Ballingeary GAA
The following article on Ballingeary Football Club was first published in the "Southern Star" on the 5th December, 1959.
Many Adverse Factors Overcome
In the summer of 1919 Pádraig
Ó Caoimh, the present General Secretary of the
G.A.A. was on holidays in Túirín Dubh,
Ballingeary. One Sunday evening he noticed
the local lads kicking a ball in a nearby field.
He immediately advised them to register with the
County Board. They agreed enthusiastically
and he made the necessary affiliation himself.
Under the guidance if Din Sullivan N.T. and
Pádraig Sweeney N.T. training was begun in a
serious manner. The team was drawn against
Ollamh Fodhla in the first round of the
intermediate championship. At that time
Ollamh Fodhla had the pick of Newcestown, Bandon
and parts of Kilmichael and presented formidable
opposition. Ballingeary would not hear of
defeat and caused a major surprise by winning
easily. The team was - Din Sullivan,
Jamsey Cotter, Jim Leary, Connie Cronin, Dan
Leary, Pádraig Sweeney, Dan Sullivan, Danny
O'Leary, Seamus O'Leary, James Scriven, Jack D.
Cronin, Jim Cronin, Denis Hurley, Bill Dillon,
Din Leary, Jack Downey and Denis Cadogan.
Mid Cork Champions
They were drawn to meet
Skibbereen in the second round but the game was
not played owing to the Black and Tan War.
A few years elapsed before the men from
Ballingeary were again heard of in the football
field.
In 1926 they were victorious in the
Mid Cork League and won the Championship the
following year and were eventually defeated by
Bandon in the County Championship. The
team doing duty in that period was - Danny
Shea, Jerh. Shea, Peter Leary, James Leary,
Danny Leary, Dan Sullivan, Din Sullivan, Connie
Cronin, Timmie Callaghan, Jamesie Cotter,
Pádraig Sweeney, Danny Lucey, Jack D. Cronin,
Dan T. S. Leary, Denny P. Lucey, Mick Vaughan.
Year after year Ballingeary fielded
teams that were a credit to the Association but
Lady Luck seemed to desert them when it came to
winning championships. This was especially
true in 1939 when the Ballingeary team composed
of such stalwarts as Den Cronin, Jim Corkery,
Timmie Ronan, Paddy Ronan, Johnny Leary, Seamus
Twomey, Liam Twomey, Sean Twomey, Jerry Lehane,
Donal Sweeney, Fr. Michael Buckley, Willie
Shorten, Mick Barry and Seamus Leary were
reputed to be the best team in Mid Cork at that
time. Humphrey Leary was an outstanding
member of the Cork senior team in that year and
Donal Sweeney was honoured by the selectors of
the Cork junior team.
Champions Again
It became increasingly difficult, owing to the scarcity of players, to field a team and in 1941 Ballingeary joined forces with Iveleary and won the Mid Cork Championship that year. That year Ballingeary saw one of her most famous footballing sons - Paddy Cronin - in action. Later Paddy was a member of the Fermoy team that won the Senior Championship in 1945 and won an All-Ireland medal playing at right half-back for Cork in the same year.
Re-Organised
In 1956, Rev. Fr. Murphy, C.C. re-founded the Ballingeary Club and Willie Shorten who has the unique distinction of being the longest serving member of the club, was elected chairman. With the emphasis on youth (the average age of the team was 20 years) Ballingeary met Canovee, who were Mid Cork Champions in the previous year, and were narrowly beaten. They were later runners-up in the League of that year.
A New Pitch
Under the leadership of Fr. Murphy the club undertook the task of procuring and laying out a suitable pitch. A large field was purchased in the village. Much work had to be carried out before the pitch reached the high standard which was envisaged by the committee. With the help of voluntary labour and a few bulldozers the pitch was soon transformed to resemble the proverbial "billiard table". The incline on the southern side provides a natural grandstand to a pitch that ranks with the best of its kind in the country. A few games have already been played on the new pitch; it is expected to have the official opening in the New Year.
1957 League Winners
The great enthusiasm that
surrounded the new Ballingeary side was rewarded
by winning the League in 1957. The
line-out was Christy Walsh, Con Lehane, Ted
Galvin, Johnny Thompson, Noel McCarthy, Eoin
Moynihan, Eoin Lynch, Michael Healy, Connie
Cronin, Jerry Galvin, Vincent Sullivan, John
Galvin, John Healy, Seamus Scriven and Danny
O'Leary.
Ted Galvin (who is also the
Club Secretary), Eoin Moynihan and Michael Healy
have been members of the Muskerry team for the
past few years. Newcomers to the side have
shown exceptional form and with more experience
should test the best in Mid Cork. Among
them are Sean Sweeney, Jerry Galvin,
Con Hyde, Todie Twomey, John Leary and Sean
Hyde.
The present officers of the
Club are: President, Rev. Fr. McCarthy C.C.;
Vice-President, John Ring; Chairman,
Willie Shorten; Vice-Chairman, Seamus
Scriven; Hon. Secretary, Ted Galvin N.T.;
Hon. Treasurer, John Healy.
The Selection
Committee is composed of Rev. Fr. McCarthy,
C.C.; Willie Shorten; Dan Driscoll;
Con Lehane and Con Cronin. The team is
captained by Con Cronin with Con Lehane as
vice-captain. Willie Shorten and Ted
Galvin represent the Club at the Mid Cork Board.
Colman Cusack