Denis O'Keeffe
Encyclopedia
Denis ‘Rookereen’ O’Keeffe was an Irish
sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Redmonds
and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1900 until 1907.
team in Cork and enjoyed some success. He won back-to-back county senior championship
titles with the club in 1900 and 1901.
provided the opposition on that occasion and a high-scoring game followed. At the final whistle Cork were the winners by 3-10 to 2-6 and O’Keeffe collected a coveted Munster
winners’ medal. Cork subsequently defeated Galway
and Wexford
to set up an All-Ireland final meeting with London
. Cork were the overwhelming favourites against a team of exiles which was made up of nine Cork men. A downpour made the underfoot conditions difficult as London settled better and Cork floundered. A goal for London with ten minutes left in the game sealed Cork’s fate and O’Keeffe ended up on the losing side by 1-5 to 0-4.
O’Keeffe missed Cork’s Munster final victory over Limerick
in 1902, however, he was for subsequent games. Galway and Dublin
were later defeated as Cork booked their place in the All-Ireland final and, for the second year in-a-row, London provided the opposition. The game was played in Cork
to mark the opening of the new Cork Athletic Ground
. O’Keeffe’s side made no mistake on this occasion and powered to a 3-13 to 0-0 victory. It was a huge triumph for Cork and gave O’Keeffe a coveted All-Ireland
winners’ medal.
O’Keeffe was still a key member of the Cork team again in 1903, however, once again he missed Cork’s Munster final defeat of Waterford
. O’Keeffe was back on the team later as Cork received a walkover from Galway before defeating Kilkenny
in the ‘home’ championship decider. London provided the opposition for a third time in the proper All-Ireland final. Cork were well on top for the entire game and secured a 3-16 to 1-1 victory. It was O’Keeffe’s second consecutive All-Ireland winners’ medal.
In 1904 O’Keeffe and Cork were attempting to capture a third All-Ireland title in-a-row. The campaign began well with Cork defeating Tipperary
to secure a fourth consecutive Munster title, however, once again O’Keeffe missed the provincial decider. He was back for the subsequent trouncing of Antrim
which set up an All-Ireland final showdown with Kilkenny. It was the beginning of a hugely successful era for ‘the Cats’ as Cork were heading into decline. Kilkenny won the game thanks to Dick Doyle
’s first-half goal, while Pat ‘Fox’ Maher
made great save at the end to help his team to a 1-9 to 1-8 defeat of O’Keeffe’s side.
For the second time in their history Cork secured a fifth consecutive Munster title following a 7-12 to 1-4 trouncing of Limerick. O’Keeffe, however, did not take part in the game. For the second year in-a-row Cork later faced off against Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final. The game was a high-scoring affair with Cork winning by 5-10 to 3-13. The game, however, had to be replayed as Cork goalkeeper Daniel McCarthy was a British army
reservist and Kilkenny’s Matt Gargan
had played with Waterford in the Munster championship. The game was another high-scoring one, with Jimmy Kelly scoring 5-2. A puck-out by Cork’s Jamesy Kelleher
is said to have hopped over the Kilkenny crossbar. Kilkenny won the game by 7-7 to 2-9, with all seven of their goals coming in a thirty-minute spell. It was the third time in five years that O’Keeffe had ended up on the losing side in an All-Ireland final.
Two years later in 1907 O’Keeffe finally picked up a third Munster winners’ medal following a 1-6 to 1-4 defeat of Tipperary. Cork later reached the All-Ireland final with Kilkenny providing the opposition. A high-scoring, but close, game developed between these two great rivals once again. As the game entered the final stage there was little to separate the two sides. Jimmy Kelly scored three first-half goals while Jack Anthony
scored Kilkenny’s winning point at the death. Cork went on two late goal hunts; however, the final score of 3-12 to 4-8 gave Kilkenny the win. It was O’Keeffe’s last All-Ireland final appearance.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Redmonds
Redmonds GAA
Redmonds is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Cork in County Cork, Ireland. The club participates in Cork GAA competitions and in Seandún divisional board competitions...
and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1900 until 1907.
Club
O’Keeffe played his club hurling with the famous RedmondsRedmonds GAA
Redmonds is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Cork in County Cork, Ireland. The club participates in Cork GAA competitions and in Seandún divisional board competitions...
team in Cork and enjoyed some success. He won back-to-back county senior 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....
titles with the club in 1900 and 1901.
Inter-county
O’Keeffe first tasted success on the inter-county scene with Cork in 1901 when he lined out in his first Munster final. ClareClare GAA
The Clare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Clare GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Clare. The county board is also responsible for the Clare inter-county teams....
provided the opposition on that occasion and a high-scoring game followed. At the final whistle Cork were the winners by 3-10 to 2-6 and O’Keeffe collected a coveted Munster
Munster Senior Hurling Championship
The Munster GAA Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1888 for the top hurling teams in the province of Munster in Ireland....
winners’ medal. Cork subsequently defeated Galway
Galway GAA
The Galway County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Galway GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Galway. The county boards are also responsible for the Galway inter-county teams.Unlike all other counties in Ireland,...
and Wexford
Wexford GAA
The Wexford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Wexford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Wexford. The county board is also responsible for the Wexford inter-county teams.-History:Hurling has been played in...
to set up an All-Ireland final meeting with London
London GAA
The London County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or London GAA is one of the county boards outside Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in London...
. Cork were the overwhelming favourites against a team of exiles which was made up of nine Cork men. A downpour made the underfoot conditions difficult as London settled better and Cork floundered. A goal for London with ten minutes left in the game sealed Cork’s fate and O’Keeffe ended up on the losing side by 1-5 to 0-4.
O’Keeffe missed Cork’s Munster final victory over Limerick
Limerick GAA
The Limerick County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Limerick GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Limerick...
in 1902, however, he was for subsequent games. Galway and Dublin
Dublin GAA
Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Dublin GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin. The county board is also responsible for the Dublin inter-county teams...
were later defeated as Cork booked their place in the All-Ireland final and, for the second year in-a-row, London provided the opposition. The game was played in Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
to mark the opening of the new Cork Athletic Ground
Páirc Uí Chaoimh
Páirc Uí Chaoimh is a Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in the Ballintemple area of Cork in Ireland, where major hurling and Gaelic football matches are played. It is the home of Cork GAA...
. O’Keeffe’s side made no mistake on this occasion and powered to a 3-13 to 0-0 victory. It was a huge triumph for Cork and gave O’Keeffe a coveted All-Ireland
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....
winners’ medal.
O’Keeffe was still a key member of the Cork team again in 1903, however, once again he missed Cork’s Munster final defeat of Waterford
Waterford GAA
The Waterford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Waterford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for all levels of Gaelic games in County Waterford. The County Board is also responsible for the Waterford inter-county teams. The county...
. O’Keeffe was back on the team later as Cork received a walkover from Galway before defeating Kilkenny
Kilkenny GAA
The Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Kilkenny. The county board has its head office and main grounds at Nowlan Park and is also responsible for Kilkenny inter-county teams...
in the ‘home’ championship decider. London provided the opposition for a third time in the proper All-Ireland final. Cork were well on top for the entire game and secured a 3-16 to 1-1 victory. It was O’Keeffe’s second consecutive All-Ireland winners’ medal.
In 1904 O’Keeffe and Cork were attempting to capture a third All-Ireland title in-a-row. The campaign began well with Cork defeating Tipperary
Tipperary GAA
The Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or C is one of over 30 regional executive boards throughout the world. These executive boards are known as County Boards even though some no longer correspond to the area under the jurisdiction of the counties from which their names...
to secure a fourth consecutive Munster title, however, once again O’Keeffe missed the provincial decider. He was back for the subsequent trouncing of Antrim
Antrim GAA
The Antrim County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Antrim GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Antrim. The county board is also responsible for the Antrim inter-county teams...
which set up an All-Ireland final showdown with Kilkenny. It was the beginning of a hugely successful era for ‘the Cats’ as Cork were heading into decline. Kilkenny won the game thanks to Dick Doyle
Dick Doyle
Richard ‘Dick’ Doyle was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Castlebridge and with the Wexford senior inter-county team in the early 1900s. Doyle captained Wexford to their first All-Ireland title in 1910.-Biography:...
’s first-half goal, while Pat ‘Fox’ Maher
Pat Maher
Patrick 'Fox' Maher was an Irish hurler who played as a goalkeeper for the Kilkenny senior team.Maher made his first appearance for the team during the 1893 championship and became a regular player over the next decade. During that time he won one All-Ireland winner's medal and eight Leinster...
made great save at the end to help his team to a 1-9 to 1-8 defeat of O’Keeffe’s side.
For the second time in their history Cork secured a fifth consecutive Munster title following a 7-12 to 1-4 trouncing of Limerick. O’Keeffe, however, did not take part in the game. For the second year in-a-row Cork later faced off against Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final. The game was a high-scoring affair with Cork winning by 5-10 to 3-13. The game, however, had to be replayed as Cork goalkeeper Daniel McCarthy was a British army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
reservist and Kilkenny’s Matt Gargan
Matt Gargan
Matt Gargan was a famous Irish sportsperson who played hurling with the Kilkenny. In a senior inter-county career that lasted from 1905 until 1917 he won six All-Ireland titles and five Leinster titles.-Teams:...
had played with Waterford in the Munster championship. The game was another high-scoring one, with Jimmy Kelly scoring 5-2. A puck-out by Cork’s Jamesy Kelleher
Jamesy Kelleher
Jamesy Kelleher was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Dungourney and with the Cork senior inter-county team in the 1900s and 1910s. Kelleher's inclusion on Cork's Hurling Team of the Century marks him out as one of his county's greatest-ever players.-Biography:Jamesy...
is said to have hopped over the Kilkenny crossbar. Kilkenny won the game by 7-7 to 2-9, with all seven of their goals coming in a thirty-minute spell. It was the third time in five years that O’Keeffe had ended up on the losing side in an All-Ireland final.
Two years later in 1907 O’Keeffe finally picked up a third Munster winners’ medal following a 1-6 to 1-4 defeat of Tipperary. Cork later reached the All-Ireland final with Kilkenny providing the opposition. A high-scoring, but close, game developed between these two great rivals once again. As the game entered the final stage there was little to separate the two sides. Jimmy Kelly scored three first-half goals while Jack Anthony
Jack Anthony (hurler)
Jack Anthony was a famous Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Piltown and with the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from 1904 until 1907....
scored Kilkenny’s winning point at the death. Cork went on two late goal hunts; however, the final score of 3-12 to 4-8 gave Kilkenny the win. It was O’Keeffe’s last All-Ireland final appearance.
Sources
- Corry, Eoghan, The GAA Book of Lists (Hodder Headline Ireland, 2005).
- Cronin, Jim, A Rebel Hundred: Cork's 100 All-Ireland Titles.
- Donegan, Des, The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games (DBA Publications Limited, 2005).