Tributes flood in for ‘King’ Charlie
Cork’s mighty Rangers aim for national cup glory
FORMER Ireland star Charlie Hurley has died aged 87.
Born in Cork in 1936, Hurley made his international debut in 1957 - in a draw with England at Dalymount Park - and played 40 times for his country up to 1969.
The legendary centrehalf started his crosschannel career with Millwall, where he made 105 appearances after moving to London as a 16-year-old.
But he became a folk hero at Sunderland where he earned the nickname ‘The King’ from Black Cats fans who voted him as the club’s Player of the Century in 1987, the club’s centenary year.
Hurley made over 400 appearances for the club.
He helped Sunderland to win promotion to Division 1 in 1964 and came second in the voting for FWA Footballer of the year behind Bobby Moore.
Esteem
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Charlie Hurley’s family and friends at this difficult time,” FAI president
Paul Cooke said.
“It is over 50 years since Charlie won the last of his 40 caps but it is a measure of the esteem in which he was held in football that every Irish fan knows of the legend that was Charlie Hurley.”
Sunderland paid tribute to Hurley in a statement.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Charlie Hurley, one of the greatest and most beloved players in the history of Sunderland AFC,” said the club.
Hurley finished his playing career at Bolton Wanderers before going on to manage Reading in the Football League between 1972 and ‘77.
THE EASY thing would be to make this about Caoimhín Kelleher.
Even though his name won’t appear on the team sheet for Sunday’s final, he’s still a Ringmahon boy, their most famous son, the local lad made good.
But this story is about the wet Tuesday and Thursday nights, when a group of 20 lads religiously turn up to train, tease and laugh their way through the warm-up and then sweat their way through the night.
If they wanted, they could easily skip a session, especially when it’s cold outside and the alternative is a couch in front of the fire and a Champions League game on the telly.
But that’s not who they are. They’re players not watchers, doers not shapers.
And for five years they have been on a mission. Three semi-finals have been lost. Tears have been shed.
They’ve been on this journey, sat on these buses, and trekked their way around Ireland, wearing out the motorways between Cork and Dublin, bypassing the towns you never see on the tourist map.
“We’re fierce proud of Caoimhín, of everything he has done, of the fact he is one of us; just as we are proud of Browner (Irish international Alan Browne),” says Ringmahon Rangers captain Anthony McAlavey.
“But it is about us. We want to make our own history and not live off their story. We want to write our own one.”
Story
For a dozen of them, the Ringmahon story is the only one they know. Four years of age when they were introduced to the club and to a ball.
They’d learn to control and then master it. They’d grow up. Miniblitzes would evolve into organised games. Seven-a-side, nine-a-side, then full-size.
And year after year they’d keep coming back.
They’d discover things like league titles and cup finals but other words would form a critical part of their understanding of what it takes to be an amateur footballer: terms like club lotto, Christmas draws, bag packs.
They’d begin to understand that they didn’t get from Cork’s southside to distant suburbs or faraway towns without the devotion of a mum, a dad or a de-facto parent from within the club, the volunteers who magically make things happen.
The years and decades would pass but the same names would keep appearing on Ringmahon team sheets: Keane, Fitzgerald, Hurley and Hayes.
For it is that sort of club, steeped in the community, passed down from one generation to the next.
It has been in existence 73 years and only two men, John and Sean Fitzgerald, have served as club secretary.
It has always been an unpaid role.
That’s the irony about soccer and
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