, County 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...

, Ireland

Éire

is the Irish name for the island of Ireland and the sovereign state of the same name.- Etymology :The modern Irish Éire evolved from the Old Irish word Ériu, which was the name of a Gaelic goddess. Ériu is generally believed to have been the matron goddess of Ireland, a goddess of sovereignty, or...

) is 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...

 retired 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 Sarsfield's and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1965 until 1969.

Club

O'Donoghue played his club hurling with Sarsfield's

Sarsfield's GAA

Sarsfields GAA may refer to:* Sarsfields GAA , GAA club in County Cork* Sarsfields GAA , GAA club in Derrytrasna, County Armagh* Sarsfields GAA , GAA club in County Galway* Sarsfields GAA , GAA club in County Kildare...

, however, he enjoyed little success at club level.

Inter-county

O'Donoghue first played for Cork at minor level in 1958. He enjoyed little success in that grade, however, he subsequently joined the Cork senior team. He made his debut in the 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...

 against 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 1964 and made his championship debut the following year, however, Cork had been in the doldrums since their All-Ireland defeat of 1956.

After losing the Munster final to 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 1965, O'Donoghue's Cork team returned to centre stage in 1966. That year 'the Rebels' avoided Tipperary in the provincial championship and qualified for a Munster showdown with 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...

. An entertaining hour of hurling followed, however, victory went to Cork by 4-9 to 2-9 for the first time in ten years. It was O'Donoghue's first senior 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. This victory allowed Cork to advance directly to the All-Ireland final where arch-rivals Kilkenny provided the opposition. It was the first meeting of these two great sides since 1947 and ‘the Cats’ were installed as the firm favourites. In spite of this a hat-trick of goals by Colm Sheehan

Colm Sheehan

Colm Sheehan is an Irish retired sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Éire Óg and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1965 until 1968.-Club:...

 gave Cork a merited 3-9 to 1-10 victory over an Eddie Keher

Eddie Keher

Edward Peter Keher , better known as Eddie Keher, is a retired Irish hurling manager and former player. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the game....

-inspired Kilkenny. It was O'Donoghue'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' medal.

Tipperary emerged as the Munster champions in both 1967 and 1968, however, Cork were back in 1969. That year O'Donoghue added a National League medal to his collection as Cork defeated Wexford by 3-12 to 1-14 in the final. This victory gave Cork a huge boost going into the Munster campaign where the team qualified to meet Tipperary in the final. Cork were out to avenge the nine-point defeat administered by the same side in 1968 while Tipp were out to capture a third provincial title in-a-row. The game was a major triumph for Cork as ‘the Rebels’ won by 4-6 to 0-9. It was a victory that made up for all the beatings that Tipp had dished out to Cork in the early part of the decade and it gave O'Donoghue a second Munster winners’ medal. Once again this victory paved the way for an All-Ireland showdown with Kilkenny. The game was there for the taking for Cork, particularly after Kilkenny forward Pat Delaney

Pat Delaney (Kilkenny hurler)

Pat Delaney is an Irish retired sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Fenians and was a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from 1969 until 1977.-Club:...

 left the field on a stretcher. ‘The Rebels’ led ‘the Cats’ coming into the last quarter, however, Kilkenny scored five unanswered points in the last seven minutes to win by 2-15 to 2-9. O'Donoghue's inter-county career ended following this defeat.

Teams