St Patricks Boys National School, Brian Dillons Hurling and Football Club and their entwined history
On the 29th of November 1937, almost 75 years ago, 261 boys came to school at the old St Patricks Boys National School at St Lukes Cross, Cork. When everyone was settled down and accounted for, the boys and their teachers marched up the Ballyhooly Road to the new school that had been built in […]
The Downside of the Hurling Helmet
You have two options when it comes to getting back to Cork from Limerick after a Heineken Cup tie. You can make a mad dash for the car and hope to beat the traffic, or you can take your time, have a sandwich and drink, let the traffic clear and then mosey on home. Option […]
Rugby in Munster – A Social and Cultural History by Liam O’Callaghan
There are no tickets available for next Saturday’s Heineken Cup game between Munster and Castres at Thomond Park. This is the norm for the Heineken Cup. It has been so since Munster’s first run to the final in the 1999/2000 season, but it was not always like that. The season before the May 2000 final, […]
Is the Art of Playing Hurling dying and is it now played like Gaelic Football and Rugby?
It does not seem that long ago (to me at any rate) since I spent most of my summer evenings training, or just pucking a sliotar in the Glen Field. This is not going to be a piece about how things were in “good oul’ days” – it is about the current skill levels in […]
Two books that look at different aspects of Cork’s local sporting history
It is very difficult to come up with a true definition of what is history. The Roman philosopher Cicero said that “History is a witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illuminates reality, vitalises memory, provides guidance in daily life, and brings us tidings of antiquity.” Feel free to go deeper into the […]
Munster’s exit from the 2011 Heineken Cup
I went to see the film 127 Hours last week. If you have not heard about it, it is the story of Aron Ralston, a rock climber/ potholer who wanders off at weekends to explore canyons and sleep out under the stars. Aron Ralston is self-centred and arrogant, loves his own company and believes that […]
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 […]