Gerry O'Riordan
Encyclopedia
Gerry O'Riordan was an Irish
sportsperson. He played hurling
at various times with his local clubs Blackrock
in Cork and both Claughaun
and Ahane
in Limerick. O'Riordan was also a member of the Dublin
and Cork senior inter-county teams from 1945 until 1954.
. 'The Rockies' were through an uncharacteristic dry-spell during O'Riordan's playing days and, after becoming a customs officer in Shannon Airport
, O'Riordan joined the Claughaun
club in Limerick. After marrying Noreen O'Carroll from Castleconnell
in 1951 O'Riordan changed clubs again and ended his club hurling career with the famous Ahane
club.
title as Cork trounced Limerick
by 3-8 to 1-3 in the provincial decider. The subsequent All-Ireland final pitted Cork against old rivals Kilkenny
for the first time since 1939. Two quick goals just before half-time, one from the stick of Christy Ring
, put Cork in the driving seat. Five more goals followed in the second period as Cork were the 7-5 to 3-8 winners. It was O'Riordan's first All-Ireland
winners' medals.
O'Riordan won a second consecutive Munster title following a second consecutive defeat of Limerick in 1947. The subsequent All-Ireland final was a repeat of the previous year as Cork and Kilkenny did battle again. In what has been described by many as the greatest hurling decider of all-time O'Riordan's brother Mossy
and Joe Kelly
scored two goals that almost won the game for Cork. Kilkenny, however, fought back with Terry Leahy
and Jim Langton
leading the charge and eventually won the game by 'the usual point' on a score line of 0-14 to 2-7. That defeat saw the break-up of Cork's four-in-a-row team of the 1940s and ushered in a lean period for the Cork hurlers.
After a period in the wilderness the Cork team bounced back in 1952 with O'Riordan winning a third Munster winners' medal following a defeat of three-in-a-row All-Ireland champions Tipperary
in the provincial decider. Dublin
provided the opposition in the subsequent All-Ireland final, however ‘the Dubs’ were completely outclassed by Cork on that occasion. In spite of only leading by three points at half-time Cork won by 2-14 to 0-7 and O'Riordan finally picked up a second All-Ireland winners' medal.
1953 began well for Cork with O'Riordan collecting a National Hurling League
title after a defeat of Tipperary. The success continued later on that summer as O'Riordan added a fourth Munster title to his collection after Tipperary were accounted for in the provincial final. The subsequent All-Ireland final saw Galway
take on Cork, however, 'the Rebels' were victorious by 3-3 to 0-8 and O'Riordan added a third All-Ireland medal to his collection. The game has gone down in history as one of the dirtiest All-Ireland deciders ever. The game, however, was clouded in controversy due to the injury to the Galway captain, Mick Burke
. After the match at the Gresham Hotel
in Dublin a fight broke out when another Galway player struck Ring. The following morning another fight broke out when another member of the Galway panel attempted to hit Ring. The fights, however, ended just as quickly as they had started.
In 1954 O'Riordan was still a key member of the team as Cork set out on their three-in-a-row trail. Tipperary fell to Cork by 2-8 to 1-8 in the provincial final, giving O'Riordan a fifth Munster winners' medal. A fifth All-Ireland final appearance beckoned for the Cork man, with Wexford
providing the opposition. A record attendance of nearly 85,000 people packed into Croke Park
to witness the Munster champions defeating the Leinster champions by 1-9 to 1-6. While Christy Ring captured a record-breaking eighth All-Ireland medal, O'Riordan picked up a fourth winners' momento. He retired from inter-county hurling following this victory.
in the inter-provincial hurling competition and enjoyed much success. He first lined out with his province in 1947, however, Munster were defeated by Connacht
on that occasion. After a brief hiatus O'Riordan was back on the team in 1950. That year he picked up his first Railway Cup winners' medal as Munster triumphed over Leinster
. After another brief hiatus O'Riordan was back on the team in 1954, however, Leinster were the winners in the final that year. The following year he lined out with Munster for the last time. He picked up a second Railway Cup title that year as Munster trounced Connacht.
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
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...
at various times with his local clubs 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:...
in Cork and both Claughaun
Claughaun GAA
Claughaun GAA Club is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in St. Brigid's parish on the southside of Limerick City, Ireland. The club was founded in 1902, and boasts one of the proudest of traditions of success within Limerick GAA. Claughaun have won the Limerick Senior Hurling Championship...
and Ahane
Ahane GAA
Ahane GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the Ahane, Castleconnell and Montpelier areas of east County Limerick, Republic of Ireland. The club fields teams in both hurling and football and historically is regarded as one of the great clubs of Limerick. Ahane's greatest players...
in Limerick. O'Riordan was also a member of the 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...
and Cork senior inter-county teams from 1945 until 1954.
Club
O'Riordan began his hurling career with his local club in BlackrockBlackrock 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:...
. 'The Rockies' were through an uncharacteristic dry-spell during O'Riordan's playing days and, after becoming a customs officer in Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport, is one of the Republic of Ireland's three primary airports along with Dublin and Cork. In 2010 around 1,750,000 passengers passed through the airport, making it the third busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin and Cork, and the fifth busiest airport on the island...
, O'Riordan joined the Claughaun
Claughaun GAA
Claughaun GAA Club is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in St. Brigid's parish on the southside of Limerick City, Ireland. The club was founded in 1902, and boasts one of the proudest of traditions of success within Limerick GAA. Claughaun have won the Limerick Senior Hurling Championship...
club in Limerick. After marrying Noreen O'Carroll from Castleconnell
Castleconnell
Castleconnell is a scenic village on the banks of the River Shannon, some from Limerick city and within a few minutes walk of the boundaries with counties Clare and Tipperary....
in 1951 O'Riordan changed clubs again and ended his club hurling career with the famous Ahane
Ahane GAA
Ahane GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the Ahane, Castleconnell and Montpelier areas of east County Limerick, Republic of Ireland. The club fields teams in both hurling and football and historically is regarded as one of the great clubs of Limerick. Ahane's greatest players...
club.
Inter-county
O’Riordan first came to prominence with the Cork senior hurling team in 1946. That year he won his first MunsterMunster 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....
title as Cork trounced 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...
by 3-8 to 1-3 in the provincial decider. The subsequent All-Ireland final pitted Cork against old rivals 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...
for the first time since 1939. Two quick goals just before half-time, one from the stick of 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...
, put Cork in the driving seat. Five more goals followed in the second period as Cork were the 7-5 to 3-8 winners. It was O'Riordan's first 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' medals.
O'Riordan won a second consecutive Munster title following a second consecutive defeat of Limerick in 1947. The subsequent All-Ireland final was a repeat of the previous year as Cork and Kilkenny did battle again. In what has been described by many as the greatest hurling decider of all-time O'Riordan's brother Mossy
Mossy O'Riordan
Maurice Francis "Mossy" O'Riordan was an Irish sportsperson who played hurling with the Cork senior inter-county team in the 1940s and 1950s....
and Joe Kelly
Joe Kelly (hurler)
Fr. Joe Kelly is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Glen Rovers and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1944 until 1947.-Club:...
scored two goals that almost won the game for Cork. Kilkenny, however, fought back with Terry Leahy
Terry Leahy (hurler)
Terry Leahy was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling at various times with his local clubs Emeralds in Kilkenny and Faughs in Dublin...
and Jim Langton
Jim Langton
Jim Langton was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Éire Óg and with the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from 1939 until 1954. Langton's inclusion on the GAA Hurling Team of the Millennium mark him out as one of the greatest players of all-time.-Club:Langton played his...
leading the charge and eventually won the game by 'the usual point' on a score line of 0-14 to 2-7. That defeat saw the break-up of Cork's four-in-a-row team of the 1940s and ushered in a lean period for the Cork hurlers.
After a period in the wilderness the Cork team bounced back in 1952 with O'Riordan winning a third Munster winners' medal following a defeat of three-in-a-row All-Ireland champions 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...
in the provincial decider. 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...
provided the opposition in the subsequent All-Ireland final, however ‘the Dubs’ were completely outclassed by Cork on that occasion. In spite of only leading by three points at half-time Cork won by 2-14 to 0-7 and O'Riordan finally picked up a second All-Ireland winners' medal.
1953 began well for Cork with O'Riordan collecting a National Hurling League
National Hurling League
The National Hurling League is an annual hurling competition between the county teams of Ireland. Contested by 35 teams , it operates on a system of promotion and relegation between four different divisions, with Division One...
title after a defeat of Tipperary. The success continued later on that summer as O'Riordan added a fourth Munster title to his collection after Tipperary were accounted for in the provincial final. The subsequent All-Ireland final saw 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,...
take on Cork, however, 'the Rebels' were victorious by 3-3 to 0-8 and O'Riordan added a third All-Ireland medal to his collection. The game has gone down in history as one of the dirtiest All-Ireland deciders ever. The game, however, was clouded in controversy due to the injury to the Galway captain, Mick Burke
Mick Burke
Michael "Mick" Burke is an English former rugby league footballer of the 1970s and 80s. He represented both England and Great Britain whilst playing club football for Widnes....
. After the match at the Gresham Hotel
Gresham Hotel
The Gresham Hotel is a hotel in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. Located on O'Connell Street, the hotel is a Dublin institution. This landmark building has recently been refurbished.-History:...
in Dublin a fight broke out when another Galway player struck Ring. The following morning another fight broke out when another member of the Galway panel attempted to hit Ring. The fights, however, ended just as quickly as they had started.
In 1954 O'Riordan was still a key member of the team as Cork set out on their three-in-a-row trail. Tipperary fell to Cork by 2-8 to 1-8 in the provincial final, giving O'Riordan a fifth Munster winners' medal. A fifth All-Ireland final appearance beckoned for the Cork man, with 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...
providing the opposition. A record attendance of nearly 85,000 people packed into Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
to witness the Munster champions defeating the Leinster champions by 1-9 to 1-6. While Christy Ring captured a record-breaking eighth All-Ireland medal, O'Riordan picked up a fourth winners' momento. He retired from inter-county hurling following this victory.
Inter-provincial
O'Riordan also lined out with MunsterMunster GAA
The Munster Council is a Provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, rounders and handball in the province of Munster.-Constituent counties:*Cork*Clare*Kerry*Limerick*Tipperary*Waterford-Honours:...
in the inter-provincial hurling competition and enjoyed much success. He first lined out with his province in 1947, however, Munster were defeated by Connacht
Connacht GAA
The Connacht Council are a Provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, rounders and handball in the province of Connacht.-Constituent counties:*Galway*Leitrim*Mayo*Roscommon*Sligo-Special counties:...
on that occasion. After a brief hiatus O'Riordan was back on the team in 1950. That year he picked up his first Railway Cup winners' medal as Munster triumphed over Leinster
Leinster GAA
The Leinster Council is a Provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, rounders and handball in the province of Leinster. The Leinster Council has been partnered with the European County Board to help develop Gaelic Games in Europe...
. After another brief hiatus O'Riordan was back on the team in 1954, however, Leinster were the winners in the final that year. The following year he lined out with Munster for the last time. He picked up a second Railway Cup title that year as Munster trounced Connacht.