The Seed is Sown
At three o'clock on Saturday afternoon November 1, 1884 Michael Cusack opened the meeting, that launched the Gaelic Athletic Association, in the billiard room of Miss Hayes' Commercial Hotel, Thurles. Present along with Cusack were Maurice Davin, John Wyse Power, John McKay, J.K. Bracken, Joseph O'Ryan and Thomas St. George McCarthy. There were a few other people present, possibly as many as six, Reports of the meeting were published in the newspapers of the day. Ballyhea people read about it in the Cork Examiner. The Examiner account of the meeting was written by McKay, then on the staff of the Examiner.
Hurling under G.A.A. rules became popular as the new association spread from parish to parish. Besides hurling and football athletics were very much a part of the G.A.A. scene. Indeed until 1887 or so hurling and football were usually subsidiary events at athletic meetings. Michael Cusack wrote that "the Association swept the country like a prairie fire." The first G.A.A. meeting in Ballyhea was held in Jim Power's Forge in Pruntas. More than likely this meeting took place in early 1886 or late 1885. Present were Jim Power, the blacksmith, Maurice Malone, Shinana, and Johnnie Linnane of Ardskeagh. It is possible that there were others present, as well, but we have no record of any other names. The three men, whom we have mentioned, picked black and white as the club's colours. It was also decided that the club team should wear caps, which were to be of different colours to the jerseys. The colours chosen for the caps were green and magenta. Modern day followers may, sometimes, wonder why the colours black and white were chosen? At the time of the club's foundation, people from the area were distinguished at race meetings and other social gatherings by the profusion of the colours black and white in their clothing. This arose from the custom of weaving white and black wool in the area.
The year 1886 saw the sturdy birth throes of the G.A.A. in Co. Cork. Over 20 clubs, hurling and football, joined the Association. They were Cork Nationals (now known as Blackrock), St. Finbarrs, Aghaballogue, Blarney, Ballygarvan, Ballyhea, Glanmire, Knockraha, Cobh, Carraignavar, Glandulane, Macroom, Midleton, Lisgoold, Riverstown, Little Island, Knockaney, Carraigaline, Ballincollig, Kinsale and Inniscarra.
Ballyhea team played its first hurling match under G.A.A. rules on the 26 May, 1886 against Buttevant "Brigadeers." The match was played in Connors' Field in Ardnageeha. That field is now owned by Edmund Rea. Buttevant Brigadeers were the team marshalled by the enthusiastic Fr. Con Buckley, then a priest in Buttevant parish. The Gaelic Grounds in Buttevant is named in memory of him. A return match was played in Buttevant where an after-match meal was given to the Ballyhea team to repay them for the hospitality they had shown to the Brigadeers when they visited Ballyhea. The number of players taking part in these games was twenty-one. The size of the pitch was 196 yards by 140 yards for hurling and 140 yards by 84 yards for football. In 1884 and 1885 the duration of play was 1 and a Half hours, but it was shortened to one hour in 1886. More than likely Ballyhea's first games were of one hour duration. Goal posts had a cross-bar between each set. In scoring it was the goal that mattered No amount of points equalled a goal. Points mattered only if teams scored no goal or scored an equal amount of goals. A point was scored when the ball was driven over the cross-bar or when a defender put the ball over the end line. Wrestling was permitted if two players came on the ball together. The referee allowed only one fall and the remainder of the players were to go on with the game. The formation of a team was goalkeeper, eight backs, six centres, and six forwards. Centres and forwards were to advance in the form of a wedge with the wings closing round and keeping the ball in front of the opposing team's goal until it was driven through. We regret to say that it would appear that Ballyhea lost those two games to the Brigadeers.
The first record of a Ballyhea win in a hurling game under G.A.A. rules was in 1888. In that year Ballyhea beat Buttevant to win the Kildorrery Tournament. They then beat Doneraile in the latter's own tournament. The following is a list of the Ballyhea "twenty-one" in 1888 - Paddy and Tom Quinn from the Old Road, John Downey, Moss Foley the captain, the brothers Mick and NickFoley of Farran, Pat Clancy and P. Dahill from Ballynadrideen, Jim Power the blacksmith, Jack Mooney, the athlete, from Prunlas, Ned Linehan and Jim O'Connell of Ballinagrath, Jack lehane of Rathglassane, Ned Riordan of Rathmorgan, Jim Casey of Cooleens, Mike Kelly from the Pike Cross, Sim Flaherty from Ballynontn, John Barrett of Ballyhoura, Tom Feore of Glenmore, and the brothers John and Jim Herlihy of Castlewrixon.
Ballyhea had a second team in the year 1888. This second team competed in and won the Dromina Tournament in that year. The tournament was held under the auspices of the "William O'Brien" Hurling Club, Dromina, whose secretary was a man named W. Hayes,. The names of the second Ballyhea team were - J. O'Callaghan, captain, P. O'Callaghan, D. O'Callaghan, T. O'Callaghan, P. Leo, P. Fitzgerald. E. Hassett, B. Walsh, F. Boddy, D. Dwane, J. O'Connell, W. Bourke, T. Rea, P. Clancy, J. Ryan, J. Browne, J. Fennessy, W. Condon, M. Lehane, W. Mahony, and M. Flaherty. The winning Ballyhea team were presented with a shield. This shield was discovered by Brendan Culloty of Ballynadrideen some years ago when he was demolishing an old house. He in turn, gave it to Michael O'Brien, formerly of Ballynadrideen and now living in Charleville. It can be now found in the club Pavilion in Ballyhea.
The Shield won by Ballyhea in the Dromina Tournamant of 1888
Another event of importance, both national and local, took place in 1888. The G.A.A. decided to send the cream of its athletes, hurlers, and footballers to America to popularize the Association among the Exiles. This event is known as The American Invasion. Ballyhea's Jack Mooney was one of the chosen forty-eight participants, who left Cobh, or Queenstown as it was then known, on 16 September, 1888, The group were dressed in kneebreeches and Irish tweeds. They each carried a blackthorn stick which had been presented to them. They competed in 10 different cities. Jack Mooney won the furlong, or 220 yards, race at Boston. Despite the excellence of the performances served up by the Irish Sportsmen, the trip was not a financial success because of the inclemency of the weather and the clash with the Presidential Election Campaign which was then in full swing.
At the end of 1888 a dispute arose at the Cork Co. Board of the G.A.A. Arising from this dispute two Co. Boards functioned for a while. The Association recognized the Board which
functioned under Mr. E. Crean as Chairman, even though only about ten per cent of the clubs in the county affiliated to it. The second Co. Board, comprising ninety per cent of the clubs in the county, was under the chairmanship of Fr. O'Connor, a priest from the Lough Parish. Ballyhea affiliated to the O'Connor Board in 1889 and 1890. Indeed the only top-class hurling team to adhere to the Crean Board was Aghabulloge. Ballyhea reached the County Final (O'Connor Board) in 1889. They were beaten by Blackrock in a low scoring decider at Mallow on 8 September, 1889. The score was: Blackrock One goal and Two points to Ballyhea's One point. The Ballyhea team lined out as follows - Sim Flaherty, P. Dahill, J. Casey, P. Quinn, J. Connell, P. Bartley, P. Daly, J. O'Connell, M. Lehane, P. Clancy, J. Herlihy, J. McMahon, P. Foley, N. Foley, P. Burke, T. Reidy, M. Boddy, J. Barrett, J. McCarthy, J. Downey, and J. Murphy. It is interesting to note that Blackrock are recognized as the official Co. champions for that year. In 1890 the O'Connor Board Championship was won by St. Finbarrs. Aghabullogue won the Co. Championship of the Crean Board and they are recognized as Co. champions for that year. It is interesting to note that Aghabullogue, as a result of being recognized as Co. champions, went on to bring the first All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship to Cork in that same year.
|
