Category: Columns

The first Cork City under-16 hurling and football champions

In its first year (1939) the new Bord organised hurling and football under-16 leagues. The Gerald Griffins club won the leagues. Gerald Griffins was only in existence for a few short years. But in that time it set the standard for underage GAA in Cork. It also produced a remarkable crop of players and personalities who left an enduring legacy to the GAA in Cork.

The Bible’s All Star Hurling team

The last week of the year is the usual time for looking back at the year’s activities. For several days now the newspapers and television schedules are full of programmes featuring the highlights and low points of 2010. Everywhere you look there are events of the year, players of the year and teams of the […]

The Left Handed Sportsman

There was one thing certain about yesterday’s United States presidential election long before the citizens cast their votes. That was that the next president of the USA would be left handed. In fact three of the last four presidents of the USA have been left handed. Ronald Regan (1981 to 1989) passed the baton (with […]

My Cycle Along Part of a Tour of Ireland Stage Aug 2008

Time has not been my enemy this summer; although the bad weather has. Thanks to my sabbatical from coaching football and hurling, I have had the time to enjoy what scraps of sunny evenings there were available. I got a bike last May. It came as an early birthday present. Given the fact that my […]

Munster V New Zealand Nov 18th 2008

I missed the Munster v All Blacks game 30 years ago; I had to choose between using my last day of annual holidays to go to the game or keeping the day, just in case it needed it. I chose badly. I cannot remember what I did when I finally took my holiday, but I […]

Ireland v Poland

Samuel Johnson once described a second marriage as a “triumph of hope over experience”. In fairness to marriage the statement says more about Johnson’s experience of losing his wife than a glib comment on that institution. The term ‘triumph of hope over experience’ could also sum up my adventures in the middle of last week. […]

Some Thoughts on the 2011 National Football and Hurling leagues

There are two the comments about the Allianz Football and Hurling Leagues that get under my skin. When I hear “the leagues should begin in October like they always did” I automatically raise my eyes to heaven.  The second comment that makes me groan usually comes from inter-county coaches or players when they are pawning […]

Best North Mon Hurling team part II

Last night I finished my look at the North Mon’s Harty Cup hurling history at 1943. At that point the school had accumulated 10 titles and it’s role as a leading hurling nursery was firmly established. The team I picked last night was mostly made up of Glen Rovers players. That was not because the […]