Dromtariffe seek to repeat the great days of past generations
SOME exceptional football teams are associated with Dromtariffe, a club standing as one of the oldest units in the country and one that earns place of pride in the long history of the GAA.
Founded in 1885, Dromtariffe competed in North Cork and won the Football Championship for eight consecutive years, culminating in representing Cork in the 1893 All Ireland Championship. Their opponents were Young Irelands from Wexford but the match, played in Dublin’s Phoenix Park, was abandoned over a disputed goal and Wexford were awarded the game.
Subsequently, on the formation of the Duhallow Division in 1933, Dromtariffe emerged as kingpins and took county junior and intermediate football championship titles. Thirteen Dromtariffe players backboned a Duhallow team that won the 1936 County SFC.
1941 saw Dromtariffe involved in one of the longest sequels in the County SFC and their five game series with Clonakilty heralded a new era for Cork football. Very few events, if any, have left their mark on the history of the GAA in the county as much as those classic and titanic battles.
Fittingly, Dromtariffe are the pace-setters in the Duhallow Junior AFC with 14 outright wins - adding three outright county titles in 1934/38 and 1959 at the expense of Mitchelstown, Ballincollig and Dohenys.
Dick Harnedy and Miah Murphy surfaced to star for both Cork and Munster as Dromtariffe captured three further Duhallow titles during the forties with prominent players such as the Cronin brothers, Andy and Peter, along with Tim Long and Mick Riordan involved.
Dromtariffe maintained their dominance of football titles in the 50s by adding five more to the already impressive list thanks to the deeds of Den Walsh, Tom Meaney, Mick Byrnes, Bertie Doherty, Den Joe Kelly, Denny Duggan, Fr. Paddy Murphy, Mickey and Pat Joe Neville.
Paddy Murphy represented Dromtariffe on the victorious Cork Junior side of 1955 and he was also a member of the Cork Senior side defeated by Galway in the All-Ireland of 1956.
Fourteen years would elapse before Dromtariffe would regain the Duhallow Championship to end a long sojourn in the football wilderness. Thus the 1973 victory over good rivals Boherbue was greeted with unbridled joy and it gained sweet revenge for Dromtariffe after emerging second best to Boherbue in the finals of ‘70 and ‘71.
For good measure, Dromtariffe added the 1974 title by bettering Rockchapel.
However, it was another 21 years before Dromtariffe lifted the laurels in 1995, finally defeating Kiskeam after a replay.
From a competitive field, divisional JAFC titles were becoming difficult to secure, and Dromtariffe were left waiting another decade to overcome Ballydesmond in the 2005 decider.
Dromtariffe hold a long association with the County JAFC, with wins in finals recorded against Mitchelstown (1934) and Ballincollig (1938).
Additionally, in somewhat of a rollercoaster journey, Dromtariffe have been defeated in finals by William O’Briens (1895), Kinsale (1932) and St. Michaels (1956). And in 1959 controversary arose when Dromtariffe defeated Dohenys and a dispute arose with the championship declared null and void in some quarters - yet Dromtariffe are credited with the honours.
No such scenario is envisaged on Saturday night’s county final, a game of massive significance for Dromtariffe, with the team of 2018 attempting to follow the trailblazers from the past.