Jimmy Kennedy (Cork hurler)
Encyclopedia
Jimmy 'Major' Kennedy was an Irish
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...

 with his local club Carrigtwohill
Carrigtwohill GAA
Carrigtwohill GAA is a Gaelic Football and hurling club based in the parish of Carrigtwohill in Cork, Ireland. The club participates in Cork GAA competitions and in Imokilly board competitions. In 2011 the Senior hurling team won a first county title in 93 years...

 and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team in the 1910s and 1920s. Kennedy captained Cork to the 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....

 title in 1919.

Club

Kennedy played his club 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...

 with his local club in Carrigtwohill
Carrigtwohill GAA
Carrigtwohill GAA is a Gaelic Football and hurling club based in the parish of Carrigtwohill in Cork, Ireland. The club participates in Cork GAA competitions and in Imokilly board competitions. In 2011 the Senior hurling team won a first county title in 93 years...

 club. He won a senior county 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....

 winners' medal with 'Carrig' in 1918. This remains the club's only senior county title.

Inter-county

Kennedy first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Cork senior hurling team in 1912. That year he won his first 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 following a victory over 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 final. Because of a delay in the championship the 5-1 to 3-1 Munster final victory allowed Cork to advance to the All-Ireland final. Arch-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...

 provided the opposition in that game. Sim Walton
Sim Walton
Simon 'Sim' Walton was a famous Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Tullaroan and with the Kilkenny senior inter-county team in the first two decades of the 20th century. Walton captained Kilkenny to the All-Ireland title in 1912.Waltons’s status as one of Kilkenny’s...

 was the goal-scoring hero as 'the Cats' secured a narroiw 2-1 to 1-3 victory and Kennedy ended up on the losing side.

After losing out in the provincial series for the next few seasons Cork were back in 1915. That year Kennedy picked up a second Munster title following an 8-2 to 2-1 trouncing of Clare
Clare 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....

. The subsequent All-Ireland final pitted Cork against Laois
Laois GAA
The Laois County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Laois GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Laois and the Laois inter-county teams.-History:...

. It was their first ever meeting in the history of the championship, with Cork going into the game as the red-hot favourites. Cork led by 3-0 to 2-2 at half-time, however, a huge downpour stymied their style of play. With nine minutes left in the game John Carroll scored the winning goal for Laois. It was the second time that Kennedy had ended up on the losing side on All-Ireland final day.

After a period in the wilderness Cork bounced back in 1919 with Kennedy serving as captain of the team. That year he captured a third Munster winners' medal following a provincial final defeat of 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...

. The All-Ireland final saw Cork line out against 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...

. 'The Rebels' were coasting at half-time with Kennedy havings cored four goals. He had two more disallowed to give his side a 4-2 to 1-1 lead. Cork ploughed on in the second-half to secure a 6-4 to 2-4 victory. This victory gave Kennedy 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. This was also the first occasion that Cork wore their distinctive red jerseys. The old saffron and blue jerseys had been seized by the British before the game so alternative arrangements had to be made.

In 1920 Kennedy won a fourth and final Munster title following another victory over Limerick. A fourth All-Ireland final appearance beckoned, however, Cork failed to retain their title. A goal blitz by Joe Phelan, Jimmy Walsh and Mick Neville
Mick Neville (hurler)
Michael 'Mick' Neville was an Irish hurler who played as a full-forward for the Dublin and Limerick senior teams from 1913 until 19124....

 gave Dublin a 4-9 to 4-3 victory. This defeat brought Kennedy's inter-county career to an end.

Teams

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK