Castlemartyr GAA
Encyclopedia
Castlemartyr GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association
club based in the village of Castlemartyr
, Cork
, Republic of Ireland
. The club fields teams in both Gaelic football
and hurling
. It is a member of the Imokilly
division of Cork GAA.
The Castlemartyr hurling club was founded in 1924, although the area had been noted for its fine hurlers and footballers long before that year. It is also true that a football team existed in Castlemartyr at the end of the 19th century. The early days of the club were not marked by any notable triumph, but in the early thirties Castlemartyr began to create a big impression in the divisional championship. They reached the East Cork final in 1935 and recorded the first of seven divisional successes.
They went on to the county final afterwards, and though they failed to capture the crown after four famous encounters with Mayfield, two of which were abandoned, their triumph in East Cork proved to be ample compensation.
Christy O'Brien, who had played with the Cork minors four years earlier, was one of the stars of the 1935 team. The late Dave O'Brien captained the side and the other players on the selection were Dermot Cusack, Willie O'Brien, Robin Forrest, Jerry Wade, Jack Whelan, Willie O'Reilly, Donnachadh O'Keeffe, Michael Dineen, Joe O'Brien, Jack Harte, Matty Harte, Liam Aherne, Willie John Hennessy, Joe Morgan,, Jackie Collins, Eddie Hayes, Jackie Kelleher and Mossie Moloney.
School Title
The following year,1936, Castlemartyr won the East Cork School Shield and some of youngsters who helped in that victory later developed into top class junior players. In 1936 also, Dermot Cusack and Dave O'Brien were selected for the Cork junior team, while Maurice Penderville gained his place on the county minor side and won a Munster medal. But the man who really brought renown to Castlemartyr in the thirties was the dark-haired hurler who was to give great service to Cork right up to 1943. His name was Ted Sullivan.
Ted had a lengthy and illustrious career on the club and intercounty scene. He played with Blackrock
for some time but later won Cork Senior Hurling Championship
awards with the Barrs. He took part in the famous thunder and lightning All-Ireland final of 1939 but it wasn't until 1941 that he won his first All-Ireland medal. He collected his second senior All-Ireland in 1943 and three years later he was back with his home club to help them in their successful bid to regain the divisional title.
After Castlemartyr's triumph in East Cork, Ted returned to the intercounty scene in 1947 and won an All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship
medal. He was a member of the first Castlemartyr team to win the county championship in 1951 and he captained the side, which won the divisional title three years later in 1954.
The Castlemartyr team which won the East Cork title for the second time in 1946 lined out as follows: Pete Wade (captain), Dermot Cusack, Dave Lawton (R.I.P.), Pakey Lawton, Val Dowling, David Barry, Edmond McCarthy, Alfie Smith, Anthony Brennan, Jackie Lwhyte, John Morgan, Paddy Cooney, Paddy Abernethy, Ted O'Sullivan (R.I.P.), Charlie McCarthy, and substitutes Garry Fleming, Sonny Draddy, Raymond Nugent, David Power, Billy Abernethy, Billy Kelly and Michael Cotter.
Representing the County Team
Paddy Abernethy joined Ted Sullivan on the Cork junior team in 1947, while four Castlemartyr players were picked for the county minor side. One of these, Billy Abernethy, was destined to win a senior All-Ireland. The others were Anthony Brennan, the last Willie O'Connell and Michael Lawton. In 1948 Val Dowling, Billy Joyce and Patrick O'Flynn gained their places on the Cork minor team and the following year marked the arrival of Liam Dowling in the county minor colours.
Liam Dowling
, the towering, dark-haired youth, was destined to gain nation-wide fame as an All-Ireland hurler. Like Ted Sullivan, he played at full-forward and went on to win a county award with a senior club (in his case, Sarsfields,in 1957). But it was with Castlemartyr that he made his name and in his long years on the hurling field he has given great service to his home club. He joined Christy Ring
on the Cork senior team in the early 'fifties and won All-Ireland medals in 1952 and 1953. He made a comeback to the Cork team in the early sixties and took part in some memorable matches, and he won his second county medal with Castlemartyr in 1964.
In 1950, Paddy Abernethy captained the Castlemartyr team which won the East Cork championship and he was at the helm again the following year when they retained the title. But 1951 was to bring more than divisional honours to the club, for in that historic year Castlemartyr went on to win their first county junior hurling championship.
The selection consisted of Paddy Abernethy (captain), John Burke, Raymond Nugent, Pakey Lawton, Anthony Brennan, Val Dowling, Liam Dowling
, Michael Lawton, Alfie Smith, Paddy Cooney, Billy Abernethy, John O'Shea, Dominic Barry, Ted O'Sullivan, Jackie Whyte, Billy Finn, Garry Fleming, Maurice White, Dermot Whyte, Patrick Morgan, Dave O'Donnell and Patrick Morgan.
Winners Again
Three years later,1954, Castlemartyr won the East Cork title again but this time some new faces had joined the old stars on the team. John Baker, Mossie Garde, Paddy Walsh, Frank O'Brien, Marty Fleming, John Abernethy, John Garde, Michael O'Brien and a minor star named Pat Dowling had arrived in the red and white colours of Castlemartyr. John Abernethy had played with St Finbarr's College, Farranferris in the Dr. Harty Cup
final in 1952 and lined out with the Cork minors for two years. Pat Dowling was destined to win an All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship
medal in 1955, a Munster senior medal in '56, a county senior medal with Sars in '57. He later emigrated to America and was one of the finest hurlers on the New York
team.
In 1956, Castlemartyr won the East Cork minor championship having captured the award previously in 1946 and '47. But it wasn't until the early sixties that the club returned in a big way to the county championship. In 1963 Liam Dowling led them to win their sixth East Cork junior title but in the county final they were beaten by Ballincollig
. However, the following year, they were back again, this time under the leadership of the U.C.C. player, John O'Keeffe.
They defeated White's Cross, Sarsfields and Shanagarry on their way to the divisional final and in the decider itself they beat Carrigtwohill by 2-10 to 4-3. Then they scored an impressive win over Courcey Rovers and in the county semi-final they beat Ballinhassig
by one point after a great game. Their opponents in the county final were Cloughduv and after an exciting and hard-fought game, Castlemartyr wen on to win by 4-5 to 2-9.
The successful 1964 selection read as follows: John O'Keeffe (captain), John Burke, Donie Creed, Jim Dowling, Mossie Garde,Tim Ronayne, Pat Barry, Paul Hartnett, Mick O'Mahony, Donough O'Keeffe, Donie O'Keeffe, Nick Dowling, Dominic Barry, Eddie O' Riordan, Val Dowling, Liam Dowling, Anthony Cunningham, John Greene, Denis Creed and Mick Condon (incidentally, the 1963 players who didn't play in 64 were Lar Dunne, Mick Regan, John Whyte, Noel Ryan, Donal O'Riordan and Fr.Joe Hennessy).
Still There
In the next few years, Castlemartyr remained one of the foremost teams in the Imokilly
division. They reached the final again in 1967 but were beaten by Killeagh
. Castlemartyr regained the East Cork School Shield Hurling Title after a lapse of 30 years. For a club of its size, Castlemartyr has certainly produced more than its share of top class players. Ted O'Sullivan, Liam Dowling and Billy Abernethy won 5 All-Ireland Senior Hurling medals between them, Pat Dowling won All-Ireland Junior and Munster Senior awards. Jackie Whyte ( 1939) and Nick Dowling (19) gained All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
medals with Cork, Paddy Abernethy won a junior All-Ireland with Cork in 1947 and Donie O'Keeffe, John O'Keeffe, Mossie Garde and John Whyte won an All-Ireland Intermediate medal in 1965. Donie O'Keeffe went on to win another Intermediate All-Ireland medal with London in 1967 when they beat Cork in the final. The Club record for East Cork junior hurling medals is held by Dominic Barry who won 2 county and 5 east cork championship medals with Castlemartyr.
Castlemartyr won their only u-21East-Cork hurling title in 1973, defeating Erin's Own in a thrilling final,while they were to be defeated in the 1975 East-Cork Junior hurling final by the same Erin's Own. 1978 was to see a first victory in football for many years when we won the B grade Championship. Castlemartyr went on to win their first east-Cork junior A football championship in 1982, before they put 3 titles back to back in 1985, 86 and 87.Players like Christy O'Sullivan,ex-Kerry senior footballer, Seanie Bowens, ex Galway minor,Dermot o'Shea, ex Millstreet senior player and Mossie Hodnett, Ex Youghal senior footballer contributed to this upsurge of football in the club along with much home grown talent. They again won east-cork junior A football titles in 1990 and 1991, a year when they went on to contest the county final. In 1992, the club played at Intermediate level in football and succeeded in lifting the county Intermediate football League title that year. During this time, the club also amassed a total of 7 East-cork football A league titles. The club has had a lull in recent years but the recent successes at underage level and a good win in last year's B football league augurs well for the future of this G.A.A. club
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
club based in the village of Castlemartyr
Castlemartyr
Castlemartyr is a village in east County Cork, Ireland. It is located 25 minutes east of Cork city, 10 km east of Midleton, 16 km west of Youghal and 6 km from the coast...
, Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. The club fields teams in both Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
and hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
. It is a member of the Imokilly
Imokilly GAA
Imokilly GAA is a Gaelic football and Hurling division in the east of Cork, Ireland. The division includes towns such as Midleton, Cobh, and Youghal. It is one of eight divisions of Cork County Board. It organizes competitions for the clubs within the division, from Under 12 up to the adult level...
division of Cork GAA.
History
Castlemartyr are one of the most progressive hurling and football clubs in the division. With two county titles to its credit, and All-Ireland hurling stars like Ted Sullivan, Billy Abernethy and the Dowling and O'Keeffe brothers in its hall of fame, Castlemartyr certainly has a proud record.The Castlemartyr hurling club was founded in 1924, although the area had been noted for its fine hurlers and footballers long before that year. It is also true that a football team existed in Castlemartyr at the end of the 19th century. The early days of the club were not marked by any notable triumph, but in the early thirties Castlemartyr began to create a big impression in the divisional championship. They reached the East Cork final in 1935 and recorded the first of seven divisional successes.
They went on to the county final afterwards, and though they failed to capture the crown after four famous encounters with Mayfield, two of which were abandoned, their triumph in East Cork proved to be ample compensation.
Christy O'Brien, who had played with the Cork minors four years earlier, was one of the stars of the 1935 team. The late Dave O'Brien captained the side and the other players on the selection were Dermot Cusack, Willie O'Brien, Robin Forrest, Jerry Wade, Jack Whelan, Willie O'Reilly, Donnachadh O'Keeffe, Michael Dineen, Joe O'Brien, Jack Harte, Matty Harte, Liam Aherne, Willie John Hennessy, Joe Morgan,, Jackie Collins, Eddie Hayes, Jackie Kelleher and Mossie Moloney.
School Title
The following year,1936, Castlemartyr won the East Cork School Shield and some of youngsters who helped in that victory later developed into top class junior players. In 1936 also, Dermot Cusack and Dave O'Brien were selected for the Cork junior team, while Maurice Penderville gained his place on the county minor side and won a Munster medal. But the man who really brought renown to Castlemartyr in the thirties was the dark-haired hurler who was to give great service to Cork right up to 1943. His name was Ted Sullivan.
Ted had a lengthy and illustrious career on the club and intercounty scene. He played with Blackrock
Blackrock GAA
Blackrock National Hurling Club is a G.A.A. club located on the southside of Cork City, Ireland. The club was founded in 1883 and is primarily concerned with the game of hurling.-History:...
for some time but later won Cork Senior Hurling Championship
Cork Senior Hurling Championship
The Evening Echo Cork County Senior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Cork County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in the county of Cork in Ireland....
awards with the Barrs. He took part in the famous thunder and lightning All-Ireland final of 1939 but it wasn't until 1941 that he won his first All-Ireland medal. He collected his second senior All-Ireland in 1943 and three years later he was back with his home club to help them in their successful bid to regain the divisional title.
After Castlemartyr's triumph in East Cork, Ted returned to the intercounty scene in 1947 and won an All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship
All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship
The All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship was a hurling competition organized by the Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland. The competition was originally contested by the second teams of the strong counties, and the first teams of the weaker counties...
medal. He was a member of the first Castlemartyr team to win the county championship in 1951 and he captained the side, which won the divisional title three years later in 1954.
The Castlemartyr team which won the East Cork title for the second time in 1946 lined out as follows: Pete Wade (captain), Dermot Cusack, Dave Lawton (R.I.P.), Pakey Lawton, Val Dowling, David Barry, Edmond McCarthy, Alfie Smith, Anthony Brennan, Jackie Lwhyte, John Morgan, Paddy Cooney, Paddy Abernethy, Ted O'Sullivan (R.I.P.), Charlie McCarthy, and substitutes Garry Fleming, Sonny Draddy, Raymond Nugent, David Power, Billy Abernethy, Billy Kelly and Michael Cotter.
Representing the County Team
Paddy Abernethy joined Ted Sullivan on the Cork junior team in 1947, while four Castlemartyr players were picked for the county minor side. One of these, Billy Abernethy, was destined to win a senior All-Ireland. The others were Anthony Brennan, the last Willie O'Connell and Michael Lawton. In 1948 Val Dowling, Billy Joyce and Patrick O'Flynn gained their places on the Cork minor team and the following year marked the arrival of Liam Dowling in the county minor colours.
Liam Dowling
Liam Dowling
Liam Dowling was an Irish sportsperson who played hurling with the Cork senior inter-county team in the 1950s.Dowling first came to prominence with the Cork senior hurlers in the early 1950s. He won his first Munster title as a full-forward in 1952. Dowling later collected his first All-Ireland...
, the towering, dark-haired youth, was destined to gain nation-wide fame as an All-Ireland hurler. Like Ted Sullivan, he played at full-forward and went on to win a county award with a senior club (in his case, Sarsfields,in 1957). But it was with Castlemartyr that he made his name and in his long years on the hurling field he has given great service to his home club. He joined Christy Ring
Christy Ring
Nicholas Christopher Michael Ring , better known as Christy Ring, was a famous Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with the Glen Rovers club from 1941 until 1967 and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1939 until 1963. Ring is widely regarded as one of the greatest hurlers in...
on the Cork senior team in the early 'fifties and won All-Ireland medals in 1952 and 1953. He made a comeback to the Cork team in the early sixties and took part in some memorable matches, and he won his second county medal with Castlemartyr in 1964.
In 1950, Paddy Abernethy captained the Castlemartyr team which won the East Cork championship and he was at the helm again the following year when they retained the title. But 1951 was to bring more than divisional honours to the club, for in that historic year Castlemartyr went on to win their first county junior hurling championship.
The selection consisted of Paddy Abernethy (captain), John Burke, Raymond Nugent, Pakey Lawton, Anthony Brennan, Val Dowling, Liam Dowling
Liam Dowling
Liam Dowling was an Irish sportsperson who played hurling with the Cork senior inter-county team in the 1950s.Dowling first came to prominence with the Cork senior hurlers in the early 1950s. He won his first Munster title as a full-forward in 1952. Dowling later collected his first All-Ireland...
, Michael Lawton, Alfie Smith, Paddy Cooney, Billy Abernethy, John O'Shea, Dominic Barry, Ted O'Sullivan, Jackie Whyte, Billy Finn, Garry Fleming, Maurice White, Dermot Whyte, Patrick Morgan, Dave O'Donnell and Patrick Morgan.
Winners Again
Three years later,1954, Castlemartyr won the East Cork title again but this time some new faces had joined the old stars on the team. John Baker, Mossie Garde, Paddy Walsh, Frank O'Brien, Marty Fleming, John Abernethy, John Garde, Michael O'Brien and a minor star named Pat Dowling had arrived in the red and white colours of Castlemartyr. John Abernethy had played with St Finbarr's College, Farranferris in the Dr. Harty Cup
Dr. Harty Cup
The Dr. Harty Cup is a hurling competition for schools in the province of Munster in Ireland. The cup is presented to the winners of the Munster Colleges Senior "A" Hurling Championship. Players have to be under the age of 19 to compete. The winning team represents Munster in the Dr. Croke Cup...
final in 1952 and lined out with the Cork minors for two years. Pat Dowling was destined to win an All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship
All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship
The All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship was a hurling competition organized by the Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland. The competition was originally contested by the second teams of the strong counties, and the first teams of the weaker counties...
medal in 1955, a Munster senior medal in '56, a county senior medal with Sars in '57. He later emigrated to America and was one of the finest hurlers on the New York
New York GAA
The New York County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or New York GAA, is one of the county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association outside Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in the New York metropolitan area...
team.
In 1956, Castlemartyr won the East Cork minor championship having captured the award previously in 1946 and '47. But it wasn't until the early sixties that the club returned in a big way to the county championship. In 1963 Liam Dowling led them to win their sixth East Cork junior title but in the county final they were beaten by Ballincollig
Ballincollig GAA
Ballincollig GAA is a Gaelic football and hurling club based in the town of Ballincollig, County Cork, Ireland. The club is affiliated with the Cork GAA board and plays in the Muskerry divisional competitions...
. However, the following year, they were back again, this time under the leadership of the U.C.C. player, John O'Keeffe.
They defeated White's Cross, Sarsfields and Shanagarry on their way to the divisional final and in the decider itself they beat Carrigtwohill by 2-10 to 4-3. Then they scored an impressive win over Courcey Rovers and in the county semi-final they beat Ballinhassig
Ballinhassig GAA
Ballinhassig is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in the village of Ballinhassig in County Cork, Republic of Ireland. The club was founded in 1886, and now plays Hurling at Premier Intermediate level, having won the Cork Intermediate Hurling Championship in 2005, and the Cork Junior Hurling...
by one point after a great game. Their opponents in the county final were Cloughduv and after an exciting and hard-fought game, Castlemartyr wen on to win by 4-5 to 2-9.
The successful 1964 selection read as follows: John O'Keeffe (captain), John Burke, Donie Creed, Jim Dowling, Mossie Garde,Tim Ronayne, Pat Barry, Paul Hartnett, Mick O'Mahony, Donough O'Keeffe, Donie O'Keeffe, Nick Dowling, Dominic Barry, Eddie O' Riordan, Val Dowling, Liam Dowling, Anthony Cunningham, John Greene, Denis Creed and Mick Condon (incidentally, the 1963 players who didn't play in 64 were Lar Dunne, Mick Regan, John Whyte, Noel Ryan, Donal O'Riordan and Fr.Joe Hennessy).
Still There
In the next few years, Castlemartyr remained one of the foremost teams in the Imokilly
Imokilly GAA
Imokilly GAA is a Gaelic football and Hurling division in the east of Cork, Ireland. The division includes towns such as Midleton, Cobh, and Youghal. It is one of eight divisions of Cork County Board. It organizes competitions for the clubs within the division, from Under 12 up to the adult level...
division. They reached the final again in 1967 but were beaten by Killeagh
Killeagh GAA
Killeagh GAA club is a Hurling and Gaelic football club located in the small village of Killeagh in east County Cork, Ireland. The club is affiliated with the East Cork division of Imokilly and the Cork county board.-Notable players:...
. Castlemartyr regained the East Cork School Shield Hurling Title after a lapse of 30 years. For a club of its size, Castlemartyr has certainly produced more than its share of top class players. Ted O'Sullivan, Liam Dowling and Billy Abernethy won 5 All-Ireland Senior Hurling medals between them, Pat Dowling won All-Ireland Junior and Munster Senior awards. Jackie Whyte ( 1939) and Nick Dowling (19) gained All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship is an annual competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1928 for competitors under eighteen years of age in the game of hurling played in Ireland.The series of games are played during the summer months with the All-Ireland final...
medals with Cork, Paddy Abernethy won a junior All-Ireland with Cork in 1947 and Donie O'Keeffe, John O'Keeffe, Mossie Garde and John Whyte won an All-Ireland Intermediate medal in 1965. Donie O'Keeffe went on to win another Intermediate All-Ireland medal with London in 1967 when they beat Cork in the final. The Club record for East Cork junior hurling medals is held by Dominic Barry who won 2 county and 5 east cork championship medals with Castlemartyr.
Castlemartyr won their only u-21East-Cork hurling title in 1973, defeating Erin's Own in a thrilling final,while they were to be defeated in the 1975 East-Cork Junior hurling final by the same Erin's Own. 1978 was to see a first victory in football for many years when we won the B grade Championship. Castlemartyr went on to win their first east-Cork junior A football championship in 1982, before they put 3 titles back to back in 1985, 86 and 87.Players like Christy O'Sullivan,ex-Kerry senior footballer, Seanie Bowens, ex Galway minor,Dermot o'Shea, ex Millstreet senior player and Mossie Hodnett, Ex Youghal senior footballer contributed to this upsurge of football in the club along with much home grown talent. They again won east-cork junior A football titles in 1990 and 1991, a year when they went on to contest the county final. In 1992, the club played at Intermediate level in football and succeeded in lifting the county Intermediate football League title that year. During this time, the club also amassed a total of 7 East-cork football A league titles. The club has had a lull in recent years but the recent successes at underage level and a good win in last year's B football league augurs well for the future of this G.A.A. club
Achievements
- Cork Junior Hurling ChampionshipCork Junior Hurling ChampionshipThe Cork Junior Hurling Championship is the third tier championship for hurling clubs in Cork. The winners of this championship compete in the Cork Intermediate Hurling Championship in the following year. This championship is often considered the most difficult championship to win, since more teams...
Winners 1951, 1964 Runners-Up 1947, 1963 - Cork Junior Football ChampionshipCork Junior Football ChampionshipThe Cork Junior Football Championship is a Gaelic football competition in Cork. The competition was originally established in 1895 as a competition for second teams of clubs playing in the Cork Senior Football Championship. This is the fourth level of football clubs, under Senior, Premier...
Runners-Up 1990 - Cork Minor Hurling ChampionshipCork Minor Hurling ChampionshipThe Cork Minor Hurling Championship is a hurling competition for Gaelic Athletic Association players under the age of 18 in County Cork, Ireland. This competition is also known as the Cork Premier Minor Hurling Championship since 1992. It is played on a countywide basis. Prior to 1992, all teams...
Runner-Up 1956 - East Cork Junior Hurling Championship Winners 1935, 1946, 1950, 1951, 1954, 1963, 1964, 2009, 2010 Runners-Up 1962, 1967, 1975
- East Cork Junior Football Championship Winners 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991 Runners-Up 1933