FERMOY GAA HISTORY

 

by TOMMY O’BRIEN

 

 

As far as can be ascertained, football and hurling have been played in most rural and urban areas in around the border areas of counties Cork, Waterford, Tipperary and in South Limerick for many years before the birth of the GAA as we know it since 1884, so it is safe to assume that football of one form or other was played in and around Fermoy in those times.

 

The Fermoy club was founded in 1886 at a meeting in the National League Rooms (now called Fermoy Commercial club in O’Neill Crowley Quay or present home to the Fermoy Bridge club). Mr Wm Troy was the club’s first Chairman. He was also one of the Munster delegates to the 2^nd All-Ireland Congress held in Thurles in 1887, he was elected one of the 1^st Vice-Presidents of the GAA National Executive Body.

 

Clondulane village in the suburbs of Fermoy, was the hub of Fermoy teams at that time, this was due to the large employment available at the Flour Mills which were situated there for many years.

 

Many fields were used in those times to train and to play matches on, some of these included Downey’s Field (where St Joseph’s Square now stands) on the old Dublin Rd, a field in Carrigabrick and of course in Rice’s land in Strawhall. One of the fields used around the turn of the century was the third inch at Barnane which was known as the Athletic Grounds. It contained its own purpose built stand at the time and entry was usually via Duntaheen Road. Many important Munster championship and Cork County championship matches were played in this field which was considered one of the finest around in those times. Unfortunately disaster struck in the form of the big flood in 1917 when goalposts, stand and whatever equipment was stored there were all washed away and that signalled the end of the Athletic Grounds.

 

The present magnificient Stadium was handed over to the GAA in 1935 by the members of the then Fermoy Sports body who had developed the former Military Barrack Sq into a first class stadium suitable for field games and top class Athletics meetings. Since that time many important Munster c/ship and National League games have been staged in what is now named Fitzgerald Memorial Park, to commemorate a local Patriot Mick Fitzgerald, who died on hunger strike in Cork Gaol on 17th October 1923 after 67 days on hunger strike, His mortal remains lie alongside his comrade the late Gen Liam Lynch in the Republican Plot in Kilcrumper Cemetery Fermoy. Pairc Mac Gearailt is also a very popular venue for Cork Co and North Cork c/ship games and as such is always in great demand.

 

Fermoy was predominantly a football club until the early 50s when hurling began to prosper in the schools of the area where St Colman’s College were making a big impact on the highly rated Colleges hurling scene by winning Dr Harty Cup and All-Ireland Colleges titles around that time.

 

Many of the Fermoy footballers were from the Coolagown and Castlelyons areas in those early days and they contributed handsomely to the early successes of the club, these successes were made up mainly of Cork Co c/ships in the late 80s and early 90s during which time the club represented Cork in All-Ireland and Croke Cup finals, unfortunately without success. The club had a player on the first Cork senior team which won the All-Ireland in 1911; he was a local man Charlie Paye; In those years the club won six Co senior titles before falling on much leaner times during the 20/30s period, however the forties saw the emergence of a strong football team, and once again the club was a considerable force in Cork football, reaching several Co finals before regaining the title in 1945 the same year that the Cork footballers regained the All-Ireland last won in 1911, Fermoy again had representatives on that team in Dave Magner, Paddy Cronin and Paddy O’Grady, Tadg O’Driscoll would have been involved also but he was ruled out through injury beforehand. Dave Roche was also on the panel of the 1945 Cork team.

 

A brief look at the club roll of honour shows that the club has won Cork SFC titles (7), IFC (1), JFC (7) Kelleher Shield SFL (5), MFC (2), North Cork JFC (6) MFC (30), U21 FC (3), and in Hurling – Cork Co U21 HC (1), N Cork JAHC (6) Cork Co MHC (Country Section) (1), N Cork U21 HC (5), N Cork MAHC (6). The club has won various league and Jun. B titles over the years. The club also boasts a very active Juvenile club which has won many under age competitions since the early 50s.

 

The club has produced many well known referees in its time, some who come to mind include, Bill Magner, Paddy “Hawker” O’Grady, Andy Scannell Senior and Junior, Derry Gowen, Jimmy Dennigan who refereed the All-Ireland SF final in 1986, and many more who had their times in charge of the whistle.

 

The club has produced many able administrators, men such as Andy Scannell former NT at Clondulane NS, was a Co Senior football Selector when Cork won the Sam Maguire in 1945, he was later Chairman of the North Cork Division before taking office as Cork Co Chairman in the early 50s and steered the county to All-Ireland hurling victory during his term. Derry Gowen followed in his footsteps, first as a Co Minor and U21 Selector with much success, and then into the Divisional Chair where he remained for 27 years, in the meantime he found time to hold different officer positions on the Co Board before he was appointed Chairman in 1982/3/4.

 

Incidentally, the Cup which is presented to the winners of the Co SFC is named after the late Andy Scannell Fermoy.

 

In more recent years, Ladies football has taken off on a fairly large scale and with so many young ladies playing the game the future looks very promising for this section.

 

The club also has a flourishing Pitch and Putt club within its ranks and this club is one of the foremost of its kind in the country.