No games until Easter
Hopes that soon after March 5th we might see a return to training - at least in some limited fashion - were dashed last week. Outgoing GAA president John Horan made it clear that the ‘very earliest’ date for the recommencement of GAA activities would be the first week of April- or after Easter.
It was disappointing news as the Covid numbers are dropping and the vaccination programme is gathering pace. It seems now there’s no turning back and it will be at least another seven weeks before we’ll hear even the pitter-patter of tiny feet on any pitch or astroturf.
DANIEL NEW RÚNAÍ
Well on Wednesday of last week Daniel Lane was installed as the 8th rúnaí of Bord Oirthir Corcaigh of the GAA. At a Zoom meeting the appointment was confirmed and Daniel Lane took over from Aghada’s Michael O’Brien. Eamonn Fleming was the first secretary of the board and served from 1924 to 1948. A postman, Eamonn Fleming on his rounds used come up as far as Keame Forge in Ballyroberts from Midleton. Denis Conroy of Carrigtwohill served just one year, 1949 and was succeeded by Tom Barry NT, ‘the Master’ from our club. He served until 1953. Then Seamus O’Flynn of Ladysbridge took office and served the board for 28 years, 1954 -19821.
Cloyne’s Willie Ring was in the secretary’s chair for 27 years until 2010. Tracey Kennedy of Killeagh then served from 2011 until 2016 when Michael O’Brien took over. Since 1924 just 8 rúnaí have served whilst there a have been 14 in the Chairpersons role. Gerard lane was Vice Chairman in 1996/97 and served as East Cork chairman from 1998 until 2007. Everyone in Bride Rovers offers Daniel full support and backing.
SELECTORS FINALISED
While we have no ‘start date’ for games of any sort the work of getting prepared for the 2021 season (whatever ‘twill be like!) continues apace. At last week’s executive meeting the full line up of selection committees were announced. We still need a few to help with the junior C hurling team to assist Dave Burke.
The selectors in place are as follows; senior hurling - Liam Barry, Pa Kearney, Noel Crowley; junior B hurling - Alan Fitzgerald, Aiden Dorgan; junior C hurling - Dave Burke plus selectors TBC; U21 hurling - Alan Fitzgerald, Pat Walsh, Fergus Collins; junior A football - Vincent Cronin, Anthony Cahill, Batt O’Connell, Maurice Dooley; U21 football - Vincent Cronin, Anthony Cahill, Batt O’Connell, Maurice Dooley.
CLUB LOTTO
The jackpot on last Tuesday night was €20,000, the numbers drawn were 4, 15, 23 and 27, no winner. Lucky dip winners of €30 each were Betty Cahill, Nathan Buckley c/o Fitzy’s, Liam Barry, Dermot Dorgan and Kathleen Dwane c/o online. The jackpot for last Tuesday night, February 16 was €20,000.
You can join the Bride Rovers weekly lotto online or purchase tickets from any of the retail outlets locally that are open. Tickets can also be got locally from Bride Rovers GAA Club members throughout the parish. Your support of the weekly lotto draw is deeply appreciated. If you’re not in you can’t win and each €2 is a help for our club.
JUVENILE CLUB AGM
The online juvenile club AGM was scheduled for last Tuesday night, February 16 so we’ll have full details next week.
1741-1991 - 250 YEARS OF TIPPERARY V CORK
‘The game that never was’ is a fitting description of a senior intercounty hurling tournament due to be played twenty years ago. The game played at Glenagowl in Kildinan in 1741 between a Cork ‘selection’ and a team of hurlers drawn from Tipperary is regarded by many as the first ever ‘inter county’ hurling game in the country. Around this time 20 years ago, in February 1991, a discussion took place at a club meeting about commemorating the 250th anniversary of this game.
The Cork and Tipperary county boards were contacted with a request to play a game in Rathcormac. Both were agreeable but getting a date was problematic. Eventually Sunday, November 24 was fixed, with Waterford’s Pat Moore as referee. Special trophies were ordered and purchased from Gerald McCarthy in Cork. 1000 official programmes, to be sold at 50p each, were printed.
The Cork team selected for the game was as follows; Teddy O’Donovan (Douglas), Christy Connery (Na Piarsaigh), Ml Boylan (Midleton), Kieran McGuckian (Glen R), John O’Callaghan (Ballyhea), Jim Cashman (Blackrock), Denis Walsh (St Catherines), Cathal Casey (St Catherines), Sean McCarthy (Ballinhassig), Brian Cunningham (Barrs), Tomas Mulcahy (Glen R), Ger Manley (Midleton), Leonard Forde (Na Piarsaigh), Kevin Hennessy (Midleton), Pat Buckley (Milford).
All was in readiness for a historic contest but the game was cancelled. On Saturday, November 23 it rained, that night it poured. The incessant downpour continued on the Sunday and we had no choice but to cancel the game at midday on the Sunday. It was pity, after waiting two hundred and fifty years and though we tried to reschedule the fixture for the following spring it never took place.
50 YEARS AGO - SEANIE BARRY’S LAST GAME WITH CORK
On Wednesday, September 1 1971 the senior hurlers of Cork and Limerick played a tournament game in Buttevant for the Batt Thornhill Dependants Fund. Despite lining out without eight of their selected team Cork had a great win by 4-15 to 3-7. The game marked the last appearance in the red shirt of Cork by Seanie Barry. Fr Seanie was doing Parish duty in Mallow whilst waiting to travel to the Missions in Nigeria.
The match report in The Cork Examiner the following day included the following paragraph ‘The real surprise for the fair-sized attendance was the performance of right half-forward Seanie Barry - who displayed all his old craft, and for a player so long out of the Cork team, his form was indeed admirable. He gave Cork a goal lead immediately after the throw-in, and other scores seemed to knock much of the fight out of Limerick’.
The Cork team lined out as follows; Paddy Barry, Tony Maher, Pat McDonnell, Paddy Crowley, Frank Norberg, John Horgan, Brendan Coleman, Simon Murphy (0-1), Donie Collins, Seanie Barry (1-3), Tomas Ryan (1-0), Sean Twomey (0-1), Sean O’Leary (0-3), Ray Cummins (1-4), Brendan Cummins (1-1). Sub: Martin O’Doherty.
2021 CORK GAA MEMBERS’ DRAW COMING SOON
‘Rebels’ Bounty’ is the new name for the Cork GAA annual members monthly draw. The tickets are just €10 a month or a single once-off payment of €100. This year there will be 30 prizes each month. The minimum first prize each month will be €20,000 with prizes of €25,000 in December and April and in August 2021 the first prize is €100,000. The January, February and March draws are down for March 25th.
Bride Rovers Club is encouraging members, players and supporters to join the draw. Tickets can be had from club officers or contact our rúnaí Daniel Lane at 087-2070100. A brochure outlining all the details of the draw can be had from any club officer.
BRIDE ROVERS GAA CLUB 100
Our Club 100 fundraising scheme is now in its 3rd year. It provides an income stream to guarantee us finances to carry out further development work as we head towards our centenary in 2028. There are three options for joining the Club 100, gold, silver and bronze. Joining Club 100 combines paying club membership, supporting the weekly club lotto and joining the Cork GAA monthly draw. Payment is on a monthly basis. Full details from any club officer.
PLAYER PROFILE – DAVE BURKE
Age; 40. Job; Director of European Finance Operations for Trend Micro. GAA Clubs; Boherlahan Dualla, Tipperary and Bride Rovers.
What was your first game you remember? Primary Schools county final against Borrisokane in Semple Stadium as an 8-year-old where I scored a fluke point as I had no idea where I was hitting it. We won the match by 3-1 to 1-6. Our goalie who was as mad as a hatter pulled off some incredible saves in the last 5 mins to win the match for us.
First game with Bride Rovers? Playing Ballinhassig in April 2010 in a SHL game on the main pitch. Liam Barry rang to say the transfer was through at 5pm and I was starting centre forward 90 mins later. I won the first ball that came my way, rounded my man on a solo and the ref blew his whistle for a free. I turned around annoyed and ready to give out that I hadn’t caught the ball 3 times and he told me I’d got a free! Still don’t know what the free was for but in 13 years of playing senior club hurling in Tipp, I had never gotten a free like it and I certainly wasn’t expecting to get such a generous welcome to Cork hurling .
Have you a vivid memory of ‘the goal’ you scored v Cloyne which kept Bride Rovers senior? Yes and my lasting memory was of relief as I had missed a chance to equalise the match coming into injury time before Cloyne went 2 up. The free that ultimately led to the goal was a little bit soft and the Rock may have felt I played into it a bit which I can neither confirm nor deny.
Did you play colleges and or university hurling? I played with Cashel Community School where the best result we had was losing a Munster B hurling final by a point. I also played Fitzgibbon league with UL but never made the championship panel.
Highlights in Tipperary? Winning a Mid U21 final against Thurles Sars back in 1997 at 17, I got man of the match. One of those days when you catch every ball and everything you hit goes over. We had been hammered by them in the U16 final in the same age group 5 years earlier by 11-10 to 2-4 where my man got 3-2 and got a county trial after it!
That U21 victory is still a cherished memory. Won the senior county final in 1996 against Nenagh but my parents thought at I was too young and didn’t let me join the panel - didn’t make much sense as I still played junior A and trained with the seniors for the whole year!
Toughest/ best player on the playing field? Actually, the toughest opponent that I used to hate marking in training was Mike Kearney. Very sound fella coming from a great Bride Rovers family, never got the better of him! Noel McGrath was brilliant– he destroyed us in a mid-Tipp semi-final when 16, scoring 7 points from play for Loughmore.
Main differences between club hurling in Cork and Tipp? In Tipp you couldn’t buy a free most of the time, in Cork games are ruined by whistle happy refs. The most important asset to any club team in Cork is a great free taker.
Is hurling becoming more of a game of fitness and athleticism rather than a game of skills? For hurling, skills will always be the most important. The speed of the game is so fast that accuracy with the balls saves a lot of potentially wasted energy.
Funniest thing you remember in the GAA? Played in a divisional final in Tipp and I was on the goal line for a penalty against Drom Inch when a young bull ran through the field up in Upperchurch which is as rural as it gets! It must have put off the penalty taker as he put it wide - we still lost though! We were playing Holycross in U21, they had one of the filthiest fullbacks in living history. I won’t name that person but future rugby legend Denis Leamy came on for us at full forward with 10 mins to go. He was just 15 but with the 3 balls that went into him, he scored 1-1 and clocked your man with the 3rd dropping ball. Denis was an animal to play with but one of the soundest guys you will ever meet. The ref just told the fullback that he deserved it, it was about time someone hit him and he didn’t even book Leamy.
Who were the biggest influences on your career as a juvenile? My parents and my brother.
People say ‘there’s a fierce spirit’ in Bride Rovers teams - can you define it or is it the same in clubs in Tipperary? I think the spirit of Bride Rovers is incredible. We have won a lot of matches where we had no right to win. I have been watching Bride Rovers since 2005 and I was gutted by the final loss to Sars in 2008. Elaine and I were in a camper van in the early hours of the morning in Byron Bay in Australia listening to the radio commentary. A match we could have and should have won. There are many great hurling families in the parish like the Murphys, Ryans, O’Driscolls etc. It’s a tight knit crew which to be fair were very welcoming to a Tipp blowin. My transfer started after an hour long chat with Barry Murphy about all things Bride Rovers on New Year’s Eve 2009 in Grocers’ Bar in Fermoy.
Is 5 too young to start training the skills of hurling to youngsters? Having been involved in underage the last few years, I don’t think 5 is too young. Enjoyment is more important than anything at that age though.
Should the hand-pass be changed or banned in hurling? Nothing wrong with it, it just needs to be properly refereed.
Do you think Limerick hurlers will make it 2 or 3 in a row? I hope not. After the Cats, they are the 2nd most painful set of supporters to listen too from a Tipp viewpoint. I have a good buddy from there from my time in UL who is getting a little cocky at the moment so I reminded him the other day that my 7-year-old Eoin has seen Tipp win as many All Ireland finals as he has seen Limerick win in his 41 years! They are a serious outfit though – I think Kiely is an excellent manager with a great temperament.
What game brought you the most enjoyment and satisfaction? Easy - 2010 All-Ireland final, sitting with my dad in the Cusack Stand watching Tipp stopping Kilkenny winning the 5 in a row after being robbed in the 2009 final. It’s up there with my kids being born and getting married to Elaine. To be fair, she understands, coming from a GAA mad household. Giving the Cats hidings in 2016 and 2019 were also very satisfying.
SYMPATHY
The Bride Rovers Club wishes to express its deepest sympathy to the O’Sullivan family of Carragane, Mitchelstown on the death of Peggy. Peggy (nee Lane) was mother of our clubman and executive member Mossie and his brothers Eddie, John, Martin, Michael, Con, and Paddy. We extend our condolences to all the extended O’Sullivan family on their great loss. May Peggy rest in peace. BRIDE ROVERS CLUB SPONSORS Rathcormac Tyres , Fermoy Print & Design and Veolia Environmental Services.