoll, J. Reidy, Jerh. Leahy, Pat O’Brien, Con Collins, M. Madden.

       Kilbrittain beat West Cork champions, Ballineen, in the county championship but lost the semi-final to city champions, College Rovers, again in a replay.

 South-West Cork Intermediate Football Final 1926

    In 1926 Bandon’s first football team was graded intermediate and took part in the county intermediate championship. They were drawn against Bantry. Kinsale were also in the intermediate football championship, drawn against Cill na Martra. When Bandon beat Bantry and Kinsale beat Cill na Martra, the winners were paired together in the second round. That game also doubled as the South-West Cork intermediate football final and was played in Kilbrittain on July 4th. The game ended in a draw, 0-2 each. The replay took place on July 25th, again in Kilbrittain, and this time Kinsale won by 2-3 to 2-1.

     “Bandon’s prominent men were Colleran, T.J. Lynch, Donoghue, Phelan and Jack Lynch, while Kinsale’s foremost stalwarts were Buckley, Harrington (2), Herlihy, Galvin and Matt Murphy.”

     Kinsale – J. Harrington (capt..), N. Donoghue, M. Murphy, Phil Donovan, Matt Murphy, T. O’Donovan, J. Murphy, J. O’Keeffe, Jim Harrington, M. Herlihy, N. Slattery, D. Buckley, J. Galvin, T. MacCarrick, D. O’Donovan.

     Bandon – P. Phelan (capt..), J. Geaney, N. Murphy, S. Murphy, W. Neill, T. Horgan, J. Lynch, N. Colleran, P. O’Donoghue, T.J. Lynch, P. Driscoll, D. Crowley, J. Daly, J. Hunt, P. Ryan.      

     Kinsale went on to beat Kilmurry in the county semi-final by 0-4 to 1-0 but lost the county final to Buttevant by 0-2 to nil on October 31st in Turner’s Cross

   Kinsale were also campaigning in intermediate hurling and reached the county final with wins over Emmets, Bride Valleys, Ballincollig and Fr. Matthew’s Hall. Again, their opponents in the final were Buttevant, on November 21st in Turner’s Cross and this time Kinsale emerged champions by a single point, 5-2 to 4-4.

    Kinsale – Maurice Murphy, Matt Murphy, Joe Murphy, Jack Harrington, Jim O’Regan, Seán O’Keeffe, Walt. Hurley, Joe Galvin, Daniel Cronin, Tom Donovan, Robbie O’Connell, Ml. Canty, Ml. Goggin, Sonny O’Sullivan, Tommy Neill.

BOARD DELEGATES 1926

At a special meeting of the South-West Board in Bandon on Thursday, July 1st, the dates for the South-West football and hurling finals were set. Among the delegates at the meeting were Seán Forde (Knockavilla, chairman), Dan O’Hea (Kilbrittain, vice-chairman), Seán Murphy (Innishannon, secretary), J. Geaney and Pat Joe Driscoll (Bandon), Bat Driscoll and Con Collins (Clonakilty), Con Crowley (Kilbrittain), Mick Goggin (Kinsale).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

West Cork Championships 1926

       1926 was the last year of the old West Cork Committee and it was little wonder that the West Cork championships it organised were clouded in controversy.

     In junior football, Dohenys and Owen Roes of Ballineen advanced to the final without playing a game, the only other two teams, Bantry and Coppeen Rangers, conceding walkovers. The final itself proved highly controversial. Dohenys won the first game in the Town Park, Clonakilty, on November 14th by 1-1 to 1-0 but Owen Roes subsequently objected and a replay was ordered. That replay took place on December 5th in Clonakilty and this time Owen Roes won by 0-3 to 0-2.

     Now it was Dohenys’ turn to object and on investigating, County Board chairman, Seán McCarthy, announced that both teams were illegal and that he would declare the final null and void. However, it was finally decided to replay the game again on January 9th, 1927, in the neutral venue of Macroom, with the County Board secretary, the great Padraig O’Keeffe, as referee and no illegal players to be included. Dohenys and the referee turned up but Owen Roes failed to put in an appearance and Dohenys were awarded the title.

     It proved an ignominious end to the old West Cork Committee and to the old West Cork football championships. Dohenys were subsequently beaten by SW champions, Kilbrittain, in the county championship.

     The last West Cork junior hurling championship also saw Dohenys and Owen Roes qualifying for the final, played in Clonakilty on December 12th. This time Owen Roes emerged comprehensive winners by 6-1 to nil, Dohenys showing little interest in hurling. Despite rumours that the Owen Roes’ team was comprised of players from Nemo Rangers, Cloughduv and Clonakilty, no objection was forthcoming from Dohenys.

     Owen Roes were beaten in the county championship by SW champions, Kilbrittain.

     1926 was the final year of the old West Cork Committee and in 1927 all the affiliated teams from Bantry in the west to Innishannon in the east were part of the new South-West Cork Division.

     In 1930 the South-West Cork Division entered a divisional football team in the county senior football championship for the first time. It was decided to call the team “Carbery”, after the ancient barony of Carbery, which includes much of West Cork, and over the years subsequently, the Division itself was often referred to as “The Carbery Division.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 


ADVERTISEMENTS