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Irish Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Cork's oldest All-Ireland medal winner recalls cycling to a final at Croke Park in 1952
He may no longer be going to games but Cork 's oldest All-Ireland medal winner, 99-year-old Jimmy Lynam, will be watching Sunday's decider between Cork and Tipperary as keenly as he did lining out with the great Christy Ring when the Leesiders swept all before them. A member of the great Cork team of the early 1950s, Lynam won his first All-Ireland medal in 1952, when he came on as a sub in the final as the Rebels defeated Dublin by 2-14 to 0-7 He won his second a year later as an unused sub when they beat Galway by 3-3 to 0-8. But Lynam's first experience of an All-Ireland was far removed from what fans experience today – he and his friend Gus O'Brien cycled to Dublin in September 1943 to watch Mick Kennefick, his 19-year-old team-mate from the Gerald Griffins club, captain Cork to victory over Antrim. [ GAA Palestine travels to Jordan after Irish tour is cancelled due to visa issues Opens in new window ] 'We left Cork about midday on Friday, and we had a bit of grub in Fermoy and then on to Cashel where we stayed overnight and headed on to Dublin on Saturday morning for the match on Sunday – we stayed on in Dublin and started back on the bikes to Cork on Tuesday morning.' READ MORE The 1952/1953 and 1954 Cork Hurling teams in New York in 1954. Photograph: Jimmy Lynam/Provision A team-mate of Ring with Glen Rovers when he won seven Cork County Championships, Lynam says it's not just transport to hurling games that has changed over the years – so has the game itself, with ground hurling now virtually extinct as most players' first instinct is to pick the sliotar. 'I admire the current Cork team, but I can't warm to the style of play – they have great control of the ball with the stick, but I can't understand all the flicks – it takes three men to get the ball down to the forwards – long ago Billy 'Long Puck' Murphy would have it down to them in a flash.' Jimmy Lynam, former Cork and Glen Rovers hurler, pictured with his medal haul. Photograph: The Irish Examiner Lynam will watch Sunday's All-Ireland final with his son, Kieran at CareChoice Ballynoe Nursing Home just outside Cork city and, as he ponders the game, he admits he as surprised by the fact that Cork have not won an All-Ireland since 2005 as he is by the modern possession game. 'I can't imagine that it's 20 years - I mean when I was growing up, Cork won the four in a row in the 1940s and the three in a row in the 1950s but 20 years, that's a long, long, time,' says Lynam, who admits he is wary of Tipperary, given his experience of the Premier County over the years. [ All-Ireland hurling final: Cork v Tipperary by the numbers Opens in new window ] 'I wasn't the greatest hurler ever, but I could read a match well and I had good speed, and I needed it against Tipp – there's never any match easy and certainly not against Tipp – they were tough in my day and they're still a top team so I would be wary of them.' Brothers Noel and Jimmy Lynam, at Carechoice Nursing Home, Ballynoe, Co Cork. Photograph: The Irish Examiner Lynam reveals he is impressed by his fellow Glen Rovers man, Patrick Horgan, describing him as 'nice, cool free taker' while the other two Glen men on the Cork team, captain Rob Downey and his brother, Eoin have also impressed him with their ability to defend well under pressure. 'Cork are very determined, and they were exceptional against Dublin – I mean scoring seven goals was exceptional – they won't get it that easy against Tipp, but it would be great if they win on Sunday – it would mean a lot to Cork and get us back into the routine of winning All-Irelands.'
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
‘Be single-minded': Cork hurling heroes of 1966 on what it takes to end an All-Ireland drought
A Tipperary man popularised the use of 'famine' to describe a dearth of success in hurling. Captain Richard Stakelum uttered the term in his acceptance speech after Tipperary beat Cork in the 1987 Munster SHC final replay, bridging a 16-year gap in the process. Cork people still present in the stadium could hardly have taught their own county would face into such a famine. At that stage, Cork led the All-Ireland roll of honour with 26 titles, three ahead of Kilkenny and four ahead of Tipperary. The idea that the Rebels would experience a 16-year barren stretch was unfathomable to most on Leeside. The Rebels have remained consistent in Munster, but they have endured a long wait for an All-Ireland that stretches back to 2005. From the 1890s up to that point in 1987, Cork had won at least one All-Ireland every decade. With the peerless Christy Ring to the fore, they won five titles in the 1940s followed by three in the 1950s. The dry period between Cork's All-Ireland wins in 1903 to 1919 stands out as a particular disappointment. However, that was ancient history by 1987. For Cork fans born in the 1920s, the halcyon days of the 1940s and the first half of the 1950s surely looked like they would never end. Until they did. READ MORE 'Those were the days,' as Mary Hopkin sang over a decade later. Cork's failure to reach All-Ireland finals for a decade following the 1956 loss to Wexford meant fans were desperate for success when a young team finally made it back to Croke Park in 1966. That 1966 team offers the closest example in living memory of what the current Cork team are facing into this Sunday when they take on the Premier County in the All-Ireland final. The current crop of Rebel hurlers will be seeking to prove that famines – even 20-year famines, in their case – do eventually end. But unlike this year's team, who go into Sunday's final as most people's favourites, the Cork team that entered Croke Park for the 1966 decider were rank outsiders and featured several under-21 players. Among them were the three McCarthys, who were all unrelated. Gerald and Charlie hurled with St Finbarr's, while Justin hurled with Passage. This week, all three looked back on a day that earned them and their teammates a particular place in Cork hurling lore. (From left) Gerald McCarthy, Justin McCarthy and Charlie McCarthy, stars of Cork's 1966 All-Ireland hurling triumph, met up this week. Coming up against a seasoned Kilkenny outfit who had beaten Waterford just three years earlier to win the All-Ireland, that young Cork side ran out 3-09 to 1-10 winners. Colm Sheehan from Éire Óg netted two goals and John O'Halloran from Blackrock bagged a third . The three McCarthys also played their part. Justin, who was 21, lined out at midfield, contributing two-second half points. Gerald, also 21, captained the team from left half-forward and Charlie (20) lined out at right corner-forward. Each chipped in with a point. Justin recalls that while Cork had gone over a decade without an All-Ireland, it was no great burden to the team. 'I think we were conscious that it had been 12 years," he said. 'We had all grown up seeing Cork winning in 1952, '53 and '54, and of course the loss to Wexford in '56. I suppose that gave us all an urgency to want to play for Cork and a lot of lads on the panel had experienced the lean years. [ Three Munster finals that created the mythos of Tipperary v Cork Opens in new window ] 'We knew it was important to Cork, but a lot of us were very young. There was a blend of youth with Gerald and Charlie and Seanie Barry and myself, and there were older fellows on the team like Peter Doolan and Paddy Fitzgerald and Tom O'Donoghue and Denis Murphy. 'None of us had ever played in an All-Ireland final before, but we were quite confident – we had beaten Clare after a replay and then Limerick and Waterford in the Munster championship, and we were well geared up and we were quite confident going in that we could beat them. Gerald McCarthy says youth helped him deal with the pressure ahead of the 1966 All-Ireland hurling final between Cork and Kilkenny 'Gerald and myself were rooming together and I remember that morning, as we were going to Mass, he said to me, 'we have a good chance'. I said, 'we have, and we'll have that cup in this room this evening'. We had no fear.' Similarly, Gerald McCarthy acknowledged that they were all conscious of Cork's 12-year barren run. He said: 'There's always an expectation in Cork – the fans nearly demand success. But in fairness, it wasn't being overdone by people. We didn't have fellows coming up to us on the street and saying 'it's 12 years' or that sort of thing. We were a young team and people recognised that. [ Cork crowds, Tipp trips, Munster mastery: Seven-step guide to the 2025 hurling championship Opens in new window ] 'Okay, there was a bit of pressure, but I think when you are young, you can deal with it better. We had played Kilkenny in the league semi-final in Croke Park earlier that year, but we didn't have a semi-final after winning Munster, so it was our first championship match in Croke Park. 'So, we didn't have any real experience of Croke Park, certainly not a crowd that size. We were a good mix of young and experience, but I think the younger players just took it on. When you are young, you don't take in the whole impact of it and can deal with it better than an old stager. 'I remember as we were going in from Lucan to Croke Park on the bus, The Beatles had a hit with Yellow Submarine and somebody started singing 'We All Live in a Red Submarine'. It just clicked and everyone fell in with it and it just broke the tension, so we handled that well.' Charlie MacCarthy says it helped Cork that Kilkenny were such favourites to win. 'We went into the game without any one really giving us a chance,' he said. 'It's a bit like Sunday with Tipp, nobody is giving them a chance. I was only a young fellow, just turned 20 and the attitude was, 'we have nothing to lose, we'll go up there and give it our best shot'. Charlie McCarthy is tipping Cork to get the better of Tipperary in Sunday's All-Ireland SHC final. 'And in fairness, everybody got stuck in and stuck in early. We really didn't give Kilkenny a chance to settle down – our backs were very good, very tight and we got our goals at the right time and it settled us. We kept plugging away and things turned out right for us in the end.' Gerald acknowledges that Cork are going into Sunday's game as favourites but says players can react in different ways to being favourites and the pressure it may bring. 'The pressure can affect your head, but everyone is different and you have to learn to deal with it somehow.' Charlie thinks it will be a tight game, but feels that Cork might shade it, especially as they are driven by the pain of losing last year's All-Ireland final to Clare. 'I think it will be close enough,' he said. 'The Tipp lads are after improving since the League final and the round-robin game and they battled back well against Kilkenny in the semi-final, so it will be close. But I have a slight fancy for Cork and think they will shade it.' As for Justin, his advice to the current wearers of the jersey is forget about history and simply go out and hurl. He agrees that the desire to make amends for last year's narrow loss to Clare could help drive them on 'Yes, they have a chance now to redeem themselves for last year. That's a good motivation but forget about 20 years – you can think about that afterwards when you win. It's all on the day and you just have to be single-minded and go out with the belief you are good enough to win it.'
Irish Examiner
09-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Almost €16k/acre expected for quality 48a East Cork farm
New to the market with Midleton-based auctioneers Hegarty Properties is a 48-acre farm near the historic village of Cloyne in East Cork. The farm is at Kilboy, immediately to the south of Cloyne — a village equally famous for both its 6th-century round tower and for its hurling heroes (who include Christy Ring and Dónal Óg Cusack). This is part of Munster famous for quality pastures, near Cork City. 'It's a superb landholding,' says selling agent Adrianna Hegarty. 'This is a prime parcel of dry free-draining land laid out in six well-defined divisions bounded by mature hedgerows.' Access to the lands is very good, directly off Church Street via a laneway to the side of the hay shed. 'The land is predominantly arable and suitable for a range of agricultural uses,' adds Adrianna, 'including arable farming and grazing.' The yard with old house and outbuildings on the 48-acre farm at Kilboy, Cloyne. The old derelict farmhouse is located around a yard at the public road entrance to the property, along with a series of stone outbuildings. Both the house and the outbuildings have strong potential for development. 'It's a well-located farm that represents an outstanding opportunity for local farmers, investors or those seeking a unique development project,' says Adrianna. 'In the yard area, there are several traditional stone outbuildings and a hay shed with a lean-to, offering significant potential for renovation or repurposing, subject to the necessary permissions. The derelict structures on site may qualify for available refurbishment or redevelopment grants, further enhancing the appeal for those with a vision for restoration or new residential development.' The property is serviced by an electrical connection and the previous tenant had permission to use county council water. Aerial photo of entrance and farmyard of the 48-acre holding at Kilboy, Cloyne, Co Cork. The location of this property is another very appealing aspect. With Cloyne village just a 5-minute walk away, the busy satellite town of Midleton nearby (8km north) and Cork City Centre about 25km away, it could hardly be better situated for whatever enterprise the next owner gets involved with. The price guide of €750,000 (€15,600/acre) reflects the quality, convenience and location of this quality holding that holds much more potential.
Belfast Telegraph
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Armagh on lookout for new hurling manager as Karl McKeegan steps down from role
Under the former Christy Ring winner, the Orchard county reached the Division Three Final in the National League in his first season in charge but they were unable to reach that height again. Following a disappointing 2024, this year Armagh failed to reach the Nicky Rackard Cup Final after failing to exit their group, leading to McKeegan's resignation. According to the Irish Times, Middletown's Na Fianna manager Kevin 'Kizzy' Hughes is the favourite to take over from the Cushendall man after leading his side to nine senior club championship titles in the last decade, with the club going for seven-in-a-row this year. Former Keady Lamh Dhearg manager Declan Napier is also believed to be interested and would bring considerable experience to the role having worked as a club coach in Armagh and Down, as well as managing the Down senior camogie team.
Irish Independent
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
GAA: Galway face Kilkenny in Leinster final, Kildare win Joe McDonagh Cup and all Tailteann Cup action
Live | Today at 08:00 Kildare and Laois get the action underway at Croke Park at 1.45pm as the Lilywhites bid for their very first Joe McDonagh Cup victory and a chance to play for Liam MacCarthy. Galway will then try to stop Kilkenny's bid for a 77th Leinster title, and their sixth in a row, at Jones Road at 4pm. Niall McIntyre guides you through all the hurling action and today's Tailteann Cup preliminary quarter-finals. 6 minutes ago "The objective of the hurling development committee is to see more counties in the Liam MacCarthy Cup. Well they have an early result because next year, Kildare will be in it," says Uachtarán an CLG Jarlath Burns, ready to hand the Joe McDonagh cup over to Rian Boran. 9 minutes ago Kildare's MOTM Cian Boran says losing to Kerry in the first round gave them 'a bit of bite' for the rest of the year "There's been some work put in in Kildare. It's good to see it pay off so well." "We were very disappointed after the Kerry game (first round), but it gave us a bit of bite for the rest of the championship. "The crowd were some help today." 15 minutes ago Kildare are Joe McDonagh Cup champs after seeing it out in style. They back up last year's Christy Ring triumph with another victory, ensuring them of Liam MacCarthy hurling next year. First up, they will play Dublin in the All-Ireland preliminary quarter final next week, with Laois set to play Tipp. A late injury to James Burke is a concern for them. But for now, it's party time for Brian Dowling's side, winning out by 2-26 to 1-19. Kildare 2-26 Laois 1-19 (Full-time) 21 minutes ago Paddy Purcell with another consolation for Laois. 21 minutes ago Muiris Curtin with a fine score from the wing, extending the lead to ten. 22 minutes ago Laois cut the gap back to eight but Kildare are cruising. James Burke turns on the style with a magic score from midfield. Kildare 2-23 Laois 1-17 (68 mins) 23 minutes ago Goal for Kildare, who now lead by nine. Jack Sheridan cuts through the Laois defence latching onto a mis-placed pass, and the Naas man buries it low and hard. Kildare 2-22 Laois 1-16 (65 mins) 24 minutes ago James Duggan with a fine score just after being introduced, cutting the gap to six. 27 minutes ago Darragh Melville wins a free which Qualter, accurate as ever, slots with ease. And they now lead by seven. 28 minutes ago Jack Travers rattles the back of the net for the Lillies just seconds after coming on as a sub. He showed great composure after Jack Sheridan's shot was saved by Cathal Dunne. It all came from a short puck-out that went wrong for Laois. Kildare lead by six and the fairytale is on. Kildare 1-21 Laois 1-15 (60 mins) 31 minutes ago Corner forward Darragh Melville wins a free and David Qualter slots it from the 65. Big score and they now lead by three. Kildare 0-21 Laois 1-15 (59 mins) 32 minutes ago Gerry Keegan with another brilliant score after linking up well with James Burke. They lead by two again. 35 minutes ago Cian Boran wins a free which Qualter slots, putting Kildare one up again, Kildare 0-19 Laois 1-15 (55 mins) 36 minutes ago Paddy Purcell levels the game up with a screamer from the right wing. Aaron Dunphy comes on for Mossy Keyes. 37 minutes ago James Keyes cuts it back to one with a fine score off the left. 38 minutes ago Gerry Keegan steps up with another brilliant score over the shoulder for Kildare. Kildare 0-18 Laois 1-13 (52 mins) 39 minutes ago Huge call from the ref. He pulls Cathal Dowling for throwing the ball to Jack Sheridan as the Naas man was set to bear down on goal. Fiachra Fennell reduces the gap to one, in a two point swing.
